Before we jump in, as always, I just wanna say real quick, THANK YOU SO SO MUCH for any and all affiliate links that you may use throughout this post.  I appreciate MORE THAN YOU know when you support the brands that help to support this little blog & our little fam!!

Also, a HUGE thanks to Walmart+ for sponsoring today’s post and Our wonderful thanksgiving holiday!

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Well y’all, Thanksgiving 2020 is in the books!!  And I have to admit, I have NO IDEA why I was so surprised when it went NOTHING according to plan! 😂. I mean, that’s just the kinda year it’s been, am I right??  We couldn’t let Thanksgiving get away with taking it easy, it just wouldn’t have been right (has me a little worried about what Christmas has in store but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there).  😂 Seriously though, different doesn’t always mean bad!  We still had an amazing holiday even though it was NOTHING like we expected!

The Original Plan

If you follow me on Instagram then you already know we had intentions to rent a cabin in the woods and spend time with my immediate family for the Thanksgiving holiday.  My family is INCREDIBLY fortunate to live here together in the metroplex.  And because we are so close, we’ve been able to quarantine and remain socially distanced in the community while still being together. I thank my lucky stars for that because I know how rare that is in today’s climate.  Anyway, like so many others this holiday season, we decided it was best for all those involved to cancel our plans and spend Thanksgiving with our own respective nuclear families.  HARDEST DECISION EVER, but definitely the most responsible choice.

I have no doubt that so many of you reading this are in the exact same boat.  And as sad as I was to spend my first Thanksgiving ever without my extended family, (and here comes the silver lining…y’all know me, there HAS to be one) me and this little quartet of mine had the BEST time just enjoying each other.

24 hours leading up to our trip

The 24 hours leading up to our trip were kind of a whirlwind!  Plans were cancelled and then changed and then changed again, and then cancelled, and then changed again.  It was pure chaos.  I had already packed the kids for a week long trip and I had all my clothes ready to be rolled into the suitcase.  Now if y’all are anything like me, you think unpacking is the WORST!  Well, unpacking WITHOUT having even gone anywhere, not an option for me. 😂

So Matt and I started brain storming…and where do you think we landed?? Yep!  Of course.  The camper!!  This was EXACTLY why we bought the camper.  So in these volatile times, we could just pick up and go and still stay safe and socially distanced!

the new plan

Also that was it…camping!!  The new plan!  Matt got online and started frantically searching for campsites (we knew we still wanted to go to Arkansas since we’d already packed for that weather) and I immediately logged into our Walmart+ account and started planning and buying all the supplies for our trip.  If you guys haven’t heard of or signed up for a Walmart+ membership yet, I’m telling y’all….GAME. CHANGER!!!  It‘s truly what made our Thanksgiving trip possible!

Even though I had done a lot to pack clothes and incidentals for the trip, I didn’t have food, cleaning supplies, entertainment, cookware, etc.  Basically, I had nothing ready to prepare for a trip to the woods. 😂. So, I started adding allllllll the things to our cart and made sure to select “DELIVERY” because there was NO WAY I was going to have time to run to the store before we left for our trip in under 12 hours.

Of all the benefits Walmart+ offers (mobile scan & go, member prices on fuel, etc) the free unlimited delivery is HANDS DOWN my favorite!  I can place as many orders as I need to and they’ll all deliver FOR FREE!!  As long as I hit my $35 minimum (restrictions apply) (which let’s be honest, when do I NOT hit that 😂) then they’ll bring it right to my doorstep!  Or anywhere else I need them to bring it, as long as the benefit is available in that zip code!  (More on that once we actually arrive to the campsite…yes, they delivered to us there 🤯).  Seriously though, I DEFINITELY encourage y’all to head over to the Walmart+ page and learn all about the benefits available in your area!!  They were a LIFE SAVER for us on this trip!

Campsite #1

So because Arkansas is quite a haul from where we live in Texas, we decided to break the trip up and stopped in a KOA Campground in Mount Pleasant.   We arrived  at the site, unpacked, and immediately realized all the things we forgot to bring amidst the chaos over the past 12 hours.   That’s just how it goes though, right? 😂.   Toothbrush? Forgot it.  Shampoo and conditioner? Forgot them.  Games for the kids?  Nope.  Camping chairs?  Still in the other car from soccer.  What about our coats and hats for sitting around the campfire in 40º weather?  Of course not….why would we remember those!! 😂 You know what though.  I swear, my usual semi-anxious self didn’t panic at all!  Know why?  Well one, I was on vacation and I was NOT about to let anything ruin it for a 2nd time…but two, because I had already checked the campground address and Walmart+ would deliver anything we had forgotten!!  Thank God, cuz we forgot A LOT! 😂  So we ordered the essentials (plus a few fun extras, duh), they delivered (FOR FREE), and it was smooth sailing from there! (Honestly, I still can’t believe they delivered TO OUR CAMPSITE!!!  I’m a Walmart+ member for life!!!) 

Staying busy

The next morning we made breakfast and the kids actually helped!  The meal of choice was pigs in a blanket (which is a super easy camp food by the way)!  If you haven’t made these with your kiddos, I highly recommend it!  They’re super easy and the kids love rolling them up!  Plus it got us through the early morning hours where it was just a little too chilly to play outside.

Once we had full bellies we spent the rest of the day outside!  Playing games and laughing and crafting and telling stories!  It was exactly what Matt and I envisioned when we said we wanted to buy a camper!

Once night took over (which as we all know happens pretty early these days), I was so thankful I had purchased coloring supplies in our Walmart+ order.  Boy did they come in handy!  We also bought some board games, but as every parent knows, you can’t show all your cards at once so we decided to save those for another night. 😂

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campsite 2: the ozarks

It was a pretty quick turn around in Mount Pleasant because our real goal was to get out to the Ozarks.  By this time, (thanks to Walmart+) we were finally prepared to make the trek out there!   So we made the 4.5 hour drive, set up camp, and relaxed our week away!!

We spent as much a time as we could outside but with rain in the forecast, we had the board games prepped and ready!  We’re definitely a family of gamers so when it didn’t rain, we took the games outside! 😂  I mean, it’s not “glamping” without board games, am I right?

Now, possibly Matt’s most BRILLIANT idea of the trip: adding an Apple TV to the Walmart+ list so we can watch Christmas movies Thanksgiving night!!! 🙌🏼🙌🏼  Some of you may be thinking…TV…that’s not camping!  You’re right.  It’s glamping! 😂  I’m kidding of course, but seriously, once it got late and we were done with the campfire for the night, we came back inside, got under the blankets, fired up the Apple TV, and watched Christmas movies by the faux fireplace.  It may not sound Iike much, but for us it couldn’t have been more perfect!

Feeling grateful

So.  Was Thanksgiving everything we had dreamed of?  Technically…no (but I did order these awesome paper Thanksgiving platters in our Walmart+ order so we could still be festive 😂.

So, no, it was not at all what we had originally wanted, but it was EVERYTHING we didn’t know we needed!  Time for the 4 of us to stop, think, and reconnect with each other!  I’m not gonna go as far as to thank COVID for this, but let’s just say, there’s ALWAYS a silver lining…you just have to find it!

Now that we’re home

Ya know that the funny thing is?  Now that we’re home, we’re still chalking it up to being one of the best Thanksgivings we’ve had as a little family!!  I hope my kids always remember it that way! ☺️

And you know what MY most valuable lesson on this trip was?  Don’t freak out about forgetting stuff on your trip because chances are, there’s a Walmart around to deliver it to you! 😂 No joke though, I was so spoiled with all my Walmart+ FREE unlimited deliveries ($35 minimum, restrictions apply) on this trip that I scheduled one for the minute we got home!!  Now, rather than heading to the store, I have the luxury of staying home, unpacking, and getting the kids ready for the week!!!  Win win y’all!!

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(these are just some of the items we needed & were able to get delivered for free through our walmart+ membership)

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Now I’d love to hear all about y’all’s 2020 Thanksgiving!!  What was it like?  Did it look like every other year? Or was it drastically different??  Did you also get to use Walmart+? 😂  Let me know in the comments below!!

Talk soon buddies!