Smitty's Info

Brrr...it sure is cold!

2012-01-17T23:06:00.000-07:00

We went from the beautiful Colorado aspen forests to the stunning Missouri fall colors. But, all too quickly the leaves fell and now we sit here, in the cold, freezing our traveling rear ends off.

"Move!" You say. I know, our home has wheels so why don't we just up and leave? Head south, go to beaches or deserts. That is what we have done the last three years. Our first winter was spent in Florida, the next in Arizona, and last year in Texas.

We had planned to spend this winter in NM, AZ, and TX but things change all too quickly when you travel. We typically don't make reservations. Sometimes we get somewhere and love it so much we stay much longer than planned, but other times we leave ASAP because of terrible conditions at the campground.

We found one of the worst campgrounds in Kansas this fall. We pulled in and had to jump from the door of the van to the steps of the camper because the spiny stickers were all over the ground. The barbs on them were huge and quite painful. They were long enough to stick through some of the kids sandals!

The kids had cabin fever but I could not let them outside because I knew they would get hurt a lot on these nasty little burrs.

The next morning we loaded up and left as quickly as possible and then checked all of our shoes, carpet, and beds for burrs.

Sometimes we stay at the best campgrounds. My husband and I loved using the hot tub at the campground in Colorado. After the young ones were in bed, my teens watching them, Shae and I would spend time together in the hot waters and relax and talk. Our days were spent kayaking the Rio Grande and four wheeling in the mountains. The scenery was amazing and our time as a family - priceless.

So, here we sit, unexpectedly, in Missouri. It has been wonderful to see our loved ones and a few friends. Hanna had her wisdom teeth out, Cody made knives, and we spent time with my mother. But, now we are freezing and want to head south. Thankfully, our camper is warm as can be. The three electric heaters and our propane furnace keep it nice and warm.

Gas prices going up. What to do? Where to go? Today the temperatures were wonderful and made us want to get south even more, to somewhere we can enjoy nice days all the time!

Still, we learn to enjoy everywhere we go. Whether cold, hot, rainy, dry, high, or low, we try remember that happiness is a choice, not a place to go.

Camping with off-road vehicles

2011-11-26T22:48:00.001-07:00

Recently a question came across the Facebook page for full-time traveling called Families on the Road. A gentleman wanted to know how campgrounds and state parks react to off road vehicles, ATVs in particular.

We have been traveling full-time for over three years and during that period we have hauled our off-road vehicles across the country. As we made the hard choices of what to bring on the road and what not to, our ATVs were something that had to come. Off-roading is something my husband and I have done since we were very young and is a family hobby we all enjoy. It was hard to imagine traveling to so many beautiful places and not get to experience from the seat of a four wheeler.

There is something different when you experience nature while being in it rather than driving by it in a vehicle or taking the same tour that hundreds others have taken that same day. Sure, we do those things, but sometimes we come across a place that is only accessible by off-road vehicle and that is when the fun begins.

Before I get all weepy eyed telling you the wonderful adventures we have had together in the wilds of America, I will get to the logistics of traveling with off-road vehicles.

This is how we do it.

We have a 42’ Toy Hauler fifth wheel camper. The back end of the camper comes down to form a ramp that we can drive our ATVs into. The room is 8 ½ by 12. The floor is rubber and has places for tie downs to attach. We payed the extra money to get a gas tank that is under the back room. It has a nozzle to put the gas into the ATVs. I must admit, we rarely have used it. I don’t like to have gas fumes in our camper. Call me crazy, but I like all our brain cells. I think my husband and son have lost enough siphoning gas out of our van for the ATVS.

When we started our trip we actually used the garage area to store our ATVs. After we had our last child we decided to take them out and make that back room into a permanent kid’s room. It has carpet on the floor, toys everywhere, and school books on the desk.

We bought a second vehicle, a 15 passenger van, which I drive. It hauls a 16’ flat bed trailer with four ATVs, 4 kayaks, a Kawasaki Mule, and bikes. My husband is a master at putting them all on like a puzzle. Tie downs, straps, and more straps are used to hold everything snuggly in place. He checks and re-checks each strap before we head out and at every stop to make sure it is safe.

My husband drives a Dodge Dually one ton pickup that pulls our camper. I drive in front of him with the van and flat bed. He stays behind to make sure the trailer is pulling right and everything is secure.

Not all campgrounds like two vehicles and two trailers. But, most don’t mind a bit. They usually have a spot for us to park our extra vehicles.

State parks are different. Usually they charge per vehicle and trailer. Some have even charged per kayak and ATV even though we weren’t going to use them there. Needless to say, we didn’t stay at those.

National campgrounds are more tolerant. They usually don’t care if you park on the grass, how many vehicles you have or how many people. They almost always are friendly and courteous. Some have a two week limit but others do not. Camping spots are usually larger and more space in between.

As far as riding on state or national campgrounds – they do not allow it. No riding on their property. They do not mind us parking our flat bed with the toys on it but by no means are we to ride them around.

We try to always let them know that we have no intention of doing that.

So, sometimes we have to trailer our off-road vehicles and other times we try to camp near a national forest so we can ride from our camper.

Each state has different regulations as far as stickers required to ride there. Different counties have different regulations also so be sure to check out local laws before making your camping reservations.

I will put more posts on the particular places we have ridden. For more info right now check out my son’s writings. He has been writing for ATV Magazine for over two years now. He is on their blog at http://blog.atvmagonline.com/2011/10/25/atving-colorado-the-san-juan-national-forest/

This is a link to one of his many articles.

Now, to the cry me a river part of my post. I just have to write it, though. I want you to know why we go through the trouble of hauling these expensive toys across the country.

Life has never been easy for us. My husband was severely ill for 13 years with nerve damage to his face. When he was finally well, he decided to do this trip. Once again, life was not easy. Our first year on the road was really hard. That is why we did year two. The first year was not what we thought it would be so we wanted to keep going so we could experience the wonderful times on the road that we had sacrificed so much for.

We love traveling now, but it is still hard. So, when things get tough, we leave our camper and go into our huge back yard, the United States. When I jump in the Mule with my kids and we head up a mountain to explore this amazing country of ours, all the troubles of yesterday, today, and tomorrow just melt away. Nothing else matters when we are traveling down a road with the wind in our hair and the dust at our back. We never know what is around the next bend; sometimes a mud hole and other times the most beautiful aspen forest or mountain.

We have ridden in deserts, mountains, forests, and near lakes and rivers. I love to bike ride, but I cannot take six kids on bikes 40 miles around a mountain or desert in a day. Driving through the landscape in our van is nice but how much better when we can get off the main road and be in the landscape instead of just viewing it.

I pray that God would give us a treasure when we head out on an adventure. We might find a beautiful tree or a sparkling stream. Sometimes the treasure is a rock worn smooth by the wind or a deer that lopes through the woods. Treasures are to be found everywhere if we just slow down our busy lives and take the time to look.

We take rides high into the mountains and enjoy family time exploring this amazing country of ours.

Cody and Hanna found a hiking trail at one of our stops on a trail.

I can hardly wait for hunting season to be over so I can grab my kids and head out into the woods to learn about trees, fishing, hiking, beaver dams, deserts, drought, floods, and sun…by being in it, on our off-road vehicles.

http://blog.atvmagonline.com/2011/09/12/off-road-privileges-at-stake-in-south-fork-colorado/

http://blog.atvmagonline.com/2011/10/05/atving-colorado-the-rio-grande-national-forest/

http://blog.atvmagonline.com/2011/07/27/atving-colorado-the-rainbow-falls-ohv-area-part-1/

http://blog.atvmagonline.com/2011/10/25/atving-colorado-the-san-juan-national-forest/

There are more of his articles but this gives you a few to check out. Also, read my new blog

http://hittingthedirtmom.blogspot.com/

and our website at http://www.smittysinfo.com/

More info to come....

4th of July in Oakley Kansas in the middle of the glorious wheat harvest.

2011-10-19T22:17:00.001-06:00

After leaving Marysville, Ks, we went spent the night in Oakley, Ks. It is a very small town on the way to the border of Colorado. We happened to arrive while the wheat was being harvested. I told the kids how blessed we are to live in a country where there is so much food.

That night we celebrated the 4th of July. The fireworks were so short and so small but we thought it was great the town still held them. I loved it just as much as a big show. So many towns don't have the money for a show but somehow this little town found a way to spend some money to remember our freedoms and how special they are.

As I stepped out of our camper to watch the fireworks with my family and numerous wheat harvesters, I was taken back by the thick smell of cow poo! Wow! It was so smelly! I don't think we have ever camped anywhere it stunk so bad.

We all laughed and thought it would make for a memorable 4th of July!

Seeing field after field of precious crops brought me to tears. I began to thank God for our country and the abundance of food He has blessed us with.

It was very surprising as we pulled into Colorado. The landscape was extremely dry with almost no trees. This type of terrain stretches for miles and miles. There weren't many crops because of dry conditions. Slowly, we made our way to the Rocky Mountains and finally saw Pikes Peak. It was very exciting to see the famous mountain and our soon to be home for a month.

Colorado or South Dakota? Where to go? ...On to Colorado!

2011-10-04T01:45:00.000-06:00

Sometimes choosing where to go next is very difficult. It is not just about what we want to see or where we haven't been; we have many things to take into consideration and that can take a lot of time.

This summer we had to chose between Colorado and South Dakota. Shae, my hubby, had talked about going to Colorado all winter. He had never been there and really wanted to go. So, after our time was up in Texas and then Missouri, we were ready to head to Colorado.

Sadly, the area we were planning on going to had wildfires. I had lung problems when I was pregnant and we try to stay in clean air environments. Smoke is not one of them. Also, with the wildfires in Arizona, the wind was bringing the smoke north and into Colorado. With all of these complications, we decided to give it two weeks to clear up and if not we would head to South Dakota and the Black Hills.

With the hot weather fast approaching Missouri we decided to head to Marysville, Kansas for a week and then make our final decision there.

Thankfully, the fires were almost gone and that put Colorado on the agenda for the summer. We love South Dakota and were a little sad to not go back, but we had heard so much about Colorado we thought we better go.

There were two campgrounds we were considering staying at for a month. The first one was in Canon City on Hwy 50. It is called Starlite Campground. The rates were extremely affordable and it has a pool so we were a little excited. The only down side is that it is in high desert. We really wanted to see the forests in Colorado.

At the last minute we found the Krystal Kangaroo Campground in Manitou Springs, Colorado. Some friends of ours were doing some volunteer work at a Nazarene Camp in Divide, CO. and told us about the Krystal Kangaroo. We would have gone to the Nazarene campground for volunteer work, but it does not have full hook ups and is over 9000' up. Our friends had us up for dinner and it is a lovely camp that I do recommend.

On to the Krystal Kangaroo.... Well, we were told it is nothing fancy and that is the truth. I even found an opinion on line about the place that was not favorable. But, the price was great and it was in an area we wanted to see. The ride up to the campground made me a little nervous. Though, Shae had no problems with our huge camper. He maneuvered it like a pro up the hills and corners to the campground. Pulling in, we found the end spot that we requested. I try to get a site on the end so we don't have neighbors on both sides. The kids can get a little loud so it is better to have some privacy. As we were deciding if the spot would work, the camp host came down. She looked a little nervous as she saw both vehicles, camper, flat bed, four ATVs, four kayaks, seven bikes, and then six kids hiking around. I reassured her we were respectful and good neighbors. Someone had told us the camp hosts were not nice but I must disagree whole heartily. She was such a nice lady. We hit it off right away and felt at home almost immediately. I find that if you just give a person a chance to shine, they will. She was very welcoming and friendly. The campground does have rules which we tried to obey. I think as long as campers obey the rules and try to be respectful to the owners and neighbors, we can leave having a great time - for everyone.

While the guys were getting the camper pulled in, the kids and I were at the van. Suddenly, a deer just walked out of the woods and right up to our van! It wanted food! Later we were told the deer there only like potato chips and popcorn. The kids were hilarious as they stood in shock at the deer approaching our van. I know that all wild animals can be dangerous so I told the kids to get to the other side of the van and I politely shoo ed the deer away. It went around the van and to Cody who loved the visitor.

The excitement didn't stop there!

The camp host told us that there are two mother bears and cubs that frequent the campground. There is also a mountain lion that comes in that area. At this point I was thinking about leaving, with all of the kids, I don't like to be in the "wild animal" situation. But, we decided to stay and give it a try.

About 30 minutes after arriving we hear the camp host calling to us to come to her home. I put the kids in the van and drove the 100' to the front of her house.

There they were....mama and baby.

We were so close to them, but in the safety of our van. Mama decided to walk closer to us and the camp host walked to the van quickly. We all know very well the dangers of a mother bear.

I was thankful we were in the van as she decided to come closer.

Mama bear didn't get too close and went back to her cute baby. The kids loved seeing the bears. What an amazing experience. It was great because we were in the safety of our vehicle with a can of bear spray in a bag in the middle. Otherwise, I would have had a heart attack.

And so begins our adventures at

Krystal Kangeroo

Manitou Springs

and

Colorado.

The Pony Express Rides Again!

2011-09-20T23:06:00.001-06:00

Traveling this great country brings such amazing experiences. Getting to enjoy the actual place where the Pony Express got its start. Of course, the actual riders began in St. Joe, but Marysville is where so many of the important historical events happened.

There is still the real Pony Express Barn that has turned into a museum. I love taking the kids to the actual location where history happened. Instead of just reading it in a book, which we do also, we get to hike, walk, explore, and study the original places.

It is not a huge museum, but very informative. I recommend everyone go to this wonderful town and please, don't miss this museum!

Cody enjoyed looking at the knife making equipment since he makes knives.

The museum has fun things for the kids to play on.

Josie just loved the real Overland Express Carriage

Quite the qualifications!

Historic Trails Park in Marysville, Kansas

2011-09-19T23:08:00.003-06:00

My earlier post talked about staying in the city park in Marysville and the wonderful Pony Express Museum. I would like to share more of the numerous memories we made in such a small town.

We made the short drive to the Historic Trails Park. There are plaques that describe the different historical trails that passed through Marysville on the way west. There is the Morman Trail, Military Trail, Oregon Trail, California Trail, Overland Express, Pony Express, St. Joe, and Otoe-Missouria.

There is also a model of the original ferry that crossed the Big Blue River there in Marysville. The Donnar Party crossed here and the first person, the mother-in-law died at this location.

The park isn't far from town and doesn't take long to check out and is a great history lesson.

Camper cooking and what we bring in our kitchen

2011-08-18T23:48:00.000-06:00

I write for numerous blogs and would like to share one with you.

My latest blog post on http://www.campercooking.blogspot.com/ is about what I brought in my camper kitchen.

It is very informational as to what I use and packed back up after being on the road.

I hope it helps!

Enjoying Time in Marysville, Kansas

2011-07-13T17:53:00.000-06:00

The city pool in Marysville is perfect.

The little old sod house made us appreciate our camper more.

The huge bullet at the Veteran's Memorial in Marysville, Kansas

The city playground is the best in the country.

Interesting sign at the Veteran's Memorial

The Koester House is a great tour.

We went to the Courthouse Museum. It is great and affordable.

Naomi by the lion references by Laura Ingall's in one of her books, at the Koester House Museum.

Tytus enjoying the ice cream at the city park picnic and party.

I remember people saying to me, "Why in the world would you want to go to Kansas?"

I challenge anyone that might think there is nothing to see there, to give it a try. One of our favorite towns in the entire country is there, Marysville.

We left Missouri, heading west, and stopped in Marysville, Kansas. We had been here two years earlier and were so excited to come back.

The city offers free camping in their city park, but limits the stay to five days. Really, that is long enough to see all of the attractions, but not long enough for us. We like it so much there!

It may be a small town, but it has huge history!

This was the first home station for the Pony Express. Their museum is not too big, but full of information and fun. Our kids like to play on the pretend ponies and in the carriage.

Gabriel and Tytus riding on the Overland Express Carriage.

On the road again.....I can't wait to get on the road again!

2011-06-29T19:30:00.000-06:00

Every year or so, we had back to Missouri to take care of vehicle registration, dentist, doctor appts, visit family, and so on.

Each time we go through everything that is in the camper; under every drawer, behind every shelf, all the dark cabinets...I mean everywhere! We have to unload as much as possible because I guarantee we will get more stuff as we travel the next year. It is always shocking just how much stuff can be accumulated in 42 feet!

It was so much work this time. It just seemed to be harder than usual. Besides the fact Cody had to have his wisdom teeth out and wee little Tytus had to have a filling, and a week and a half of sickness.

All of us had a great bill of health from the doctor, so that is great news. Shae even got his cholesterol down! Guess he will try to start eating all that butter and bacon again! Just kidding...although I will have to watch him.

Deciding where to head to was difficult.

fires in Arizona
fires in New Mexico
fires in Southern Colorado
smoke in Western Colorado
bad tornadoes in Central U.S.
too hot in the South
too hot in the South East
bad storms heading north
gas prices high

I printed up a map of the U.S. and marked off all of the states that wouldn't work for us this year. It only left a few. So, we are on the road again, no destination. Things keep changing everywhere we think we want to head to. Now there is horrible flooding to the north and central.

So, we roam aimlessly.... It is kind of fun.

Hanna had an amazing time playing guitar with her Uncle Jerry on stand up bass.

cousins finding fire flys...nighttime fun!

Learning to double crochet with Grami.

Gabriel had a great invention; put peanut butter on the outside of apple.

Going to the turtle races was a blast. Josie even held her turtle!

Turtle and pig races with Grami where a lot of fun and definately unique.

Gabriel was so brave to ride the high bike at the Discovery Center in Springfield, MO

Shae leaned the bike over as far as he could. The counter balance kept him from tipping over.
All the kids were in awe with their brave dad!

Who knew Cody had a talent in balloon shapes! He must of gotten from my dad!

We enjoyed an afternoon at the river. Hanna is our river princess!

What we do for storage in a camper.

2011-06-08T21:40:00.000-06:00

Storage in a camper? Is that even possible?

No, this is not a rhetorical question. But, I must be honest about this difficult task.

Let me share my story.

For the first year and a half on the road full time, I tried everything to make our camper organized, neat, and with minimal clutter. It seemed that every couple months I was rearranging and reorganizing in my attempt to accomplish the above goals.

Struggle after struggle, frustration, defeat....until finally I realized this is impossible!

What we are doing is impossible!

That is right.

It is impossible to to travel full time with six kids and a husband and wife.

It is impossible to cram everything everyone needs into 42'.

It is impossible to fit winter, summer, and inbetween clothes for 8 people in our camper.

It is impossible to find a place for all of the food necessary to feed my family for an extended amount of time.

It is impossible to put tennies, dress shoes, boots, sandles, and any other shoes in our shoe rack by the door.

It is impossible to fit all the books I so desperately want to bring.

It is impossible to bring the kitchen utensils I would like to have to feed this large family.

It is impossible to keep all the toys organized that my little ones want to bring along.

And while I am at it, let me tell you what else is impossible:

to see all the sights,
to hike all the trails,
to see all the friends,
to stay with all the family,
to go to all the museums,
and
to do something fun every day.

My point is this....

ENJOY IT!

I stopped trying to find a place for everything. Is is impossible. All I can do is my best. There are piles here and there. Books crammed in the bathroom. Winter clothes are under the dresser drawers. School books line every shelf in every area. Food is on the counters, in cabinets, under seats. Just to brag a little, I can now fit 8 gallons of milk in my little, tiny fridge! I only keep around 4 in it, though.

The day I realized my life is impossible was truly freeing for me. My mind was not constantly preoccupied with chores and trying to put everything away and reorganize constantly. Now, I do my best. I keep a clean home that is sorted the best I can with the time I have.

Since then, I enjoy the trip more. I know that I have such an amazing life and am so blessed. Yes, it can be difficult, but the joys outweigh the hard times.

We don't get to go everywhere we would like or see everything that is amazing. I tell my kids to not have the "Adam and Eve Mentality". We can't forget all the amazing thing we get to see and do and just focus on that one place we didn't get to go, that one family member we didn't see, or that one event we missed. We have to focus on what we have done, where we have been, all the blessings we have enjoyed.

Now, I will get off my soap box and get to the realities of what I have done to store things the best that I can. It is not perfect and neither am I. So, each day I learn new ways to make my home better and more efficient.

Let's start my tour in our 15 passenger van and truck. These are two of my secret storage places...sshhhh...don't tell! I have our umbrellas in the van door along with our sun block. I keep a few extra blankets in the back. We can use them while sight seeing if needed or if the weather is cold while traveling. Then, in the winter, we bring them into the camper for the kids. I keep the baby slings I sell under the back seat. In the very back you'll find our sand toys, picnic blanket, basket balls, volley ball, tennis rackets, and other play toys. One of our strollers is in there along with two child carrier back packs. There is a breathing machine, a snow sled, and 8 pairs of rubber boots. The kids have toys under their chairs, also.
I'm sure there is more, but you get the idea.

My husband keeps some things in the back seat of the truck. While traveling we put the cooler in the bed of the truck along with our gray portable sewer tank.

The outside cabinets of the camper are full, also. There is the generator, tools, an air compressor, electrical cord, extension cord, lawn chairs, snorkels and fins, life jackets, outside toys, fishing poles, tackle box, net, rubber boats, hmmmmmmm let me think what else...... I'm sure there is a ton more, but that is what I remember right now.

As I walk in the front door, there is a shoe rack to the right. Everyone gets one shelf. You have to get all your shoes on your shelf, minus the rubber boots in the van. Above that are 3M hooks with hats hanging all over the wall. To the left, there is a small cabinet we keep our cast iron cookware in and a few table cloths.

I had a desk in this main room, but recently gave it to my six year old for a play area. He likes to build legos and our sweet one year old kept knocking them down, so I gave him my desk in the hope he would be able to build to his hearts content. Since he has my desk, I put all of my desk items on my dresser.

Under the kitchen sink, we keep our cleaning items as well as garbage bags, aluminum foil, lint roller, etc.

The kitchen drawers - top one is pencils, pens, and everything else everyone throws in. My husband likes to sort this one. It gets full all the time

The second drawer has tape, scissors, some flashlights, packing tape, and permanent markers.

Last drawer has dish towels and the manuals for our fridge and hot water heater.

The cabinet above our sink has one plate for each person, one bowl for each person, 2 frying pans, pots, popcorn popper, mixing bowls, coffee, a basket I put baggies in, two glass measuring cups, a bread pan, camp plates for outside, a small blender, toaster, and two small cutting boards.

There is storage above our kitchen cabinet. It has a net around the outside of it to hold items in. I keep a medium crock pot and a small crock put there. Also, an electric frying pan, backpacks with water bottles built in, a rice cooker. We put plastic grocery bags over every item because of the dust. That way we just take the items down and pull the bag off and it is ready to use. Otherwise, everything gets a nasty, dusty slime all over it.

I have a tall, two cabinet pantry. Top cabinet has boxed food, cups on middle shelf, canned goods on the bottom shelf. I put the canned goods there because they are heavy and our camper's shelves aren't exactly built for heavy items. The bottom cabinet of my pantry holds all the flour, sugar, and baking items I need.

Over the stove, is where our microwave used to be. It broke, so we took it out and my husband put in three shelves instead. I miss the microwave sometimes, but I would rather have three shelves instead of it. The top shelf we keep chips and crackers, middle shelf has bread and tortillas, and bottom we keep seasonings, lighters, hot pads, potatoes and onions.

I put two cast iron frying pans inside the oven.

The fridge is a work of art, well not really. I have found ways to cram so much food in there. Top shelf holds 3 - 18 packs of eggs, and a lg container of yogurt. I moved one of the fridge shelves up to I could fit milk in different places. Otherwise, there is not much to packing a fridge and freezer!

We have a shelf above our fridge that my son keeps his books on. I sneak a few cook books there.

Above our living room slide out is a long shelf, the length of the slide out. It has a net around it like the one across from it that is above the stove and sink. We don't put a lot of weight on it in case it should fall. It has movies, mostly education-school type, and some books. We also keep a air freshener and cleaner here. I had bought a large one a couple of years ago, but it was balky and always in our way.

This air filter cleans the air and when we put it on disinfect more,
VOLLARA Green Technology

Specializing in Air, Water, and Energy

Kill 99.9% of mold, bacteria, and viruses on surfaces and in the air

Pruify and ph balancing in water

condition energy to save 25% on electric bill plus whole home surge protection with

$25,000 coverage on home appliances and electronics.

John and Kellie Smith

www.myvollara.com/kjsmith

jtkr95@gmail.com
I have a huge, laminated monthly calendar and another that is yearly hung on the wall with putty. I plan on getting a map to put there also.

We had hung a full length mirror on the door that leads to the back room, but that didn't last long. I recently found the bendable mirrors in the auto section at Walmart. I bought two just to try them out. It was a little pricey, but worth it. If we stand too far away it looks like a circus mirror, but up close it is great. I am going to buy more to put down the length of the door. (Sorry I couldn't find a link for it.)

Our camper came with lots of storage, so we try to use it wisely. In our slide out there are cabinets that line the wall above our table and desk. From left to right I store the following:
1. rolling pin, playing cards, extra baggies, lemon press, cookie cutters, other small miscellaneous items.
2. different kinds of rice and beans
3. pasta
4. almonds, walnuts, pecans, hot cocoa mix, oatmeal, apricots, and prunes
5. different kinds of tea bags and supplements I add to milk.

There are two drawers under the dining room table bench seat. I have Pyrex glassware that I use for cooking in and storing in. I don't have room for lots of different food storage containers, so I like Pyrex since I can bake and store in the same piece. I also put extra lids for mason jars and kids cups in this drawer. There is also an area behind the drawer that I keep canned goods and extra food. I have to really watch for mold in this area. With condensation such a problem in campers, certain areas can be a real battle. We put Damp rid products in areas like this as well as our storage trailer to try to keep back the mold.

The other drawer is where I keep our extra batteries that I buy in large quantities from Sam's Club. It also holds my cookie sheets and two glass baking pans.

Behind it I keep more of the extra food. I like to keep a supply of some items in case of a natural disaster or emergency. I said earlier that I can't store a lot of food, but when I can, I will stock up on canned goods, spaghetti, applesauce,and other food items that can last longer without being refrigerated.

There is a center cabinet under the bench that my husband uses for the rv items; electric cord, chalks, etc. It is accessible from the outside and inside.

There is a large tv in the main room. Next to it I keep napkins in a large stack. The shelf under it has held books, Wii, and now, more food. Up above, in a loft bed, is my son's bed and area. He has crammed as much as possible into that bed.

I will continue this in my next post. Happy sorting and organizing!!!!

Storms in Texas and Missouri

2011-05-23T21:09:00.001-06:00

When we owned our home, we had an underground basement. In that basement was a room that had no windows and was in the center of the basement, next to the ground. Anytime there was severe weather, I would send the kids into that room for the night. Sometimes they had to sleep in the big walk in closet and other times just in the bed and on the floor. It had a TV, VCR, toys, books, blankets, emergency kit, and other necessities and non essentials.

Now, living in a camper, we are in extreme danger during bad weather. We all know the risk that people take staying mobile homes during severe weather. The news always says to get out of them and into a shelter.

Campers are even worse.

Yet, I want to stay on the road. But, I do believe we need to change where we spend the spring. We will not spend tornado season, March through June, in tornado country again. I'd rather be there in the heat of July than blown away in the spring or fall.

I knew weather would be an issue while traveling, I never had a clue just how much it would rule our decisions.

I remember the second year of traveling. We went to Montana and the Northwest. As we drove to our winter campground in Arizona, the snow was hot on our tails, or should I say "cold on our tails!"

We paid the extra for double insulation in our camper - I think that just means they put extra tissue paper in the walls. Double pain windows would be great, this camper didn't have that option. We decided to only get one air conditioner put in. That was a mistake, we really need two air conditioners when it is super hot. We use two electric heaters in the winter, along with our furnace, which keeps it plenty warm.

We have two carpets and a foam barrier in the back to help with insulation.

We made double layer curtains for some windows.

Silver bubble wrap insulation works great on the window during the winter. It made a huge difference.

Now, we look at the calendar, weather patters, and the map and put all three together and decide where to go. We know God will protect us where ever He wants us, we just need to go where He says...and learn from our past mistakes.

A new trick so things don't slide in the camper when we travel.

2011-05-20T11:31:00.000-06:00

It is always great to get to talk with other RVers. Some have been traveling for over 10 years and have a wealth of experience.

We were doing some volunteer work at Lake View Conference Center in Texas. There were some other volunteers there that we had done V-work with in Arizona last year.

Janna invited me over for a ladies coffee and snacks. As I walked into her camper I felt like I had entered an extremely high class home. The curtains, couches, table, and kitchen were stunning. I loved just being in there!

I visited with her for a few minutes, enjoying her homemade muffins. That is when she mentioned how she traveled with all of her tea pots and expensive glass wear.

She buys the Duck Easy Liner shelf liner. I have a link for you so you can see what I bought. This link is for Walmart. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Duck-12-x-5-Easy-Liner/16451274 or you can get it at Amazon

I bought the kind that was not the smooth top. Janna cuts it up into just the right size pieces for what ever she places it under. The day before they travel, she takes out the pieces of cut liner and puts it under her tea pot, cups, decorations on her coffee table, and other fragile pieces. She does wrap her extremely fragile tea pot in bubble wrap and puts it in her sink, though.

So, I thought I would give it a try. I found rolls of it at Walmart. We put it across my entire dresser. My laptop, printer, and other items sit on it. It seems to keep it from sliding. We had a terribly bumpy ride through Oklahoma since then and everything was fine. I do not keep anything near the edge of the dresser, just in case. Also, our bed slides up to the dresser, so I am hoping that if there was a problem while traveling, any of the items on my dresser would at least fall onto the bed.

I might try it on our book shelves. I'm not sure how they will ride. I'll let you know!

The Worst Thing About Living in a Camper

2011-05-10T23:48:00.000-06:00

There are many positives and negatives to hitting the road full time. We love traveling, seeing the sights, visiting family, climbing, hiking, four wheeling, kayaking, mountain biking, spending more time together, are just a few of the wonderful reasons to travel.

Yet, there are negatives and the worst for us is bad weather.

The recent outbreak of storms has hit us hard in central Texas. It is quite scary to have lightning crashing around us as we hide out in our 42' camper that seems like a tin can when the wind is rocking it back and forth.

The first big storm hit about a month ago. We were at Navarra Mills Army Corp of Engineers campground. It was a beautiful place to stay. Our camper was nestled among numerous large trees which kept us shaded during the day.

But, when the winds hit, the trees bent extremely far down. I was concerned one might fall on the camper, and even if it didn't fall, lightning could strike one of them and then go into our camper.

The winds hit suddenly and the kids and I ran for our truck. We didn't even have time to put shoes on. I drove as fast as I could to the bathhouse just across the field. We ran inside and huddled in the corner. Most of the kids were half asleep as this happened around 6 or 7 am.

Shae, my husband, and Cody our 18 yr old, were still at the camper, closing windows, vents, and grabbing as many items outside before they blew away.

It wasn't but a few minutes after we had arrived at the bathhouse that Shae and Cody showed up.

We hid in the bathroom/shower area for over an hour. It got very cold so Shae ran back to the camper to get us a blanket and shoes.

Once the storm was over, we drove back to the camper, relieved to find everything in tact and accounted for. The only damage was to our tent we had set up for the kids to play in.

We were thankful to be ok and to have our camper in one piece.

Storms are terrible in a camper. I have more stories to share....one about the tornado!

Pests invade the camper!

2011-04-04T22:21:00.000-06:00

We have had ants invade our camper while in Nevada. A branch was touching our slide out so the little buggers just hiked across and into our couch/dining room. I was very unhappy when we got home that night to thousands of them roaming around our camper.

The ants came in through a small door under our table/couch seat.

I began smashing them with my fingers while my husband grabbed the vaccuum. We sucked and smashed everyone of the pesky little creatures.
He went out and sprayed the outside of our camper with bug killer and cut down the branch they were using as a bridge into our home. I'm sure all of the crumbs of food on the floor and in every nook and cranny didn't help the situation!

We had to take the entire couch apart and smash the ants as they took over our home.

I did not use chemicals inside of the camper because I did not want to breathe it in. Instead, my finger and a vaccuum did the hard work of removing the ants.
We also had some mice move in. They wanted to make their home in our camper as well as in our truck's motor. They enjoyed eating wires and pooping in random places. Thank goodness Shae checks the wiring before we leave a campground. He noticed the mice had chewed through the insulation but had not actually chewed the wire. He was able to fix it himself.
We used traps and bait to kill them. My husband about went crazy at night when he would have to listen to them running in our walls.

Thank goodness we saw this tarantula outside of the camper!

We spent two months in Wisconsin, leaving our camper in Missouri. After a run in with pack rats in Arizona and mice near the border of Arkansas, we decided to put led lights in our compartments and under the hood of our truck. They were on for two months and worked great. Of course, the poison and traps my husband put in a compartment, may have helped, too!
Now, it is spring again, and once again, the little critters are trying to make their way into our camper. Shae bought bug spray for the outside and we put chalk around the bottom of our picnic table. I'm not sure if chalk will work, but we heard it did. Someone also told us they put Ajax around the tires of the camper and any other piece of equipment that touches the ground. We have not tried it ourselves, so I can't verify if it works.

I often see campers with bags of water hanging outside their front doors. I'm not sure if this is for flys or not. I'm going to look into it more.

Hopefully, we won't have anymore pests in our camper. With all of the kids I can't stand the thought of nasty, little creatures biting my wee ones. Finding a way to kill them all or keep them out without chemicals is a challenge. I will share more as I learn more.

Bulls, bull riding, ranches, cutting horses, and wild times!

2011-03-24T01:22:00.000-06:00

After weeks of sickness, visiting family, exhaustion, and a lot of hiking, biking, kayaking, four-wheeling.....

I AM BACK!

And boy, do I have some stories to tell. Where should I begin....

Bull Riding

You read it right, my husband and 18 year old decided to try their hand at riding bulls. Now, let me tell you, was the testosterone flying!

We had the pleasure of meeting Mike Lee, a World Champion PBR Bull Rider. He is one of the nicest and most generous people I have ever met. During our last visit with him, in Springfield, MO, he asked us to come stay at his ranch for a while. We were all so excited to get to actually get to know him as a person. We had been following his career for over a year and praying for him faithfully.

A few months later I called him from Missouri and said, "Mike, we would still like to come down and visit. Will now be a good time?"

"Come anytime and stay as long as you want," was Mike's thoughtful reply.

His dad met us at the gate as we pulled into the large ranch in northern Texas. I was quite nervous about our huge camper being able to find a place on the ranch where it would fit and be level. I also hadn't quite worked out the details of needing 30amp hookups as well as water and a dump for the sewage. My plan was to hope for the best and if the facilities weren't available, we would just stay a few days and then move on. Thankfully, they had a beautiful spot for us to park. Horse stalls surrounded our camper and were a lovely view to wake up to every morning.

The electrical box was right next to our camper and water hoses were everywhere. They even had a place for us to dump our sewer.

It was an interesting and unique stop for us. We didn't really know them and they didn't really know us. I had talked with Mike a few times. Our family met him four times at different events. Gabriel had written him letters and sent him pictures for over a year. Yet, here we were. Thank goodness we all got along great, although by the end of our stay Mike and I had a boxing match! That is another story.

Mike's dad and step mom live on the ranch. They are both such incredible people. We were so blessed just to get to know them and visit with them.

Our first couple of days began with horse back riding on cutting horses. Now, when they told me they were cuttin' horses I had no idea what that meant. I didn't ask either. Surely in the next couple of weeks I would figure it out. My first thought was it had something to do with breeding them. I vaguely remembered hearing the word "cutting" in relation to something with animal privates. Later, I found out cutting has nothing to do with breeding but refers to using the horses to split up herds of cows to separate them for various reasons.

These horses are highly skilled and difficult to ride for the ignorant person, like me. It was amazing to watch these men ride and train the horses to split herds. Mike put some of the kids on them for fun. Naomi didn't know that putting the reins down told the horse to go backwards. She laughed so hard as the horse continued to walk backward across the arena.

Over the next month, Dennis and Mike taught my oldest son, Cody, to do some of the training on the horses. What an education!

During our first few days, Mike told us about his two bulls he owned. He is training them to be for bull riding. One is tamer than the other, but he warned us not to go near them. Both have very bad attitudes. So, after that warning, Mike thought it would be a blast to let us sit on them! He marched us over to the chutes, not giving us a chance to back out or come up with an excuse. He put the nicer one in the chute and commanded Cody to get on.

"Don't hesitate now. Just sit right down on him." Mike told Cody.

Cody sat down carefully yet quickly. No problems. Next.....ME! No, surely Mike wasn't telling me to get on. Now, if you know Mike, you know he does not take no for an answer. He told me to get on and that is exactly what he expected me to do. So, on I climb. I gave him that look that said, "If anything happens to me you will pay for this!" Sure enough, things went fine and the next person got on. Naomi was smart, though. She hid behind me and Mike didn't see her. She got out of it. I must admit, it was quite thrilling. I'm glad I did it.

Now for you Texans and rodeo people, you must be thinking I am the biggest sissy in the world. Well, go ahead. I don't care what you think! Those bulls were big and mean!

I learned a lot about myself that month. Mike really helped me get over a few fears I had as well. But, more stories to come soon, including the one that tells how my husband made his knee swell up 3 times it size for two months!

The horns seemed like they were only inches from my face!

Cody seemed to like getting on the bull, I'm not surprised.

My six year old thought it was a dream come true; Mike Lee and a bull, it just doesn't get any better than that!

This is Hanna looking at me with pleading eyes, hoping I would talk her out of it.

She was brave and got on him. She kept saying, "Nice bully, you are soooo sweeeetttt. Be niccccceeee."

This was the meaner of the two bulls. It tried to get Shae! Shae tried to scare him off.

I was going for a walk when Mike walked up and put Gabriel on a horse and the kids in his stroller. We walked all over the ranch. It was a very special time for us all.

Gabriel and Mike.

How Time Flies!

2011-02-28T22:33:00.001-07:00

Literally, time sure has gone by fast. With six kids, home school, and all of the travel, it is hard to find time for much else. That is not a complaint, just a fact.

January brought one of the most wild times of our trip. Sorry to say, I am just too tired to write about it all tonight, but I do want to touch on one aspect of the last two months.

It is so easy to get so busy. Often times, the busyness is not intentional or even our desire. Busyness can be thrust upon us and not welcome at all.

Such is the last two months.

We spent one month at an amazing ranch in Texas (details later). But, while there, we had three different sicknesses! It was terrible. It seemed that I had at least one to four children at a time with a fever. Shae and I even got sick with only Hanna to help us all. Cody was working on the ranch, so he was busy during the day and helped when he could. Still, it was such a wonderful time with our new friends.

From there, we went to a camp south of Dallas, where the kids got pink eye! And, on top of that, we were in an ice storm for five days! Our camper is not made for that! It was miserable.

Leaving there, we had to be in another town to visit family. The kids were almost over pink eye, but not quite. We told the family they had it and may still be contagious, but the family didn't care. They just wanted to see us anyways.

Two weeks of driving to their house almost every day for many wonderful hours was great, but are we exhausted!

What a crazy two months!

Six weeks of it I didn't have decent internet or cell phone! I felt like I was in the stone age!

Now, we are at a campground with full hook ups, no visiting, only my husband is sick, and cable tv! Yes, you read it right! Cable TV! We sure are spoiled here! I have great cell signal and ok internet. What a treat!

Now, we need a break. It is time to take some time off to catch up on chores and get some kind of order to our lives.

The other day I was so wore out, I sat in my lawn chair and stared at the lake. I didn't think, move, or talk for an hour.

I can't wait to share some of our adventures since Jan 1st. I just have to stay awake long enough to write it!

These are a few of my favorite things.....

2010-12-03T21:31:00.000-07:00

Watching The Sound of Music sure puts a smile on my face tonight. Sitting around with my children and husband, enjoying each other's company as well as a classic movie.

There are many difficult times traveling full time in a camper with six children, one of which is a young adult trying to stretch his wings in 42'!

Yet, the difficulties that we endure are much fewer than the amazing experiences we enjoy. Spending the last six weeks with my grandmother have been priceless. My children spending countless hours with aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends have brought a lot of joy, some pains, and much fun.

We organized an impromptu family reunion held at a Veteran's Center. I made some phone calls, emailed, and sent messages on face book. Many relatives came and we had a wonderful time. To see so many loved ones visiting, laughing, and telling stories was worth more then my entire home. To watch my grandmother talk and play with my children, Cody play the Bodran with Uncle Steve playing the penny whistle. Hanna leading worship at a local youth group. Naomi talking so pleasantly with anyone of any age. Tytus running to and fro making everyone giggle. Gabriel and Josie making friends with cousins.

How can I put things and bricks before this? Things are not eternal, people are. I do want a house some day; a place to call home. But, I will not go so far in debt to buy one that we can no longer afford to travel.

There have been a few hard times while we were here. Some family and friends are harder to get along with than others, yet, the Bible says that what kind of Christians are we if we only love those who are easy to love! I saw some walls break down in some relationships here. It took six weeks to break them down, but they are down none the less.

Great Grandma reading books to the kids....priceless.

Celebrating Advent in the log cabin.

The kids put on a birth of Jesus play.

The family reunion was a great success.

Thanksgiving with family was wonderful.

Being able to spend my grandmother's 82nd birthday was a blessing.

Enjoying the snow.

Thanksgiving in a Camper

2010-11-24T10:38:00.001-07:00

I was asked by http://www.rvparking.com/ to write about Thanksgiving in a camper. Read it at their website.
It was a lot of fun to remember the craziness of our first Thanksgiving in a camper.

Check it out at the above website!

Heading North This Time of Year

2010-11-08T23:09:00.000-07:00

Crazy is an adjective used to describe us for numerous reasons. I am about to give you another...

We headed NORTH

a couple weeks ago, to stay in Wisconsin for a month or two.

Yes, you read it right.

We headed NORTH!

This time of year most RVers are heading south to get a spot at the quickly filling campgrounds. There aren't a lot of places to spend a warm winter, so reservations are a good idea.

But, of course, we just couldn't do the norm. Instead, we packed our bags, left our camper behind and made the long trip to northern Wisconsin. You see, it has been six years since I have seen my Grandma and I decided I didn't want to wait another winter. So we winterized our camper, left it at a friends, and headed north. This is the first time away from our home on wheels in over two years.

After three days on the road, in motels, and with family, I told my husband,

"I am never traveling without the camper again!"

It took us sooooo long to get to our destination. On day two we stopped almost every 45 minutes for the 4P's

PEE

POOP

PUKE

OR PLAY

We left a trail of bodily fluids from Missouri to Wisconsin. I have children of all ages, and getting them on a potty cycle is almost impossible. So, we decided to enjoy the trip no matter how long it would take or how gruelling it would be.

The good news is that we found a cabin to rent for a month! It feels so weird to stay in a house again. We actually have privacy and peace and quiet again!

And, with visiting family comes the faithful sicknesses. It seems when ever we visit family we get sick. Why is that!? So we enjoy the cabin while we are cough, snort, and wheeze!

Life gets busy...we must not be blind

2010-11-01T10:28:00.001-06:00

Traveling with six kids, trying to home school, and write three books, can sure be time consuming. Back on the road, after staying put for the summer.....life is busy! But, it is a good busy.

After two years on the road, we are finally getting to visit my Grandmother.

We only have two weeks here, so we have to treasure it. But, like with all plans, things change. Upon arrival, we found out two uncles died. One uncle was 88 and died of cancer, while the other was only 53 and his death was quite a surprise.

Our happy vacation turned into a time of mourning and bonding. I brought my grandmother to the viewing of Eugene. The family was sad, but not overly distraught. Eugene was old and ready to be with the Lord. Of course, he left a huge farm with lots of items of value on it. I am hoping greed doesn't divide the family. If everyone will do what is fair and right, things will be fine....

Uncle Orville died too young. He has four children, all adults, but still too young to be without a father. When we got word of his death, we dropped everything. I told my husband that our vacation was over. Our only job was to help the family through this hard time.

You see, I lost my dad when he was 53 also. It was one of the hardest things in my life.

We made a huge salad and tons of enchiladas. I bought paper plates, silverware and cups for them. We brought them to their house. As I walked in, my cousin Sara rushed to me and collapsed in my arms. I'll never forget the sobbing and her body shaking with sadness. This was her daddy that died. Her heart was crushed. I led her to a bedroom and rocked her in my arms. We cried together for a while.

We didn't stay long, in fact, I didn't let the kids come inside. When someone loses a loved one so tragically, it is not time to visit or make it into a family reunion. I held her and comforted her until she was ok, then we left.

Two funerals were not what we wanted to do on our vacation up north. Yet, it is times like this that makes us question our motives for our traveling full time. Yes, we travel to see great sites, spend time as a family, have fun....but are we willing to sacrifice our own plans to help another in need.

We gave up three days of our vacation to help our family. I told my kids, "Are we here for us, or for God."
We helped clean up after the funeral, which took up most of our one of only two Saturdays here. It was the right thing to do, though. People must always come first...before sight seeing, playing, or resting.

It is like the good samaritan....when we see a desperate need,

Do we go on with our plans?
Do we keep driving and say the next person will help?
Do we feel that it is not our responsibility and they wouldn't do it for us?

Sometimes, it is the hard choice that is right. I am not saying all of this to act like we are so great and look how holy and wonderful we are. I write this to remind all of us to

take the time

love others

give of ourselves when it is inconvenient or difficult

prioritize

I know we have not always made the right choice, or helped when we should have, but we are trying to be thoughtful to those around us and hopefully spread a light, that is not our own, but Christ's.

Fighting Fires!

2010-10-20T22:54:00.000-06:00

When we stay at a nice campground, we assume that things are relatively safe. Usually the camphost is friendly and wants us to feel welcome. The bathrooms are somewhat clean, and the sites are acceptable.
But, yet there are dangers at all campgrounds; the mediocre to the best.

Fire. Definately a danger we did not expect to have to deal with.

A volunteer at a campground decided to leave a huge brush fire unattended.

The fire began to spread, out of control, towards our camper and the cabins near by.

My husband and I were on our daily walk, enjoying the pleasant fall temperatures when suddenly our 18 year old son came flying up to us on his ATV.

His frantic voice gave us a clue as to the seriousness of his announcement, "The field is on fire!"

My husband jumped on with Cody and they sped back to the camper. I walked as quickly as I could.

When I arrived, I told Hanna to take the kids to the lodge on the other side of the campground. I got on my ATV and drove to field behind the trees next to our camper.

I made a quick assessment. There was no way Shae and Cody could put it out by themselves. I asked Shae if he wanted me to ride to the cabins on the other side of the campground to get some men camping there. I hoped to get them before the fire reached the forest tree line on the back side of the field and our camper on the other.

He told me to go.

By the time the men arrived back to the field, Shae and Cody had put almost the entire fire out. A couple of men were able to help finish.

I was astonished. The fire was huge! How did they put it out?

Cody told me later, with awe, "You should have seen dad. He was a crazy man. The fire got to the cedar trees. Dad was standing under one hacking at the tree branches with his shovel. The fire was above him and he just kept going."

Shae told me that when the fire reached the cedar trees on the edge of the forest, he thought it was over, the fire was going to spread to the surrounding forest. From there it would spread to the lodge and cabins on that side of the camp, (not where the kids were, though), and our camper.

He told me that the winds would change at just the right time. They ran around the perimeter of the fire, with only shovels, trying to put it out.

The camphost showed up with the tractor and took over, making sure it did not flare up again.

I looked at Cody and Shae. They were black from head to foot, both coughing from all the smoke. Cody didn't have regular shoes on, only sandals. He said he didn't have time to get anything else.

Shae told me that if they had been even one minute later, the forest would have burned, it was that close.

All of this happened so fast, that I didn't need to call the fire department. This camp is so rural, that it would have taken too long for them to get there anyways.

With the Lord's help and His strength, the fire was put out, and just in time.

Staying on track

2010-10-14T23:17:00.000-06:00

When we first decided to sell our home and travel full time, we made numerous lists.

Pros
Cons
Budget
Where we want to go
Goals

Some things we wrote were right on the money, while others were completely wrong. Other lists, like our goals list has stayed almost totally the same. But, so often I find us wandering from that list.

We get distracted with so many different things such as too much sight seeing, continual chores that never seem to end, computer, tv, work, etc. It is not that these things are bad in themselves, it is that anything can be done at the wrong time, too often, or not enough.

The other day I looked at our list of goals we made when we first decided to do this trip. I wouldn't change much. In fact, I need to remind myself more often the reasons why we did this trip. Writing a list and putting it in the bathroom will be the best reminder for everyone. Any time I want the family to learn something, Spanish, Latin, bible verses, I put them on the bathroom wall. It is a captive audience!

Budget

2010-09-25T14:26:00.000-06:00

One of the most common questions that we are asked is,

“How Much does it cost?” Budgeting for a trip like this is a very individualized task. There are so many variables that I don’t think I could give an exact cost, but I will give an explanation of what it is like for us.

· Tow Vehicle - 2007 Dodge Ram 3500 dually- $37,000

· Salem Toy hauler 5th wheel - $31,000

· Storage Trailer for the small amount of personal items we kept - $3000

(We did not get a storage unit because we did not know how long we would travel. $200 a month for a unit adds up quick. Buying a storage trailer at least gives us something for our money. The problem is that the insurance company will not insure contents of this trailer. We have hope that everything will be fine when we settle down. Once again, though, we have not been able to place too much value in material things. Moth and rust destroy, thieves break in a steal. Our vision is for eternity. That trust is a choice. Sometimes I have to remind myself of that when I think about what is in that trailer and that if it is all gone or ruined when we return that it is ok and I will be ok.)

· Generator - We already had a Honda generator that cost us $1700

· Insurance - Allstate wouldn’t insure a camper that we live in full time, so we had to change to Progressive. It costs about $2000 a year for two vehicles, camper and contents.
· Cell Phone - four phones and MIFI wireless internet ($60) and unlimited texting costs $270 a month.

· Fuel - Doesn’t really cost much more than someone that has a day to day job they have to drive to. Our truck gets average 10mpg towing. The van is about the same towing our flatbed. We do not drive everyday, or every week! Sometimes we stay at a campground for a day and sometimes for four months. If we are on traveling farther distances, we obviously spend more for gas. Right now we are settled down for a few months, so gas is not an issue. I think it all evens out and for us does not cost us much more than when we had our house and were very involved in our community.
· Camp Fees - When we first began this trip, an average campground was $12 - $15 a night for at least water and electric. Arriving in Florida was shocking as we experienced camp fees of $20 - $30 per night. In the Keys it was horrendous, we paid $60 a night for four nights on Key Largo! But, we had a great time and it was worth it. We have found that areas that are not high tourist areas are much less expensive. Once out of rural areas, we expect to pay between $25 and $40 a night and around $70 a night at popular destinations. When we are at those campgrounds, we don’t stay long. Of course, there are free or very inexpensive campgrounds across the nation. We have stayed at a few of those. Some have been wonderful like in Marysville, KS, while others were terrible as in Laurel, MT. National Forest is free, but Shae needs to have cell and internet signal to work. Many times there is neither in the National Forest. Also, to run the generator can cost between $5 and $10 a day in gas. Then, we have to pay to dump our sewer at a gas station which is about $5. Occasionally truck stops & rest areas have free dump stations. Yellowstone area was $60 a night in the off season. We couldn’t stay on the park because of cell phone signal. Shae is 50% disabled with the VA, so he got an Access Pass which gives us 50% off National Campgrounds, and free into the parks. It has saved us so much money. Before we knew we could get this, my mother bought us a National Parks Pass for Christmas. That saved a lot of money. Army Corp of Engineer campgrounds are quite inexpensive and can be very nice and typically more private than state or private campgrounds. There are many times we stay with family. There is no camp fee, but we always try to give them money to pay for electric and are very generous with groceries and we buy for them if we eat out. So, staying with family has not proven to save us money, but that is fine with us. When we do volunteer work, we stay for free with full hook ups. But, once again, if we did 30 hours of pay work, we would make a good bit of money. It is not financially advantageous for us to do volunteer work, we could make a lot of money if we actually worked those hours, but that is not why we volunteer. We do it to help and make a difference. We do it to be a blessing and not get selfish. We do it because we love God and people.

· Food - Definitely costs more. I used to buy food in bulk through a food co-op. I have to buy smaller quantities now. Beef used to cost us $2.50 a pound for steaks and hamburger from our neighbor, who would have half a cow slaughtered for us every six months. Fresh milk was $2 a gallon and eggs came from our own chickens. I had heirloom veggies and our own berries and fruit trees. We miss all of these things terribly. To go from such healthy eating to buying so much from the store has been a difficult transition. One good thing is that we can buy food that is in season in the area we are in. Fresh apples in Georgia, strawberries in Florida, greens and corn in Missouri. I used to grind our own grain and make homemade bread. Doing this in the camper is proving quite hard. It is something I am trying to work back into.
· Extra Camper Expenses - Drop ins for the sewer tank vary in price. We use one every four days. Water hoses have to be replaced every now and then. The vents on the floors break constantly from all of the jumping and running taking place. I think we have had to buy at least 10. We use more paper plates than before, since we don’t have a dishwasher.
· Sewer Portable Tanks - $200. A lot of campgrounds we stay at do not have full hookups. We purchased a portable sewer tank on wheels. When our camper sewer tank is full, he dumps it into the sewer tank on wheels and then pulls it to the dump station. We stayed at a campground in Apache Junction, AZ that didn’t have sewer or electric and still cost us $20 a night. Cody pulled the sewer tank with his bike back and forth to the dump station. At one point a car was coming at him from both directions. He had to pull into the grass which put a hole in the tank. Needless to say, we had to buy another one. Lesson: do not pull sewer with your bike.
· Outdoor grills - I bought a $30 two burner electric stove. It works great when it is too hot out to cook inside the camper. I can just plug it in instead of messing with the outdoor propane grills we bought. There have even been times where we have no propane and I totally cook on the electric stove outside. It is not fun, but we manage. The gas grills were $20 and $60 for each. One is for pots and the other is a grill.

· Sightseeing varies. Museums sometimes are cheaper to buy a season pass for a family than individual passes. We spend up to $200 a month on this and then other months we try to only go to the free museums to make up for the expense.
· Eating out - We do not eat out much at all. Picnic lunches and snacks are the way to go for us. There is a blanket in our van that we use to eat and rest on at a park we pass by or in a parking lot.
· Laundry - For the first 9 months we used laundromats. It cost between $20 and $24 a week. We usually have to do a load a day to keep up with our big family. I would go to the laundromat every four or five days. Just before we had sweet baby, we decided to get the rv washer/dryer combo. It cost us $1000 but is well worth it.
· I am sure I am forgetting many items, so I will add more as I think about it. Please leave comments and questions. I would love to hear from you.

My memories of kayaking Lake Wappapelo, pregnant!

2010-09-24T10:13:00.000-06:00

Lake Wappapelo, in Southeast Missouri was a great place to stay. It is one of those few areas that we would consider moving to when we are ready to settle down. The small town, self-sufficient, not a suburb, was very appealing to us. But, since this is the kayaking article, I best stick to that subject and not go on a rabbit chase.

The lake is quite beautiful and has good fishing. Shae, Cody and Hanna went on an exploration kayaking trip around the lake. The air temperature was pretty cold, so no swimming.

The next day we took the kayaks to the spillway for the reservoir.

Spillway of Resevoir

I was very pregnant with Tytus at the time, but decided I would take a quick spin anyway. Those of you who know me know that I can be very adventurous. I climbed in, with a lot of difficulty since my belly was huge! Josie decided she wanted to ride with me. She climbed in and we headed out. I didn’t get too far from the shore in case we tipped over.

Fisherman dotted the shoreline, some catching fish, others not.

Seeing the spillway and enjoying the water from a kayak is a wonderful way to enjoy God’s creation. There is something special, peaceful sitting on top of the water; no waves, quiet, no rushing or appointments.

Josie got a little antsy and wiggly, so I decided I better get to shore before she tipped all three of us over; her, me, and sweet baby in my belly! I paddled to a little inlet where I thought we could disembark. Cody, my 17 year old was nearby so I hollered to him for some help.

He grabbed little Josie and set her on shore. I, on the other hand, was not as easy. Sitting so low in the kayak coupled with the water being much lower than the rocky shore, made for a bad combination. I put my left leg out of the kayak and realized that there was no way my large, pregnant body was going to follow.

The police officer, sitting in his car, near the shore, looked at me like I was crazy as I attempted to boost myself out of the kayak, with no success.
I had Cody grab my left forearm. He pulled as I pushed with my right.
Legs flailing, arms grasping, loud grunting, my dress flying up, are just a few of the actions of the moment!

I noticed the police officer looked away politely as my legs flew up and my dress slipped past my knees. I think I would have rather had him come help me, though!

With absolutely no grace and complete embarrassment, I got out of the kayak and on to shore, vowing not to get back in the kayak until after the baby was born.

Shae attempted to carry two kids in his kayak so we could go for a family trip.
We didn't get very far!

Cody and Hanna tried to ride together,
Once again, this did not work at all.
I laughed so hard as I watched them almost tip over!

Gabriel thought he discovered a new island
and named it the "Island of Pine". He got to
be a real explorer, and THAT is one
of the many reasons we do this trip, so our
kids can do amazing things.

(This story actually took place in the spring of 09. I am going back in time to tell some of our earlier stories. Hope you enjoy!) This story is also on our website, http://www.smittysinfo.com/ on our kayaking page.

How Do Eight People Use One Bathroom?

2010-09-22T23:05:00.000-06:00

Many people want to know...."What about the bathroom, for all of you?"

Shae, hubby, cleaning out toilet with our drinking water hose??? I hope not!

We have six kids and have been living in the camper for 2 years now.

One bathroom!

I think it would be great to have a second, though. I do not use bath houses at campgrounds. My thought is, this is my home, I wouldn't go to the neighbor's to go potty, why go to the bathhouse. The amount of time it would take me to run 4 small children back and forth to the bathhouse would be ridiculous. I don't like my older daughter using them alone, too many weird-os out there.

My son and husband use them some, but not a lot.
Cody, my 17 yr old, dumps the sewage tank every four days, sometimes we can push it to five.

Cody showing off our new toilet, fall 08.

There is a pecking order to the potty

1. me, when I was pregnant

2. our 3 yr old daughter

3. our girls, the boys can pee outside if need be.

4. our 6 yr old son

5. then oldest son and dad.

6. me, when I am not pregnant

Now, when dad is going in to the bathroom, everyone else better hurry up and go first. He may be awhile.

No reading in there, or at least not any longer than how long it takes you to go, except for dad.

We did put a lock on the inside, up high so the little ones can't reach it. We have tried signs that say occupied or empty, but they didn't work, our little ones kept tearing them down.

Privacy is horrible, though! If someone makes a sound in there...everyone can hear it. Giggles fill the room when daddy goes in. He is so loud and the kids think it is so hilariously disgusting!

A little secret, turn on the tv or music for cover noise when in the potty. I don't know if my husband realizes that is why I put Jimmy Kimmel on the tv for a few minutes later at night!!!

Another problem, not to get crude, but the stink can spread quickly. We always turn the bathroom fan on.
Our sink and shower are seperate from the toilet which is nice.
I cut a shower curtain in half and put hooks through the holes. The hooks hang over the side of the shower. They can be moved around the door to cover the shower for more privacy.
Read my son's story, "The Scoop on Poop" at our website www.smittysinfo.com on the manhood page. He is in charge of the sewer. This story is so horribly disgusting and hilarious.

This was no doubt one of the grossest times on our trip. The poo overflowed in the dump station and our own turds were floating across the road! I was pregnant and got out of the truck to see what was going on, I almost puked. It was so unbelievably disgusting, I am cringing now, two years later, just thinking about it!

It was quite unpleasant when the sewer hose ran under our
stairway! Everyone had to be careful not to trip on our poo!

Happy camping!