My Most Awesome Pinterest Boards

I love Pinterest.  I am not ashamed.  In fact, I'm going to show you how much I love Pinterest by showing you my favorite boards.  I'm pretty sure some of my Pinterest boards are better curated than some museums.  If not in terms of quality, at least in terms of time spent on it.  And the thing is, before you tell me how much time I'm wasting, my boards are useful.  They either give me good ideas or they make me laugh, both of which are very necessary to my daily life.

The Obligatory Food Board

I'm pretty sure everyone has a food board, and rightfully so.  Pinterest is like an interactive cookbook with lots more pictures and a search feature!  I've done several posts like this one and this one about recipes I've found on Pinterest, but if you're looking for more, this is the place to look.

Follow Ilia Grubbs's board Yummy! on Pinterest.

The Kid Board

This is my most popular board, with over 3,500 followers.  This is where I pin all the cool ideas I find for parenting tips, crafts, game ideas, coloring pages, and whatever else I feel like relates to raising kids.

Follow Ilia Grubbs's board Raising Kids on Pinterest.

The Comedy Board

My humor board is my most favorite board.  Whenever I'm sad or having a rough day, I know I can look through this board and I will be laughing out loud in ten minutes or less.  Seriously.  I dare you to read through it for ten minutes and not laugh out loud at least once.

Follow Ilia Grubbs's board Ok, that's funny on Pinterest.

The Snarky Board

Taking a page from My Imaginary Well-Dressed Toddler, I started a couple of snarky boards.  This particular one is full of things that I find on Pinterest that I think are ridiculous or awful or in bad taste.  Usually I change the comments to poke fun of the pin.  Often people repin these in earnest, snarky comment and all, which always makes me laugh and shake my head.

Follow Ilia Grubbs's board Yeah, That's a Nopefish. on Pinterest.

The Other Snarky Board

In the same vein, this board focuses on pins that require just a ridiculous amount of time and energy, especially for a small result.

Follow Ilia Grubbs's board Ain't Nobody Got Time for That on Pinterest.

Ok, One More Snarky Board

My last snarky board is full of "inspirational" sayings and quotes that actually don't make much sense.  Often they sound good at first, but if you actually think about them in a broader context, they are terrible things to say to people.

Follow Ilia Grubbs's board Lies! on Pinterest.

My Mission Accomplished Board

This one is my own invention, at least to my knowledge.  When I try something that I found on Pinterest, I move that pin from whatever board it was on before to this board.  I usually add a comment about whether I liked it or not, or anything I did to change it.  This board has been very helpful for me when I need to go back and find something I know I've already done.  Plus, it gives me a feeling of accomplishment, like checking off a list.

Follow Ilia Grubbs's board Mission Accomplished: Pinterest Ideas I've Tried on Pinterest.

Which board do you like best?  Which of your boards is your favorite?  Let me know, and while you're at it, subscribe to one or all of my boards so you can see the awesome stuff I find!

An Awesome Playlist for Toddlers

Ok, so I know "I made you a mix tape" is so 1996, but toddlers don't know that, so bear with me.

I decided to make Cricket a playlist that combined her favorite songs from the Pandora Toddler Radio stations we listen to, plus some of my old favorites and a few educational ones thrown in there for good measure.  My goal was to find songs that wouldn't drive me crazy and that were at least tolerable from a musical standpoint.  No tone-deaf kids scream-singing or tinny synthesizers and canned vocals.  Blech.

It has a little of everything.  ABC's, Raffi, Elmo, Muppets, and Veggie Tales.  It has a couple of more modern takes on old classics, like O.A.R.'s cover of "Itsy Bitsy Spider" or the "Crazy ABC's" about words that start with silent letters.

The result is a surprisingly awesome CD that even I enjoy listening to.  I liked it so much, I gave it as gifts to all of Cricket's toddler friends and cousins.

So here is my playlist.  Most of these can be found on iTunes.  A couple of them cannot, but you can buy CD's on Amazon or find a couple of them on YouTube.

Cricket's Mix

1.        All I Want is You by Barry Louis Polisar

2.        ABC’s by Ralph Covert

3.        The B-I-B-L-E by Veggie Tales 

4.        You are My Sunshine by Elizabeth Mitchell

5.        Fifty Nifty United States by Ray Charles

6.        Crazy ABC’s by Barenaked Ladies

7.        Pollywog in a Bog by Barenaked Ladies

8.        Alphabet of Nations by They Might be Giants

9.        Little Sack of Sugar by Elizabeth Mitchell

10.      Animal Alphabet Song by The Hollow Trees

11.      Elmo’s Song by Sesame Street

12.      Mr. Sun by Charlie Hope

13.      If All of the Raindrops by Laura Doherty

14.      If You’re Happy and You Know It by Larry Groce

15.      Itsy Bitsy Spider by O.A.R.

16.      Brush Your Teeth by Raffi

17.     Mah Na Mah Na by The Muppets

18.      The Green Grass Grows All Around by Jewel

19.      A Pirate Says Arr by The Backyardigans

20.      Patience by Music Machine

21.      I’ve Been Working on the Railroad by Larry Groce

22.     Walking, Walking by Anne-Marie Akin

23.     God is Bigger by Veggie Tales

24.     Silly Songs Remix by Veggie Tales

25.     Happy Tappin’ with Elmo by Sesame Street

26.     Apples and Bananas by Keith Urban

27.     Roll Over by Charlie Hope

28.     Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes by The Wiggles

29.      Skinny Marinky Dinky Dink by Cooltime Kids

30.      Wheels on the Bus by Ukulele Jim

31.      Baby Beluga by Raffi

32.     Goodnight by The Laurie Berkner Band

33.      Sing by Sesame Street

In case you don't feel like spending the absurd amount of time on this project that I did, which I understand, here are a couple of really good CD's that I got several songs off of.  Just get a couple of these and your toddler will be happy.

Ralph's World

Elmo Dance Songs

Veggie Tales Sunday School Songs

Whaddaya Think of That

Songs for Wiggleworms

I also did a post not long ago about great music for toddlers, and several of these songs come from CD's I recommended on there, so check that one out as well.  Happy listening!

My Awesome December Checklist

December means Christmas.

Christmas is awesome.

Also, Christmas is overwhelming.  Just look at my Christmas Pinterest Board!  There are not enough hours in a year, let alone a single month, to accomplish all of the cute crafts, clever DIY gifts, and fun decorating ideas that I find!

To keep from getting overwhelmed, and because I just like lists a lot, I decided to make a December Checklist, and put on there the events and activities that are my highest priority.  That way, I won't get distracted by all the other stuff.  If I just get this stuff done by December 23rd, I'll be doing great and December will be so much fun!  (I didn't include Christmas Eve/Christmas Day stuff.  That's a whole other list!)

My Awesome December Checklist

1)  Go look at Christmas lights.

Our family takes this way more serious than most.  We don't just drive around looking at lights.  We put award certificates in the mailboxes of the houses we like best.

We make up the titles as we go, and each year we love coming up with new awards like, "Best use of Marine Life in a Christmas display" or ""Most Likely to be Seen from Space."  Of course, we have the standards like, "The Santa Claus is Coming to Town Award" for a great Santa display, and "The Silent Night Award" for a beautiful nativity display.  This is one of our favorite Christmas activities, and we've been doing it for years.  We even have a facebook group that award winners can join.  It's so much fun!

2)  Make lots of cookies.

I love making Christmas cookies.  I even have a Santa Claus apron!

I did a blog post last year about some of my favorite Christmas cookies, and I'm looking forward to trying some new ones this year, too!  They make great gifts, and are always a hit at parties!

3)  Go to a walk-through nativity.

My mom's church does this every year, and it's awesome.  It's usually ridiculously cold, but it doesn't matter, 'cause we just get all bundled up.

Plus, at the end, you get cookies and hot chocolate, which is extra fun.  There are tons of churches that do this kind of thing, so if you're not near here, I'm sure you could find one online.

4)  Go to a family Christmas event.

There are tons and tons of options in this category.  We like to go to our local Zoolight Safari, where the zoo puts up over a million lights and they do special night events.  It's really fun, and since Cricket is all about lights right now, I can't wait to see her reaction!

But like I said, that's just one option.  There are parades, tree lightings, outdoor ice skating rinks, and lots of other fun family events to choose from.  Our local historic theater shows Christmas movies during December, and I know that's a lot of fun, too.

5)  Go to a Christmas concert.

Our church always does a Christmas concert night where the children's choir (adorable) and the adult choir (inspirational) perform, and then we have a huge potluck.  (I love living in the South.)  Almost every church does some kind of musical cantata or concert, and so do the symphonies and local children's choir, so it's easy to find something.  Nothing puts me in the Christmas spirit like listening to Christmas music!

6)  Listen to Christmas music until I hear it in my sleep.

Speaking of Christmas music...my goal every year is to completely submerse myself in Christmas music at all waking moments to the point where I am singing them in my sleep.  In the car, in the house, when I sing to Cricket, it's gotta be Christmas music!  Look for a post about my favorite Christmas music coming soon!

7)  Read Christmas books.

Brian and I read Dickens' A Christmas Carol every year out loud together.  I cannot recommend this enough.  If you do nothing else on this list, do this.  I love this book so much.  And it's funny, because I'm not really a huge Dickens fan, but this one is just pure gold.  It's hilarious and sarcastic and witty and sweet and interesting, all in turn.  Read it!

Also, I have been slowly accumulating some Christmas books for Cricket, like The Grinch and 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.  She has loved having all these new and interesting books to read.

8)  Do a Christmas kids' craft.

To quell my desire to do every single Pinterest Christmas craft, I have decided to just pick one, (ok, maybe two) and have fun with it.  I got some foam stickers to do a craft with our playgroup, and I'll probably do one more just with Cricket.  Plus, we'll do one at the library storytime, so we're in no danger of missing out in the craft department.

9)  Watch Christmas movies.

We haven't really let Cricket start watching TV yet, so this is for the grownups.  I have been slowly collecting Christmas movies for ten years, now.  I have all the good ones.  The Grinch is my favorite to watch over and over, and A Muppet Christmas Carol is my favorite Christmas movie ever, but it's special and we save it to watch on Christmas Eve each year.

10)  Go to at least one party.

Of course, there will be lots of parties, but I put "at least one" so that it doesn't become a weird Christmas Pokemon game of "gotta catch all the parties."  One is enough, two is great, three is fun, and much more than that becomes stressful in a hurry.  We do our big party at Halloween, so we don't try to throw one ourselves.  I try to just pick a few that my friends are throwing and really enjoy them.

11)  Stare at the lights on the tree in the dark.

This is one of my favorite things about the Christmas season.  Turning off all the lights except the Christmas lights, drinking hot chocolate, listening to Christmas music, and curling up on the couch to watch the lights.  So peaceful and beautiful.

12)  Go on a date.

It's easy to get so busy during December that you barely even speak to your family.  I know we already  have one week this month where we are out of the house five nights in a row!  I didn't want to forget to spend some time with Brian, so I included this in my list.  Our plan is to go see The Hobbit when it comes out, but even just getting coffee or window shopping would be nice.

13)  Do random acts of kindness.

It just doesn't feel like Christmas without this.  If you've never gone through a drive through and anonymously paid for the person behind you, you should try it.  It will make you downright giddy.  When we were little, my mom, my sister, and I would take hot chocolate to the guys working at the Christmas tree lot when we got our tree, because they're usually freezing out there!  I've also seen ideas on Pinterest for "ding dong ditching" your neighbors and leaving a plate of cookies or a small gift on their door step.  There are lots more ideas, but it doesn't take much to get you (and someone else) in the Christmas spirit!

14)  Pictures with Santa.

Last year we went to Bass Pro Shop to get a free picture with Santa, and it was great, but I learned something very important.  GO EARLY!  Do not wait until the Saturday before Christmas to do this.  You will wait in line for two hours and your baby will poop all over her adorable Christmas outfit.  Trust me.  (Good thing I brought a spare outfit just in case!)

15)  Do a Christmas service project.

Some of my favorite Christmas service projects are Angel Tree, Operation Christmas Child, and Heifer International.  This year, we also have an opportunity through our church to man a gift wrapping table at the mall to raise money for a local girl's shelter, so that will be awesome.   Service projects are a great way to adjust my perspective and keep from getting too focused on myself.  (This goes for all months of the year, btw.)

I can think of a bajillion  more things I would like to do, but I'm trying to be realistic.  Also, I didn't put decorating the house or the tree on there because I think that's kind of a given.  So is drinking hot chocolate.  :o)

Anyway, here's a nifty graphic with my checklist on it.  What's on yours?

Task-Oriented and Toddler-Oriented

If there is one thing that would help you get to know me, it's the fact that I am a task-oriented person, not a people-oriented person.  This one tiny fact can help you understand so much about why I do what I do.  I mean, of course, I like people.

Well, I like some people.

I like you.  You're cool.

And of course, I am always trying to get better at focusing more on people than tasks.

For example, if I ever get snippy, impatient, or bossy, check to see if I'm trying to get something done.  Usually, that's it.  (Or I might be hungry.  That's it sometimes, too.)

Not that I use this as an excuse.  I am always working to moderate this side of me, but it is a natural part of who I am.  A people-person would rather sit and chat with someone for hours and leave their kitchen half-cleaned, or their laundry half-folded, or their Facebook half-checked.  That's just who they are.  It's wrong, but it's who they are.

I'm kidding.

Mostly.

Having a toddler around has recently thrown my task-oriented self for a huge loop.  I get really frustrated when I start something and then get interrupted.  It's like a part of my brain just shuts down and ignores everything else until it's finished.

But obviously I can't do that with a toddler.  Everything is interrupted when there's a toddler around.  And you can't really blame them.  They need help with just about everything, even in our house, where we've really tried to give her as much independence and access as possible.

So I've been working on coping mechanisms.  They're  not perfect, but they are the result of over a year of relearning how to do just about everything.  And in the spirit of the article, I will interrupt what I am trying to say periodically with pictures of Cricket trying to distract you.

1)  Make Tiny Tasks

Don't try to tackle an entire project.  Break it up into smaller pieces and focus on completing one of those.

Instead of trying to empty the whole dishwasher, I just try to empty the silverware.  Then the top tray.  Then the bottom tray.  Three separate goals for three separate times.

If I'm trying to prepare for a meal or make something during the day, I just do one step at a time.  I might chop onions, and then go push Cricket on the swing.  Later, I'll come back and wash all the potatoes, then leave and change a diaper.  I might boil the pasta, put it in the fridge, and then go read books to Cricket.

It's not just in the kitchen, either.  I might upload pictures from my camera in one sitting, go through and edit them in another, and then upload them to Facebook in a third.  (I don't have an iPhone.)

Or, instead of cleaning the entire bathroom at one time, I might only clean the sink.  Then later, or even the next day, I might clean the toilet.  Then later, the floors, etc.

Sometimes I even prep during nap time things that I can't do until she wakes up, like putting things in the food processor but waiting to turn it on.

If I think of each step as an individual task, it makes it much easier for me to break things up throughout the day.

2)  Prioritize

I plan my day in terms of what I call "time units."  My time units right now are basically broken down into five parts:  Before She Wakes Up, Morning, Nap Time, Afternoon, After Her Bedtime.  I prioritize what I do, not just by what is most important, but by what it is most important to get done during that time period.  For example, she's a light sleeper, so I save quiet things like folding laundry for nap time, and do things like washing dishes in the morning when she is content to play independently.

This prioritizing by time units helps me get the most out of the day and not feel like I'm spinning my wheels trying to do things that I can't seem to finish.

Well, not feel as much like that, anyway.

3)  Constantly tell yourself "My baby is more important."

This is self-explanatory, but worth including.  If I get really frustrated, this is my mantra.  Even if nothing at all gets done all day, I've played with Cricket, she's healthy, and she's cared for.  Mission Accomplished.

4)  Make lists

I know some people don't like lists, but they are my life-support system.  Because of our real food emphasis and my trying to save money by making stuff myself, I have a never ending list of things I need to do or make, like granola bars, cereal, chopping and freezing veggies, making bread, making bath salts, etc.  (That last one is not applicable to the real food part of the conversation.  I do not recommend eating bath salts.)

I also have a list pad on the fridge that is our running grocery list, so when we are out of something, or I think of something we need, I immediately write it down and don't have to remember in a week when I go shopping.

As a task-oriented person, lists help me feel in control.  I can point to my list and say, "Look what I have accomplished!  I have done things!"  I have even been known to add things to my daily to-do lists just so that I can cross them off and prove that I did stuff.  Hey, it works!

5)  Be realistic

I have slowly and painfully realized that I have new limitations now that I am chasing and being chased by a small person.  I've gotten to where I won't put more than about five things on my daily to-do list, because it's almost impossible for me to accomplish more than that.  I just had to adjust to a new normal, and that's ok.

If you are not a task-oriented person, first of all, you probably quit reading this a while ago because it doesn't apply to you, and because you don't feel the need to finish reading just out of obligation like the rest of us.  You also probably think I'm kind of crazy and very uptight.  While that may be, hopefully some of the things I've said ring true to a few people.

Right?

How to Be Awesome at Your Morning Routine

My morning routine has evolved over the years.  At one point, it involved taking a shower every single morning.  (I've since moved that to nights, because then Brian is home to listen for Cricket.)  At another point, it involved a Caboodle full of makeup. (Dude!  They still make those!)   When I was teaching, it took almost exactly an hour for me to get ready.  Now, it takes 14 minutes.  Yeah.  You heard me.  Fourteen minutes from the moment I get out of bed to the moment I'm ready to walk out of the house.

I'm a freakin' morning ninja.

1)  The Basics

Wash face, brush teeth, put in contacts, etc.  Take 7 minutes.  (Eight if my contacts are being rebellious.) 

2)  Clothes

Getting dressed takes way less time than it used to for a couple of reasons.  One, I care way less about what I'm wearing these days.  And two, my clothes are clean, folded, and easy to find in my drawer, compared to when I was teaching and my clothes were clean and heaped in a gigantic pile beside my bed.  Fishing through to find matching socks or the specific shirt I needed took up a lot of time.  Not at all kidding.

Remember this post?

Now, pulling out and putting on a t-shirt and one of the like, two pairs of jeans I own takes 2 minutes.

3)  Hair

I would wear a ponytail every day, but my head is freakishly round.  Like, cartoonishly round.  Ponytails accentuate this to the point where I would be scared to hang out with soccer fans.  So usually I just pull back my would-be bangs.  (I haven't had real bangs since middle school, as a service to society.)  Takes 2 minutes.

4)  Makeup

It strikes me as odd that the older I get and the more I need makeup, the less of it I wear.  I would like to say this is because of my growing self-confidence and natural beauty, but it's really just because I care less and less.  Also, most of it would rub off on Cricket, which would look weird, so I'm down to eyeliner and mascara.  That's it.  Takes 3 minutes.  (Two minutes to apply, and one minute to get off the mascara that inexplicably always ends up on my face somewhere.)

And that's it!  After that, I'm ready for:

5)  Facebook/Blog/Email/Pinterest

45 minutes. 

How to Be Awesome at Hiking and Camping: Part 1

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.  I receive a small percentage of any sales made from the links, but I am not otherwise compensated for my opinions.

I have been wanting to do a series about camping and backpacking, but it's such a huge subject I had trouble figuring out how to start.  But fall is in the air, and that makes me think of all the things I love about camping, so I've decided to just break it down into very small steps and tackle it a little at a time.  That's how we learned, so that's how I tell it.

First, I'll give you a little background.  Brian and I have been backpacking seriously, either together or separately, for about ten years.

We'd each done a little before then, but we really started to get serious about it when we got married.  Our first couple of trips were disasters.  We packed way too much stuff, brought all the wrong gear, froze at nights, and came home early and exhausted.

But for some reason, we kept at it.  We bought book after book, read magazines, joined online forums, and gradually, we got better at it.  We went on practice hikes to test our packing techniques.  We planned for weeks before each overnight trip to make sure we did it better than the last time.  We talked about it day and night for months.  We went alone.  We brought friends.  We learned.

We're now at a place where we are pretty confident in our abilities, although we are always learning and trying out new things.  Personally, I have come from being completely useless to being confident that if you put me in the woods alone with a pack, I could survive just fine for days.  That's a huge improvement!

That's me being totally hardcore right there.

Of course, we don't get to go as much as we used to because we have Cricket. Now we are learning a completely different kind of camping, which I'm sure I'll get to later.  For the moment, though, I am going to cover some of the basics of backpacking with just adults.

Packing is probably the most important part of backpacking, because it determines how well you will do everything else.  You have to get all the gear you need, make sure it doesn't break your back, and pack it in such a way that it is comfortable to hike with.  Our packs typically weight between 15 to 25 pounds before water.  (As a contrast, our packs on our first trip weighed over 50 pounds--each!)

You need to make a master list of what you are going to take in your pack.  Forgetting something is not an option when you're a day's hike or more from the nearest road.  This is not something you can just throw together on a whim.  As you think through your list, try to stick mostly with items that have multiple purposes, or that can be shared when possible.  No sense doubling up on weight.

I'm going to talk you through our master list, one section at a time.

Travel

□       Walking Sticks

□       Rain gear

□       Map

□       Compass
□       Camel Back Water Carrier

Most of these are pretty basic.  One important one is the walking stick or hiking pole.

Walking sticks are great for hiking rough terrain, but they're also good for setting up emergency shelters, making a tripod for hanging bags at the camp site, and about a dozen other uses.

Using hiking sticks to set up a tarp for a rain cover.

We have telescoping poles with carbon tips, and they're fantastic.  You don't need a super expensive one.  You're going to be stabbing it in the dirt repeatedly.

Rain gear is important, even if you're sure it's not going to rain.  Often, it rains even when it's not "supposed to," and even if it doesn't, it's nice to have something water proof if you're fording a river.  I use a rain jacket and Brian uses a poncho.  Ponchos also make great emergency shelters.

Camel Backs and other similar water carriers are the greatest.  

They let you drink while you hike, which keeps you from getting dehydrated, because you drink a lot more than if you had to stop and get out your canteen every time you felt thirsty.  We've also used ours as a makeshift refrigeration unit by putting ice in it and then packing lunch meat between the bladder and the outer casing, which kept it cold until our first meal.  They also spread out the water weight nicely which is an added bonus.

1^st Aid

□       1^st aid kit

□       ACE bandage

□       Moleskin

□       Meds (check levels)

We have that note about the meds because it has definitely happened before that we've gotten out into the middle of no where and needed something from the first aid kit only to find out that we used all the Advil the last time we had the flu or whatever.  Always check.  Also, always have moleskin for blisters.  Always. 

Tent Gear

□       Hammock

□       Blanket

□       Sheets

□       Tarp

□       Mosquito Net

Depending on the weather and where we are going, we really prefer to sleep in hammocks instead of a tent. 

 It's much more comfortable, lighter to pack, and faster to set up.  Plus, hammocks are just awesome.  

Me in my awesome hammock-burrito.

Only if it's really cold or if we have the baby with us do we use a tent anymore.  I'm kind of a sissy, though, so I prefer to hang a mosquito net above my hammock so that I don't wake up with a bug on my face.

Me sleeping in my hammock-burrito covered in mosquito net.

Brian is hardcore and doesn't seem to mind bugs on his face.  

Hygiene

□       Trowel

□       Toothbrushes

□       Tooth Paste (travel size)

□       Floss

□       TP

□       Garbage bags

□       Wet wipes

□       Camp towels

□       Hand sanitizer

□       Contacts

□       Glasses

□       Wash cloth

Of course, your hygiene kit will probably be different from ours, but make sure you have the basics.  I keep floss on the list because, in addition to its obvious use, it is great as an emergency string since it's pretty strong.  Camp towels also have amazing uses, because they are super absorbent, which came in really handy that time it rained for three days straight and we found out the hard way that our tent was not as water proof as we might have hoped.

Garbage bags are great because they don't weigh anything, pack very small, and can be used for emergency rain protection for your stuff if necessary.

Small bottles of hand sanitizer are awesome for staying healthy in the woods.  We keep one in a Ziploc with our toilet paper, so it's always there when you need it.

Kitchen

□       Cookware

□       Water purifier

□       Soap

□       Sporknives

□       Ziplocks

□       Matches/lighters

□       Water carriers

□       Stove

Light My Fire sells awesome sporknives that have everything you need for cooking and eating all in one utensil.  

We always carry a water purification method and a back up: usually a Nalgene water purification bottle and our back up is boiling water.  We also always have at least three ways of starting a fire, in case the others don't work.  

That means typically carrying matches, a lighter, and a fire steel kit.  Water carriers include my Nalgene and Brian's army canteen.  I always bring a few extra Ziplocks, too, for packing out trash or as an emergency water carrier.

Our stove is just a tiny little contraption that screws onto a canister of fuel so you can set a pot on it.  

Very basic, but it does everything we need.  I can make muffins, and even pizza on that bad boy!  (More on camp food later.)

Misc.

□       Duct tape

□       Flashlights

□       Gloves

□       Bug Spray

□       Pocket knives

□       Bungees/zip-ties

□       Rope

□       Whistle

□       Sewing Kit

□       Safety pins

□       Book

Our rule is that everyone carries a pocket knife and a whistle on their person at all times. (We use a combination whistle/compass/magnifying glass.)  Whistles are great because you can blow a whistle a lot longer than you can scream, so in an emergency, they are handy to have.  We carry them on our person because you don't usually take your backpack with you when you go to the bathroom, and that's when you're most likely to get lost or get into trouble by yourself.  

A pair of heat-proof gloves are amazing to have for cooking, keeping hands warm, and protecting them from injury.  

Pictured:  Brian's gloves, doing all of the above.

A book is not necessary, but we usually bring our paperback copy of Robin Hood because it's awesome to read around the campfire.

We use headlamps for flashlights because they free up your hands.  You can get them cheap at Walmart.  Oh, and wrap some duct tape around your hiking stick, whistle, pencil, and bug spray container so you don't have to take the whole roll with you.

Clothes

□       2 shirts each

□       2 pants each

□       Underwear

□       Socks

□       Boots

□       Hats

□       Bandannas

□       Camp shoes

□       Hair Bands

□       Long sleeve shirts

Obviously the clothes you pack are going to depend on the weather and conditions of the place you are going, but actually, this tends to be a pretty good list.  Even when it's chilly during the day, short sleeves are good for hiking, and even when it's hot during the day, a long sleeve shirt is usually good for evenings and sleeping.  I like the off-brand Under Armor long sleeve shirt that I can wear under my camp shirt at night.

We usually take one pair of hiking clothes and one pair of camp clothes.  That way, your hiking clothes are dirty and covered with bug spray, and you can hang out at camp in clothes that are cleaner and more comfortable.  We also change into camp shoes because it gives your feet a break from your hiking boots, it's easier on the campsite, and they are easier to slip on and off.  Also, zip-off pants/shorts are a great space and weight saver.

We also typically each take a pair of shoe covers from Brian's work.  That way we can cover our boots before we put them in the tent and they don't get so dirty.  When we're hiking, we put the covers on our camp shoes, protecting our packs.

Bandannas are another very multi-purpose handy thing to keep around.  You can cover your head with them, use them as pot holders, cleaning rags, washcloths, etc.  The list goes on and on.

10 Pc. Kit

□       Folding saw

□       Fire steel

□       Poncho

□       Rope

□       Bandana

□       Multi-tool

□       Knife

□       Gloves

□       Notepad

□       Cook set

The ten piece kit is Brian's thing.  It's supposed to contain everything he needs for survival.  (My idea of survival and his are very different, obviously.)  If you're interested in it, check out his videos on his YouTube channel.  He has a whole survivalist-type deal going on over there with lots of cool stuff.

Trail Bag

A trail bag isn't really a separate packing list.  It's an alternate method of carrying what you need to get to easily while hiking.  Your pack is big and strategically packed, and it can take a while to get in and out of it.  We use army ammo bags like the one in the picture up there about clothing.  It weighs almost nothing, and it's the perfect size for carrying trail mix, a knife, a compass, a bandanna, a headlamp, and a few other things you always want to be able to get to quickly.

Of course, we also pack food and water, but that's a post for a later time.  This is our general list, and we modify it depending on the weather, time of year, if we're using hammocks or tents, and where we're going.  Also, remember this is our list for two people, and we divide it up.  If you're going solo, it's going to be completely different.

What kind of things do you pack when you go hiking?  Anything different than what's on this list?