Peanut Butter Fingers

I think every parent out there felt like we hit the jackpot with Halloween on a Friday this year. Woop! No worries about late bed times/early wakeups for school after a late night and excessive amounts of sugar! We certainly took full advantage of our Friday night Halloween and made our way to our friends’ house for their annual Halloween party… with a little twist this year.

We’ve been celebrating Halloween with the same group of friends since Chase was a baby and one of our friends began hosting our crew about 6 years ago because they have the best neighborhood for trick-or-treating. This year the party was more than just a Halloween party however, as it doubled as a surprise 40th birthday party for our friend Lauren!

Halloween Weekend 2025 + Our Camping MVPs

All of the women in attendance came to the party dressed as different versions of Lauren! I was University of Tennessee Lauren (she’s a diehard Vols fan since her college days) and her reaction when she realized we were all dressed as some version of HER for Halloween was priceless!

Of course it wouldn’t be Halloween without trick-or-treating and we trick-or-treated until the kids’ bags were practically overflowing with candy.

After trick-or-treating, all the dads took the kids home so the moms could stay back and celebrate Lauren until close to midnight. It was a great Halloween!

Weekend Camping Trip

On Saturday, Ryan and I awoke and immediately went into go-mode packing up for a quick 24-hour camping adventure!

When we saw a mostly free weekend on our agenda a couple of weeks ago, we nabbed one of the last sites available at Dan Nicholas Park and crossed our fingers for good weather. It ended up being absolutely gorgeous outside (I will never get over the vibrant fall leaves in North Carolina) and though temperatures dropped down to just below 40 degrees overnight, we were prepared with sleeping bags, blankets and layers.

 

We adore camping at Dan Nicholas Park for a myriad of reasons, the very top one being easy access to a small lake that provides our boys with plenty of entertainment in the form of netting small fish and frogs. (For any local friends, it’s not the best lake for catching fish with a rod and reel though, as we’ve never had good luck and never seen anyone else catch a thing.)

The park is also very close to our house (only about a 60-minute drive) and has plenty to do beyond the campground, including multiple playgrounds, a mini zoo, gem mining, mini golf, paddle boating and more. (It feels like a step back in time as most of the activities are priced under $2 per person.)

The campground is located across the lake from all of the attractions which we love as it makes camping feel secluded from park visitors but everything is still walkable via the lakeside trail.

I had someone on Instagram ask me to highlight our camping “MVPs” so here’s a quick rundown of the supplies we find most helpful as amateur campers:

CORE Tent:

Ryan spent a lot of time researching this tent before he ordered it 3 years ago and it paid off because it’s fantastic. It set up/breaks down easily (5-10 minutes!), is nice and spacious (it says is sleeps 12 which feels aggressive but it’s plenty big for our family of 5) and lined with LED lights that are incredibly helpful at night. It also has zip-down dividers so you can create separate sleeping areas which was especially helpful when Rhett was 3 and went to bed/slept longer than everyone else.

Camping Blankets:

The blankets I initially ordered to bring to the boys’ soccer games that ended up being so great for camping, too! I love that one side is nylon (aka it doesn’t pick up dirt/grass/turf/leaves) and the other side is nice and cozy. We used these by the campfire and then brought them into the tent to put them over our sleeping bags at night. I already ordered two more because they were so helpful on this trip and we all wanted our own.

Razor Griddle:

We’ve had this for years (we initially got it for tailgating!) and use it to cook all of our meals. It pops up and is very easy to use to cook everything from burgers and hot dogs to eggs and pancakes.

Mini Noise Machine:

Aka the only reason we all get any sleep. It’s small but can get quite loud and easily holds a charge through 2+ nights. A $8.99 gem of a find!

Hest Sleeping Pads:

Oh my gosh these are a game changer. Ryan and I flopped around on a deflating air mattress during our first camping trip and it was a disaster. These mats are incredible. I sleep a million times better and they feel like a true luxury. (The boys still use air mattresses because the Hest pads are a splurge and they sleep mostly fine on their air mattresses so far. We do pack the Hest pads for family travel though when we need an extra sleeping spot for them.)

Water Jug/A Few Gallons of Water:

Having clean water access at the campsite is so helpful for brushing teeth without needing to visit the bathrooms, washing hands, refilling water bottles, etc. (We usually just buy a couple of gallons of water before a camping trip.)

Eno Hammock:

This is a carryover item Ryan had from his overnight hiking days that our whole family enjoys hanging around in on our camping trips.

Chairs:

Our portable ALDI camping chairs I bought on a whim 2 years ago have held up well for the boys (they’re nearly identical to these camping chairs) and this pop-up outdoor rocking chair is for sure the most coveted seat in our family — so much so that we may need to get another one. (I initially got it for Ryan as a birthday gift last year.)

Marshmallow Roasting Sticks:

The boys and I gave these to Ryan for Christmas years ago and they’re the best!

Wipes:

For cleaning hands, surfaces, your body, etc.

Kindle/Nighttime Reading Lights:

These are really helpful for our family, as we all read before we go to sleep. Since we’re sharing one sleeping area, the ability to read before bed gives everyone a quiet activity they can do if they’re feeling restless.

Sleeping Bags:

This was another ALDI purchase that worked well for us! Our boys all have sleeping bags from ALDI meant for 40(ish)-degree camping and above and they work well, though we may need to invest in warmer ones because Chase mentioned he was a little cold on this trip. Ryan and I use two Big Agnes sleeping bags he’s had for years from his past hiking trips and they’re super warm, easy to pack and very lightweight.

Every time we go camping, we try to take inventory of what works and what doesn’t, what we use and what we don’t and it’s always a learning process. Some of the items listed above are absolutely an investment and not necessarily something I’d recommend if you’re just going to give camping a shot one time to see if it’s something you might like. They’re items we’ve acquired over time, as a family who plans to continue camping with our kids for years and years, and they’re items we hope/believe will hold up well.

It’s never perfect and every camping trip inevitably has some headaches or obstacles pop up but it’s always worth it, especially since the boys also seem to enjoy it so much.

All they really need for a fun camping weekend in a big pile of dirt… and s’mores.

Once we made it home on Sunday, we spent the rest of the day doing laundry, cleaning up around the house and getting organized for the week ahead. Ryan also put up half of our Christmas lights though we’re going to try to resist turning them on for a couple more weeks. (I make no promises.)

And now I’m off to get this Monday rockin’. The big kids have a teacher work day today and all three boys do not have school tomorrow either so it’s a bit of a wonky week over here. I hope you all have a great Monday and enjoy the rest of your week!