A few errors in Judgement.

Hello all!  So, here's the scoop in deciding to go camping we might have made a few errors in judgement.  First, we decided Wednesday to go camping Friday.  Despite having made play dates on Thursday and Friday morning I decided that I didn't have nearly enough to do and getting ready to go camping was a fabulous idea!   Hey, i am an organized type, who thrives on stress and deadlines. (OK and slightly mentally  unstable apparently.)   But, we were packed and loaded by 3pm on Friday and we made it there by dinner Friday.  The campground was empty, (a clue) and we were able to have our pick of sites, here is our lovely campsite, And look trees! There were trees because this particular campground, as you may recall, was on the Bank of the Rio Grande.  Here was our second error.  It was empty because, it was covered with bugs! Oh, not just the fun, "Look at this bug mom!" we had our fair share of those.  We also had more than our share of BUGS, primarily flies, mosquitoes and other biting insects such as ants!  Consequently Jack woke up Saturday morning with 60 mosquito bites.  His Left leg is so badly covered that I didn't worry about dabbing on the calamine i just lathered all over.  We used up 3 Bottles of OFF.  We were there only a total of 48 hours!!   There were so many flies that Jack refused to eat out of the tent.  And it was HOT only 100.  So, not only were we covered with OFF, calamine, flies we were also sweaty.  Sounds appealing doesn't it?!?  NO amount of scenery can make this fun.   Even with this cute guy in it!! 

Saturday, night Ginger starts whimpering first we think its the "I want to be by my people" whine, we were eating it's reasonable.  Then she starts really yelping as though her pincher collar is on to tight.  I go over to see if she is tangled in something

 and notice she is licking her rear paw.  I try to get her to let me see it and she proceeds to snap at me.  Then I notice the ANTS.  The big black ants with bright red abdomens and stingers.  The ants that she is lying in.  AHHHHHH!  I take her over to the spicket to try to rinse her off.  As she is sitting under the running water i notice the ants are not moving.  They are clinging to her foot!.  I scream and call John over.  Together we pin her down and try to investigate.  Not a thing.  The poor dog just keeps yelping and whining and limping.  She actually sits with her but tucked under so she can lift her back feet off the ground.  If she wouldn't have been so pitiful it would have actually been humorous.

 

  

This last bit of unfortunate information was in actuality, truly our own fault, or was it?  We pulled up on Friday behind a camper.  When we get out we realize that we actually know the kids.  They are  in Jack and Emma's classes.  Now, they are not their best friends, they are not even just friends,  they  are kids my kids don't like.  Why, because 1. they tease my kids, 2. they don't listen, 3.  they get in trouble on a daily basis.  The little girl, Katie actually teased Jack all year because his name was" to American".  Hello, her name is Katherine!  Now,  I have seen the mom at school.  She always came across as cold, aloof and snotty.  Needless to say, we weren't close.  Anyway, she comes over to our campsite and says, "Oh, what a small world!  I cannot believe of all the coincidences, who would have thought!"  Then she gives me a HUG!   "Ok", i think, maybe i have misjudged her.  You know what they say about gut feelings?  Well, trust them.    We went to the park that evening and talked.  The girls seemed nice and were sweet with the kids.  We invited them over to share our campfire and for smores. Then Saturday, we paid for it.   Saturday the kids were over as soon as we stepped out of the tent.  They didn't even bother to check on their kids.  So the kids were there until we left to get ice.  Now the kids started to get pushy on Friday night.  Which really bothered me, and John kept saying just relax, they are just kids, they don't know any better.  I thought  "maybe, just maybe i was over reacting".  NOPE.  They were rude and pushy because their parents are.  So as soon as we got back they were right there at our site.  Not only did the kids camp out at our site, they ate our food without asking, invited themselves to go on our hikes and bike rides and tried to convince us to do things with them that their parents wouldn't do.   At one point, the parents came over and said, "We are going for a walk."  The little girl, Katie, says, "I don't want to go."  So they just leave.  No asking if we mind watching, no insisting she go with them they just turn and leave. RUDE!   We had them until dinner when the mother came over and said it was time to eat.  She was standing right next to me, saw me making dinner and didn't even make eye contact with me.  No, Thanks for watching my kids.  No, They aren't bothering you are they? No, Just send them back when you get tired of them. Nothing, nada,  No, acknowledgement at all!!  RUDE PEOPLE SUCK!  So, this morning, they were back and we entertained them while their parents packed up.   Never mind that we were trying to get ready to go.  That's ok as long as they are not put out.  I was so flippin' angry. (And it is obvious i am so over it now.)  So, this mornings form of entertainment was, lets tease Ginger.  Oh, yes.  Finally John banished them to the campsite next to ours and Ginger hid under the truck until we left. Obviously traumatized by the whole camping experience. 

 Now, the bugs and the heat were unknown factors that we couldn't have done anything about.  But, how do  you say nicely "Watch your own @#$! kids."?  How, do you deny kids who are so obviously in need of attention?