Review: Cenla RV Park in Okoboji, IA

We recently vacationed in Okoboji, IA

I thought I'd show you around the campground we stayed at.

Cenla RV Park

This is a nice BIG campground! We were shocked to see all the campsites up here. 

Most of the sites near the back are for RVer's who reserve their spot year-round.

We liked that our spot (just the the right of the picture above) was covered in trees. Pretty much no sites near the front have shade...we were lucky enough that ours did. 

We talked to one guy who said, he hadn't moved his camper in four years...it was basically a vacation home for him. There are a lot of pretty fancy RVs up there...most all of the permanent sites have their own decks and sheds...they even bring lawn mowers with them!

The office pictured above. The staff is quiet but friendly. They do have rules that they enforce (you get them in the mail when you reserve and they go over them with you again when you check it) but the rules are pretty easy to follow. No driving over 5 mph in the campground, no kids out after dark - mostly basic stuff. 

The office doesn't have much in it - but is super clean with a small store of supplies and washers and dryers for you to use while you're camping. They also have a very small arcade for the kids. 

The playground is where it's at for the kids. It's right in the middle of the park and was a gathering spot for all the kids. 

Loved the bathrooms here at Cenla! They were so clean!!

The beauty of us having a smaller camper compared to the much larger RV's that were all around up there is that most of the large RVs have showers in them - so we had the bathrooms pretty much to ourselves in the morning. Bonus....the shower water is warm, almost hot. 

The pool looks big - but it wasn't filled when we were there....in the middle of June. We weren't told why.

Very disappointing.

They are located right next to a very small lake and have a fishing dock - Personally I would never eat anything that came out of that water. Best just to look around but do your fishing elsewhere! 

But very pretty to look at!

Overall, this is one of the best campgrounds we have ever stayed at. 

We both loved how quiet it was up there at night. 

No solid complaints at all. 

You can visit Cenla's website here: http://www.okobojicamping.com

Thanks for stopping by today! 

I Should Be Mopping the Floor, Boogie Board Cottage

How to Make Camping with Kids More Enjoyable - 5 Tips

Here are some tips I've learned over the past couple of years, to make camping with my kids more enjoyable. Our kids have been camping for years and love it. But there's a method to make sure that it goes fairly smoothly and that everyone has a great time...including mom and dad!

1. Bring things to do.

Most camp grounds are like little neighborhoods. Most have a ton of other kids and they all bring their bikes and scooters and skateboards. Bring yours too! Give your kids age-appropriate boundaries on where they can and can't go in the campground. As long as they understand the rules and wear helmets - we let them go! Our kids are into basketball, so we always bring a basketball to play with and sometimes frisbees or some type of waffle ball game. Make sure you book at campgrounds that have playgrounds too! 

For the little people, make sure you have things for them to do also. Sidewalk chalk and bubbles are great. 

2. Keep snacks and drinks on hand

Kids outside playing hard get hungry and thirsty...make sure you bring more then you think you'll need of drinks and snacks. Juice boxes, cold water, fruit and pre-packaged snacks are the way to go for camping. (You can make your own pre-packaged snacks at home too!) I usually like to bring a special treat for the kids when we go camping....something that we don't normally have at home. That makes camping extra special!

3. Bring on the activities!

Anymore, most campgrounds have planned activities just for kids. Ice cream socials, art projects, putt-putt golf and more are all fun (and free) ways to keep the kids busy. Of course, if your campground has a pool or beach - you have to take advantage of that. Our camping trip last year, there was a nature reserve near-by...it was amazing (and free) and the kids had a blast hiking! 

4. Bring the essentials.

Sunscreen, changes of clothes, hats and more. Make sure you're applying sunscreen several times throughout the day while kids are out playing. No one is going to have a good time if the kids get sunburns. Bring changes of clothes for when the kids get too dirty. Extra diapers for the little ones. First Aid kits for scraped knees. Extras of everything is always high on my list!

5. Chill.

This is the most important rule of camping with kids.....chill out. You're camping. You're suppose to be having fun. Chill out. Things may not go exactly as you had planned...that's okay. Don't let it ruin anyone's day. Let the kids run and have fun during the day....they're usually passed out by 8pm anyways! 

Camping with your kids creates memories. Great memories. Lower your expectations of your first outing together. Plan easy meals. Put the cell phones, iPads, and iPods down. Turn them off. Tune into your family. Eat smores and tell ghost stories. 

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Easy Breakfast Burrito's

My husband is in love with these breakfast burritos. He eats them for a quick breakfast in the morning and says they make a great lunch too. They are great for camping and great for a quick on-the-go snack. 

I love how easy they are to make. Cheap too. Here's how you do it:

You'll need:

1 lbs breakfast sausage

3-4 large potatoes

5-6 eggs

1/4 cup milk

10 tortillas

1 cup cheddar cheese

green bell pepper (optional) 

onion (optional)

First you're going to start off by browning the sausage.

Make sure and season the sausage with salt and pepper. My family won't eat the peppers and onions, but if yours will, now is the time to dice them up and brown them with the sausage.

While the sausage is cooking, start washing and peeling your potatoes. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 

Dice the potatoes into small bite sized pieces. Then you'll smooth your potatoes in a single layer onto a cookie sheet. Pour some EVOO over all of them. Here's my favorite from Trader Joe's! 

Season the potatoes too. Use whatever you have on hand. I happen to have some of the best seasoning in the whole wide world for my potatoes.... Jack Stack All Purpose Rub !

Place the potatoes in the oven for 20 minutes, or until tender. 

After the sausage is done cooking - drain the oil of of it. 

Now for the eggs. 

Crack 5 to 6 eggs and add your milk then shake them up, I like to use my Tupperware Quick Shake .

I use the biggest, deepest pan I have to cook the eggs. Cook the eggs until they are about three fourths of the way done. After the eggs are done - throw everyone in the pool. Then add the drained sausage and cooked potatoes in the pan. Cook on medium for about five minutes. Stir well to make sure everything gets browned a little more.

Add a cup of cheddar cheese - or whatever kind of cheese you have on hand. 

Stir everything up really well. This is going to be your last chance to season the dish, so make sure and give yourself a taste at this point to make sure it's yummy. If your family likes spice - add some cayenne pepper or Cajun seasoning. 

Now it's time to get rollin'!

Using a 1/3 cup, start filling the tortilla's with an over-flowing cup.

Then roll them up by tucking and folding. Then you'll wrap each on in a paper towel. 

After your done with all 10 tortillas, you'll go back and wrap each on in plastic wrap.

Once I'm done wrapping up all the burritos - I put them into one larger freezer bag and stick them in the freezer. These don't do well to heat from frozen, it's best to let them sit out in the refrigerator overnight first. 

When you heat up the burritos, you'll remove the plastic wrap but leave on the paper towel. You'll cook each one for about 2-3 minutes. Serve with your favorite salsa and sour cream.

And enjoy! 

Note: If you wanted to make these into a lower fat version, you could use turkey sausage, low fat cheese and whole wheat tortillas. 

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