Light Saber Keeper

In case you are wondering what I do with my time when I'm not RV'ing. Here you go:

SURVIVAL!

Yep, as a mom of three very energetic, creative and adventurous kids, it really is all about survival.

My youngest, a little six year old ball of fire, loves Star Wars, pirates, sword fighting, Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles and other such active games which require weaponry (or a stick he's found in the woods that can be used as a sword or weapon).

 

Now in the woods, where there's plenty of room for sword-play, and where sticks can be thrown back into the woods after the game, this is not a problem. However, when I am sneaking into his room, or ahem, when the tooth fairy is sneaking into his room under the cover of darkness, and she trips over some weapon and it lights up and makes Star Wars noises, and it scares the poor Tooth Fairy nearly to death, and she bites her lip so as not to scream out in agony because her shin...I mean HER SHIN!!! Ouch!!

One Hour

This year, my youngest is in half-day kindergarten. This has been really great for both of us.  It allows both of us a gradual transition to full-day school next year. However, since my older girls are in school full time, there are often little blocks of time between pick-ups or drop off at school that can make getting "real" things done tough. Lots of time people ask, "what do you do with that hour?"

Who cries during "The Chicken Dance?"

I think we've all been there. That moment when you watch your child do something and you swell up with pride for them. I sure have. I think it's because we've watched them, held them, been on this journey with them....and then in these special moments, we see them soar. I remember the strong will with this one. She was determined to do things on her own. She wanted her own space. She hated the car with a passion. A furious, red-faced, screaming infant passion. Nothing I could do would appease her. And as frustrating, and infuriating as this was for me as a mom, I did have to begrudgingly admire her strength and her unrelenting determination that she would.not.give.in!

Anyway, in the years that have followed, I've truly been in awe of this girl's drive, her strength, and her ability to work her way towards her goal. Her dad and I have fostered this in her, but I know with all of my might that this will is all hers. She is one of the most determined, hard-working people I know. And she's 10.

She's done math problems I really don't think I could do now (and most definitely not without a calculator). She finishes her home and school work prior to a family vacation. She furiously memorizes scripts that her teacher says she can use a paper for; because she knows it will look more authentic. She loves math and science and art.

But this morning, I am teary-eyed for a different reason. My scientific, mathematical, factual little girl has really evolved over this past year. She joined the "Spirit Club" at school and has been giving speeches and presentations. And this morning, as the school's pep rally began, a Beach Boys song came on, and my little girl started dancing. She killed it! But more importantly than that, she had a HUGE smile on her face the whole time. I am so proud of her because she is constantly pushing herself, and growing and learning new things.

 

"Our" Birds are Back!

Last year we were so happy to discover a beautiful looking bird swooping in and out of the little hiding space under our roofline. We kept watching and trying to capture the speedy little guy on film. It was not easy! The only window where the hiding spot was visible for us was from our laundry room upstairs! The crafty birds were building a nest. Finally, I was able to get a photo of the bird, which my friend helped me to identify as an American Kestrel. Here's a picture of the "Daddy" on our house. 

Learning

I always thought that as a Mom, I'd be teaching my kids. And some days I am. But many days, I am the one learning from them. My youngest little boy is wild, and crazy, and loving and sweet, and rambunctious and hilarious, and just a handful. When I tried to fit him into the same mold; and teach him the same way as my other kids, it was frustrating to say the least. I think it's fair to say it was frustrating for both of us. Once I realized I had to change things up a bit, both life and the learning process has improved drastically.

So on our hike the other day, when my little ball of energy said to his sisters, "if we wait patiently enough..." it was a lighting bolt moment for me. This kid can definitely be patient and (relatively) quiet. He just needs the right incentive! I need to keep this in mind for the future.

I really love to watch my kids loving and appreciating nature as much as I do. Even little frogs and tadpoles are so exciting. I'm optimistic that they won't lose this enthusiasm for nature, I mean, it's been 40 years and I've still got it!

Between Trips

It's not all fun and games

There is actually quite a bit of work that goes along with RV'ing. While we love the lifestyle, owning and using an RV does require maintenance. Every trip requires planning and preparation. Most of us know that once we get home, the work continues. And the laundry...ugh, I won't even go into the laundry! But for us who love the open road, experiencing nature, spending quality time with our families, the hard work is worth the amazing times we have on each trip.

Last week we went on a whirlwind weekend trip to San Diego to spend time with our family. Driving down (and back up) the California coast in springtime is a beautiful, beautiful thing. We saw almond trees in full bloom, patches of brightly colored wildflowers covering the hillsides, and fields of fruits and vegetables beginning to blossom. And we saw bees, lots and lots of bees. The busy pollinators (along with their other flying friends) hit the rv with alarming frequency.

When we got home and surveyed the damage, we couldn't believe how many bug carcasses dotted the rv. We did a quick rinse at home, then looked for a carwash that would accommodate our tall rig. We found one 10 miles away! So we packed up a picnic lunch, grabbed the kids, and went to work.

We try to include the kids as much as possible in the work portion of our RV ownership and maintenance. Our RV enables our family to go on many fun and exciting adventures that we all enjoy. While my husband does take on the bulk of the maintenance duties, and I normally do much of the trip prep and clean-up, we ask the kids to help out with age-appropriate tasks. We both feel it's important that they understand that owning a vehicle does require extra work and that we all need to care for her properly. We also notice that they are more careful while eating (for example) now that they are responsible for vacuuming under the table and their carseats after each trip. Sometimes they grumble a little (just being honest here) but normally they are very good sports and have become very good at their responsibilities. I was seriously astonished at how much of a help my kids were on our last solo (mom & kid) trip.

We hope to teach them that we can have fun even when we're working. We all laughed and joked as we scrubbed off bug guts and got soaked with car wash over-spray. Even our one grumbly kid soon forgot her crankiness and scrubbed and laughed as much as the rest of us. After we finished, we praised them and admired our sparkling clean RV once again. Hopefully days like this teach them to be thankful for the things we have, and to take care of things they own. Or they may just decide that RV'ing is too much work and they do not want to do it when they grow up. And that's perfectly fine with us. 

Love this boy!

Freedom!

Being a kid today is so different from when I was growing up. When I was little, we roamed the neighborhood (and in my case, the untouched desert surrounding our Arizona home). Some of my best memories are of playing for hours with a group of neighborhood kids, including my siblings, under Palo Verde trees in the desert. We bmx biked, we ran, we built, we had fun! And none of this fun was done under the watchful eyes of our parents. We were all on our own...and it was AWESOME!

 

My baby turns 4!

We celebrated little L's 4th birthday this month. I seriously can't believe my "baby" is 4 already. I remember the day he was born so vividly. I was laughing as he was born. Yes, it's true. My OB was hilarious, and my husband joked about something...and little L came into this world into a room filled with laughter. It's really appropriate, as he's been a little joker ever since. He loves to make his older sisters laugh, and can get us all roaring with laughter at his antics. As a baby he was our earliest "laugher" and has always had a great sense of humor. We just can't imagine our family without this little guy.

So, when he asked for a beach birthday party with Spider Man, Lego Ninjago, fishing, and Star Wars...I had to figure out how to make it happen.

Point Reyes/ Heart's Desire

Today was my first Mother's Day in our new town. For the past almost nine years (since I became a mom) I've spent the day celebrating in our old town, with dear friends and my sweet little family. For the last few years, I've been truly pampered by my amazing hubby and by kiddos who are now old enough now to help. My girls especially, absolutely love planning, decorating, and spoiling us all on special occasions. We would spend most of the day relaxing around the pool, swimming, having cannonball contests and warming up in the hot tub after a great day together.

I have also really been missing my old friends a lot lately. May is the month we'd celebrate our birthdays together (four of us have birthdays within days of each other) and I had been feeling sad about missing out on that. Anyway, when my hubby came home from work Friday and asked if I wanted to go for a drive on Saturday, I leaped at the chance to get out of the house and try to start some new traditions.

We quickly packed up a makeshift lunch and snacks and hit the road!

Moving

Moving can be so bittersweet. Ours was a business decision, and was definitely best for our family. My husband got a great new job offer and promotion, but we had to move pretty far away from family and friends. We were excited and nervous at the same time. Our biggest concern was for our children. We have two school-aged kids, and of course, we didn't want to change their schools, or move away from their friends. But sometimes you just have to make the best decision you can; and hope for the best. It's so hard when you grow up and realized that all decisions are not black or white. Some are gray, and you just have to make the best possible choice.

So soon we were busy doing this:

 

Sedona: Happy Thanksgiving!

Lake Tahoe: On Fear and Trust

On our trip to Lake Tahoe this past summer, we happened upon this gorgeous dock at the beach and I had the most unlikely desire to jump off of it. Unlikely because, as I may have mentioned before, I don't like heights (to put it mildly). Yet somehow, as I walked out onto the warm wooden slats of the dock, and looked at the crystal clear teal waters of the lake, I just wanted to leap with all my might. I mentioned this to my (fearless) husband, and he was (not surprisingly) eager to join me. Then I was shocked to hear my littlest guy and his sisters exclaim that they wanted to jump in too! These brave little munchkins looked up at us trustingly and were so excited to jump that I knew I couldn't chicken out.

Little Nature Lover

When I see photos like this I think, "I'm so glad we're taking them camping now so they can grow up with an appreciation for nature, and beauty, and wildlife and the rugged outdoors. They will think about how much water they use, and be careful not to litter, and to be kind to animals. I love that they already show a love for nature like their parents."

Then again, he could just be thinking about that Spider Man fishing pole he threw into the lake last time we visited. Either way, I love my little man, and have lots of fun camping with him.

Counting down...

...to the next camping trip. One of the best things about having an RV (in my opinion) is looking forward to the new places you'll go, the new things you'll see, and the fun times spent with family. So I am always anticipating the next trip. In just a few more weeks...

BEACH CAMPING!! I just love the beach in the winter. No crowds, crashing waves to lull you to sleep, and days spent exploring tidal pools and playing in the sand (for the kids that is)! This time we're trying out a new campground in Malibu, California. I can't wait! Now off to do laundry, and dishes, and mop the floors while visions of sunsets like this one dance through my head! Happy Monday.

Excitement

I'm so excited to blog about our latest camping trip. As usual, I could barely wait to download all the photos. It was a beautiful long weekend at the beach. As you can see, the littlest guy was pretty excited too. Our kids love the ocean. And I love seeing them so happy. But for now, this tired and happy camper has a long, long day of laundry ahead of her. I'll just think of this ecstatic little guy while I'm tackling the piles of clothes...

I only wish I was that excited to fold. 

Car Seats in an RV?

Before buying our View, my husband and I thought about how we could configure three car seats for all of our children in an r.v. We were very happy to read that the View had four seat belts in the dinette, which were actually bolted down to the floor for safety. Because of this feature, we would be able to safely install all of our seats. The Winnebago View also has anchor points behind the seats for car seat tethers. It was very difficult for us to find information on car seat installations and even seat belt locations, without physically inspecting them, so I decided to show you how we chose to install our seats. Keep in mind, each state has its own safety laws, so make sure you check what the laws are for your state (or the state you are driving in). This is what we have chosen to do for our children's safety, we are offering this information for anyone who is interested, but in no way telling you what to do for your kiddos. If you'd like professional help, you can ask your local police or fire station for help with your installs. They should have certified car seat technicians available and willing to help!

When we first got the r.v., we just placed the car seats in the dinette area to get an idea of how they would be set up.

Packing for kids

 

I feel very lucky to have so much storage space in our little Winnie, but it is always a challenge to get everything packed and in order before each trip. This is due in large part to the fact that I have a two-year-old very active baby boy who likes to attempt to give us heart attacks at every moment with his latest adventures. I can't leave him unattended for even a second, or hand soap gets spilled all over the counters, he unscrews the toilet seat and flushes the bolts down, gymnastic feats of epic proportions etc, etc. You get the picture, right? 

So all of my prep work must be done at nap time, or with my little "assistant" who is not really a little helper at all, but an energetic ball of fury, bound on un-doing all of my hard work. That being said, I'm getting more & more efficient at the packing thing.

Bike Riding with three small children

Beautiful view of the overlook on our family bike ride near Mammoth Lakes, California

Because my husband didn't think I was crazy enough, he suggested we get some bikes for our family. Our oldest daughter already had a little bike, and she was getting very good at riding. So good, in fact, that we could barely keep up with her, even if we were running at full speed. Her Dad had resorted to riding her little razor scooter while she zoomed along on her bike. Hilarious to watch, but very sweet. "Big man on a little scooter!"(Tommy Boy, anyone? Big Man in a little coat...okay, nevermind).