Hey, Swingers!

Such a simple contraption, hammocks are nothing more than a sling made from an assortment of fabrics which you suspend at both ends, fastening them to trees, posts, or anchored hooks. Nevertheless, these simple inventions have their own holiday: today—National Hammock Day. In past posts, I’ve covered the history of hammocks as well as they’re inarguable convenience and comfort.

Definitely don’t let the simplicity of hammocks fool you; they provide a plethora of purposes that you can employ and enjoy! Here’s a few easy ones:

Meditation
More often than not, outdoor activities call for lots of ‘doing’. Be sure to enjoy your time outside with some good old-fashioned non-doing. Hanging out in a hammock is a great time to focus on breathing (through your nose is best) and meditate on the simplicity of existence.

Relaxation
The suspension and gentle sway of your hammock on a breezy day is the ticket to an awesome nap in your hammock. When you’re looking to relax, there is no better means than hanging a hammock and drifting away. Lose yourself in a daydream, a good book, some solid sleep, or whatever else helps you relax!

Education
Cozier than a classroom, hammocks can be conducive to learning. Promoting focus, they make a cool setting for you to learn a thing or two when you crawl inside with your schoolbooks or personal research. Get smarter while staying comfy and hit the books inside a hammock.

We offer awesome hammocks and hammock hanging accessories from the quality Eagles Nest Outfitters brand name. You can check out our ENO selection by clicking here. Enjoy National Hammock Day by spending some of your day in a hammock if you can. Meditate, relax, and learn some stuff while you keep cozy and, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

Hey, Gamers!

Today is Video Game Day. The same with National Cupcake Day and National Compliment Day, you don’t need the holiday in order to celebrate. You can feel free to eat cupcakes, give compliments, or play video games on any day you please. These odd holidays are simply little reminders to participate in these small things in life that we may love. It’s great to have something nice to say to people, it’s wonderful to eat a cupcake! And it’s tons of fun to play a good video game!

My brother and Operations Manager here at Everything Summer Camp, known to some as Brian, has always been on the crest of the latest and greatest in the world of video games. Since Brian is my older brother, I got to play with all his latest ‘toys’! It was great growing up in a house that always had the newest and up-to-date gaming console and the coolest video games.

Even now in our adult years, Bri still has the very top of gaming technology before anybody else. And, of course, he still shares his toys with me to show me the cusp in the latest thing like his in-home arcade machine and his virtual reality headset. I can’t believe how far gaming has come in our modern day, but it’s some pretty cool stuff!     

As fun as video games can be, however, they’re certainly no match for the real world that we experience through our five senses. I’m not telling you not to play any video games today or any other day, but make sure to get outside and enjoy the fresh air in your backyard, a friend’s place, a park, the beach, a woodsy trail, or wherever else you like to spend your time outdoors.

We offer tons of gear and apparel that can help you get the most out of your time outside. Enjoy shopping our site, enjoy your games, and enjoy the outdoors! As always, thanks for reading, Folks!

- John

Hey, Kiddos!

In the past I’ve written about things you can do for your mother on Mother’s Day along with things not to do on Mother’s Day. But in honor of Mother’s Day this year, let’s just take a look at all the different ways that our moms are there for us and whatever you do for your mother today, make sure you do it with gratitude for her. Here’s a bunch of ways that our moms help us out each day.

A Laundry List of Chores
Domestic life is full of upkeep. Our moms are constantly cooking meals, doing laundry, running errands, changing poopy diapers, reading bedtime stories, etc. And to those of you who say your mom doesn’t change your diaper anymore…she did! Some might see these daily activities as insignificant, but running a household is practically a fulltime job and so is parenting. Moms are typically overworked, so give your mom a hand however you can.

Mom Mood
Did you ever notice that when mom’s in a bad mood it’s like a dark cloud hanging directly over your house. The whole family seems to connect with the same mood and start behaving accordingly. The same goes for when moms are in good moods. Aside from a stray mess or tantrum, mom’s overall cheerfulness will almost always effect everyone under the roof. Moms have a way of setting the level of peace and happiness in the home! Help make your mom happy. You’ll be happy you did!

Your Mom Rocks
Kids need the love of their mothers. The love of a mother is an immovable rock that children can always count on—even when they’re being naughty. An unconditional love gives kids security and peace of mind. What an amazing thing that our mothers do for us that they stand in the face of wailing babies, pouting toddlers, rebellious teens, and all the rest with a firm stance of love. Show your mom how much you love her back.

Enjoy spending time with your mother on this year’s marvelous Mother’s Day and show her the gratitude, happiness, and love that she deserves today and every day. And, as always, Campers—thanks for reading. Happy Mother’s Day!

- John

Hey, Members of the Workforce!

While I’m writing about it today, there is no actual date to celebrate Employee Appreciation Day. The strategy behind this, of course, is to make it an extremely flexible holiday—very easy to work some kind of recognition around the busy schedule of a business. In other words, Employee Appreciation Day is any day you make it!

The actual beginning of Employee Appreciation Day is somewhat of a mystery; however, most people logically suspect that it was formed as a means of bringing balance to October 16. National Boss’ Day was registered by a woman named Patricia Bays Haroski in 1958. But as the day’s popularity rose and rose, employers began Employee Appreciation Day to return the favor.

Here at Everything Summer Camp, our employees do everything in their power to ensure the products we manufacture are of high quality and that the service our customers receive is to their utmost satisfaction and helpfulness.

That’s the reason why we pride ourselves on being the best summer camp retailer there is—because our employees pull together to make sure campers have a great camp experience. Our smooth collaboration between departments (especially in our busy season) is the key to our success in continuing to make happy customers.

From our trunk manufacturers in the Production Department to our devoted crew in shipping and, of course, the *AHEM* extremely talented Blog writer, Everything Summer Camp employees always aim for perfection.

“Everyone at Everything Summer Camp knows how important it is that campers have their camp gear with them,” says our company president, Ed. “That’s why our employees are willing to do whatever it takes to get our gear to our customers—even if it means an employee is running one customer’s order directly to UPS after hours.”

So if you work for someone, Happy Employee Appreciation Day and thank you for your services.

Hey, You the People!

Today is President’s Day in which we take a day to recognize the 45 men who have led this country for the last 243 years. In recognition of this holiday, I've written about how the day came to be in a previous post in which you can learn a bunch about our very first president, Mr. George Washington. Today I thought we could cover a few random facts about one of our nation’s plethora of presidents.

How to pick which president to look into? I thought I’d go with the president people know least. He’s been noted as the most forgotten president by a New York magazine from 2012: President Benjamin Harrison, the nation’s 23^rd president who held office from 1889 to 1893.

The Last Whiskers
Why President Harrison is so forgotten, I’m not sure. There are many notable things about him—one of them being the hair. Joining the ranks of presidents Lincoln, Grant, Hayes, and Garfield, President Harrison wore a full beard throughout his presidency. And it was Harrison who was the last president to wear his whiskers. There have been no bearded presidents since him.

Old Whiskers
No, I’m not still talking about facial hair. We’re moving onto pets. There have been many presidential pets. It’s no surprise that there have been many dogs who have lived in the White House. And lots of the earlier presidents had horses. President Harrison had the less common pet billy goat, Old Whiskers, who lived with him at the White House.

Harrison was the president living at the White House when the building was first installed with electricity. The installation had Harrison a bit uneasy about being surrounded by electricity in the walls. In fact, he trusted this new technology of electricity so little that he refused to flip the light switches. He was afraid it would electrocute him. But, despite entering the Age of Electricity kicking and screaming, Harrison was also the first president to have his voice recorded.

So, though history tends to hop right past this historical figure, President Harrison was actually president during a pretty interesting time in our past and the history of the White House! I hope you all have a newfound respect (or a first-time discovered respect) for our 23^rd president of the United States. And, as always, thanks for reading! Happy Presidents’ Day, Everybody.

- John