THE CAMP BUS DEPARTURE 2016

This has probably been the longest week of the entire year. I don’t know about you but I am flat-out exhausted both mentally and physically. I almost fell asleep on the basement floor packing Wednesday night. Considering this is my fourth year of packing you would think I have this down pat. I don’t. I just procrastinate longer. I am scared to see the Amex bill this month. Like deathly afraid. Between 20 trips to Target, Bed, Bath & Beyond and countless orders on Amazon Prime, I will be amazed if I am still married after July 1st.

The kids were psyched to leave this year and the camp prep was in full effect. The nail salons in Livingston were PACKED!!!!!!!!!

CAMP NAILS

VEGA

OMBRE MATOAKA 

TRIPP LAKE

PINE FOREST

WESTMONT

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CAMP HAIR

The boys, as always, are Camp Proud and glad to show it the best way they know how!

TYLER HILL 

WINADU

WESTMONT

Not sure which camp but.…

and then there was my kid which I wrote about on Facebook (I am not responsible for this haircut even though it turned to be a hit..who knew!)

CEDAR

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Camp kicks by Sam seem to be the rage!

I heard there was a mad rush to get the new Steph Curry’s as they hit stores a few days before camp began

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Friday night we decided to do things a little differently and have dinner at home. The kids had more time with Griffin (the pup) and, truthfully, more time on the couch. If you follow me on Snap, you know I was back at ShopRite at 8pm buying Ramen (to bring up to camp) and Doritos for the bus. One day I will actually going to the market with a LIST and buying everything they need at once. One day.

As I was driving home from ShopRite, I had a huge pit in my stomach (really a feeling I have had in my stomach all week). As much as I think it should get easier, it gets harder and harder each year they leave. I remind myself they will thank me for this in years to come but it still didn’t erase the weird feeling I had in my gut. I masked my feelings as I walked into the house and did my best to not let the boys know I was internally freaking out.

I dreaded saying goodnight to them, as I am that mom who doesn’t like her kids to see me cry, so I did the best I could and cried in the bathroom. Weird, my grandmother passed away this past week and I cried at her funeral but this was a different cry. I think the stress of all week packing, knowing the boys were leaving, running around like a crazy woman, trying to work, dealing with the everyday bullshit and the Bar Mitzvah I am supposed to plan but haven’t even begun,  I sort of lost it. We all need a good cry. I probably haven’t had one in over a year. I felt a million times better.

Saturday morning was a mad rush to the bus. I never want to be THAT person who holds up the bus so I made sure we were at the bagel store with plenty of time to spare. The kids ran out of the car to save their seats and so began the WAITING. It’s funny the Mataponi bus is always scheduled to leave at 8:30am and leaves at 8:30am. Our kids bus is scheduled to leave at 9am and never leaves before 9:20. The waiting is torture. It’s the same conversations with the parents…How are you? What are your plans this summer? Do you think they kept the bunks the same? Do you think so & so is coming back this year?  Where are you staying for Visiting Day? This year ,though, was the “Where are you having Zach’s Bar Mitzvah question.” When I said I really have no clue, I am certain these parents thought there was something wrong with me. How could I not know?? I just don’t.

We said our final goodbyes to the kids

and we waved goodbye 3,000 times at the bus windows until they finally departed. I needed coffee so badly, I asked Greg to please stop at Starbucks. This was my first trip to the Rye Starbucks and I should have turned around the minute I stepped in the door. The line was almost out the door and it was complete mayhem. One lady was screaming that she needed her coffee or her kid was going to miss the camp bus. Another man asked the Barista to basically stop making the drink, he will take it “as is” because he needed to get the “hell out of there” (his words). An elderly lady was bugging out because she ordered coffee on the Starbucks app twenty minutes ago and it still wasn’t ready. Turns out she never pressed “Place order” on the app…that turned into a SHIT SHOW. If I didn’t live so far, I would have stayed another hour just to watch the drama unfold. It was a total train wreck.

I say it every year but driving back into Livingston, after the kids have left, is eerily weird. The roads are desolate, the houses are quiet, it’s almost like driving into an abandoned town. Until the bloodies start flowing….

and the JELLO SHOTS COME OUT!

 

HAPPY BEGINNING OF SUMMER!!!!!!!! HOPE YOU HAD AN AMAZING SEND OFF!!!!

JUST AN FYI: The Visiting Day Guide is hitting your inbox July 5th which will be filled with everything you will need for Visiting Day. It is AMAZING!!!!! A-MAZING!!! There are a few custom items I added to the store that you will have to order now if you want in time:

CUSTOMIZED TUTUS WITH YOUR OWN VELCRO PATCHES!!! 

CAMP TUTU – $28 – available in LULU’S STORE!!! How adorable are these and they can be customized with removable interchangeable patches!  Comes in white, green, yellow, blue and red.   Can be customized with any camp. Each comes with 4 style patches as shown (camp logo, zip code, camp colors bandana print heart and camp fraps)

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COLOR WAR TANK

COLOR WAR TANK – $36 available in any color war or camp color in LULU’S STORE!!!

***Keep checking out the store, new products added all the time.

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