Are you ready for this year's Great American Backyard Campout? It's this Saturday, June 28th, 2008. Whether you've camped before or are just thinking about starting, one thing's for certain: Starting a family does not mean stopping camping. Well, let me clarify that: It doesn't mean an end to camping for most people.

Summer is consistent for me in as many ways as it is not, it turns out. Jobs, schedules and styles all change, but from year to year, I know a few things for sure. I'll complain about the D.C. humidity, but never as much as I complain about ice falling from the sky in the winter. I'll fall in love with fresh white corn and tomatoes all over again (go away, Salmonella, go away.) And every July, I'm likely to be in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for a weeklong family beach vacation that is much a ritual as a getaway.

We've all read the news reports and heard what the experts have to say -- eating together as a family makes kids healthier and happier and less likely to use drugs.