Camp Theme Days Suck.

Things have been absolutely hectic here. I have been hard at work on multiple projects, and I have also been hard at work with the kids. They finished a very successful first year at school as junior kindergarten students, and they absolutely loved it. It's a great feeling to have your kids wake up happy and excited to go to school and to learn. (I know that this will not last. When do kids start going to school begrudgingly instead of with a spring to their step? Grade three? Four? I hope not sooner.) Now they are at camp, and I have to say, I love my kids, and I want to be the best parent I can be. But really, theme days? One day's notice? Come on! If it's not Colour War, it's Safari Day, or Beach Day. Ugh. I remember loving these days as a kid, and being so excited for them. But as a parent, they are absolutely the worst!

I was told yesterday by our bus counsellor that today would be Safari Day. I had also had an email from the camp about this (thank god it was more than one day in advance.) and I was thinking "Okay Ali, we have a lion costume, and we have a dinosaur costume. I know there are no dinosaurs on safari, so that can work. But crap! I have three kids! I need another animal. Ummm... they were bearcats for their dance recital. Hailey can be a bearcat! Yes!" So, with this plan in mind, I was set. Until the kids came home.

Hailey: Mommy! I have Safari Day tomorrow!

Me: Yes, and you can be a bearcat! That will be so cute! You also won't overheat at camp!

Hailey: Noooooooo! I want to be a sloth!

Me: Sloth? (Damnit!) Okay? A sloth has the same shaped ears as a bearcat. Wear those and...

Hailey: Paint my face like the ones in Zootopia!

Me:...

Phillip: I'm going to be a monkey!

Me:... 

Phillip: Paint my face like a monkey!

Me: Monkey ears look like bearcat ears! I'll tie this belt around your waist backwards and you have a tail! (Nailed it!)

Joseph: I'm a lion!

Me: I love you.

So, this morning was a flurry of chaos, eyeshadow, and bearcat ears. And then it's time to plan for Beach Day. I wonder if I can Macgyver some leis and stuff. Can one build a surfboard out of duct tape? Ugh. Screw it. I'm sending them in their swim suits and nothing else. Lazy mom for the win!  

Not going to be making him proud with my crafting skills.

At least with Colour War all I had to do was send them all in red shirts. (Insert Star Trek joke.)

Now go out there and lose! Horribly!

The Blue Team handed their butts to them. 

It's hard enough sending three five year olds off to camp with two swimsuits, extra sunscreen, Hailey's epipen fannypack (for bees), lunch (all nut free), hats (continuously missing, lost, messed up), flipflops, shoes on their feet, etc. Now I have to do it colour coded and with them in animal costumes. Oy. 

I guess I can say that their happy sunny faces make it all worth it, but, really, it's exhausting. Can't a camp day be a camp day? I thought I was on summer vacation. 

Hailey... Sloth?

Phillip Monkey

Joseph the lion

And Phillip forgot his hat.