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4/365: Our library looks different living in a RV. Those who know me, know I have a thing for books, which means, in turn that my children are required to have a thing for books. Not to say that we don't have any paper books here, but we always have to stay conscious of space and weight. So, we're adjusting (slowly, painfully) to having a digital library. Thank god for iPads.4/365: Our library looks different living in a RV. Those who know me, know I have a thing for books, which means, in turn that my children are required to have a thing for books. Not to say that we don't have any paper books here, but we always have to stay conscious of space and weight. So, we're adjusting (slowly, painfully) to having a digital library. Thank god for iPads. -
5/365: Really dusted off my camera and did my first family photo shoot in about 6 years. 1. It's amazing how rusty you can get when you aren't doing things consistently 2. I forgotten how much joy it brings me to do this. I'm trying to find a way to set things up so I can do more of this with families we meet as we travel around the country. It's going to be a ridiculous challenge, for sure, but it's worth a shot, right?5/365: Really dusted off my camera and did my first family photo shoot in about 6 years. 1. It's amazing how rusty you can get when you aren't doing things consistently 2. I forgotten how much joy it brings me to do this. I'm trying to find a way to set things up so I can do more of this with families we meet as we travel around the country. It's going to be a ridiculous challenge, for sure, but it's worth a shot, right? -
9/365: Movie-watching. "Plenty" of room. Some may think that we're keeping these fancy recliners for us, but the truth is, Daijo has learned how to work the buttons. Now, occasionally, we'll come in to him having fully reclined the seat with the heat and massage on. Then he'll shoot us some sort of incredulous look like we're the weird ones.9/365: Movie-watching. "Plenty" of room. Some may think that we're keeping these fancy recliners for us, but the truth is, Daijo has learned how to work the buttons. Now, occasionally, we'll come in to him having fully reclined the seat with the heat and massage on. Then he'll shoot us some sort of incredulous look like we're the weird ones. -
10/365: When we brought Daijo home from the breeder, they sent a little sheepskin stuffy bone with him and told us it was for comfort - that he liked to suckle. 11 years later, and this guy still suckles to soothe. If he's super excited, or super distressed - happy or sad - this guy has to go get his suckle bone. Any other toy is instantly destroyed, but these last a full year (He gets a new one every year for Christmas - it's a big deal)10/365: When we brought Daijo home from the breeder, they sent a little sheepskin stuffy bone with him and told us it was for comfort - that he liked to suckle. 11 years later, and this guy still suckles to soothe. If he's super excited, or super distressed - happy or sad - this guy has to go get his suckle bone. Any other toy is instantly destroyed, but these last a full year (He gets a new one every year for Christmas - it's a big deal) -
13/365: Here's a real moment for you: a few weeks ago, our boy had a bit of a meltdown because he felt we weren't taking time as a family to play together. We were a bit taken aback. We live in just a few hundred square feet. I homeschool them. We eat every meal together. We are literally on top of each other 24 hours a day. But. He was right. There is so much together time that we hadn't been making enough of it intentional and full of play. We all sat down and discussed it over dinner. We landed on a scheduled weekly family game night. This is what our Wednesday evenings look like now - not the weekends when we might be looking to have fun anyhow, but a weekday, a normal part of existence. And I am thankful.13/365: Here's a real moment for you: a few weeks ago, our boy had a bit of a meltdown because he felt we weren't taking time as a family to play together. We were a bit taken aback. We live in just a few hundred square feet. I homeschool them. We eat every meal together. We are literally on top of each other 24 hours a day. But. He was right. There is so much together time that we hadn't been making enough of it intentional and full of play. We all sat down and discussed it over dinner. We landed on a scheduled weekly family game night. This is what our Wednesday evenings look like now - not the weekends when we might be looking to have fun anyhow, but a weekday, a normal part of existence. And I am thankful. -
16/365 It's not always rainbows and butterflies living this life. Sometimes, you find a leak and you intentionally put a hole in your RV to make sure everything is properly addressed. (FYI - this is a nauseating experience) But then you get to take a sunny afternoon in January to put her all back together and it's the most glorious thing EVER.16/365 It's not always rainbows and butterflies living this life. Sometimes, you find a leak and you intentionally put a hole in your RV to make sure everything is properly addressed. (FYI - this is a nauseating experience) But then you get to take a sunny afternoon in January to put her all back together and it's the most glorious thing EVER. -
20/365: I wanted to be one of those moms that caught a picture of my daughter watching our first female VP being sworn in, but honestly, I was too overcome in the moment to do it. We had both kids watch the livestream of the inauguration. They are a little young, but it doesn't stop them from understanding big pictures. We've also learned that age certainly doesn't stop the friends they make from talking about politics (i.e. repeating what their parents are saying at home). If our children are going to repeat things, then we want to make sure they are repeating things that our grounded in our moral foundation. Sometimes, politics aren't about politics at all.20/365: I wanted to be one of those moms that caught a picture of my daughter watching our first female VP being sworn in, but honestly, I was too overcome in the moment to do it. We had both kids watch the livestream of the inauguration. They are a little young, but it doesn't stop them from understanding big pictures. We've also learned that age certainly doesn't stop the friends they make from talking about politics (i.e. repeating what their parents are saying at home). If our children are going to repeat things, then we want to make sure they are repeating things that our grounded in our moral foundation. Sometimes, politics aren't about politics at all. -
21:365 Owen says the hardest part about living in a RV is that you're always saying goodbye. I've worked hard to remind both of the kids that if we weren't traveling, we never would have met the great friends that we have along the way, so think of all the other great friends that we have yet to meet that are out there somewhere waiting for us... When we left on this adventure, there was a lot of concern if the kids would be able to make friends since we'll be constantly traveling. Well, meet *part of* the gang from Camp Verde. I can think easily of 6 kids that are missing, and that's only taking into consideration the ones that were actually at the park the day before we left, not the ones that stopped through during our time there. This lifestyle is teaching my kids so much more than just the beauty of this country.21:365 Owen says the hardest part about living in a RV is that you're always saying goodbye. I've worked hard to remind both of the kids that if we weren't traveling, we never would have met the great friends that we have along the way, so think of all the other great friends that we have yet to meet that are out there somewhere waiting for us... When we left on this adventure, there was a lot of concern if the kids would be able to make friends since we'll be constantly traveling. Well, meet *part of* the gang from Camp Verde. I can think easily of 6 kids that are missing, and that's only taking into consideration the ones that were actually at the park the day before we left, not the ones that stopped through during our time there. This lifestyle is teaching my kids so much more than just the beauty of this country. -
25/365: I'm not gonna lie, when I first saw this, I was pretty irritated about the mess and waste of paper. Then the kids explained to me that these weren't crumpled up pieces of trash. They had made a model of Badlands National Park (complete with stars on the ceiling and paper riverbed on the floor) for their stuffies to play in. There was even a sign on the door that read Badlands (in case an uninformed momma like me needed help figuring it out). There is a 100% chance that I think my kids are the coolest.25/365: I'm not gonna lie, when I first saw this, I was pretty irritated about the mess and waste of paper. Then the kids explained to me that these weren't crumpled up pieces of trash. They had made a model of Badlands National Park (complete with stars on the ceiling and paper riverbed on the floor) for their stuffies to play in. There was even a sign on the door that read Badlands (in case an uninformed momma like me needed help figuring it out). There is a 100% chance that I think my kids are the coolest. -
27/365: When your kids come running up to you in a panic yelling that you have to come quick, all sorts of horrific things start running through your head about all of the bad things that may have happened. Thankfully, when they're my kids, for the most part, it's because they found something amazing that they want me to see. In this case, it was a Cooper's Hawk, sitting a branch right along the ground. This big guy refused to move. At first the kids thought it was protecting babies, but upon closer inspection, we realized he was just making sure that dinner was actually dead before moving on. I've never seen one of these guys this close before, and for my bird-loving kids, this was completely mind-blowing.27/365: When your kids come running up to you in a panic yelling that you have to come quick, all sorts of horrific things start running through your head about all of the bad things that may have happened. Thankfully, when they're my kids, for the most part, it's because they found something amazing that they want me to see. In this case, it was a Cooper's Hawk, sitting a branch right along the ground. This big guy refused to move. At first the kids thought it was protecting babies, but upon closer inspection, we realized he was just making sure that dinner was actually dead before moving on. I've never seen one of these guys this close before, and for my bird-loving kids, this was completely mind-blowing. -
31/365 While we were staying at our most recent winery, the very sweet woman working the tasting room told us that there is a Great Horned Owl that like to hang out in the trees right outside our rig. We told the kids and of course, Owen was determined to find the thing. Then he did. FYI - these things are HUGE up close, and this guy was kind enough to hang out and pose for us for a very long time.31/365 While we were staying at our most recent winery, the very sweet woman working the tasting room told us that there is a Great Horned Owl that like to hang out in the trees right outside our rig. We told the kids and of course, Owen was determined to find the thing. Then he did. FYI - these things are HUGE up close, and this guy was kind enough to hang out and pose for us for a very long time. -
33/365: In case you weren't aware, apparently the 2nd of February was Mom's Day. I was told this is different than Mother's Day, though I'm not sure I caught the subtle nuances in difference. As a part of Mom's Day, I didn't have to do dishes after dinner, I got loads of cuddles and I was gifted these very nice badges to wear. #winning33/365: In case you weren't aware, apparently the 2nd of February was Mom's Day. I was told this is different than Mother's Day, though I'm not sure I caught the subtle nuances in difference. As a part of Mom's Day, I didn't have to do dishes after dinner, I got loads of cuddles and I was gifted these very nice badges to wear. #winning -
44/365: Let's be honest here: living in a RV isn't always beautiful landscapes and fun adventures. Sometimes, it's preparing for a massive freak winter storm in the middle of the desert and hoping we can do enough to gird ourselves for the onslaught and avoid too much damage. Thankfully, my husband is obsessive about the weather and over-prepares for everything. Because of him, we came through this thing much better than a lot of folks we encountered.44/365: Let's be honest here: living in a RV isn't always beautiful landscapes and fun adventures. Sometimes, it's preparing for a massive freak winter storm in the middle of the desert and hoping we can do enough to gird ourselves for the onslaught and avoid too much damage. Thankfully, my husband is obsessive about the weather and over-prepares for everything. Because of him, we came through this thing much better than a lot of folks we encountered. -
58/365: In the RV Community, there is this thing called the RV Sticker Club. Lots of folks have stickers made with their logos and then trade them around. We hopped on the band wagon and it's been pretty fun so far. I'm sure our mailbox is bursting with awesome stickers from all over the world right now. (Yes, I've gotten several requests to send them to folks overseas). Side note, if you're a sticker person and you want one, just send me a message with an address and we're more than happy to send one out58/365: In the RV Community, there is this thing called the RV Sticker Club. Lots of folks have stickers made with their logos and then trade them around. We hopped on the band wagon and it's been pretty fun so far. I'm sure our mailbox is bursting with awesome stickers from all over the world right now. (Yes, I've gotten several requests to send them to folks overseas). Side note, if you're a sticker person and you want one, just send me a message with an address and we're more than happy to send one out -
Felt pretty proud of my kiddos for hiking from the base of Palo Duro Canyon to the rim. The trail on the rim is only accessible by hiking up from the bottom, so the kiddos got to see views up there that are reserved only for those willing to make the climb. Bragging rights are a big deal when you're 6 and 7.Felt pretty proud of my kiddos for hiking from the base of Palo Duro Canyon to the rim. The trail on the rim is only accessible by hiking up from the bottom, so the kiddos got to see views up there that are reserved only for those willing to make the climb. Bragging rights are a big deal when you're 6 and 7.
