and the kitchen sink

In the Before Time, The Husband and I used to be able to spend five days in the back country on just what we could carry in two backpacks - the "bare necessities".

Last weekend, we went camping with the kids and found that our "bare necessities" measured about two metric tons.

Okay, I exaggerate. But I seriously cannot believe how much "stuff" we "need" to go anywhere these days. In the Before Time, we used to do all sorts of fun things: Backpacking, camping, hiking, kayaking, scuba diving, beaches, theater, museums. Seems like we would just hop in the car and go. Except for the scuba gear, I think the heaviest thing we used to lug around was a picnic basket or an overnight bag.

Ha! Now, I can't even go to the grocery store without the obligatory 20-pound "mommy survival bag" filled with diapers and wipes and snacks and juice and toys and teething rings and clothes and ... oh, the list goes on.

There must be some secret physics formula that explains how two kids who don't even weigh 50 pounds between them need more supplies to maintain them away from home for two nights than a whole platoon of Marines deployed in the desert for a week.

18-(kid's age) x (miles from home) x 100 = pounds of supplies per night

I know that we could "trim" our supplies if we really wanted to. But it really comes down to motivation. When we were backpacking, it was easy to pare down - When you have to CARRY the kitchen sink 50 miles up a hill, it doesn't seem as crucial.

Now, we are more motivated by making sure the kids comfortable and happy.

I also know that some people just choose not to go to the places we go or do the things we do until their kids are older because it's so much more "work". I think that's too bad.

Because, even with all the excess baggage we "need" to lug around ... it's worth it. As much fun as it was to do all of those things in the Before Time, they are even better now. Seeing the forest or the beach or a city or a show or a museum or a park through your kid's eyes is a pretty special experience.

And it's a limited time offer.

I'd say that's worth a few extra pounds of cargo.