Summer camp sounds amazing in theory. In practice, with three kids under five, it nearly broke me just thinking about it.

Here’s where we’re at: I have a four-year-old, a two-year-old, and an eight-month-old. My oldest is just barely old enough to attend a real camp — which is thrilling! — but his younger siblings absolutely are not. So even if I send him off, I still have two little ones at home who need stimulation, structure, and someone patient enough not to lose their mind by 10am. (No judgment on myself. That someone is our nanny. She’s a saint.)

Then there’s the driving.

The camp we were considering is about 30 minutes away. Sounds fine, right? Except drop-off plus pickup equals two hours of commuting per day. My husband and I both work full-time, and while remote work gives us flexibility, it does not give us two hours back every single day to sit in the car. Twice a week during the school year feels like a stretch. Five days a week was simply not happening.

So I sat with this for a while, going back and forth. On one hand: structured activity, socialization, the magical “I went to summer camp” childhood memory. On the other hand: two kids still at home, a nanny who can absolutely do things but can’t teleport, and the very real risk that without a plan, summer becomes one long blur of snacks and screen time. We definitely lean on screens when Mom and Dad need a moment of quiet, and I love my kids too much to let that become their entire summer.

I needed a different solution. So I made one.

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Introducing Camp Nichols. (Yes, Nichols — our last name. Yes, it has a logo. Yes, there is swag. Keep reading.)

Working alongside our nanny and my AI assistant Scout (I have a whole thing with Scout — we’re a team), I built an eight-week summer program from scratch. Each week has a theme. Each day has planned activities laid out at the start of the week so our nanny knows exactly what’s happening and what she needs. I will set up labeled bins ahead of time so she’s never scrambling. The whole thing runs like a little operation, and honestly? I’m proud of it.

But here’s where my marketing brain could not help itself.

This is not a Word doc. This is not a notes app list. This is a fully designed, Canva-executed, printed-and-bound pamphlet. We have a physical copy. It lives in the house. The kids can look at it. It feels real because it is real.

And the swag. Oh, the swag.

I had DTF (direct-to-film) print transfers made and used my Cricut press to create Camp Nichols t-shirts, hats, and sweatshirts for the kids. Because what kind of marketer mom creates an eight-week summer program and doesn’t outfit her children in branded merchandise? Not this one.

I can’t wait to watch my kids put on their Camp Nichols gear for the first time. See them really feel the excitement. This isn’t just “summer at home.” This is camp. Their camp.

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The other thing I keep coming back to, and this is the part that really fills me up, is what working from home actually makes possible on days like these.

Yes, I’m at my desk all day. Yes, I’m in meetings and working hard and doing the thing. But during lunch? I can walk into the kitchen and eat with my kids. I can catch them mid-art project or mid-nature walk in the backyard and just… be there for a minute. Those faces that I made and love more than anything else in this world can show up right in the middle of my workday, and that is not something I take lightly.

I know how lucky I am. A lot of people are grinding through jobs they don’t love, counting down to Friday, dreaming of a different life. I won’t pretend I never have a hard day or a frustrating week — that would be wildly dishonest. But when I really sit with it, I genuinely struggle to imagine a life I’d like more than this one. The work matters to me. The people I work with matter to me. And somehow, impossibly, I also get to be home for the little moments that matter most.

Camp Nichols starts this summer, and I cannot wait.

If you’re in a similar situation, logistics that don’t add up, kids at different stages, a nanny or caregiver who wants to work with your to make this the “best summer ever”, I hope this sparks something for you. You don’t have to do the traditional thing. Sometimes the best solution is the one you build yourself.

More details on how we structured Camp Nichols coming soon. Stay tuned.