Friday Five for April 18th (yes, I know its Saturday)

1) When did you last sleep in a tent? Labor Day weekend, 2008, Hendy Woods state park. First camping trip with the whole family. Here's what I learned: Ambien is the secret camping ingredient; allows you to sleep completely unaware of how cold you might be, how much your hip hurts, what that scary growling sound is... Also, if you have an only child, borrow another kid, or go with another family; Leila spent most of the time playing in the car with the bike lock. She had a good time, but still...

2) What comes to mind when you think of relieving yourself in the great outdoors? What the hell kind of question is this? Okay, I'll roll with it. Poison oak. I have never gotten poison oak on my lady parts, and haven't had poison oak at all since the third grade (knock wood) but it gives you pause when you're about to drop trou'. I have no trouble squatting a few yards away from the camp fire in the dark to save myself a trip to the bathroom. Leila peed behind a trash can at the dog park today, and emerged unscathed.

3) Where's the best place you ever went camping? I have no idea. I've just started camping again as an adult, and I don't know where the heck we camped when I was a kid.

4) What's your favorite camp food? This is an interesting question. I'm trying to come up with easy-to-pack, easy-to-cook camping food ideas, for dinner mostly. My husband did not believe me when I insisted that a warm hardy breakfast was a must-have, until he ate bacon and eggs at the picnic table. I pick marshmallows; not smores, they're too rich for me, but just roasted marshmallows. I like 'em burnt, or golden brown, or whatever you got, and I can put 'em away.

5) What's your sleeping bag like? I want a new one. I have a Costco, $20 cotton Coleman bag in navy blue. My daughter and my husband have both recently gotten new fancy warm sleeping bags, and I want one, too. Mine is a little cold, but with the ambien, that's not really a concern. Mostly, I want a stuff sack so it takes up less room in the back of the car, and you can just brush dirt off with your hand.

And there you have it.

Leila and I talked about vaginal discharge tonight. I love when these things come up, and I have an opportunity to reinforce the fact that she can ask me absolutely anything. There are a bunch of articles in this month's Oprah magazine about talking to our daughters about sex, and the info is terrifying. Apparently, relating with your daughter about your own adolescence and sexual experiences, information I have at the ready for when the time comes, is not what they want to hear, and even though girls have had the same pressure and self esteem problems for time immemorial, they simply don't believe that their mothers can understand them. So much for my grand plan...