Rainbows

Sometimes you have to bear the rain so that you can see the rainbows.

Don't you agree?

Harry Potter at Camp!

Why, hello there! I've missed y'all. As always happens, things have gotten a little crazy in my neck of the woods {erm, there aren't really woods here. I digress}. It's been pouring down rain for the last week {seems like forever!}, there's been homesickness, mosquitos, trips to the doctor and everything else that comes with working at camp.

I'll be back to book reviews, camp posts and general ranting soon. Promise!

In the mean time, you can find me over at Kristan's blog, My Life as a Teacup talking about one of my all-time favorite camp sessions: Harriet Potter.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, lovelies!

A Camp Director's Desk

There has been kind of a trend of studio tours floating around blogworld lately. Well, I don't have a studio. I have a bay, a galley, craft rooms, a sail house, a pool, and a gaga pit. But, most of my "serious work?" Well, it happens on my desk.

1. Cards for writing notes to my staff, and for sending mail. {P.S. If you want mail, get in contact and we'll get set up!}

2. My name tag and whistle. That thing comes in handy with 120 campers around!

3. Burt's Bees aftersun lotion. That stuff? Awesome. A miracle.

4. My conglomeration of pens and flowers.

5. A phone that got lost.

6. Folders that I organize each week for my unit leaders. Inside you can find a manual, a roster, a list of things to bring, medication charts, and kaper lists.

7. Sunnies! Definitely need those.

And the other side:

1. My Mac. Love this thing.

2. Contacts box. If you've ever worked for me, or come in contact with me at my camp, your contact information is in here.

3. Two coffee cups. I drink a LOT of coffee. A LOT.

4. Three phone and a radio. My personal cell {which, believe it or not, I have to keep on me at all times}, the Nextel issued to me by my organization, the camp cordless phone, and the walkie talkie that lets me talk to our people on the water {and theoretically, the Coast Guard}.

5. Diet Dr. Pepper. A given.

What does your workspace look like?

Working Weekend

One thing about camp is that you don't get a huge amount of time off. This past weekend was a working weekend for me. Can I really complain? Shady spots with excellent views, gorgeous sails on the water, and a slumber party. No, I can't.

Oh, I don't wanna go to Girl Scout Camp....

...such a lie. The title is actually part of a camp song we sing. The first verse and chorus go a little something like this:

Girl Scout Camp. Girl Scout Camp.
The counselors that they give us,
They say they're mighty fine
But first thing in the morning, 
They look like Frankenstein!

Oh, I don't wanna go to Girl Scout Camp!
Gee Ma, I wanna go, back where the toilets flow!
Gee Ma, I wanna go hooooome!

Of course, back when *I* went to camp for the first time, there was exactly ONE building with air-conditioning, and I didn't use a flush-toilet {lovingly called "flushies"} for an entire week. I don't remember more than one shower, either. Now? Flushies all the way. Air-conditioned craft rooms {and sometimes units}. Not many latrines left. 

It's changed, but still a place I'm in love with.

I'm on my way.

See you at camp!

Applying for Jobs {Part 2}

This is the second post in my uber mini-series about applying and interviewing for jobs. I've hired a fair amount of staff {and interviewed more}, and I've noticed some common mistakes that I want you to avoid. You can read my first post here.


In this post I'm continuing on my original list:
5. Asking too many questions: Don't get me wrong. I love questions, and I love asking them myself. However, in an interview, I give a LOT of information about the position, our organization, pay, time-off, qualifications, facilities, etc. In a phone interview situation like that, take notes. If you miss something and want to ask about it, preface with "I know you mentioned this, but I missed it or I wasn't clear on something." Don't stick to your pre-made list of questions of which the answers were already covered. And, after you're hired, I send out an information packet. Read. It.


6. Being unprofessional: Yes, it's camp. Yes, it's super casual and you get to wear your swimsuit around all day and depending on the camp flip flops/sandals/etc. Yeah, you don't have to always brush your hair or shower and you'll make a fool of yourself singing ridiculous songs all summer. But, I'm still your potential boss. Be professional. One word e-mails, messages which don't leave your name {I call a LOT of people}, etc. are not helpful, and will put another candidate above you.

7. Not selling yourself: A good portion of my interviews are surprises for people. I generally call and say "Hi, I'm the camp director at that camp you applied for, do you have a few minutes?" So, I know people don't have a whole lot of time to prepare/practice {something I highly recommend if you have time}. But, I ask questions designed to make you think fast on your feet. There really aren't any wrong answers. What's important when you apply for any job is to know yourself, your experiences, and know a little bit about the organization you're applying for {do some digging when you apply}. Also, have an "elevator speech" ready-to-go when you start filling out applications. This is doubly important if your interview is NOT a surprise. If you know you have an interview coming up, do your research and practice.

8. Making Demands: In some ways, working for me is flexible. Because I hire temporary summer staff I have a lot of power to work around schedules, family reunions, etc. However, the time to ask about those things is NOT in the initial e-mail or phone call we have. You should wait until I'm discussing dates, availability, etc. in the interview. By starting an e-mail with "I need to know this, because I won't work at this time" does not make me want to even set up an interview with you, let alone offer you a position.


9. Not using spell check/grammar check:  Kind of a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised at how many typos I see on resumes and misspelled words I see on applications. Unprofessional.


Well, that was a long list! Feel free to leave your thoughts/observations in the comment section!

Applying for Jobs {Part 1}

As part of being a Camp Director, I hire people. A lot of people. Like, 20-30 people {at least} each summer. Many, many applications cross my desk, and I can tell a lot of things from an interview. I can also tell a lot of things from the way you write your resume, the way you correspond with me, and the way you ask questions.


Keeping in mind that I am very forgiving {my staff is young, and these are not "high level positions"} of things, here are some of the top errors I've noticed. It might not prevent you from getting hired by me {depending}, but do this with long-term, higher level jobs and it will.


1. Not responding to e-mails/phone calls/etc: If I contact you about an interview, you should respond back within 24 hours. If you don't want the job anymore {this happens a lot} be adult enough to say so. If you can't return an e-mail or phone call within a timely manner, I'll wonder if you can do anything within a timely manner {like, you know, get to work}. And please, if your computer died, or a family member is sick contact me ASAP, apologize, and be realistic about your schedule for a make-up interview.


2. Responding too much: Enthusiasm is great {and appreciated!}. However, if we're playing phone tag, please do not call me 6 times in 30 minutes. Leave a message. I promise, I wouldn't have called you if I was going to fill the position in the next 2 hours, and I will call you back. So, chill. Also, if I say I will call YOU, please do not call me unless you're having some sort of issue. I sometimes spend hours interviewing people and have a tight schedule, so you calling for your interview is not super helpful.


3. Being unorganized and/or dishonest on your resume: Don't embellish or lie. Give concrete responsibilities, certifications and skills. If you have none of those, be enthusiastic about learning and tell me how you plan to do so. For many of my staff, this IS their first job, so eagerness to learn is essential. When I see a resume with a random service project from 5 years ago and nothing since, I say to myself, "trying too hard," and "not much to back it up." Also, if you're going to use an objective  on your resume {I really wouldn't}, be specific and tailor it to the specific job you're applying for. I do not run a religious camp, so an objective that says, "to work at a Christian/Jewish/Pastafarian camp and spread {insert name of gospel/good news/religious doctrine here}" will not be welcome. Unrelated activities are fine, but if your goal is to do something unrelated to the mission of our camp, you probably won't get a call back.


4. Not knowing what's on Facebook/the internet: I'm not one of those people that digs super deeply. To me, Facebook is like being out in public but not at work. If you drink outside of work, or host political rallies I disagree with, or party, I don't care. That's your private life. We all do things our bosses don't need to know about, and I absolutely would never, ever {EVER EVER} ask for you to login to your account or give me your password {totally unethical, IMO}. However, I get concerned if you haven't made your security settings tough enough and have awkward things {you naked, you passed out on a table from drinking, etc.} on Facebook, or if I Google you and find out you're lying about a job history. If I can see you bad-mouthing your current boss, that's a huge red-flag. So be on top of your security settings, and Google yourself to see what shows up.


This post might sound a bit judgmental, and really, I don't mean it that way. I'm aware that for many of my staff, this is their first job and that these are common mistakes. But, I do point these things out to them so that they can be successful in future job searches. Even if you want to work at a camp full-time, it is a competitive job market, and you'll only get so far making the above mistakes.


I'll be back with the second installment in a few days.


Anyone have pet peeves about hiring? Any pointers?

If I Could Build a Camp From Scratch

I'm not here today. I mean I'm *here* but I'm not at my computer, in Houston. No, I'm at the annual ACA Southwest Conference. Two days full of full-time camp people? Yes, please!

In honor of my "vacation" I'm going to share with you some of the pins from my Pinterest Board "If I Could Build a Camp From Scratch." One of my pie-in-the-sky dreams is to build a camp. Seriously. Take a piece of land, build some stuff, and bring the kids. Ideally, they'd all be scholarship kids. Everyone who wants to will come and play, skin their knees and swim away from the monster squid in the lake.

There would be treehouses with curly staircases. Perfect for late-night whispering and stories:

Source: google.com via Lauren on Pinterest

Swings to read on:

Source: style-files.com via Lauren on Pinterest

A kickin' craft room where you can paint on the walls, the tables, the chairs....

Source: google.com via Lauren on Pinterest

Maybe some fun cabins on the lake for the older, trustworthy campers.

Source: weheartit.com via Lauren on Pinterest

And a big library perfect for forts and indoor camp outs.

Source: vi.sualize.us via Lauren on Pinterest

So, anyone else out there wanna go in with me? Let's get this sucker started!

Snakes (Day 17)

At the end of the summer my camp hosts a day camp for all the kids who are too young to come and stay overnight. I don't necessarily plan this program {(although, I do plan parts of it)} so there are a whole lot of guest speakers. One of them brought snakes for the campers to play and interact with.

Um, they loved it. You think little boys love creatures? Well, little girls happen to love creatures too, especially ones that are sorta slimy and that they can touch and then scream about. I never said they like creatures the same way boys do.

It was actually pretty adorable. The littlest ones would slowly approach the snake {(and its handler)}, tentatively stick out a single finger to stroke it and then immediately scream and pull their entire arms away. Oh, the stories their parents heard were quite interesting, I'm sure!

Here are some pictures of me holding the snakes, for your own personal entertainment.

It was actually kind of cool, which I was not expecting. Really though, I love animals and these guys were just like really long puppies. Kind of. They do try and cuddle in their own, squirmy way. 

There was one snake that liked to sit on people's shoulders. It. was. weird. Kind of like having a rope hang around your neck, and then the rope's muscles start to contract and its tongue is in your ear. I don't think I'll be holding that snake again anytime soon.

Anybody else have any fun animal stories?

T-shirt hobo bag (Day 16)

One of the great things about crafts is that they are so easy to adapt to any budget. If you really want to go to Hobby Lobby or Michael's and spend half of your paycheck, you can. Or, you can take old clothes, t-shirts, garage sale finds and shredded paper and make new things.

My organization is really big into re-using as many things as possible, and today the campers made bags out of t-shirts. They're sort of like big hobo/market bag type things, but they are super cute, and as budget friendly as you want them to be.

Supplies:
One extra large t-shirt {(we used leftover from last year, but you can use anything; I've been known to dye a grungy old white t-shirt to make these)
Scissors
Things to decorate with {(our campers used fabric puff paint, and I didn't decorate mine at all, so whatever makes you happy!)}

Instructions:

Lay out your t-shirt like so:

Now, cut off the arms.  And the collar. Make this go as low or as high as you want. The "handles" are made with the arm straps that are leftover.

Cut up the side "seams" about 3-4 inches.

Through both layers of fabric, cut fringe from one side to the other. It should look like this:

Tie each pair {(front and back layer)} of fringes together. I recommend a double knot.

Aaaand viola! You now have an adorable market hobo bag, perfect for farmers markets, the beach, and running errands.

If you were to make this bag, how would you decorate it?

Mission Control (Day 15)

MMk, I have a confession. I. am. a. nerd. And, um, I might be obsessed with space. I know every single Star Trek: The Next Generation episode by name from the first 12 seconds. I have read Ender's Game at least 12 times. And when I was a kid, I thought I wanted to be an astronaut.

Actually, part of me still wants to be an astronaut, even though I know how impractical that is for me. So, you can imagine how cool it was for me to lead a field trip to Mission Control. If you go to Space Center Houston you can take a tram tour and view the Apollo control room through a glass window.

But, if you know a NASA engineer you can walk on the floor, play with the buttons and pneumatic tubes, and just soak up the history. So, here I am, sitting at the Flight Director's desk:

This is where Neil Armstrong transmitted those famous words: Houston, the Eagle has landed. It's where they frantically searched for Challenger after it broke apart. It's where they coordinated the Apollo 13 rescue and the historic docking between Russia and the United States during the Cold War.
You never know. I might still make it there one day.

The Big Boats (Day 14)

There are many reasons I love my camp. But, I really love our older campers and the trip they get to take on boats like these:

I took this picture at the marina where my organization keeps what we effectionately call "the big boats." These campers get to sail to a nearby island, spend a few days there, and then sail back. How freakin' awesome is that?!

Remember when I told you about sloops a few days ago? The campers who come to earn their levels on them get to take this trip. Its helpful because they learn how sailing to a destination {(rather than on a course)} really works, and they get to do something that only the very oldest, most skilled group gets to do.

Sometimes getting older has his perks.

Sloops! (Day 13)

You saw all of my sailing pictures right? If not, go here, and here. These boats are called Sunfish and they are the first boats that our campers learn to sail.

These are the next step:

The ones with the white sails are called sloops because they have one mast and two sails. The campers learn to sail them in teams consisting of three roles: crew, skipper, and captain. Each position is a different rating and they come to camp to learn a new one each year.

One day I'll know how to sail all of them. I'm adding learning to sail to my bucket list.

It's not easy being green (Day 12)

...in Texas summer that is. I've been trying to grow things this summer, and its...difficult. I had no idea that its such an art. When to water, when not to water, how to tell if you've watered too much or too little. You also have to factor in the oppressive heat we've been having. Seriously, at least 95 F, with around 80% humidity {(if we're lucky)}.

And then, there's the whole "I live at camp" thing, where little hands love nothing more than to pick flowers, leaves, whatever. Case-in-point: my Assistant Camp Director, camp name Turtle, planted a hibiscus plant on a Tuesday. On Friday, the flower was picked off and thrown to about a foot away. Who does that?! 9 year olds, that's who. Also, deer apparently like to eat hibiscus flowers.

At one point I had two or three pots of things growing. The sun killed all of them except for these sunflowerlings:

They're much bigger than they started. This is when they first sprouted:

I hope they eventually look like this:

{(photo credit)}

Are you trying to grow anything this summer?

A little snag

So, this camp director thing is awesome. I love, LOVE my job. I love my staff, I {(usually)} love my kids. But, it does not leave much time for blogging. I have been trying, very hard, to take photos, to write about them, to think about what would be interesting and funny, and make you smile.

Yet, life as camp director is so varied that one week I can write and write and write. The kids are having a blast, there are no injuries, nobody is homesick. And then you have weeks where you get phone calls from parents every 5 seconds, make several trips to the doctor with campers and staff and the health department shows up {yup, that was last week!}. And that doesn't even count the fights, the homesickness, and other random little issues. So, in the interest of the kids and keeping camp running, the blog has fallen by the wayside.

I still am going to share with you. We have 2 more weeks and I am trying to document every moment - summer camp comes but once a year and I love going back and reminding myself that I love this, that I need this. But, I don't think I'll make it to 30 days.

Lesson learned: don't try and do too much!

Bottle Painting (Day 11)

So, I drink a whole lotta Starbucks bottled frappucchinos. A lot. Like, one everyday.

Usually I recycle them, but I thought that this summer I might find something else to do with these glorious little bottles. I wish I would have thought of this:

It's bottle painting. You paint the inside of the bottle, and so the outside stays smooth. Cool, huh?

Alas, one of my staff had the kids do it in her painting class. I cannot help but love these, and frankly, I'd put them all in my house as decoration.

Next up for my left-over bottles: vases. Stay tuned!

*This post is part of my 30 days at Summer Camp series, where I highlight some of the fun things we do at camp. To see a list of these postings, please click here.

Boats on the Water (Day 10)

These past two weeks we've had a lot of boats on the water. And, I do mean alot.  Up to 30. The campers are here to earn a rating which allows them to skipper a Sunfish by themselves. So, each kid gets their own boat {for those of you RPTSers reading, I so just violated Crompton's grammar rules. Oops} and because we have about 25 sailors here, there are at least 30 on the water at a time.

This is the view from shore. Its pretty hard to convey how many boats are actually on the water because they're not all in one spot. Just imagine three or four shots surrounding this one and you'll have a pretty good idea.

Isn't it beautiful?  This is a view from the bay {I was in a canoe when I took this, I might add; I do not know how to sail}, so you can see camp in the background. Y'all, I get paid to do this. Sweet.

Gotcha! (Day 9)

What do you think happens when you put a whole bunch of campers, some fun-loving staff and lots of craft supplies in one spot? Pranks! That's right, pranking is alive and well at this camp.

If you've never been involved in a good old-fashioned prank war, you're missing out. One morning last week we all walked into the galley to find this:

The group in charge of setting the tables for breakfast flipped the tables and chairs upside down before they set them. Some of our campers were VERY confused.


In summers past I've worked at camps which were located VERY close to others. The pranks we pulled on our neighbors were hilarious! Once, we snuck into their lodge and "recreated" our lake on their stage with saran wrap and sand.

Last summer we left golden horseshoes in the pool and stranded a good portion of their canoes on the other side of their lake. We also, erm, decorated their lodge for them.

How can you not love something like that?! Its all done in good fun, and we're very careful not to take or ruin property, or to make too big of a mess. But underwear up a flag pole? How can you say no to that?

Creatures (Day 8)

I'm used to creatures. This is my sixth summer working at a camp, so I'm well acquainted with animals like copperheads, black widows, nutria {(water rats)}, wasps, turtles, coral snakes, opossums, raccoons, and the occassional stray dog.

But these guys? Uh uh.  Our facilities manager brought in this dude and deposited it on my program director's desk. As you can see, he is NOT a happy crab.

We found this guy one morning {(actually, the morning we went sailing at sunrise)} at the boat dock. We thought it was perhaps a hermit crab, but do those legs look like a hermit crab to you? We didn't think so!

And then, my lovely sail staff brought me a present in a bucket.

Hello, Mr. Jellysfish/cabbagehead. Nice to meet you. I'd prefer if you stayed in that bucket, thanks, and stopped stinging my campers and staff. Have I mentioned that I am kind of scared of jellyfish? I am in awe of my sailing director who {(with her bare hands!)} flipped this thing over so I could see what the bottom looked like. Ick.

Any interesting creatures at your house?

Spa Crafts (Day 7)

I've been meaning to get off my butt and add to my craft page for awhile, and well, life happened. But then Gussy sent out her prompt for this week's inspiration workshop, and I knew I had to share my crafty spa secrets with you!

These are affordable, easy, and best of all, make it easy peasy for you to pamper yourself. I find this especially helpful now that I am surrounded by snarky pre-teens and crises tend happen every, oh, 3 seconds.

This is one of my oldest ideas, and it came straight outta summer camp. The very first year I started we had "kitchen cosmetics" and I was simply amazed that this sugar scrub worked better than the stuff I paid a whole lotta my meager salary for.

Supplies:
Jar {(or tupperware, or whatever)}
Stickers {(or something to decorate your jar with)}
Sugar
Baby Oil

Directions:
Combine sugar and baby oil in decorated jar until you get the consistency you want. I used scrapbook stickers and a jar I found at Hobby Lobby. Total cost for entire project: less than $5. We had a discussion in the office when I was making the sugar scrub about fragrance. Apparently some people do not like the smell of baby oil. If that is you, feel free to add a couple drops of fragrance or essential oil. I, personally love the smell of baby oil, so I never do this.

Now, this one is a recent find. And, I'll be honest, I didn't actually make this candle. I sent the little creamer dish with some campers and had them pour the wax inside.

Supplies:
Soy wax flakes {(Can be found at candle supply places or craft stores)}
Vessel {(jar, candle holder, whatever)}
Wick {(can find at craft stores ot candle supply)}
Decoration for vessel
Crock-pot {(I recommend a separate one from one you cook in)}

Directions:
Melt the wax flakes in a crock pot. It'll look yellowish, kind of like pee, but also a little like melted butter or hot oil.
Pour the wax into your vessel then add the wick {(it shouldn't have any issues standing up)}.
Let cool, then decorate your vessel. I chose a pastel acryllic paint, and more scrapbooking stickers.

Enjoy!

How do you pamper yourself? I'd love to hear more craft ideas!