Crazy Good

The Long Drive

2010-06-15T17:47:00.000-07:00

Remember the book The Long Winter? Where the winter just kept on piling up, and they thought it was never going to end? And right when they thought it was getting better, it didn't?

Yeah.

That was the drive home on Sunday. Let me tell you, it wasn't a whole lot of fun.

Our fuel pump seemed to be going out. The truck quit on us twice in New Orleans. We had a mechanic look at it, and he determined that it must be the fuel pump. It didn't seem *that bad, right?

So we trekked toward home. A six hour trip, that last fifteen (!!!) hours. Drive fifteen miles, cool off the pump for twenty. It was also wicked hot, and very humid, which didn't help matters much. Fortunately, as the ambient temperature dropped, it took less time for the pump to cool off. Although all things considered, I definitely did not appreciate the truck quitting on us before we reached the top of the Lake Charles Bridge. By the time we hit the top, we were doing about two miles an hour, and then we coasted all the way down....

We have a new appreciation for the heat in Texas. Who knew that after experiencing 90+ degree temps with a heat index of ten or more degrees and greater than 60% humidity would make you LOVE the fact that it's "only" 93 degrees with a heat index of five, and 10% humidity? Yeah. That's what *I said. Craziness, I tell you.

The truck went to the shop immediately upon our return to home base, where it still is. A part of the a/c went out, and we're still waiting on the part for that. It was offered they could put the truck back together so I could use it for the interim, but the idea of paying more so I could have my car back for a whole day? No thanks, I'll tough it out.

We've been having an A-Team original series marathon here today, and finding interesting meals to put together in light of the fact that we didn't make it to the grocery before dropping off the truck. Personally, I think it builds character to eat oatmeal for lunch, and popcorn at random times of the day.

Oddly, sitting around doing nothing is just plain exhausting. I think we'll all go to bed early tonight!

Melting

2010-06-12T07:08:00.000-07:00

Here's the thing about New Orleans, if you didn't already know:

It's very humid.

It's drippy, and suffocatingly HUMID. The heat index has been as much as fifteen degrees more than the actual temperature. Fif.teen. degrees. Do you know what that is? That is INSANE. Especially when it's already 91 degrees out.

We also have a new family rule:

Do not get out of the car without a bottle of water.

We hit a short trail yesterday at the Barataria Preserve, in hopes of seeing an alligator. The short trail offered us no alligator, so we took a different trail instead of turning around. Over two miles later, we're back at the car, all of us limp from the lack of water. At least we were smart enough to keep our ice chest in the back of the truck, full of up water bottles!

Originally we had planned on going on a swamp boat tour, but ended up canceling that once we hit the trail at the preserve. We met a pair of scientists on the trail, who were taking pictures for an upcoming biology textbook. They were more than happy to share with us information about the local plants and animals, and tell us lots about what we found interesting on the trail. To say we were happy to run into them is an understatement! It was very patient of them to allow the children to pepper them with questions, and we found out all kinds of interesting things.

After the kids finished filling out their Jr. Ranger forms, got their badges and were "sworn" in as Jr. Rangers, they got their badges and we were ready to head out of there. To someplace with air conditioning, thankyouverymuch.

Okay, so going to the grocery store isn't *that exciting, but it is air conditioned! When we finally pulled out of the parking lot (a *Bank of America fiasco and an impromptu car seat check in the parking lot waylaid us by over an hour) we went a few more miles down the road and went across the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. Officially the world's longest bridge that is not a viaduct as well, it is really is quite something. Kind of boring overall and not super exciting, it met our requirements of a) air conditioned and b) budget friendly! And now we can say we've been across the bridge.

Today we're off to do some mundane things like laundry, dog walking, and car cleaning. We haven't decided on the full itinerary for the day yet, but it will likely include a trip to walk around French Quarter, and a streetcar ride. The younger ones are clamoring for food, so I suppose I'll feed them first....

Have a great day! And remember, don't forget the sunscreen and the bug spray when you head to New Orleans!

*a postscript about Bank of America, otherwise known as The Bank I Will Never Use Again While Traveling. When we were headed over this way, I used the card twice for gas. The third time I used the card, it was declined. BoA blocked the card due to "unusual activity". I had to call and approve all the transactions/attempted transactions. Card was unblocked. When we went to the grocery store, my first attempt to use the card it was blocked. As in, hi, you tried to use it but ha ha you can't! After four attempts at the register (am I putting in the wrong PIN? Maybe I pushed a wrong button) I finally figured it out - I bet they've blocked the card again! I call BoA and yes, all four attempted transactions were there for me to "approve". So let me get this straight - they want to block it from the *first use? Really? Why would you do that? It's not like Whole Foods is some sort of a red flag, either. It's groceries! I spent twenty minutes on the phone with BoA getting them to unblock it, and then made the customer rep stay on the phone while I used the card to buy my now melting groceries. And that's what happened with BoA.

Slow Down!

2010-06-10T09:52:00.000-07:00

Since Feburary, I've been telling myself that hey, I'll have time to _____ - tomorrow, next week, next month, later today.

Know what?

It hasn't happened. I've been climbing a steadfast pile of homework, schoolwork, activities, laundry, dishes, meals, showers, books that need to be read, and paperwork that needs to be finished. The faster I think I'm moving, the more behind I get. So much ado about nothing, I guess I need a new plan of action. Which is: JUST DO IT. Sorry, Nike, that wasn't intentional, that was the best I could come up with on short notice.

With the exception of Intensity, school is out for the summer, for kids and adults alike. She, the dear brave girl, is taking on a traditional high school diploma, with the goal of finishing in three years instead of four. Currently she is slogging her way through freshman classes in summer school. Three cheers for Intensity, she's working hard and reaching her goals!

The kids had a wonderful full first year of public school. I'm amazed, impressed, and enamored at the level of dedication the educational teams have. The autism coordinator and autism support people that are in place are nothing short of amazing in this school district, and we've seen our autism kids come a long way. As much as we are fly by the seat of our pants and not have a plan kind of people, it feels extremely odd to be making plans for next school year. Yet, here we are, plans are in place, IEP's written, schedules drawn out, social stories written, activities planned, and - see? Isn't that weird?? Next year the kids will be in 11th, 8th, 6th, 3rd, 2nd, and Kindergarten.

Silly me, I did believe that once school was out things would slow down.

And? Not so much.

Currently, myself and the youngest four kids (Inquisitive, Princess, Discovery, and Constant) are in New Orleans for a Super Geek Conference (SGC). Okay, so *I'm not here for the conference, I just tagged along. We're staying at a lovely State Park right outside of NO. The humidity is a bit more than I bargained for. I did not even know you could have a 15 degree heat index! Five, maybe six degrees, right? Nooooo. The other day it was 91, with a head index of 106! Pass the ice water, please!

The Man's SGC will be over late tonight, and tomorrow we'll be hitting some spots, doing a bit of geocaching, and seeing the sights! We've managed to have several adventures here in NO already. Okay, I'm calling it an adventure for the sake of not wanting to use the word "calamity". And I must admit that my first inclination to a vehicle stalling out in the MIDDLE of the freeway would be to use the words "disaster" "you're kidding", and several other unprintable words.

We've got several planned adventures coming up before school starts, and we're hoping to log some miles before the school year begins again on August 23rd. Stay tuned, and it's good to be back blogging!

It's About TIME

2010-02-15T18:47:00.000-08:00

Time.

I seem to be running short on that these days.

Right now it's quiet time. Kids in bed. Dogs asleep. Dishes done. Backpacks ready for tomorrow. Clothes in the Daily Bin. Shoes under the table.

It's a nice time of day. No screeching, no handflapping, no Echolalia. This week the phrase is "WOO HOO!", from one of the Lego Atlantis videos that Constant watched online. I'm ~~really~~ mildly annoyed by "WOO HOO!". Especially since it's usually said loudly. Right next to my ear.

Mondays and Wednesdays are by far the busiest days, with nary a quiet moment to be found. This year so far the days seem to rush one after the other. Some days I'm irritated by the routine we have, and desperately miss the ability to pick and choose what we want to do in a day. Other days it's a comfort to have the same thing going on, and know the basic activities of the day. It's a soothing rhythm, that ocassionally makes me seasick.

Time management has never been my strong point. I've often got piles of things going on, and simply flit from one item to the next, with no particular order or deadline in mind. That, my friends, is not a technique that works well for five kids in school, one in preschool, and a mama taking two classes (one of which is kickin' my heinie!). I'm constantly making to do lists, marking items on the calendar, and attempting to stay organized. The calendar is my friend, along with Listomni.

Tomorrow I'm already wondering if I'll have enough TIME to do everything that needs to be done. And look what time it is! It's time for bed......

True Story

2010-01-16T17:04:00.000-08:00

We're at the grocery store. We're getting out of the car.

Discovery, 8, begins what I think will be a rather innocent conversation. That was a mistake.

"Mom, I really need for you to buy a car."

"A car? What?"

"Yes, one about this size will do fine. It needs to be big."

"Okay. What are you going to do? Fix it?"

"No. I have a project in mind. And it's going to take real gas."

Ummm. Er. No? REALLY?

"Let's talk more about this. I have blueprints in mind."

I'm kind of afraid now. I'm not sure if I should run screaming for the hills, or build a bunker. No, I don't know what he's thinking of doing with a car, that would need real gas, AND blueprints.

Random

2010-01-13T18:03:00.000-08:00

I start college classes next week. Yes. You read that right. College. Classes. I am, at this time, pursing a two year degree to become a Paramedic. I feel a little woozy. School? WOT?!

I want to buy Hello Kitty school supplies. You know. Because I'm COOL like that. Besides, don't all EMS personnel harbor a secret love for Hello Kitty? No? It's just me? That's alright. I'm okay with that.

Little Dog is snoring, while asleep on my feet.

I can't move my feet, because Little Dog is asleep on them. I'm considering kicking Little Dog, just enough to make him flinch, and get OFF my feet.

I had ALL THE KIDS in bed before 7 pm. Their crankiness was making me cranky, and the only way to make it stop was to SEND THEM TO BED.

Okay, that's a lie. Not ALL. The two teen agers are still awake. I think they would be insulted if I called them "kids" though.

I cleaned all the trash out of my truck, but didn't vacuum up the crumbs. Yet. And wash the truck? WHY would I do that? It's got *character like this!

Yesterday was Intensity's first soccer game. I'm sure she'd love for me to talk more about it, but instead I'm going to tell you she got her hand stepped on by an opposing team member.

Because I'm going to school, Inquisitive is going to go to a church preschool program. I think I'm going to cry now. My baby is going to SCHOOL. !!!! And, even more stunning than him weeping and clinging to my leg "mommy, don't LEAVE me", is that he isn't - he can't wait. I think he thinks he's just going to march in there with his backpack next week and not even shed a tear.

I was going to add a picture to this post, but I can't. I seem to be photo adding inept. I don't know what's wrong with me.

Last random item - it's not even 9 pm, and I"m seriously considering turning off the light and going to bed myself. I know. That's sad, isn't it?

Happy New Year?

2009-12-30T13:25:00.000-08:00

Who can even believe that 2009 is almost over? Wasn't it just New Years Eve 2008 the other day?

Shocking.

I can remember when I was younger, and it seemed to be just foreeeeever between important events like Christmas, Spring Break, and Summer Vacation. Adults would say "you just wait. Time FLIES". As it turns out? It really does fly.

Here's to 2010 being a great year!

Warning

2009-12-02T21:02:00.000-08:00

The following is observation, not a complaint.

Parenting a child with autism is hard work. It is a sure fire way to feel crazy, and out of control.

There's nothing else in my life where I can be so sure that I'm doing the right thing, and then the next moment just *sure that I've done something terribly wrong for the past whatever amount of time. Not just "gee, let me fix that". I mean full blown in your face, make your blood run cold "I've been SO WRONG!!" panicky feeling.

I'm sure that it's quite possible that any parent of a special needs child feels this way. Like they've done something wrong. Or if that you just did such and such *right, that it would cease to be a problem. And it never goes away. It shifts. It changes. And yet it's still there. It might evolve, or maybe whatever the hot button issue is disappears, maybe for a long time, and then suddenly, right when you thought that you never would have to deal with ______ again, there it is. It's in your face, smacking you upside the head, and making you feel, well. Crazy. Questioning yourself. Asking the same question to yet another person, and you can *tell they don't understand, but you can't make yourself stop talking, because maybe, just maybe, they'll have the magic answer.

And they never do. So you keep searching.

And of course, you take time out of your busy schedule to blame yourself - or maybe you don't. Maybe it's just me. Did I:

eat something that I shouldn't have
not eat enough of something, depriving him of nutrients in utero
say something I shouldn't have
say yes to the Doppler when I should have said no
Not held him the right way
Held him too much
Left him alone at the wrong time
Gave him the wrong food as a first food
And so on.

While I have more than one child on the autism spectrum, I'm speaking mostly of my 11 yo son, Constant. We seem to have hit a new era of behavior, and management (or rather, lack of management). Anxiety in full gear. Unexpected occurences, like the 14 yo glancing at him to see if he's asleep, and he sees her, and kicks the wall and screams that he's being stared at. Two seconds, and that was it. Full blown, full tilt, over the top reaction. From 0 to 60, in two seconds.

Like I said, this isn't a complaint. It's a statement of fact. It just IS. When people say "hope your day gets better", what they don't understand is this IS my life. It's like this EVERY day. It's just a matter of *how much* of it I get every day. On a good day, I can strike the balance, keep everything even, and head off meltdowns simply by recognizing signs ahead of time. On a bad day, we can move from crisis to crisis, while keeping the other kids in check, and trying to do daily household things like laundry, meals, and bedtime at decent times (and on a REALLY bad day, all of our autism kids will have an "off" day. Those are the days that there *better be a bottle of wine in the frig!). On either day, I can be taken aback and astonished at a one sentence observation he makes, seeing something in the world I never would.

When he was younger, it wasn't so noticeable. As he's gotten older, you can tell. I mean, handflapping when you're in Target? Telltale sign. Screaming meltdown over..... I don't even know what. Waking up at 11 at night after having been asleep for three hours, screaming? Not so normal.

Was it something I did?

Realistically, I know it isn't.

I still question. I can't help it.

Feed Me

2009-11-29T17:19:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, Santa brought me a crockpot.

And, just not ANY crockpot. A crockpot that will hold enough to feed our family. Which is saying something, considering how much my 11 yo and 8 yo boys eat.

Of course, the first thing I did was look for recipes. And I found some. Like, a whole BUNCH of some. And truly, I can feel myself tipping off the deep end. It's wrong how excited I am to have this crockpot, and to find this website that has me making a list, and checking it twice. What am I going to make first? Dessert? Breakfast? Oh, the decisions!! Ohhh look! Maybe a CAKE!!!! Or maybe this cake!

The website in question is Crockpot365. One word: amazing!!

I'm pretty sure I'm going to make this for dinner tomorrow. But before that, I have to make this. And I really, really want to make this.

See? DEEP END. There it went. I just fell off.

Miss Me?

2009-11-28T20:36:00.001-08:00

Did you miss me?

You would think I was on hiatus, but I wasn't, not officially. I've been busy with life - adjusting to our new location, moving RV parks to a more pleasant park, working with the school for an IEP for Constant, filling out paperwork, breaking in the new pediatrician, finding a new dentist, finding a new chiropractor (eeek and still on the search for that one!), and so on, and so forth. In other words: boring blog fodder.

Unless you really do want to hear about how the new pediatrician kind of thought I was insane. Or how the first chiropractor I visited was such a moneymaker office, that it makes me laugh just to think about it (it's not an adjustment, it's a "treatment"!). Or how I ended up leaving the first RV park because dude was coming up to me every single day with stupid things (you're shutting the RV door too hard!), and was convinced that I was hogging up the washers all day, every day. Yes, I have six kids, but sheesh. I don't have *that* much laundry!!

The biggest item to note adjustment wise is the fact that we *aren't* going to be traveling full time. And no kidding, the very idea just has me breaking out in hives. All of us are determined to make the best of the time that we will be here, now that it's been decided that we are going to be here until Intensity graduates high school. Oh, don't get me wrong - we'll take off when we can. Alas, it doesn't look to be a possibility for Christmas Break - so sad and too bad!

Also on the adjustment notation chart: living in an RV that is stationary, and not moving. It seems to be a bit more challenging space wise, since we're not having to put everything up at specific intervals in order to move along. I've had to get serious about minding my clutter, which namely seems to be paperwork the kids bring home from school! Staying organized is a big challenge, especially for me. I don't think I was born with an organizational bone in my body. Although I do like label makers. And sharpie makers. Hmmm.... maybe there is hope for me yet on that front!

Good night, sweet dreams, I've missed you all!

Creepy Crawly

2009-10-29T10:42:00.001-07:00

This week, a word was said.

It is the word that fills the heart of every parent with school age children with terror.

No, not "vaccination debate".

The word? Lice.

Yes, indeed. You read that right. Lice.

I was getting Princess ready for bed, and she seemed.... itchy. Now, we've never dealt with lice, and I've never seen it, so I had absolutely no idea. I thought maybe she was having a reaction to a shampoo. Or maybe - I don't know. Something. I looked at her head, and saw no crawling anything. I saw little white things, I wasn't sure if it was nits, or dandruff. Basically? Clueless.

Googling did not help. I asked my cousin if she knew. Actually, the first thing I said to her was "now, don't freak out.....". Well, I tried, at any rate, right? And as it turns out, she didn't know either. I ended up deciding to do the olive oil treatment, just in case. During the course of this conversation of what is it, and what should I do, we all start feeling itchy all over. Panicked cleaning binges ensued.

The olive oil treatment, in case you did not know, involves dousing the child's head with olive oil, and wrapping it all up with saran wrap or a shower cap. Just add parsley, and it's an italian meal! Kidding. I'm kidding. Anyway, douse the head with olive oil. Leave overnight. Cover with shower cap. This smothers any of the little creepy crawlies. Wash the hair with Dawn detergent in the morning, and comb out with a lice comb (I used a Robi).

On my first comb through, I knew we were right to do the olive oil treatment. I called L, and told her to take all the kids she had (hers, and some of mine) directly to the school nurse.

As it turns out, NOBODY else had lice. NOBODY. It was just Princess, the poor thing. And, as it also turns out, the olive oil is considered an acceptable and effective method for killing the little creepy crawlies. After having the nurse check Princess's head, she was deemed lice free, and allowed to go to class. Total amount of school missed: 1.5 hours.

The olive oil treatment will be repeated very three days for a total of two weeks. This makes sure that the life cycle is interrupted, and the beasties do not return.

Also, you can use essential oil of tea tree as a deterrent: just add a few drops to your shampoo bottle, and shake. EVERYONE is getting tea tree oil shampoo now. For the rest of the school year. And *maybe for the rest of their lives!

Pay It Forward

2009-10-25T21:07:00.000-07:00

A week has flown by.

Appointments, directions, teachers, and meetings, along with the daily meals, laundry, baths, bed, and carpool line.

It's been busy, and while I did get a lot done, I didn't get everything I needed done. So here we are this week, with intentions to finish up what I had hoped to do last week. This week I have three appointments for Inquisitive (three!!), along with several others. And, the specialist for one of the kids is booked for nine months (!!!!), so I'm told that I get to find my *own specialist. Which means I have to - I don't know. Can I just delegate that one to the Mr? That sounds like *such a good idea!!

This past week, I walked into the laundry room, and somebody had folded a load of my clothes. It was a very small load - just a few tshirts and some socks - but it was a gesture that was much appreciated. I have no idea who it was.

This weekend, I spent a lot of time in the laundry room (okay, that's an understatement. I think I did a dozen loads of laundry). This morning when I walked in, there was a load on the folding table, and two dried loads waiting in driers. Originally, I put them on the folding table in separate piles.

And then, I folded them. All three loads.

And then, over the course of the day, three more loads.

And - WHY AM I DOING THAT? I HATE folding laundry! Heck, most of the time in a stick built house I don't even fold ours!

So why did I do that?

I knew it would make somebody's day. Or rather, more than one somebody's day. I also figured that, well, if we all do nice in the laundry room, it might keep the edge off the tension that can arise in a laundry facility such as this. It'll make it easier to *not throw somebody's clothes on the floor (as happened to one load of mine last week!).

This week, may I challenge you to go out of your way, to stop and pay it forward? Think about what you can do that might, anonymously if possible, make somebody's day. Put a quarter in a parking meter that has expired. Bring a neighbor's trash can up the drive for them. Pay the toll for the person next in line.

There are plenty of opportunities, take a look around and see what speaks to you. It only takes a moment, and it just may make a big difference!

Sit Still

2009-10-18T20:55:00.000-07:00

We've been here in TX for just over a week.

The trip down was uneventful, if not hurried. I was anxious to get to my other kids, and I dare say we did nothing cool at all sight seeing wise. It was just - get to TX! See my babies! Hug them! Give them loves!

And I did. Lots of hugs and loves.

We have spent this past week doing nothing but life - getting used to the routines already set in place by my cousin, learning about the carpool line (and OH NO do NOT even think about MESSING UP THE CARPOOL LINE), finding the health food store, finding the grocery store with the big gluten free aisle, and finding Sam's Club (horror of horrors? There is no Costco here!!). I feel like I am going non stop, from the time I get up in the morning, until I go to bed at night.

Wake up. Breakfast. Get dressed. School drop offs. Come home. Breakfast dishes. Laundry. Fix lunch for the two kids not in school. Clean up. Run errands. Try to do things like: balance checkbooks, homeschooling, sweep, clean out car, make menu plans, grocery shop. Pick up kids from school. Check backpacks. Play. Dinner. Baths. Bed for littles. Dishes. Run back and forth six times to my cousin's house.

Somewhere in all of that, we also take the dogs out, answer questions like: how do you spell "graveyard", "Batman", and "believe", say prayers, remember to sign papers, take 4 yo out to play, wonder how come there are crayons in pieces all over the place, and wonder about how to get everything else done. And also, what IS for dinner, and OH NO, if I don't get it started now, nobody will get to bed on time!

Shockingly, I am oddly content with what is going on. It feels good to sit back, to breathe, to know that tomorrow will hold the same routine as yesterday, that the kids are HAPPY with where they are, that they love school and all their friends, and that I need not worry about answering fifty questions about Why Do You Home School and How Do You Know They Are Learning Everything They Need to Know In Life. Okay, so there are still two at home, one pre schooler and one middle school child, so I'm technically still homeschooling, but it's a lot different than having SIX at home all day.

Part of me wants to just pack everything up and go somewhere. I suspect that feeling will not go away, and in the meantime we can take short trips on long weekends, and make plans for summer break, spring break, and winter break. Here is my new mantra: It's Not Permanent.

I'll tell you a little secret though.

I'm kind of diggin' Texas.

You See That?

2009-10-03T23:41:00.000-07:00

You see that? That's my blinker. It's on because I want to change lanes.

I know, I know. Shocking, right? I mean, who would actually turn ON their blinker, because they actually want to change lanes? Oh, wait, that would be me. This lane is turning into an exit only, and I do not need to exit.

So you, driver who just darted out from behind me the minute I turned my blinker on and forced me to go back into the lane that I want to NOT be in? YOU ARE TICKING ME OFF. Okay? That is RUDE. Also, what is the POINT of darting out from behind somebody that is obviously changing lanes. Hmmm. Let's see. Blinker on. Moving over. That? Constitutes a lane change. And you would be cutting me off because..... ???

This happens time and again, and quite frankly, I cannot even begin to understand it. It BOGGLES my mind.

Bad driver. BAD. BAD!!!! No cookie for you.

We're just about ready to take off for Texas. Of course, as with any to do list, things got shoved off or ignored completely. And basically? I don't even care. I miss my kids, and I want to GO! Leave. Good bye. I have to get a key to my sister tomorrow, and I have to do laundry. Those are two must do items. Oh, and I have to check our PO Box in our hometown. Besides. It's getting kind of chilly here. When it's time to turn on the heat, it's time to to go a warmer state!

Tonight Mr was driving. He missed a turn, so he flipped a u turn. I said "drive a trailer much?" His response? "I forgot it was there". Nice. Good one, honey. I'm sure the other drivers really appreciated that one! And I'm really glad a cop wasn't around when that happened, either!

Also? Why is it that I always discover my propane is empty at odd hours? 11 PM on a cold weekend night is really not an optimal time to find this out. I think I need a different propane meter. Mine sucks.

Let the countdown begin! This time tomorrow, we will be in Oregon!!

10 Reasons

2009-09-30T22:17:00.000-07:00

One of the questions I seem to get a lot - both online and in real life - is WHY? WHY would you want to live in an RV? A TRAILER (say it like it's a piece of dog poo on your shoe, because apparently, to some people living in a TRAILER is the housing equivalent of dog poo on your shoe). It doesn't take much to find the upside, and quite frankly, I don't understand why MORE people don't do this!

1) I don't have to pay a huge amount to rent or utilities. Meaning, I have a lot less bills to pay on a monthly basis.

2) I don't have to mow the lawn

3) Don't like the neighbors? I move. It's that easy.

4) We use a lot less water than we ever used to in a house, even with conservation attempts in place. Ditto for electricity. Even if I turn on all the lights in the trailer, I'm not pulling as many watts as a 60W light bulb in a conventional house.

5) I don't have to deal with a landlord.

6) I can take my house with me when we go places. When everyone else is scrambling for lunch, I'm cooking something up.

7) I don't have to use rest stop bathrooms.

8) No home phone for telemarketers to bother me!

9) Two words: forced simplicity. For the most part, it's a good thing!

10) One word: cooperation! We're ALL learning about team work and cooperation.

If YOU live in an RV, post your reasons! I'd love to hear from you, and what benefits you gain from living in an RV!

Whoa

2009-09-16T15:57:00.000-07:00

I just lost a kid.

Yes, that's right. A child.

We stopped at a rest stop. The two older ones, Free Spirit and Constant, walked the dogs. Inquisitive was right here next to me. Except, then he wasn't. And I didn't know where he had gone.

Free Spirit, Constant, and myself called his name. We looked through the truck. In the trailer. Under the beds. I tried to remember if I had seen any cars leave abruptly. I looked at the picnic table we had sat at the other day. No Inquisitive.

I start to panic. We checked the bathrooms. Walked around the rest area again. Checked in the bushes. On the other side of the parking lot. Okay, *now I'm starting to flip out. You know what? I'll call my cousin. She'll know just what to do (she always does!).

My cousin asks how long we've been looking for him. I tell her ten minutes. She says to grab ANY employees, and make them look. And to call 911. My head feels hazy. Why didn't I notice he had gone? He was RIGHT next to me! Did somebody TAKE him? How far could they, would they get with him? How fast can they put out an Amber Alert?

Free Spirit and Constant check the bathrooms again. No Inquisitive. I have my hands on the phone to dial 911.

The employee, however, was a little smarter than we were.

He checked the bathrooms that were "closed for painting". You know, the bathrooms that have CLOSED signs on them? The bathrooms that have tall orange and white cones blocking the entrances, so you can't go in?

Yep. THOSE bathrooms.

And that's where he was, oblivious to the face that we were looking for him. I get him back out to the car, and say "Inquisitive! We were looking for you!". He says "I was in the bathroom!". I tell him I know, but those cones were there to, you know, keep people out? He looks at me like I've lost my mind, and says "oh".

Translation: Mom, why would orange cones in a row keep anybody from going into a BATHROOM. DUH!

Moral of the story: When looking for small children, always check the bathrooms. Even if they have "closed" signs on them, and orange cones in front of the entrances. Also, calling your cousin is helpful. Because likely, she'll have half a brain, and be able to come up with a plan of action.

How So?

2009-09-14T21:06:00.000-07:00

How is it even possible to be completely exhausted from a day where *nothing got accomplished?

I did absolutely nothing today - unless you count taking a shower, dumping the grey tank, and refilling the fresh water tank as "doing something".

Days like today with the 11 yo make me question my parenting skills - or the apparent lack thereof. Respite care for autism kids? Totally could use that about now.

In more interesting news, I found a video that made me pat myself on the back. RV'ing is environmentally friendly! I'm giving us extra points for that one. And? Here are some other great reasons to live on the road!

We're parked for the night, boondocking at a place north of Seattle. We're planning on heading to TX on the 24th, so we've lots to do before then! Including emptying out the trailer, and taking it for a wash, and a vacuum. Where DID all this dirt come from? Under the couch, under the mattresses - ugh. A little fall cleaning will go a long way to making mama a happy person (and that's another great thing about RV'ing - how many people can totally empty out their house in a day to deep clean it?). Wonder how many quarters that one is going to take.....

Sometimes

2009-09-13T21:45:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, life happens all at once. It takes everything you have just to keep it together.

Sometimes, unexpected things happen, and it takes all you have, and the support of your friends, to help you get through just one day at a time.

Sometimes, life is boring one day, and unexpected the next, and then boring the next day, and it makes you feel like you have life whiplash.

The past two weeks have been up and down. Lots of questions to be answered, work that needs to be done, and everyday life happening at the same time: meals, baths, walk the dogs, clean the ~~house~~ trailer. The mundane and the life altering, all at the same time. Brought to you by: stuff happens, so deal with it!

This next week I'll be cleaning out and organizing the storage unit, attempting to work some more on insurance paperwork, and preparing to head on out to TX.

In the meantime, I've repaired the slide out (again!!!!), had a tire blow out on the trailer while on the highway, and I'm about to take a hammer to one of my stabilizer jacks that is refusing to drop down.

I'm utterly exhausted at the moment (hello, insomnia, at 3:20 am!), so I'm going to head to bed. I'm boondocking at a casino for the next couple of nights, so I'll make sure to pass on any interesting stories. Like the man who told my 13 yo tonight "looks like a pimple to me!", when she walked out the trailer door.....

Quiet

2009-09-02T23:22:00.000-07:00

This post was in my "draft folder". Know what it said?

This is what it said:

And that was all. Guess I wasn't kidding when I said "quiet", huh?

Oh, Texas!

2009-08-30T15:51:00.000-07:00

After over six weeks with us, the cousins went home. We had a lot of fun with them over the summer. There's not much more to say here except for that it was a lot of work the last week, and yes, emotional. Thursday was spent attempting to pack them up. Friday the better part of the day was spent with driving them to meet up with their parents, and then driving back home. Saturday we spent doing nothing but decompressing. The trailer seems unusually large, and extremely quiet. We all miss them.

While in Texas earlier this year, we met up with many friends, made new friends, and had a lot of fun. While traveling, we seem to have met quite a few people from Texas as well.

We've heard over and over again "come to Texas for the winter! It's way better than a WA winter!". Frequently, sentences around here start with "remember when we were in Texas....".

And now, guess where we're headed?

Yep.

Texas!

I suppose spending some time in Texas isn't nearly the shocker as what some of our kids have asked to do while we're there: attend school. The reasons are different, and many. The end result is that half of the kids will be attending school. Intensity, Discovery, and Princess are going to be in high school, third grade, and Kindergarten, respectively.

On Tuesday, I am putting four of the children on planes. Free Spirit is going to be visiting some friends in the Philadelphia area until the 9th. Intensity, Discovery, and Princess are going to fly down ahead of us. Once the decision was made that they were indeed attending school, we felt they needed to get there sooner rather than later. Another Family on the Road invited us to stay near them, and they also offered to help get them started in school (which started there the 24th of August). After having spent several weeks with them this summer it didn't seem like such an odd idea. Everyone was excited at the prospect, so off they go!

I hardly think that I will know what to do with myself, given that I've had eight kids all summer, and now suddenly I am going to have TWO. That's a quarter of the kids I've been parenting all summer long. Wow!

As soon as Mr is finished with a big project at work, we will be on the road to meet them, and get settled down. In the meantime, myself, Inquisitive, and Constant will be heading up to Port Angeles with my sister to do some poking around (and yes, go to Forks!). After he is finished, we will head to Texas just as fast as we can.

Wait.

I'm going to go have a panic attack now. I have to break camp from here tomorrow, make a run all the way to Olympia to get birth certificates replaced, come back up to Seattle Monday night and camp near the airport, put the kids on a plane, go back up to Everett to the storage unit, and then head to Port Angeles.

I feel faint.

Big Changes

2009-08-26T22:28:00.000-07:00

I'm not *quite ready to post this all yet. Not quite.

Big changes are happening. It's exciting. And, like many changes, it's a little scary!

We're all excited, and looking forward to what's coming up in the next few weeks. Now that a decision has been made, plans are fast falling into place!

In other news, Princess has strep throat. And she lost her first tooth! She was talking to my sister on the phone, telling her all about it, and my sister asked her if it was a top or bottom tooth. Princess paused for a moment, and said "it's a down tooth". Now we're all saying "down tooth".

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day, we have to get the cousins all packed up!

Dear Apple, Part 2

2009-08-26T22:10:00.000-07:00

Dear Apple,

Thank you for fixing the issue at hand. I do hope I won't have to call again over this again.

Otherwise, I'll have to get all cranky on you.

Sincerely,

Your Customer

Dear Apple

2009-08-23T08:36:00.000-07:00

Just over a year ago, you converted me. I bought a MacBook, and that was The End.

Until I started having hardware after hardware failure. Thank GOD I bought Apple Care, or I would have been out the purchased price, a mere year after purchase. I've had the logic board replaced more than once, which I find patently ridiculous.

And here I am again, without my computer AGAIN, just weeks after it was "fixed". Come ON. Can't you DO something about this?

Using this cracked screen Toshiba with an OS I *hate makes me cranky.

Stellar Parenting

2009-08-16T20:27:00.000-07:00

You know, there are some days where you think you've got it all together...

And then your 4 yo goes and pees off the top of play set at the park.

It's *those kinds of days that make you think that living in an RV is a REALLY good idea, because at least you don't have to live that down for the rest of the years you live on the block. A week or so, and it's a done deal, and you're gone.

That also usually happens on the days where you think, for the very briefest of moments "hey, I'm handling this pretty well! Everyone is fed, and clothed, and nobody has done anything really embar- oh. dear".

Yes, everyone at the park was *pretending like they didn't see it. I know they did though.

I know they all did, because everyone was snickering behind their hands or cell phones.

No!

2009-08-15T22:21:00.000-07:00

No, I do not want to do the sink full of dishes.

No, I don't want to go to the laundromat AGAIN, to wash the towels I just had to use to clean up the dish of dog water that got knocked over.

Nooo, I don't want to ARGUE with you. I gave BIRTH to you, you just go on and do what I asked you to, and we'll all be happy, 'mkay?

No, I don't feel like asking you to "nicely" go to bed. I already did that. Six times.

And look, you keep on staring at us, over there in your camp chair across the lawn from us, and I'm either going to a) do something to REALLY make you talk, or b) go over and ask you what the heck your problem is, and then let you know we charge admission.

Adventures in Amateur Hour

2009-08-13T17:20:00.000-07:00

This is a fun one, so buckle up!

I'm backing up into a spot at an RV park we had been looking forward to camping at. The Mr. is here, so he takes his hand at backing up (even though I was doing FINE for once thankyouverymuch!). The gentleman in the spot next door rolls down his window and says "what did you do THAT for, you were doing fine!!" I laugh and tell him no big deal. At any rate, I'm amused that he's amused by us switching out drivers to back up.

He finally gets backed up. We drop the stabilizers, put the wheel chocks on, put down the front stabilizer, and unhook. Intensity goes up front to pull the truck forward, and take the hitch bar out, and it sticks - dragging the trailer with it, about eight inches. Stabilizer jacks, wheel chocks, and all. And pulling it off the leveler blocks. Nice.

And yes, I was REALLY embarrassed.

We had to hook the whole thing back up, pull everything up, and back up back onto the leveler blocks. Okay, so that's done.

I go inside, and the slide out has dropped out from the ceiling (just the latches, not the whole tracks, THANK GOD). Looks like the Mr can re attach it. And I'll need something else to prop it up on, because obviously the pieces of wood aren't stable enough. I try to unlatch it from the back, and the whole thing drops onto the ceiling. So I'm having a fit because it's all stuck, and the Mr is telling me to calm down. CALM DOWN? YOU CALM DOWN! I DO NOT WANT TO CALM DOWN!!!!!

Next, I hook up the sewer hose. I try screwing the cap back on, and all the threads don't catch. So I've got drip drip drip on to the gravel - not bad, but still. Just something else to fix!

Then we hook up the water, and the kitchen sink is clogged up again, so we had to take apart that to fix it.

Oh, what else?

Does there NEED to be anything else?? I've had quite enough today, thank you anyway!

Breath of Fresh Air

2009-08-09T23:25:00.000-07:00

A weekly update is in order.

We haven't had a lot of internet access. When I have had access, my time available has been sparse.

The past few days have been full of fun, hiking, four wheeling, boon docking, rappelling (I mean, I'm *pretty sure it counts as rappelling), blackberry eating, geocaching, repairs, and lots of laughter. Oh, and jumping out from behind trees to scare other members of our hiking crew, losing footing, and then tumbling down a hill. Sorry, no pic or video of that one, although I'm assured it was rather hilarious to watch.

We're still hanging out with another Family On the Road. I'm shocked they haven't run away screaming from us, but what the heck. They're still here, and we're all having a blast! Tomorrow we head out to a new campsite. No reservations available, and we're all crossing our fingers that hitting it on a Monday morning is a good time to get a spot! If not, we're going to have to come up with a back up plan lickety split!

After another round of phone calls about WHERE THE HECK TO GET THIS TRAILER SLIDE OUT FIXED, the other family took a look, poked around, and put the slide in working order. I still have to replace the rails, but for sure right now I can get the slide in and out, which is a major improvement from pushing it in, having it drop onto the couch, jamming it up with 2x4 pieces, and then buckling it shut. So a big shout out to our friends (most specifically, the husband of the other family): YOU ROCK!!!! It sure is nice to be able to put the slide in and out without it being such a hassle!

We're short one kid around here now. It was a little unexpected, as we had been told we were going to have her until the at least the end of the summer. It seems a heck of a lot quieter around here now, and I'm going to miss her. She was really getting into the groove of helping us set up camp, offering to drop the stabilizer jacks, helping with the emptying of tanks, wanting to help with meals. I hope she has a GREAT time for the rest of her summer!!

Ah, life is GOOD! I wonder what tomorrow will hold.....

Happy

2009-08-02T22:22:00.001-07:00

You know what?

I'm happy.

Busy. Overwhelmed. Grateful.

HAPPY.

I'd love to talk more about what has been going on, but I've got dishes in the sink, a floor to be swept, and books to be put away. We're leaving here in the morning, and going out to the boonies to well, boondock. And hike. And try not to run out of water. And pick berries. And hang out some more with fantastic friends, friends who GET us, and get our kids. And we laugh, a lot, and it's FUN.

That makes me happy.

One day soon, when I have a REAL internet connection, I shall upload photos. Including the photos of the being thrown into the river incident!

Neglect

2009-08-02T09:01:00.000-07:00

Dear Blog,

I am so sorry I am neglecting you. You see, I've been having so much fun this week, that I haven't had time to sit down and do any actual posting.

I hope you can understand, it's not about you. It's me.

Love,

your blogger

How to Have Fun

2009-07-29T00:27:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun today, that I am entirely too tired to blog tonight.

Does that give you any indication of how much fun we had today? LOADS of fun.

I got thrown in the river, which is completely useless without pictures, so you'll just have to wait until I actually do a REAL post!

Splish Splash

2009-07-27T20:56:00.000-07:00

8 yo cousin here.

Today we went swimming. Yesterday we went swimming too.

It was fun. Constant put mud in my hair. It made me very mad. I just wanted to do it to him too. But I didn't, but I really REALLY wanted to.

Intensity got stung by a bee yesterday at the lake. So I just wanted to help her. I was going to go swimming. Somebody lost their ball, and I wanted to go help get it. But I didn't, I wouldn't be able to swim that deep. I can swim, just not in that deep of water.

We met some friends today (my note: they are another FOTR, they are camped out near us. Since I'm short a seat belt, they can take one of my kids and we can get out and DO some things. Tomorrow it looks like going hiking is in the works).

I loved the swimming today. I loved jumping around in the water. Free Spirit walked behind us and threw buckets of water on us when we weren't expecting it. Princess hated that.

We are waiting to eat dinner, and we are very hungry. We stayed very late and played.

We saw them (Native Americans) making a ceremony. They had boats, and drums. I loved it.

THE END

(now, make sure to leave lots of comments for cousin! She dictated, I typed. So basically, she did all the work today!)

When Bad is Good

2009-07-26T09:20:00.000-07:00

When Inquisitive was 5 months old, he was hospitalized for RSV. At the time, this seemed very, very bad. It was shocking to us. Even though he was our sixth child, we'd never really heard of RSV, never had personal experience with it. We had never had a child in the hospital.

While he was in the hospital, the medication he was on to help him breathe resulted in a high heart rate. 289 beats per minute. Those numbers on the monitor are glued to a part of my brain. A nurse rushed in. He was in SVT. A crash cart was brought in. Doctors were paged, residents were called, cardiologists consulted. Everyone around me was a buzz of activity. Thankfully, he converted quickly back to a normal sinus rhythm, although this was watched carefully for the rest of his stay. A change in medications prevented further SVT during his hospital stay.

When he was discharged from the hospital, he was sent to the pediatric cardiologist. They did an EKG, and an echocardiogram of his heart. The diagnosis? A heart condition called Wolff-Parkinson-White.

We have been very, very blessed. His occurrences of SVT have been minimal/short lived. There is no need for medication at this time. We watch him with his condition in mind, but don't hover. At four, he's old enough and aware enough that he will bring me the heart monitor to check his numbers if he's not feeling well. If it's over 150 but under 200 (which isn't SVT yet, but still fast), he can do this. If he goes into SVT, we all know it fairly quickly, and do what we can to calm him down and get him back into a normal heart rhythm. Thus far, we've been able to convert him with a few simple techniques.

There isn't a lot of information out there on complementing modern medicine with holistic medicine for a condition like this. What we've ended up doing are just things that make sense: Keep him hydrated. No caffeine. Teach him some yoga breathing. Keep him on a healthy diet, lots of fruits and veggies. He's seen a homeopath for a constitutional remedy, and for him, this was something that helped his overall health.

We also story tell. Once upon a time, there was a little boy with a special heart. He wore a bracelet, so that if he got sick or hurt the doctors would know he had a special heart. We want him to be aware, but not afraid. When he goes into SVT, we all need to be as calm as possible. If we have to go to the hospital for SVT, we need him to be as calm as possible. Answering questions via story telling has worked for us so far. It's been a way to have his heart condition on the outside edge of his life, and when/if it takes center stage, it won't be unfamiliar. We can talk about it, and not have it be a scary thing out of the moment.

I also feel guilty. I feel guilty when I read a story like Stellan's. His constant struggle with SVT makes me even more aware how blessed we are that Inquisitive's condition is mild. I worry for him, but it's in the background, not on the forefront most days. I think about parents I have met, whose children struggle daily, or are on the transplant list. I thank God for Inquisitive, and I hurt for the parents. I wish there was something I could do to help, or trade places with them for just a single day, so they could have a break, and not worry about the struggle of something most of us don't even think about. It just doesn't seem fair.

Cousins

2009-07-25T19:51:00.000-07:00

We've been busy here in the Six household, doing a whole lot of nothing but living life. Occasionally I'll meander off the camp site to go do laundry, buy some more produce, or brave the library with the whole crew. Mostly, I'm a little frightened of the 8 against 1 dynamic, and figure at any time they could plot to throw me off a cliff, or tie me up with duct tape and just call it a day.

If fun were measured in scrapes, then these kids are having a blast. They've got a fort, a fairy village, a dirt pile, a ladder made of PVC pipe, and I'm not sure what else. It could be said that they're running wild, although I think there's something to be said for being allowed to have the freedom to just BE. Their imaginations run at full tilt, and once in a while a designated child will run into the house to get "supplies": water bottles, a jar of cashews, some craisins, or some carrots. Perhaps more often than the food are the requests for items that make me pause. Duct tape, electrical tape, string, scissors, how about a knife? Hmmm. Perhaps a visit by the Inspector General is in order....

In all honestly, I'm finding meeting the emotional needs of all eight somewhat overwhelming. I think perhaps because two of them aren't "mine", and the dynamic of "your kid/cousin did this to me, now do something! quick!" is somewhat exhausting. Keeping it all balanced is somewhat challenging, and sometimes leads to tears. On my part, not theirs. Chocolate for me and some quiet time for everyone seems to help re balance things. That, and I'm counting the time when we can start the bedtime routine!

EVERYTHING is done youngest to oldest. Teeth brushing, baths, dishing up of meals. The other day at the library I forgot about using that technique, and a riot practically broke out. It also lessens the chance that somebody is going to be left out. It's an easy way to keep track of everyone. Or else I end up passing out a much awaited snack, and it turns out I forgot somebody, and I find out I forgot somebody when I think I am done passing out said snack, and then said forgotten person starts wailing. Not that I've done that or anything.

Today we had a lovely visit from a friend visiting from out of state (somebody we visited on our most recent trip!). I was SO happy to see another adult, somebody that wasn't going to talk back, or ask me "WHY!?" ten times in a row. PLUS, they brought up items from a farmers market! The nectarines, cherries, and kettle korn have already been demolished. We're going to cook the corn on the cob tomorrow, and use the spinach to to make a nice smoothie. The bananas will be frozen to make more "ice cream". Such a surprise, to have so many yummy things (that um, I didn't have to go out and get myself!). I was sad to see my friend go, but I smile every time I see one of the bags of delicious treats they brought us.

Speaking of "ice cream", Intensity (who has finally returned to us from visiting friends on the East Coast *and the West Coast!) made a lovely concoction tonight! Using frozen bananas, a little bit of rice milk, some strawberries, and honey, she jammed all of that into the Vita Mix and blended it up. Quite delicious, and it was a huge hit with the crew. MMmmm, I'd like to have a little more, maybe I'll go freeze some bananas and we can have more tomorrow!

Nightmare

2009-07-22T11:04:00.001-07:00

I had a dream last night, that we moved into a house after not being in a house for a few years.

The day we moved in and got all our stuff out of storage, the house caught on fire. In my dream, a friend called and told me it was on fire, and I thought she was kidding.

I think I'll wait to move into a house until we can have one that has a great alarm system, and a sprinkler system.

Take a Nap

2009-07-21T22:17:00.000-07:00

Seriously? Today wore me OUT.

I ended up making another laundromat run (FOUR wet sleeping bags! And only one of those was from little dog!).

The rest of the day was entirely food, clean up, make food, dish up food, serve food. You see a common theme here? I'm telling you, these kids can really pack it away! Thank goodness for popcorn!

Today they have been setting up tipis, climbing the trees, having secret club meetings, and playing truth or dare. Which consists of things like "climb up on top of the camper without mom catching you". In which I walk outside, find a child on top of the shed, and everyone scatters.

Now, rumor has it I have an oldest child, about 16 years of age. I saw her for five minutes last week after she flew in from NJ. And then? As far as I know, she hasn't run away and joined the circus. Perhaps she will grace us with her presence soon?

Cracked Up

2009-07-20T23:00:00.000-07:00

Well, what an interesting week this has been.

Last Tuesday, I found out my younger brother was going to be in the hospital for a while longer. He had originally been admitted in Idaho, where he lives, but was sent over to Seattle where there was a hospital that was better equipped to deal with him. He was going to be released for a few days until his case could be conferred on with a team of specialists. Unfortunately, he couldn't leave the state and go home, he needed to stay in close proximity to the bigger hospital.

This meant his two young children (3 and 8), who were in a state of up in the air while their parents were out of town, needed a more workable solution. I mean, it's *fun to go to work with grandma for a day or two, but any longer than that? It gets old. Probably even boring. Plus, I am much closer proximity to their parents.

So, last Tuesday, I broke camp (do NOT ask me how I got that slide out in and propped up!) and headed to Idaho. Got there Wednesday afternoon. Spent three hours trying to configure the car seats in a safe manner. Came up with a somewhat workable solution, and then headed back to WA state.

Wednesday evening, Discovery came to me at one of the rest stops and told me his arm was broken. And, it was. He has a greenstick fracture of his left wrist.

Got back to WA state on Thursday evening. Worked a car seat check on Friday morning. Played car seat shuffle with another tech after the car seat check (and drove through Queen Anne Hill in Seattle *with the trailer!). Borrowed a Radian from said tech, and now we have six car seats, independently installed (which is a fancy way to say they aren't smashed against each other!), and everyone is sitting safely.

Drove back up to the lake after the car seat check, where my sister and her boyfriend were waiting for us. They came up for the weekend to help THANK GOD. Seriously, I think I would have lost my mind if she hadn't shown up! They helped us set up camp, get settled in, and then watched four of the kids on Saturday while I went to another car seat check. I took Discovery, Princess, and Inquisitive with me. Finally picked up Big Dog from the friend that was keeping him for us. And then we made campfire meal packets in the fire pit, which was TOTALLY awesome. It went well with the totally inspired and completely cool leftover fruit kebabs my sister had made during the day.

Sunday we FINALLY went and did laundry - the back of my Suburban was FULL. I must admit, I was rather..... frightened. $48 later, we left with clean clothes, and all sensibilities intact. Except for maybe the attendant at the laundromat, who seemed rather taken aback when we all paraded in.....

Today was our first full day settled at the camp site without any outside help. I *think it went okay. The kids tried building a zip line (gee, wonder who thought *that one up DISCOVERY!!!!!!!), made a swing (again, wonder whose idea *that was?), and went unicorn hunting (no, didn't find one). Of course, the day wouldn't have been completely without at least one person getting punched in the nose (huh, that Discovery sure is a busy guy. Constant got in his way, or so I hear). We had the requisite bonking of heads, falling down and skinning a knee or two, chasing bees out of the trailer, and whining. And the dog got out five times. Four pounds of potatoes were consumed, along with three pounds of cherries, half a bag of oranges, five apples, six nut bars (aka candy bars here), a small mason jar of cashews, a small mason jar of tamari pumpkin seeds, and three pounds of scrambled tofu, plus some rice cakes with cashew butter, and the rest of the strawberry fruit spread.

Whew.

Hopefully we will know in the next few days what the treatment plan is for my brother, which will give us a better idea of how long the cousins will be with us. In the meantime, we're going to go hunt some unicorns, and hopefully trap a few flower fairies out in the forest.

Please Note

2009-07-13T16:09:00.000-07:00

If you are steaming a vat of vegetables for an unruly brood of children,

and you pick up the lid that is dripping with steaming condensation to stir said vegetables,

and then drop said lid on your foot,

steaming hot water will go through your shoe and sock,

and you will burn your foot.

Just so you know.

Ordinary Day

2009-07-12T22:03:00.000-07:00

This weekend felt shockingly mundane. Ordinary. Practically boring.

It rained starting last night, and thunder stormed into the day , so we did a whole lot of nothing today.

It was hubby's birthday today, too! Which, no, even that didn't prompt us to go do anything exciting. I think we were all content just to be, and watch movies, play games, and eat.

Well, that and the fact we went to the drive in movie last night and didn't get home until almost 4 in the morning!

I'm itching to go somewhere, but alas our repair issue with the trailer has not yet been resolved with the first repair shop - so here we sit. We have a plan outlined of what we are going to do, but it may take some time. It's oh so maddening, but I'm reminding myself to take advantage, and just use this time to just - exist. Enjoy. Love. We're still considering this "vacation", and hence are in that mode.

What I need right now is a wifi connection (I'm using an air card) so I can upload some photos to the blog! I may have to drive down to the library tomorrow to do that.

Or, maybe not.

That's the great thing about vacation, it's like a permission slip to put something off, and not feel bad!

Simplicity

2009-07-09T21:29:00.000-07:00

Since we're up here, "vacationing", as it were, we've not been doing anything except for sticking to the basics.

Wake up, snuggle, read, talk.

Make a meal, clean up from meal, put away toys.

Go for a walk, go down to the lake, walk down to the lake.

Take a nature hike, gather firewood, roast marshmallows.

Hula hoop, clean the bunkhouse, cut up paper, make things out of duct tape.

I would even go so far as to say that it's...... fun.

Tomorrow, we might even head down the hill to the library.

Hubby will be here for the weekend again, and we'll go down to the Canal, make some s'mores, sleep in, and who knows what else.

See? FUN.

Go Fish

2009-07-08T22:09:00.000-07:00

I am trying to figure out what went wrong today.

I mean, it's not like the house burned down or anything (a joke! she made a fire joke! ha!).

I woke up, was up for a good while having a nice ~~internet~~quiet time while the kids slept. It wasn't long after they woke up that it started looking ugly. I observed this, and moved on. Made food, tried to get kids interested in this or that.

And then it just kept on sliding downhill.

I mean, you know it's bad when you hand your 4 yo a pair of child safe scissors and a stack of paper, and say "you want to cut paper up?", and hope he'll take the bait. Pleeeeeease take the paper and just cut it up. Anything for a little quiet!

Facts:

It was raining.

The big dog got out FIVE freaking times. FIVE. Fiiiiiiive times.

Inquisitive was unable to say anything in a normal tone of voice at all. He and Princess tantrumed more than once. Okay, they tantrumed a *lot.

The beans boiled over, making a big mess on the stove. Which was completely my fault, since I wasn't watching it close enough.

Discovery tormented whoever was in his path.

I did say it was raining, right? Hence, the trailer shrunk to about half it's size.

We ran out of toilet paper. Stand in: baby wipes. Yeah, it's better than a leaf, but still.

And it just kept on sliding downhill. Reset button? Where's the reset button? We all needed a do over. I couldn't find a single thing to get anyone get any kind of calmed down.

I tossed all the kids in bed, but not before accidentally smacking Constant in the face with a book (he was laying on the floor, dog was in the line of vision, and I wanted the book to go in the pile over on the floor. Nice try, mom!). Bet that's gonna look pretty tomorrow.

I tried taking Inquisitive and Princess on a walk. FAIL. I mean, they *did splash in every puddle they found. And walked in the middle of the street, even after being redirected. And then screeched when I moved them to the side of the street.

Basically? I feel like this for today:

FAIL.

Hubby will be here in a bit. He's bringing up some new snacks, and yes, toilet paper. Wonder if he put any chocolate in with the groceries.... hmmmm....

I think we'll have popcorn with breakfast, with a side of apologies and brainstorming on how we can try to reset when everyone is seemingly having an off day.

And, if you have something YOU do when it's an "off" day, please share!

Ten Things

2009-07-08T18:19:00.000-07:00

This is a list of things that make my life easier, or uncomplicate things just a little. I'm not calling it "ten must haves", because clearly what I must have isn't something *you must have. Neither is it called "ten things I would not do without", because I could do without it. I just don't *want to do without it. They are just things that I am often asked about, or that I end up talking about. Because I am a total fan of *anything* that makes my life a little easier.

None of them are specific to being on the road, but I do choose some of these products for their versatility. Hey, why buy three things, when one item will suffice? These are all items I use virtually every day, and while some are investment, they've been worth it.

1) All Weather Super Woobee, by These Two Girls. Water resistant fabric on one side, plush fabric on the other. What's not to love? Tying it to the sides of your stroller, or to the edges of your baby carrier are more traditional uses. We're past the baby carrier stage, and we use these blankets almost daily. In the car, at the beach, at the drive in, instead of a sleeping bag, over the windows of the RV if we're parked in a place with obnoxious lighting, warming up after a shower, under a kid in the bed Just In Case of an accident - the list is almost endless. What I *really love is that the water resistant fabric is fabulous if it's windy out - you instantly feel warmer. We literally don't leave anywhere without at least two of these blankets. We do have some of the regular sized ones, but hands down the Super Woobee wins. The only problem we have in this house is that we don't seem to have enough of them!

2) Magic Covers by Kuhn Rikon. Used daily, I'm not sure where I would be without these covers. Splatter guard, trivet, saucepan lid, fry pan lid, airtight container seal, and probably a few other things, too (but not a frisbee!) They take up a fraction of the space that a regular lid for a pan would take, and a lot more lightweight, too.

3) Pressure Cookers. Okay, look. Kuhn Rikon isn't paying me (maybe they should, as often as I brag on their products!). I bought my first Kuhn Rikon pressure cooker thirteen years ago, and I've been in love ever since. I'm able to turn out wonderful meals in a fraction of the time, cook dried beans in no time at all, go from frozen meat to cooked meat in under an hour, and the whole time I'm using less cooking fuel. Pair a Kuhn Rikon cooker with one of Lorna J. Sass's cookbooks? Total win.

4) California Baby Products. No, none of the kids are babies. We still use California Baby products by the score, though. Shampoo and body wash, bug spray, sunscreen, aromatherapy spritzers, - these are just some of the products that we use that none of us have reactions to, are environmentally friendly, work well, and smell REALLY good, too. I often have smaller sizes of the aromatherapy spritzers in my purse, trial sizes in our emergency bags, and definitely in our first aid kit. And, with the exception of the *bubble bath and the *body wash, seem to last and last!

*some kids in our household are well known for dumping out entire bottles of items. Ahem.

5) Bolga Baskets. A fair trade basket, I love these for the different sizes they come in, and the ability to make a pile of clutter look nice and neat. In the RV, I can hand the baskets up on a hook by the handles, which makes it even more appealing to me. The mini baskets the little kids will take with them out on nature hikes. The bigger round basket we have often ends up with a pell mell of picnic items for a quick trip to the park.

6) 3M Command Hooks. These are *everywhere. In the bathroom for towels, on cubbies for jackets, for keys by the front door (I know, I should actually USE them for the keys, right???), for the above Bolga Baskets, the dog leashes, and so on. I even went bananas one day and bought one of the bathroom caddies and put it on the shower wall. What I really love is that I'm not having to damage the wall, or that I can move the hook if need be, and not worry about leaving a spot to cover up.

7) Nellie's Dryer Balls. When I remember, I throw these in the dryer. I'd like to say ALL the time, but truth is, I sometimes forget them. And about halfway through the drying cycle, I think "you IDIOT! This is costing you more money!" It reduces drying time, softens your clothes, and they are non toxic. And I always feel oddly environmentally superior when I use them. Weird.

8) Laundry Dropps. I haven't used these since last year, because I can never find them in stores we stop at. Yes, they work out to be more expensive per load, but really? I don't have to measure soap out, I don't have to worry about the bottle tipping over in the trailer or the truck and making a big huge mess, and those two reasons alone are enough to sign me up.

9) Vita Mix. Just about any day we're plugged into electricity, I'm using the Vita Mix. I can use it to make "ice cream" out of fruit, make nut butters, slushies, and there is just no way I would eat as many greens as I do when I'm making a smoothie! Of course, there is also a certain amount of entertainment in the fact that a blender that markets itself as a health tool also came with a cookbook that had an entire section on alcoholic beverages....

10) Smartwool socks. I found a whole passel of these socks on clearance at REI once, and I can't wear anything else now. I love that they come in all these funky different patterns, too. Why bother with boring socks? Buy boring underwear instead. I had a hooded sweater of theirs once, and absolutely loved it (maybe one day I'll replace it. When we actually get our insurance claim settled).

And this concludes our family's (current) top ten items. I seem to get a lot of questions about what to put in a "natural" first aid kit, so perhaps I will do that next....

Warm Me Up

2009-07-07T13:44:00.000-07:00

I'll say it.

It's actually *cold today.

I suppose if we had these temperatures in say, January, we would swear it was a heat wave. 60 in July though? That's a little odd.

Everyone is wearing sweaters, long pants, and Princess and Discovery are even sporting hats.

And, MEAN mom that I am? I'm making them play outside.

The horror! The indecency! The trauma! The cruelty! It's practically a Lifetime movie, I tell you!

Waaaaahhhhhhh don't make us go outsiiiiiiiiide.

Yeah, that's me.

I'm a gonna go make a pot of chili now. And think up new ways to be mean.

Learn Something New

2009-07-06T22:09:00.000-07:00

They say you are supposed to learn something new every day.

Here are my contributions for the day:

Cantaloupe does not, under any circumstances, belong in a smoothie. It just doesn't.

If you want to use an appliance, you should plug it in first.

Chickpeas will not get eaten if they are plain.

It is entirely possible for a child to wail "there's nothing to EAT", even though the following is available:

chickpeas
oranges
almonds
sunflower seeds
raisins
dried blueberries
applesauce
craisins
Trio bars
apple slices
carrots
broccoli
walnuts
brazil nuts

It is possible to get colds in the summer time.

It is possible for ALL THE KIDS to get colds at the same time in the summer time.

See? You can learn a LOT in one day!

A few weeks ago, I gave Constant some tincture of valerian root. My hope was that it would help him chill out a little after an intense afternoon. No such luck, but we did discover he *loves to say the words "valerian root!".

He often picks words, and uses them as his anthem. He uses them as words of happiness, frustration, surprise - whatever fits. He uses one word, will use it constantly, and then moves on to another word. As luck would have it? No such luck with "valerian root!". I think we're on week three of "valerian root!", and I must admit to becoming somewhat annoyed.

Now? The other kids have decided that "valerian root!" has appeal. Tomorrow, I shall count how many times I hear the words "valerian root!". Perhaps I can make a chart, and figure out a method to sway them from shouting the words randomly according to when, where, and how loud the words are said.

Of course, if the words "valerian root!" were to cease being randomly shouted, then people might not stare at us in the store. Or the park. Or the gas station. And what fun would *that be??

Unplug

2009-07-03T11:53:00.000-07:00

We are back in the Pacific Northwest.

We zoomed through Idaho and Oregon. I did see a few places I want to go back and stay for a week. The Dalles, for starters. Beautiful.

Right now, we're not going anywhere. You can consider us grounded until we can get the slide out fixed. When the slide out broke again, it caused more damage. We are currently trying to work on communicating with the RV shop that fixed it. I'm hoping we can reach some sort of resolution. Because honestly? I just put money into fixing it, I can't afford to fix it again, along with the additional damage that was caused.

Yes, I'm decidedly unhappy about this. No, I'm not going to pout. I already did that.

This past week, we celebrated Inquisitive's fourth birthday. It's hard to believe he is FOUR. He celebrated by requesting green pizza, and a cake (I borrowed a friend's oven in order to bake one), and rounded out the day by shoving his toothbrush down the bathroom drain.

It's not a party until a drain gets clogged, you know.

And, right now, I think we're going to take a vacation, unplug, and reconnect. We've got some great fun planned for the weekend - fireworks at the street fair, fire in the fire pit, marshmallow roasting, sleeping in, going to the lake.... You know. Vacation stuff. And really we can call it a vacation, because we found gluten free, casein free graham crackers. Which means we can make s'mores. Just add marshmallows and chocolate!

Really, does it get any better than that?

Hit It

2009-06-27T19:28:00.000-07:00

After a couple of particularly, um, trying days, we've managed to get some miles under our belt. Currently, we are in Wyoming, enjoying the much cooler temperatures and lovely breezes. Definitely a welcome respite after the heat of Texas. The cooler temperatures also means we can boondock, or stop for a few hours at a time, and not feel like we're melting into a puddle!

We've been cruising along, enjoying the scenery, stopping to play. We've gotten used to, but not less annoyed with, being unable to pull the slide out. That five extra feet makes a huge difference in how crowded we feel in here!

In other good news: the wallet was found. Of course, this was *after all the cards were canceled, so it still leaves me somewhat stranded in that I can't access all my bank accounts. It was under the printer, which resides on the bottom shelf of the master "closet". No, I have absolutely no idea how it got there. I'm just supremely happy to not have to go get a new drivers license!

Part of me wants to get back to home base just as fast as possible. Part of me wants to enjoy what is around us. I think I'll hit middle ground, and take those opportunities to play around. It's interesting to me that we can be at a campground, and there is "nothing to do", but put them at a rest stop that has a decent grassy area? They're all over it. Discovery is crawling in the grass, being a solider. Princess and Inquisitive are looking for bugs. Constant is, well, he's making sure there are no snakes, or other critters that bite. Oh, yeah, they screech here and there, but to see them playing unhampered, just making things up... it's so lovely.

Mercy Me

2009-06-25T10:52:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been a wild, wild, two days. Grab a drink and some popcorn. You're gonna need it.

It all started out innocently enough. I noticed that the repairs to the slide out are *not holding. None of them. I call the trailer manufacturer. The lady I spoke to told me to go to a specific dealership in a specific town.

I oblige. I speak to the person she said to ask for. I find out that no goodwill repairs will be made. Okay, that's fine. Let's look at this and then tell me what's what.

Um, no.

1) they want $120 just to look at it.

2) they can't look at the rig until MONDAY.

Errrr. No thank you.

While I am at this specific repair center waiting, I call the place that had just made the repairs that failed. and fill them in. Several phone calls are exchanged, and I emailed photos of the now broken again spots. I'm waiting to hear back from them.

I leave Oklahoma City, and discover I cannot locate my wallet. Thinking I can't quite possibly be *that stupid to misplace my wallet with my drivers license, all my debit cards, health insurance cards, and most importantly, my Coscto card, I tear the truck apart. I dump out all my change at a gas station (yep, even the nickels) and put every single bit of silver change into the gas tank. I figure I'll hit a gas station or what have you in a bit, and keep looking for my wallet. Either that or I'll just come across it, because seriously? I cannot be that stupid as to completely lose it.

Too soon, my silver change fuel depletes. I coast into a Shell station, and proceed to tear the truck and the house apart. I don't find it. And, I start to panic just a little bit.

While I am at the gas station, a woman, a daughter, and two kids pull up. The kids play. They ask what I'm doing. Oh, I'm looking for my wallet ha ha ha, it's got to be around here somewhere. Only I don't find it. One of the ladies is insistent that she can't leave me stranded, and wants to fill up the tank for me to at least get me on my way to Wichita. Of course, the truck won't start, so she buys a gas can, and I put a gallon in.

It still won't start. I end up going back four more times, and it *still won't start. It's blazing hot, something crazy like 102. I'm sweating buckets. I spill gas all over my hands, and just generally look inept (you know. Sort of like somebody WHO IS STUPID TO LOSE THEIR ENTIRE WALLET).

After I put the fifth gallon in, Trucker Joe, we'll call him, pulls up in his one ton. I mean, I think it was a one ton. Okay, it was a truck. And he had a chain. And, much to my amusement, he proceeds to wrap the chain around my bumper, and his hitch, and pull my truck which is pulling my trailer, across the parking lot to the gas pumps.

What, you think I lie? Are you kidding me? I took pictures. It was kind of hard to steer while taking pictures but hey, I'm a *good little blogger. I present thee with photographic evidence of said event:

I thank Trucker Joe, and he goes on his Merry Way. Angel Lady fills up my gas tank, and we part ways. I am overwhelmed at this woman who doesn't know me, quite possibly thinks I am a) crazy or b) stupid, and she was still nice enough to fill my gas tank, and give me enough cash for the toll roads, and some food. See? People ARE nice. They really are. And, thanks to her, I didn't have to go with my first plan, which was something along the lines of seeing how long one could hang out in a Shell parking lot before being asked what it is you are doing, and when are you planning on leaving, anyway?

I go on my way to Wichita. We stop late.

Oh wait, I forgot something. Remember when we were back at the Shell station? In I don't know where, Oklahoma? Yeah. I discovered a HOLE in the bottom of the trailer. A big one. Complete with twisted metal. This is the part where I actually say out loud "you know. I think I might be on the trip from hell!".

So back to our story. I stop to make dinner, late, and ponder getting some sleep, and what to do about the slide out, because it's not looking so good. Okay, okay, I can call roadside assistance in the morning. We can just pull the slide out for the night, and then we'll be fine. (this is the part where you, the reader, start laughing)

I attempt to pull the slide out. The whole thing drops like a rock onto the couch inside. I smash my hand in the latch. And then there was NO moving that sucker. It was a goner.

So here I am, it's almost midnight. Uh. RIGHT. I call roadside assist, and guess what? They can't find anybody at all to come out. I end up telling roadside assist around midnight that it's okay, we can do this in the morning. This is also the part where I almost have a complete freak out event, because I still haven't figured out how I am going to get money, or what I am going to do about my ID, and the kids are hot, and tired, and worried, and hubby is on the phone telling me it will be fine, and I think he's lying. I get everyone to sleep, and then I try to sleep.

Sleep doesn't work so well for me. I toss and turn all night. Little Dog climbs up and PEES ON MY PILLOW. I catch him in the act, move him, and he finishes peeing on Inquisitive's leg. I take a shower at 4:30 am, because surely everything will be better after a shower, right?

Roadside Assist makes it out mid morning, and they charge me $90 for the privilege of propping up the slide out on pieces of wood (that I already had), and let me know that the horrifying to me hole in the trailer floor is from a previous tire blow out, and a subsequent bad patch job that came apart. Hey, at least I can drive it. I get back on the road, heading towards Denver, and call hubby frequently and demand he tell me things about the route I am taking, where to stop for Western Union, and where campgrounds are (hey, it's *his fault, he's the one that took a comp day and told me he wasn't doing anything!). We find out that I can indeed pick up Western Union without ID, which I test both times when hubby and sister Western Union me money.

So, officially, I am back on the road, patched up enough to get to home base, and with hopefully enough cash for gas for the rest of the way. And yes, I already called the bank(s) and canceled all my debit cards.

See? Isn't this FUN? Doesn't it make you want to sell everything and move into an RV???

Meet the Kids (and animals!)

2009-06-23T18:46:00.001-07:00

A while back, all of the kids decided on names to be called on the blog. I've procrastinated enough, and finally gotten all the pics and intros together to post.

Intensity is 16. She has intense way about her, and always has. She speaks her mind, and her friends often seek her for counsel on how to handle parents, their boyfriends, and what trouble others are in. She's the one that will give them the answers, tell them to go seek out another capable adult for help, or to mind their own business. She's also not afraid to tell her friends that they really should do their homework, stop mouthing off their parents, and stop cutting class. She knows a little bit about a lot of things, and has a talent for picking up new information that comes in handy at just the right time. She also has a scathing sense of humor, rife with sarcasm. And no, I have no idea where she gets *that from at all..... Intensity has a love of photography, and, with the exception of the ones on today's post, the better part of the pictures on this blog are taken by her. We, of course, think she is quite talented, and look forward to her starting her own photography business.

Free Spirit is 13. Free Spirit is a hard worker, with a penchant to day dream. She can entertain the younger kids at the drop of a hat. She's the one that is most likely to ask me what it is that needs to be done - all the while dreaming of her next adventure. Pirates, spies, fashion design. It's all a blank template. She's a whiz at organizing a game, and going from bo-ring to YAY in thirty seconds flat. She notices if something is out of place (kids, animals, or toys alike). She disappears for hours at a time, hiding in plain sight, reading books. Often shy at first, she'll be your greatest ally right when you think you didn't have anyone on your side. She's also, much to my dismay, a fan of Family Guy.

Constant is 11. Constant likes things to be just the way he likes them - until he doesn't. He's the one that wants to know how long it will be to where we're going, and then hold me to it. Which route, where at, what are we doing when we get there, and how long will we be there, anyway? He'll announce when the house needs to be cleaned, and when the truck needs to be washed. He is an adoring fan of his dog, and a champion for gentle treatment of animals. He is also the one that will remind me little details I've often forgot. He likes to talk about spies, spy related movies, and video games. And sadly, it seems, he does not smile in photographs.

Discovery is 8. If it can be taken apart, he's your guy. If you just bought it, and it needs to be put together, he's your guy. If you're missing something, and it turns up in pieces.... well, that was probably him, too. He can often be seen with the roll of duct tape, or building intricate ships and helicopters out of Lego pieces. He is a huge fan of cooking, and is a wizard at arranging food so it looks nice (and uses a box of toothpicks in the process). We call him the mini MacGyver. He loves to help me set up and break down camp, because it means he gets to use the tools out of the toolbox. Quite frankly, we're planning on buying him a Chilton manual for our car soon, and let him make the repairs himself (kidding! I'm kidding!).

Princess will be 6 next month. With two older sisters to pamper and spoil you, who wouldn't be a princess? Froofy dresses, nails done up, a lovely hair do - these are all a part of the benefits of being the youngest of three girls. She loves to dive right into the middle of whatever game is going on, and if there isn't a part for her? She'll make one up. Once she warms up to you, she'll be your best friend and chatter away. She loves having little collections of things: rocks, seashells, flowers, and the like.

Inquisitive. Almost 4, Inquisitive wants to get his hands on anything and everything around him. Dismantling or rearranging something? Not a problem. One of his favorite things to do is to hang off of something, or jump, and say "MAMA! DO NOT do this. It is DANGEROUS!". I love it when he climbs up to me and murmurs "snugglebunny me". It's hard to say at this age what his interests are. This week, it's cars, Transformers, and anything he can tape together. Next week? Probably cars, Transformers, and something else. He can also be seen sporting his firefighter rainboots and Batman cape, even in 100+ degree weather.

Big Dog is a Black Lab/Chow Chow rescue puppy. We got him from the shelter last year when he was two months old. He's given us a run for our money, especially given the fact that we have never had a dog before. What a way to get introduced to the world of dogs - with a short on everything except enthusiasm Black Lab, that leaves a pile of dog hair everywhere, making it look like I haven't cleaned in a week. He's a good dog, and coming along in his training.

Little Dog is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. I can't say much about him, since we haven't had him terribly long. I can tell you that we're still working on housebreaking him, and that fact alone annoys me. I'm pretty sure Little Dog thinks the world revolves around him. He might actually be right about that. Intensity is officially his mama.

I hope you've enjoyed meeting our children!

In Which I Feel Sorry for Myself

2009-06-23T11:58:00.000-07:00

So, here we are, having finally gotten the repairs made on the trailer, depleting the emergency fund to fix said trailer, and replace all four rotors and the emergency brake shoe on the truck. I'm happy. Broke, but happy and pleased. We start heading north.

And now, I am stopped, and parked, 266 miles from where I started out from. With a broken trailer.

Not one of the repairs on the slide out held.

To say I am unhappy would be um, an understatement.

I called the manufacturer of the trailer, per the suggestion of a member at RV.net. I explain the problem, and without missing a beat she knows exactly what I am talking about, and exactly what needs to be done. Clearly, this is an issue they are aware of.

My first question is - why didn't the repairing shop fix this properly? It would have taken mere moments to find out that this is an issue. This leaves me questioning how to approach the first shop, and what my expectations should be.

My second question is - how much is this going to cost me to get this fixed RIGHT? I am near Oklahoma City, and was advised to go to McClain's RV in OK City. Which is where I'm going tomorrow.

For now, I'm going to mope, because it really seems the most prudent thing to do under the circumstances.

Rollercoaster

2009-06-21T19:36:00.001-07:00

Do you ever have those days, where you feel like it's up, down, up, down, and emotionally you're pulled from one situation to the next?

Yeah. Today would be one of those days.

I felt like a grumpy, cantankerous mama, who did nothing but say NO all day long for lack of any other ideas on how to keep the crew under control. The laundromat, especially, was a highlight. Also, NOT going swimming.

I'm tired.

(and, from now on, I'm going to make sure to take the key OUT of the ignition, so I don't end up having to a) push my car when it's 102 out b) get somebody to move their car so that c) a truck with a battery on the correct side can pull up next to mine and give me a jump start).

Tomorrow, we head on out of here. I'm already hitched up, just have to finish breaking camp in the morning.

(and no, don't ask me where we're going next, because I don't know. Except for to say: somewhere that isn't 100+ degrees)

Deal With It

2009-06-20T22:33:00.000-07:00

This week has been craaaaazy. We're in one spot, so you would think it was No Big Deal, right?

Wrong.

Weeks like this are a battle of the wills. Who can stay calmest the longest. Who is going to blink first. Who says "I GIVE UP!".

I'm pretty sure I lost.

(this is the part where I warn you that this post is all over the place)

We started out the week waiting for trailer parts to come in. Then I got sick. Then the parts came in. Then they finally got installed. Then I was still sick. Then I was feeling better. And then I was feeling punk again. We went to go see the bats, and then had to cut that short. We'll try to see the bats again tomorrow night.

We found a trailer we really, really want (yes, I know. We're just gonna keep on dreamin', okay?). It's going to give us a smidge more space. We're all drooling over the storage. And the pocket doors. And the separate bunkhouse. And the fact we could put bicycles on the back of the trailer. And have a dining table big enough for us all to sit down to eat. And the fact that we're going to need a different vehicle to tow said trailer we're drooling on.

Yesterday I finally caved and took the truck in to have the brakes looked at again. I had an awful shimmy when I braked, and the brakes were pulsing. Turns out that all four rotors had to be replaced, the emergency brake shoe was completely gone, and between the brakes and the trailer repairs, I emptied out my emergency fund. Boo hoo. And Yay for us finally being safe. But BOO to the shop in Texas that put the thinnest rotor on my truck, that doesn't even BELONG on a truck like mine at all, let alone when you're pulling a trailer. Just booooo. Yay to the Brakes Specialist Plus that did it RIGHT, and explained everything to me, and showed me the different rotors, and made me a more informed consumer. And were nice enough to give me a bit of a discount. Because I was pathetic, and almost fell over when I found out everything that needed to be done to make my truck safe.

It's quiet. I just realized *how quiet it was. It's very, very quiet. It's lovely. Most likely because it's 12:41 in the morning, and the dogs are asleep, the four youngest are asleep, and the two big girls are still in the bath house, trying to scrub the ketchup and oatmeal out of their hair.

Yes, I said "ketchup and oatmeal" and "hair" in the same sentence.

We went to a party/fundraiser tonight, out at the South Austin Trailer Park. It was very cool, and all themed around the 70's, and the movie "Dazed and Confused". Now, this is not a movie I have ever seen, so I had no idea what was going on most of the time. Apparently, at one point in this movie, the freshmen girls are hazed. This process was re enacted, complete with pacifiers, rolling around on the ground, marriage proposals, ketchup, mustard, oatmeal, and flour. And lots of yelling, too.

Yeah, it was fun, if not slightly exhausting. I'm fairly certain that everyone in the place knew my youngest child's name by halfway through the evening, as he seemed not at all inclined to chill out, not even for five minutes.

Tomorrow we'll be needing to hit the laundromat, as little dog managed to hit three sleeping bags and two blankets this week. Clearly, we need to change up our housebreaking plans. Something that works would be nice. $20 per week just for bedding isn't working out for me.

Monday, it looks like we'll be hitting the road again, finally. We're all ready to roll again, and get to somewhere that maybe it isn't *quite as warm. 100 degrees for days on end isn't exactly my style. 80'ish, maybe. 90's? For a day or two. 105? 103? No thank you.

Cranky, And Then Some

2009-06-12T14:09:00.001-07:00

1) It's hot out

2) the part I need for the camper still isn't here

3) I can't find the camper keys

4) there is stupid dog hair everywhere. EVERY.WHERE. I can sweep or swiffer or what have you five times a day, and there is STILL dog hair everywhere. It's driving me NUTS.

5) I need to go do laundry, but it is TOO HOT to go find a laundromat

6) The GPS on my phone? It only partially works. Yesterday it sent me to a Bank of America 10 miles away. Four miles away from the bank it told me to go to, there was a BoA right on the corner. WTH is that? Today, it did the same thing to me with a Lowe's. It was sending me eight miles away. I look over to the left, and guess what is a mile away? A Lowe's.

7) The 8 yo will not/cannot/does not keep his hands to himself. He won't stop touching/pinching/poking people.

8) The ice machine for the RV park is broken. So we get to drink warm water. And it's 92 degrees out, feels like 100, and 53% humidity. WARM water. That's disgusting, people. DISGUSTING. I feel so sorry for the pioneer people, who never got to drink ice water on the wagon train.

9) Last night there was a wicked thunderstorm that moved through here. Scared the crap out of the kids, and a couple are still freaked out today. Xanax, anyone?

10) Is there a #10? I needed an even number here. Oh, how about this. There's no chocolate in the house.

On the upside, we're making hula hoops, have food in the frig, and the dishes are being done.

Write Me!

2009-06-08T20:29:00.000-07:00

We're in Austin, Texas.

In Texarkana, my computer gave up the ghost. Stopped in Dallas, where I was not able to get said computer fixed. Headed to College Station, and hung out with some friends that had just moved. Want crazy? That would be 12 (yes, 12!) kids in ONE space. Add in three adults, two dogs, and a cat (theirs, not ours), and you have a recipe for chaos.

We stayed out at Lake Bryan, which was nice, and planned on staying for a few days. Our friends came out and visited us. We cooked food, went swimming (okay, one adult and all the big kids went swimming), blew bubbles, drew with sidewalk chalk, rolled around on skateboards, and - just had a lot of fun.

At the end of the day, I needed to dump my gray water tank - it was overflowing (no, I didn't ignore what the kids were doing earlier in the day and let the *grey tank get full. Why would you even ASK that?!). When we pulled the back slider in, something looked odd. The top of it was flush. The bottom was - sticking out? I walk in the trailer, and the tracks that the slider runs on were ripped from the ceiling. The metal track literally had a hole in it. Nice. We're done here, folks. Gotta get to an RV shop ASAP.

We packed it up with the aid of our friends, and headed to Austin. Hubby found us a nice RV repair center with a campground, and here we are. We're going to be here all week, waiting on a part that may or may not arrive by Friday. Can't move the trailer, so here we are. Oh, look, wireless internet! I guess that can be our consolation prize. ha ha.

Having gotten tired of looking at our naked floors, aka the floors that have no floor covering courtesy of the leak in the rear slide from months ago, I've been hoping to get some floor covering down. I mean, nothing says trashy like a trailer full of kids and dogs, and subflooring floors with white kilz patches. KLASSY, people. Klassy. Try not to be jealous.

To go along with the klassy white kilz subflooring floors, we had this even Klassier pepto bismal grandma pink carpet in the bunkroom.

I wasn't loving it. At all.

So today, for whatever reason, I ripped it all up. The kids pretty much thought I had gone crazy. Mama has a boxcutter, get out the WAY!!!

Anyway. The people staying behind us just moved here, and he does construction work. I asked him, and he took a look at our trailer floor and said "hey, no problem!". We went on over to Home Depot, picked out some flooring squares, and we're getting new flooring put down. Woot woot!

Oh yes, of course there are more tales to tell, but since I'm not on my own computer and the keyboard feels all weird, I can't write. Here's to hoping that my computer will be done tomorrow!

*here is my own personal rant about some camp sites.

WHAT is it with state parks that offer electric and water hook ups, but no sewer? And they charge like $20, or even sometimes $30 per night for said electric and water, and then every time your grey tank gets full you have to break camp, hitch up, and go dump, and then settle back into your spot? What IS that?

/rant

Next Stop!

2009-06-01T08:16:00.000-07:00

First - my computer charger is acting all weird. We're babying the charger until we can get to a Mac store and see what's up. It's rather annoying, this will it charge/did it charge/no, it didn't charge.

We are in Texarkana, TX.

No, make that AR.

Okay, we're in both places. That's kind of fun.

Some friends we are visiting are in TX, right next to the state line. The campground we are staying at is right over the state line in Arkansas. When we go to their house, we joke around about how we're driving all the way to Texas. When it's time to go back to the campground, we drive alllll the way to AR.

I think, perhaps, we are easy to amuse.

Last week, we got the brakes fixed, got the oil changed, and gave the truck a much needed bath. Then we headed down to Forth Worth, where we a) went to the Bureau of Printing and Engraving where they make the paper money b) got caught up in a day long cluster with the bank in which it took me five hours to purchase groceries b) got lost a couple of times d) made the kids pick up every single cherry pit they had spit out on the parking lot of Costco and e) melted, while sitting around in various parking lots waiting for the bank to fix aforementioned cluster.

The Bureau of Printing was a neat, interesting tour. My only advice for taking a tour there is to NOT go in the middle of the day. You'll likely get stuck with a bunch of kids on a field trip - 60, in our case. Ours was a *very large tour group, and hence was overwhelming. My kids were a little on the amazed/annoyed side on seeing the inner workings of how a field trip works (I threatened at one point to get colored bandanas like the tour group used in an effort to keep track of the groupings of kids for the chaperones. They weren't amused). There are some really interesting facts you'll find out on the tour, and they also have interactive exhibits that are fun to play with.

We've been hanging out the past couple of days with some friends, and having a blast. Last night we made a vat of curry. All of us ate too much, and I couldn't keep my hands off the incredible gluten free cake that was made.

Neither could the kids, given that only three small pieces that were left by the time we went home for the evening.

Tomorrow, it looks like we're going to head over to the Diamond Mines. Here's to hoping we find something fun and sparkly!

Move Along

2009-05-25T08:09:00.000-07:00

Today, it has been a year. A year since we were watching a movie and the smoke alarm went off. Thinking it was an errant detector, we ignored it for a moment. And it persisted.

That's when I ran up the stairs, saw the wall of flames, and ran down the stairs screaming to GET OUT OF THE HOUSE.

My Holistic Moms Group rallied around us. Our dear friend took care of us that first night and first day. Blankets on the floor, hugs all around, food all day long (cos oh boy, can that woman cook!). The community of Pitman rallied around us. Our online friends supported us. Meals, child care, and clothing showed up. Toys and books for the kids arrived by the boxful.

Several mamas from the group graciously donated hours of their time to walk through the house with us, and document what was in the house. They took pictures and video, wrote down in notebooks, went through sodden piles of belongings to document, document, document. I don't know that I was able to, or ever will be able to, appropriately express my thanks of how they held us up.

While we were outside, watching the firefighters, three of the children asked me if we were still going to go to WA state for the summer, as we had planned. Of course, it was even more important that we go. Even more important that we not let this change our plans. So we went. And we didn't come back.

Hubby got a new job, and it was important that he take that new job. This new job was in Seattle.

Which meant we didn't come back to NJ.

It made so many things feel unfinished, undone. No proper good byes were said. We just..... dropped off the map, more or less. In the end, it made a greater sense of loss. The community that so graciously started to put us back together, the people who were there for us in a time of need....

So here we are, a year later. So far today we've been cranky. Edgy (okay *that one might be because the smoke alarm went off at 2 this morning!). Somber. Pensive. Hitting this year mark feels like letting go, and more of an ability to move on. I don't know why - dates can be funny that one. What's so special about it being a year? It's a day on a calendar, and not much more, right?

I'm going to sit everyone down and have a little ceremony, where we can all focus on what we have. We're going to have slushies with our meals. We're going to lay around. We're going to give thanks, and be grateful. We're grateful we're all safe.

To all of you, every single one of you, thank you. To those of you that brought meals, brought over clothes, snacks, toys - thank you. To those of you that sent money, cards, love, gift cards - thank you. To our online friends that sent us gifts, emails, and left comments - thank you. To those of you that listened - thank you. To those of you that helped with childcare, asked what we needed, sent over little somethings to brighten our day - thank you. To our online and real life friends that gave us words of encouragement, that helped us sort through bags of clothes, that took us shopping, got us groceries - thank you. To our womyn friends that held space in circle, and asked what you could do - thank you. To the schools of Pitman, who held a clothing drive, and gave us bags and boxes of clothes, with cards and notes shoved in them for us to find - thank you (and really, THANK YOU to the person who actually sorted out all the clothes before we even got them - what a task!). To our friend who laid out blankets on her floor, watched the kids while we talked to the fire marshals, comforted us, and cooked us food - thank you. To the womyn who cleaned up what little we could salvage, who brought your cameras, video cameras, and notebooks, thank you.

We've said "thank you" all along the way, but it feels good to write it down, and say in a public way "you ROCK!". "Thank you" seems inadequate to the task. It really does. It's two words, and it can't even begin to express the profound gratefulness. We've trudged through this year, feeling hazy at times, and it's you who have helped us through it. Some days it was all we could do to make it through the day. And on those days, you held us up by offering words of encouragement, hugs, comfort, and advice.

Now, we can laugh a little about throwing kids and a basket of stuffed animals out the front door, and how we left our shoes, wallet, and keys that were *right by the front door. We can talk about how at least the hotel had a pool, and we could go swimming. Or how the older girls would sneak down to the snack station at the front desk at night, and get contraband. Or how child #4 got sick and had to be hospitalized, and the entire "put your life back together again" got put on hold, and it actually seems kind of funny now.

And now, it's time to move along. This is just a family, moving past it, and forging ahead. Because it is going to be okay. It IS okay. It really is.

Whatcha Got?

2009-05-23T20:55:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but all I got is a whole lot of nothin' today. Just.... sunshine, food, and not a lot much else. Our biggest task for the day was emptying out the black tank (ohhh I know, right? Totally and completely overdoing it there!).

I'm keeping us low key for the next few days.

DUH!

2009-05-21T20:30:00.000-07:00

What a day! Still in the same town in Texas.... had visitors almost all day long. TONS of fun visiting and laughing and hanging out.

8 yo built himself a jet pack/gun/tripod/something out of duct tape and tent poles. He used up the rest of the duct tape. MacGyver in the making, and no kidding!

Did a little skateboarding

Got locked IN the trailer. 8 yo happily bailed out of his emergency window to open the door for us. When the second set of friends showed up, I conned them into helping fix the door.

Then we blew some bubbles.....

After a little while, oldest girl told youngest girl to "go put some pants on", since some of the photos were coming out a little.... unladylike. To which youngest responded with "I DO have pants on! SEE?!!" I mean, DUH already, right??

It was a good day. More sunshine tomorrow!

And oh, yes, we DID get our phones, and the fixed under warranty camera! Yay!

Road Rash

2009-05-20T16:56:00.001-07:00

This is what happens when a 3 yo goes out on a skateboard.

At least he was wearing a helmet!

I Wouldn't

2009-05-19T16:55:00.001-07:00

There is NO WAY that below is a photo of the 3 year old sleeping on a (brand new) dog bed. There's just no way I would ever let a kid of mine do something like that.

What kind of a mother do you think I am, anyway???

And Now, I'm Going to CRY

2009-05-18T14:45:00.000-07:00

Last night, having no phone, no internet, no anything, we bummed it last night at a WalMart. I couldn't call my friend to tell her where we were, or how we were going to get together.

This morning, I drove NORTH. For over an hour. And then got an internet connection.

And you know what?

WE WERE RIGHT BY THE HOUSE WE WANTED TO GO TO.

So now I'm going to go CRY. Seriously.

I mean, we're going that way again, but PLEASE. That was just too much.

Being Amish ain't all it's cracked up to be. (insert me NOT LAUGHING right here)

Gone Amish

2009-05-17T10:19:00.001-07:00

Well, this has been fun.

First, we're in Texas. I missed connecting with several folks in Colorado, and I am SERIOUSLY bummed about this.

I've had no phone since Friday. Also, no internet. Oldest kids phone works for about five minutes at a time, so that isn't much help at all. We'll have new phones (and an aircard) on Wednesday. Until then??

Yeah.

So in the past few days:

The big dog got out in New Mexico.

Then he got out in Texas. I guess those great big fields are just too much for him to say NO to. And to also run away when you say "Dog. COME HERE!".

The water pipe was broken, I went several hundred miles out of my way, and got it fixed. Then the hitch broke. I fixed it (had to lay down in the MUD to fix it. Yeah, even if I HAD a camera? I wouldn't have taken a pic. And yes, people stared). Then it broke again. I had to replace a zerk and retainer pin, and THAT was even more fun than laying down in the mud. It also entailed a trucker helping me out, calling me "honey", and trying to put his arm around me.

No, no, it wasn't creepy AT ALL, why do you ask?

(I'm sure that hubby is reading this and is considering quitting his job and getting on a plane this very moment!)

Time to get back on the road. Until we get our phones taken care of, we're communicating via carrier pigeon, morse code, and telepathy.

PS how the heck do I get this grease off my hands? YUCK!!!! I already tried WD-40, and I still look like I just spent a week in a grease pit. In the meantime, it looks like I can skip conditioner next time I wash my hair......

Comfort Zone

2009-05-14T22:14:00.001-07:00

The very last thing I want to do at the moment is THINK. I am really tired at the moment.

After several days of down time at a friends house, we hit the road again this morning. It was so nice to just hang out for a few days, let the kids play, explore the canyons nearby, play, play, and play some more. And eat yummy food. And celebrate a birthday (one of theirs, not one of ours). While we were there, I had a grey water pipe break, and a kitchen cabinet crack. One of the sons, who is very talented in woodworking, not only fixed my cracked cabinet, but he *made me a cabinet door for the spot where we took the microwave out! Both doors look great! Then he enlisted the aid of a friend, and we have the pipe fixed. I was informed this was not a "long term solution" - all I know is that it doesn't leak, and it looks sturdy enough to me. We were sad to leave, but at the same time we were ready to get back on the road.

The start of our long day began outside of Salt Lake City. We are now in Rifle, Colorado. I ended up with a travel plan deviation so we could meet up with another family. That entailed a new route - and let me tell you. That was a wild ride.

We were in Utah, then Wyoming, back in Utah, and then Colorado. The route had us taking some serious back roads. Colorado County Road 61, anyone? Go ahead. Look it up. It's in the middle of NOWHERE. It's barely even paved. Okay, it was paved at one time, but it's mostly gravelly now. There was a way to avoid off the beaten path route, but then it would have added several hours on, and going WAY out of our way. We ended up taking a leap, and going off the main Interstate.

I was way out of my comfort zone for parts of today (okay. that's a lie. The better part of the day. Did I mention yet that I HAVE NO GPS? I did, didn't I??). We hit mountains, steep grades, no cell reception, and miles in between opportunities for gas stations. The trade off? Beautiful scenery. An opportunity to stop and smell the roses, as it were. Worries about "what if" this or that happened I had to work at shoving out of my head (a flat tire! the brakes! a sick kid getting sicker!). We're back in civilization now (where the gas is also cheaper!). I'm glad we took the way we did - that's the whole purpose, isn't it? What's the point of traveling if you stick to the main roads all the time? Often, one town looks like another. Instead, today we got to drive through a National Forest, see some beautiful canyons, rivers, and rock formations. My only regret is that I have no camera to document some of what we saw, to share with you.

I've got to remember the positive side when these types of things come up - going out of my comfort zone often has it's rewards. Today certainly did.

Meet the Kids (and animals!)

2009-05-11T23:01:00.000-07:00

A while back, all of the kids decided on names to be called on the blog. I've procrastinated enough, and finally gotten all the pics and intros together to post.

Intensity is 16. She has intense way about her, and always has. She speaks her mind, and her friends often seek her for counsel on how to handle parents, their boyfriends, and what trouble others are in. She's the one that will give them the answers, tell them to go seek out another capable adult for help, or to mind their own business. She's also not afraid to tell her friends that they really should do their homework, stop mouthing off their parents, and stop cutting class. She knows a little bit about a lot of things, and has a talent for picking up new information that comes in handy at just the right time. She also has a scathing sense of humor, rife with sarcasm. And no, I have no idea where she gets *that from at all..... Intensity has a love of photography, and the better part of the pictures on this blog are taken by her. We, of course, think she is quite talented, and look forward to her starting her own photography business.

Free Spirit is 13. Free Spirit is a hard worker, with a penchant to day dream. She can entertain the younger kids at the drop of a hat. She's the one that is most likely to ask me what it is that needs to be done - all the while dreaming of her next adventure. Pirates, spies, fashion design. It's all a blank template. She's a whiz at organizing a game, and going from bo-ring to YAY in thirty seconds flat. She notices if something is out of place (kids, animals, or toys alike). She disappears for hours at a time, hiding in plain sight, reading books. Often shy at first, she'll be your greatest ally right when you think you didn't have anyone on your side. She's also, much to my dismay, a fan of Family Guy.

Constant is 11. Constant likes things to be just the way he likes them - until he doesn't. He's the one that wants to know how long it will be to where we're going, and then hold me to it. Which route, where at, what are we doing when we get there, and how long will we be there, anyway? He'll announce when the house needs to be cleaned, and when the truck needs to be washed. He is an adoring fan of his dog, and a champion for gentle treatment of animals. He is also the one that will remind me little details I've often forgot. He likes to talk about spies, spy related movies, and video games.

Discovery is 8. If it can be taken apart, he's your guy. If you just bought it, and it needs to be put together, he's your guy. If you're missing something, and it turns up in pieces.... well, that was probably him, too. He can often be seen with the roll of duct tape, or building intricate ships and helicopters out of Lego pieces. He is a huge fan of cooking, and is a wizard at arranging food so it looks nice (and uses a box of toothpicks in the process). We call him the mini MacGyver. He loves to help me set up and break down camp, because it means he gets to use the tools out of the toolbox. Quite frankly, we're planning on buying him a Chilton manual for our car soon, and let him make the repairs himself (kidding! I'm kidding!).

Princess will be 6 next month. With two older sisters to pamper and spoil you, who wouldn't be a princess? Froofy dresses, nails done up, a lovely hair do - these are all a part of the benefits of being the youngest of three girls. She loves to dive right into the middle of whatever game is going on, and if there isn't a part for her? She'll make one up. Once she warms up to you, she'll be your best friend and chatter away. She loves having little collections of things: rocks, seashells, flowers, and the like.

Inquisitive. Almost 4, Inquisitive wants to get his hands on anything and everything around him. Dismantling or rearranging something? Not a problem. One of his favorite things to do is to hang off of something, or jump, and say "MAMA! DO NOT do this. It is DANGEROUS!". I love it when he climbs up to me and murmurs "snugglebunny me". It's hard to say at this age what his interests are. This week, it's cars, Transformers, and anything he can tape together. Next week? Probably cars, Transformers, and something else. He can also be seen sporting his firefighter rainboots and Batman cape, even in 100+ degree weather.

Big Dog is a Black Lab/Chow Chow rescue puppy. We got him from the shelter last year when he was two months old. He's given us a run for our money, especially given the fact that we have never had a dog before. What a way to get introduced to the world of dogs - with a short on everything except enthusiasm Black Lab, that leaves a pile of dog hair everywhere, making it look like I haven't cleaned in a week. He's a good dog, and coming along in his training.

Little Dog is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. I can't say much about him, since we haven't had him terribly long. I can tell you that we're still working on housebreaking him, and that fact alone annoys me. I'm pretty sure Little Dog thinks the world revolves around him. He might actually be right about that. Intensity is officially his mama.

I hope you've enjoyed meeting our children!

The REST of the Story

2009-05-11T09:22:00.000-07:00

Caution: This story is not for the squeamish.

Warning: If you have proceeded in reading, please know that you have been duly warned

Note: The following story is a TRUE story. Names and dates have not been changed to protect the innocent

On Saturday, I needed to dump our tanks. My intention was to dump our grey tank, and refill fresh water. The black tank was fine, and did not need to be dumped. Should have taken about oh, five minutes to do this. I pull up into the (free) dump station at the Flying J. 8 yo boy jumps out and says he wants to help.

That was mistake #1.

Okay, so, it was my only mistake. But it was a big one.

(you already are guessing what happens next, aren't you?)

I grab the fresh water hose and take it to the pump. I have my back turned for, literally, ten seconds. I'm barely to the pump and dropping the hose and 8 yo is yelling MOM MOM HELP!

(the black tank, in case you do not know, holds all of the raw sewage. In short? It's your toilet tank)

I turn around and....

there is black tank mess pouring out of the side of the trailer. He's holding the sewer hose. It's not attached to the trailer. People are staring from the gas pumps.

I step IN the muck (oh, God, I'm going to PUKE!) and slam the valve shut. I then haul across the parking lot to get somebody to let them know we have, you know, a black tank spill.

Now, in the world of RV'ing, there are some mistakes that are just ones that you do NOT make. Sure, they happen, but you do NOT want to be the one it happens too. It's of the "oh, that poor sap" (like your black tank breaks), or "that stupid newbie".

The maintenance guy just laughs. No big deal, he says, it happens. I'm MORTIFIED. There is crap, quite literally, all over the driveway of the Flying J. And I wasn't even planning on emptying the black tank!!! Maintenance guy just gets a hose and starts hosing it down. He tells me to just go ahead and finish what I was doing. I go ahead and finish emptying the black tank, THE RIGHT WAY, and then the grey tank. It smells horrible. I feel horrible. I expect the police to come any minute and fine me, or the HazMat team to be called to clean up a hazardous situation.

8 yo is standing there. He says it happened "by accident". Now, I happen to know that the black tank valve sticks - it takes some oomph to pull it open. There's no way it came open "by accident". He HAD to have pulled it open, as well as taken the cap off. I want to be really mad, but he is so upset. I send him to the car, and then I realize he has crap all over his SHOES. His only pair of shoes! I throw them away, I'm not even going to try to clean them off (mine, OTOH, are leather, and I love them so. I use baby wipes to clean them all up. Meanwhile, I'm happy that neither of us were wearing sandals). There is, um, crap all over my pants, and I consider burning them as soon as we leave the scene of the crime.

I finish dumping my tanks. Maintenance guy has cleaned up everything he can with my trailer still sitting there. I'm telling him I'll help clean it up after I pull forward, he's telling me it's no big deal (dude! There is CRAP under there!). There are now three RV'ers waiting in line, and I KNOW they are going to think I am the stupidest person on the planet when I pull away. I turn to the next guy waiting in line and I say "now. I am getting ready to leave, and when I pull away you are going to say "oh my WORD what a stupid newbie!", but I want you to know that I DID NOT DO IT!"

Hanging Out

2009-05-10T18:08:00.001-07:00

Caution: overuse of the word "awesome" ahead.

We're hanging out with some friends. It's a beautiful thing, I tell you.

The kids are playing. The dogs are running in the backyard. The weather is gorgeous. And food. THE FOOD!

Neveryoumind that in the past 24 hours that the grey water pipe has broken, a kitchen cupboard split, and a piece of the fan cover on the roof broke off. It's all nothing compared to the fact that we're having a great time with some awesome folks. Plus, I'm doing laundry WITHOUT putting quarters in a machine. NO KIDDING!!!

*And I'm plugged in to electricity.

Seriously. It's all KINDS of awesome.

(made even more awesome by the fact that one of the sons is going to MAKE me a new cupboard door, AND is going to attempt to fix the pipe! How awesome is that??)

Utah is a very pretty place, if you haven't had the opportunity to visit. There are tons of National Parks, canyons, campgrounds, and neat little places to visit. We've been to Utah before, and we feel at home every time we visit. There doesn't seem to be a lack for anything to do at all. And a major bonus - nobody ever bugs us about our family size. We get lots of smiles, and "you have a beautiful family". Nobody acts like we're crazy, or asks us if they're all ours, or if we know what causes that, or how many more are we planning on having, or some such.

We're all worn out. Stopping and ~~smelling the roses~~ hiking Settlement Canyon can be very tiring!

I'm sending everyone to bed early tonight. Heck, *I'm going to bed early tonight.

(AND NO I'm not going to tell you what happened yet. Did you watch the movie "RV" yet? I told you to go watch it first!)

What Happened?

2009-05-09T23:11:00.001-07:00

See those Twitter updates over on the right?

Yeah.

About those.

Go watch the movie "RV".

And then I'll tell you what happened.

Let's Nap

2009-05-08T22:05:00.001-07:00

Seriously, people. I am in need of a nap at least once a day. If I were one of the Ingalls, I would say "I'm just plumb wore out!" (because that does seem like something they would say, doesn't it?). If we're not driving, we're living LIFE. And that's great! That's what we wanted. Here's the caveat:

Everything. Takes. Longer.

Laundry takes several hours at the laundromat.

Dishes are all done by hand.

I'm *always cleaning up, and putting things away, or thinking something needs to go into the "get rid of" pile. The kids are getting better at putting their shoes away, keeping their bunks clear, or putting the bins back up, but in the meantime?

It takes time.

Meals can take a good bit of time. Being gluten free, and dairy free, most everything we buy is made from scratch. I have no microwave (not that I want one). I have no oven. It's all stove top. And, I now have LOTS of helpers. Before when we ~~had a tv, had a broadband internet connection, had a telephone line~~ lived in a house, I didn't seem to have a lot of help. Now, everyone wants to crowd into the little galley style kitchen. I want a turn! I want to stir! I want to chop! Get out of my way! She just poured the oil in, can't I pour the tamari sauce in?

And right now, it's making me tired! My brain just feels plain bogged down. I'm not sure if it's because I'm constantly "on duty" (like last night at 11 pm when the 8 yo broke out in hives), or if I need to take more fish oils, or drink more water, or go for a run, or get a massage (hahaha. A massage! I wish!).

Oh, dear. I must tell you about our second day at Hill Aerospace Museum. When we went back, it was fairly empty - and no other kids. A school group had just left, and the six kids were the only children in the place. About an hour in, we discovered there was an entire hands on learning center for the kids at the back of the museum.

And BOYS HOWDY. My kingdom for a camera (both of which broke the week before we left, how sad is that! They're off being replaced/fixed via the warranties at the moment)! The three volunteers in the back gave their undivided attention to the crew. There were flight suits, and flight simulators, and computer games - and yes, the two older girls even donned flight suits! For me, the coolest part of this was watching oldest get an actual flight lesson via a computer program from a flight instructor/pilot. She "flew" a commercial 747, and spent quite a bit of time on it. The entire time, I was silently kicking the floor and muttering "Camera! Camera!!" We stayed back there for a couple of hours, before we finally dragged ourselves away so we could go to the park and have a meal.

(and then we crashed a wedding reception at the park, where the bride was wearing converse, there were pigs on a spit, and apparently the question to ask each other on the playground is "are you Mormon?". Oh, and the kids ~~stole~~ were given some leis, and youngest lifted a bottle of water from one of the coolers. Decorum? WHAT decorum??)

Laugh it Off

2009-05-06T21:18:00.001-07:00

Today I got very frustrated.

This morning, I used the GPS on one of our cell phones in order to find a particular truck stop. Looked easy enough. Turns out, the HQ for this company is in the town. I re input the information, and it takes me to the other side of it. I put it in again, and it sends me farther away, which I can only guess is the actual place I need to go in order to dump the tanks and get fresh water. They were doing construction near the on ramp, and I ended up getting on the wrong side because the directional signs weren't all up - ultimately it added about twenty miles to to where I needed to go (which was originally about seven miles from where I started). While I was fighting back tears (the waste! of gasoline! The frustration! Of not being able to turn around! Right then!), I was talking myself down.

Okay, how can I *not be upset with this? How do people take this kind of frustration, and make it into something good? I was MAD. I wanted to cry. I didn't want it to ruin my day. Having to go so far out of my way (construction!) and continually get turned around (argh!), what a crappy way to start things out! I couldn't come up with a way to just dis.engage, and accept it, and embrace the whole incident. I was really, really trying to find a way to make it funny right then, and I just..... couldn't. I felt like I was setting the worst example in the world for the kids. Oddly, even here at the end of the day, knowing that it didn't RUIN our day, I'm still bugged by the entire episode. How could I have made it into something fun? Or interesting? Even out of the moment, I can't come up with anything solid on how I could have handled it different, and not gotten so upset.

We finally did make it to the needed location, and dumped our tanks. And - I didn't let it ruin my day, although I fumed for a little while longer about the ridiculousness of it.

Across the street was a truck/rv wash place, with vacuums. We went over to vacuum out the truck - something I hadn't done before we left, and it was just GROSS. I mean, really. I had to shovel the thing out. It literally took us over an hour to clean and vacuum it out. I found:

a jelly bean, two hot tamales, $1.46 in change, two pennies I couldn't get to, a ring that had been lost for three months, more glass from the break in, a missing dog harness, a random cup holder piece that didn't belong to our car (please don't ask, I have NO idea), a temporary tattoo, a banana in a seat pocket, a still wrapped up piece of gum, three lollipop sticks, enough popcorn to make me ban popcorn from the car (yes, honey YOU WIN! No more popcorn in the car!), a Polly Pocket shoe, a broken crayon, a Sigg bottle top, a Littlest Pet Shop food dish that got sucked up in the vacuum before I could do anything, a handful of pistachios, and some spilled laundry soap. Which I sat in approximately 23 minutes later.

While myself and oldest were cleaning out the car, we put kid 2 in charge of showers for the little kids. By the time we were done vacuuming, five of six kids had showered. Now how is THAT for efficiency?! Plus, how wicked cool is that - oh, by the by, we went to the car wash, and took showers at the same time.

Not that funny?

Okay, maybe it's just me then.

Also, what I absolutely did NOT do today was leave our ENTIRE CASE of DVD's next to the vacuum, when a trucker let me know I was taking too long and how much longer was I plan on taking, anyway? I totally devalued myself and told him I would move even though I wasn't done, because he had to work..... and I didn't. Who am I kidding? I WORK. I WORK every day. I can't believe I said that!

Anyway, about twenty minutes later (right after I sat in the laundry soap), I realized I didn't have the DVD case, and hauled across the parking lot (which is to say, I RAN!) and then nonchalantly picked up the DVD case and sauntered back across the parking lot. Like I *meant to do it that way or something.

After we finished shoveling out the car, we headed over to Hill Air Force Base, to go to the Aerospace Museum. I'm happy to say we didn't get turned around on the way there, not even ONCE. The kids loved it. We went there on hubby's recommendation, and he was sorely missed during the entire expedition. As a matter of fact, we're going back in the morning. One of the kids (that didn't even want to go in the first place) is insisting we head back because she didn't get to finish the exhibits about the role of women in WW2.

I'm feeling a little smug, because that's exactly how I'd hoped it would work out.

We finished the day by me being totally mean. I set them up by taking them to the park, wore 'em out a bit, and then insisted that the younger four be in bed asleep by 8:30. And then I ate ice cream. Mmmmm......

Now THAT is my kind of ending to the day!

Locked Up

2009-05-05T23:02:00.000-07:00

I have to type fast. I only have eleven percent battery left. My little meter says that's twenty nine minutes.

I bet it's more like twenty.

So here goes.

Today started off grand. We got up, broke camp, and headed out. An hour later, we stopped for breakfast. The rest area was huge, and they went and played while I cut up fruit. Both dogs were able to run around with them. And boy, did they! That lasted until.....

They happened upon a rattlesnake. Which scared the ever living crud out of them. So back into the house it was, and then back into the car and on the road. We stopped for gas at about two and - oh, that's weird. The door won't open to the house. Huh. The key actually won't even go into the lock all the way. We try to jiggle it. We try to - well. Whatever we tried, it didn't work. So we booked on to Ogden, skipping lunch since we couldn't get into the trailer (don't worry, I bought them a bag of Fritos, which they thought was just GRAND!).

When we hit Ogden, I found the laundromat, and promptly called roadside assistance. Nobody in Ogden would do it, so we had to wait for a nice lady to come up from Salt Lake City to pick our locks and let us in. Yay! She's our hero!! She opened the door, and let us in.

By then, the kids were REALLY hungry, and the crank fest was FULL ON. I found a place to park, and there you have it. We are wicked boring today, aren't we?

Oh, wait, I didn't tell you about the dog getting out of the car and running into the laundromat? So sorry, I didn't mean to disappoint!

Oh, wait, I didn't tell you about the 13 yo telling the 11 yo "I'm feeling inappropriate. Where are your ACTION FIGURES?". I'll have to spare you the details, but suffice to say I had NO idea that Princess Leia had THOSE kinds of feelings for Indiana Jones!

Tomorrow we'll be hitting some local attractions, including the Air Force Base Museum. The boys are all super excited about that. I told the girls that it didn't matter if they didn't want to be there, they should read whatever they could. Later on, they can pull out usually-reserved-for-boys trivia to *impress boys. They thought I was pretty smart when I said that. I know it's terribly gender stereotyping of me, but whatever. At least they won't be grousing around complaining about "when are we gonna LEAVE!"

Ha.

Look, I made it with a little battery so spare! Woo hoo!

Tomorrow is Another Day

2009-05-04T23:35:00.001-07:00

Today was an absolutely fantastic disaster.

At least, it feels like it.

It rained all day. I never had a chance of NOT rain (and wind) to let the kids run around. The wind put my gas mileage in the toilet. And, I lost my cool. More than once.

Okay, I lost my cool LOTS.

*Especially when we stopped to find an Oregon Trail Museum and the signs left a bit to be desired.
*When I found a squooshed banana in the seat pocket
*When I found a pear under the seat, and it was very gross
*When the little dog was put down for thirty seconds, and peed *and pooped on the last clean sleeping bag
*When I yelled at dh because I got turned around
*When the gray tank started leaking because it was TOO FULL
*When I couldn't find my keys
*When I pulled over the car four different times because of fighting
*and then one of those times threatened to leave the DVD's by the side of the road

Well, I think you get the idea.

Upside is I got to meet up with my brother and his wife at the end of the day, that was cool.

After we saw them, we hit the road for a bit more. We're bunked down for the night, and in the morning we MUST find a laundromat (actually, I already did - it's right down the street). The little dog (THE LITTLE DOG!!!!!!) did his thing on the LAST clean sleeping bag. Tonight we're all doubled up - I've got two kids sharing blankets on the pull out couch. There are three of us in the queen bed. And I have two kids wrapped up in blankets with another small blanket on top of them.

Tomorrow we are having a family meeting, and we're going to come up with a "schedule" of sorts so some things are happening around the same time each day (mainly meals). We had some unhappy people when things weren't happening at the usual times. Gotta fix that so the expectations are at least out there. A little continuity never killed anybody, right?

I'm going to go to bed and wake up to a new day, and have a do over tomorrow.

Adventure Day

2009-05-03T22:02:00.000-07:00

I am positively ready for bed.

This morning we covered hardly any distance at all, and I saw a sign for Multnomah Falls. Well, crikey. OF COURSE we have to stop. I mean, that's why we're doing this, right? So we can see wicked cool things? And do cool stuff? Oh, hahahahaha. I am SO naive. Really.

We took the dogs with us. The little dog was just fine. The big dog? Right. First let me tell you that the trail was a windy, narrow trail, to the top of Multnomah Falls. I have to give myself mad props for not having a total panic attack given the heights off the side of the trail (more on this later). Most of the kids just ~~ambled~~ ran up the trail, leaving me wrestling the 65 lb Wonder Dog, who after today I have to seriously wonder if he's running on negative brain cells.

The dog. The dog. The dog. THE DOG. That ghastly beast. I really can't even talk about it. I'm that traumatized. I really did think he was going to pull me off the edge of the trail, straight off the side. He would. not. stop. Little dog was fine, because he's, well, he's LITTLE. The annoyance factor with every other person cooing over him and wanting to pet him was pretty high though. Anyway. You get it. The dogs drove us crazy one way or another during the entire walk. Which was supposed to be two miles, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't. It was more like twenty. And a half. At LEAST.

The best part of the hike was when we lost youngest boy. He was there..... and then he wasn't. We're yelling his name. He's not responding. Other people on the trail are looking for him. Turns out, he ran ahead quite a bit. I asked him later in that day if he had heard us calling his name, and he said "yes". I said "Honey, when mama calls you're name you're supposed to say HERE MAMA!". He looks at me intently and says "Here Mama!". Right. A reprieve by cuteness, plain and simple.

After that little adventure, we hit the road again, only to come across Bonneville Dam and the Fish Hatchery. Yes, of *course we stopped. We spent a couple of hours at the Dam, viewing the fish, seeing how the fish ladders work, and getting a lecture and tour of the Powerhouse. That was actually more fun that it sounds - five of the six kids got to hold items during the talk about what was what, and what things did to make electricity.

At this point, the oldest child is highly annoyed with me, wanting to know if we are EVER going to get on the road again (I told her no, because I was trying to think of new ways to torment her). Just for that, we stopped at the hatchery and also take a peek at Herman, the Sturgeon. Who is GINORMOUS. We also entertained ourselves by feeding some of the fish. Did you know if you throw a handful of fish food into the water, the fish fling themselves about? It was quite amusing.

Okay, so maybe it's just us, and we're easy to amuse.

After a bit more on 84 East, oldest got the BRILLIANT idea to take Historic Columbia River Highway for a bit. We covered about three of the seventeen miles we were to be on 30, when oldest turned to me and said "Next time I say something like hey, let's take the historic route? DO NOT LISTEN TO ME!"

Remember that heights thing from the hike at Multnomah Falls? AS IF. I'll give it, it was VERY pretty. Beautiful, even.

Scary? Only if you have a thing about driving a truck and trailer that close to a steep drop off. Happily, we made it safe and sound back onto the main route. And yes, I might give it a second thought to take the scenic route next time.

Using our Passport America membership, we found a place to park and plug in for only $10 for the night.

With that, I am off to bed!

The Call of the Road

2009-05-02T22:35:00.001-07:00

We are (back) ON THE ROAD!! WOO HOO!!

We are in Portland, OR tonight. I need to get something from Camping World before we make it much further. This was the first CW on our route. We stopped for dinner and what I was hoping to be an early bedtime.

Today was thick with anticipation. We're going to leave! Yay! This morning we met with a dear friend, and chatted it up while the kids played. My sister went to the thrift store for us, and scored some deals for the three youngest. Then it was off to do a car seat check, and meet with somebody from a forum. So. Much. Fun. I feel refreshed, having had actual adult conversation with not one but TWO people (three counting my sister. and not to mention totally happy that my sister is such a fab bargain hunter, and I didn't have to drag the crew to the thrift store in search of the needed items myself!).

And then....

We were on our way!

Shortly thereafter, there was a blow out fight with the crew. There was a MacGyver mutiny, wherein the protests of three prevented any further episodes from being played, and then the other three protested (okay, they wailed) that they didn't want to watch any "stupid" movies.

And that was when I decided that everybody just needed to be quiet, and we should probably try to get everyone to bed before, you know, 11 PM. Of which I am failing miserably for the oldest ~~two~~ three.

I, on the other hand, am just exhausted, and I hurt. I'm finding myself just worn out by the end of each day. Perhaps I should take my vitamins.... Hmmm. There's a novel idea.

From the files of "Life in an RV": you CAN teach the three year old to put down and put up the front stabilizer jack. Also, it keeps him busy while we're all doing other things like chocking the wheels, or doing the corner stabilizer jacks. Plus, it cracks me up to see this little boy being all serious and intent about this Very Important Job.

Looks like I'm going to have to be all parental on the three oldest, who are STILL meandering about the trailer. Because apparently I am speaking mandarin chinese or something. GO TO BED! Mommy is cranky!

Shhhh

2009-05-01T23:44:00.000-07:00

The four youngers are asleep. It's been a madhouse of getting ready to leave tomorrow afternoon. So busy, in fact, that my Twittering has suffered, which is ultimately the saddest thing of it all.

My sister and her boyfriend came over for a visit tonight. The littlest ones were a flurry of "I like you", and "look at my batman costume/art project/cool toy". My sister's boyfriend help me put together a tent I was gifted today (by a homeless person. Yes, it was.... interesting. They said I could use it for an extra room). There were a lot of extra pieces in with the tent, but as it turns out the tent is rather simple, and we ditched all the extra stuff (yes, even the stash of wooden stakes, which I'll probably regret in a month or so. I mean, you never know when you're going to need a wooden stake!). It's obviously been used, and that's okay. We're going to pitch it and let it sit in the sun for a few days. My only worry is that I won't remember how all the poles go!

After they left and I was putting the kids to bed, we noticed something was amiss..... And of course, it's all my fault.

You see, I did all the laundry this afternoon. Therefore, it makes perfect sense that the small dog a) pooped on one sleeping bag, and b) peed on the other one. This effectively left the two middle boys with zero covers. I threw a just washed blanket at one kid, kicked a girl out of her sleeping bag, and am letting her bunk with me for the night. And then tomorrow I can do more laundry. Because I had no other plans at ALL, you know.

Also my fault, because I was doing laundry, not one, but BOTH dogs got out. On a busy street. And then ran across four lanes of traffic, the little dog chasing pell mell after the big one. Wait! Wait! WAIT FOR ME! YOU FORGOT ABOUT ME!!

What the little dog didn't get was that the big dog was saying "GET THEE BEHIND ME, BEAST!!!"

I ran like.... well, okay. I RAN. I ran as fast as I could trying to get the big dog's attention. I managed to snatch up the little dog. Five of the kids were on the other side of the street, completely HYSTERICAL. I mean, think theatrics, people.

"DON'T DIE DOGGIE! DON'T DIE!!". One of the kids was actually laying on the sidewalk sobbing his little heart out.

I'm screaming the dog's name. Cars are honking, because even though I'm not IN the street, they're getting that the dog might jump in front of them. Why they were honking at ME, I have no idea. I mean. DUDE. I was obviously trying to CATCH the wretched animal.

The dog went back across the four lanes of traffic, and kid #3 (who was truly losing it over the idea of the dog being hit by a car right in front of him) caught him. A stranger stopped and gave us a leash so we could get back to the house. He was amused. Is it bad that I wanted to smack him? I just ran as fast as I could (and NOT in the proper ~~bra~~ attire).I caught the dog. And he's amused. He tells me dogs will be dogs, and boys will be boys, not to be too mad at the boy that let the dogS out, and not to sweat it. Um. Yeah. Let me get right on that.....

From the files of "Life in an RV": So here I am, all proud of myself that I seem to be getting better at pulling out the slider on the back of the trailer. Two days go by, and I"m like "gee, I'm really getting a workout, and it's so much easier now!"

You hear that noise?

It's my bubble. It just burst.

Yesterday I'm pulling the slide out again, and several of the kids come outside to help me. One of them chirps up with "mama, we love helping you! Haven't you noticed it's so much easier to pull out? We're pushing it from the inside, to help you!".

Thanks. I appreciate the help (now off to the dungeon with you).

Passing Time

2009-04-28T16:16:00.001-07:00

As I write this, the 3 yo is kidnapping himself, by way of putting duct tape across his mouth, laying on the floor, and writhing around in order to escape. I just thought you should know that. Why he does that, I have no idea. However, if taping himself up will keep him entertained? I'm all for it. As long as he doesn't put himself in the dog crate at the same time.

We're all sitting around the house (yes, I call the travel trailer the house), listening to music. We're in a mending mood - I've already put four buttons on one dress. Hot pink buttons on a smocked light pink dress - I can't decide if it looks trashy, or cute. The light pink buttons didn't work though, and neither did the clear ones, so we'll all just have to get over it, I suppose. Oldest is replacing three buttons on a sundress, and I have to say, she has the most bizarre method of sewing. I'm not sure who taught her this, because it certainly wasn't me. Child #4 is making himself an airport play set, complete with airport workers and a runway, out of poster board, index cards, and sharpie markers. Two points for imagination, I say.

We're north of Seattle, passing time, after having been up in Hoodsport for a week. On Friday, we start heading South. Until then? We're in "let's get on the road is it Friday yet?" mode. The Mr. has taken a week off, and he's going to travel as far as Eugene, OR with us. He's already arranged to hitch a ride with a friend who will bring him back to Seattle. After he heads back home, we'll start our way to Texas. We're all more than ready to head out of here and meet up with some folks we know. Plus the Sea Lion caves in OR sound rather promising. I'm not sure what all else the Mr. has lined up, but he's promised that it's going to be a) inexpensive and b) lots of fun.

It's a good thing he's looking at inexpensive things to do, because seriously? I think I need to adjust my grocery bill. Somebody is always asking me to eat. Yesterday, the five year old girl ate two huge bowls of oatmeal, topped with frozen blueberries. I mean, a LOT of frozen blueberries. Then she ate two entire apples an hour later. And then said she was still hungry, and wanted to know how long till dinner, and then cried when I said "in just a little while". Just now, the crew ate a box of grits. And earlier, an entire pot of chili. I mean, like, the WHOLE thing, that I thought would feed us lunch, and part of dinner. Instead, it was all gone at lunch, with at least one person lamenting that it was GONE and they really wanted more.

Oops, looks like we're all out of duct tape... better add that to the grocery list!

A Day in the Life

2009-04-24T10:46:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to decide if I'm in a bad mood this morning, or if I've just had enough of how things go in the mornings.

How it works is that the middle boys (11 and 8) wake up, and start making noise. I mean, they yell, they giggle, they wrestle. They knock into people. They seem to have no idea that what they are doing is bothersome, even if we make plans for them to have things to do in the morning, even if we make an effort to say "that is inappropriate". Redirecting them upon waking does no good. Separating them does nothing. Sending one outside does nothing. They still manage to make an insane amount of noise (and yes, they did this in a stick built house too. I apparently didn't allow enough for the increased noise level within a more confined space. Either that or they've gotten LOUDER).

I am finding it exceedingly frustrating.

What I want is to have it not be autism, and have them just be a couple of inconsiderate idiots. Because if it's the latter, at least I know they have some sort of self control. This, unfortunately, is an "autism thing".

That what we call it, you know, when something just doesn't make one iota of sense, and we've never heard any other moms of kids the same age talk about how it's a problem. Sure, boys get into kerfluffles, and wrestle. This? I should tape this. Every time one of them gets hurt (and they do get hurt) is somebody starts screaming. And I don't mean wah wah I'm hurt. I mean "the end of the world is near I'm dying and I have to scream loud enough for everyone on this side of the Mississippi to hear me". In turn, *I* want to scream (which yes, sometimes I do. Like this morning).

At one time, the word "mild" was used with an autism label for one of our children. Mild? MILD? What does that even MEAN? Like what, he has a touch of the autism? And it's not so bad? Mild seems to imply that it just really isn't so bad, or that it will someday go away. It doesn't. It sticks, and sticks, and sticks. At 11, this one needs lessons on how to greet people, what's okay to say and not say, reminders to look at people when you talk to them - I'm sure I look like a paranoid control freak if you are the lucky person on the other side of one of these social lessons. At 8, this one needs constant reminders to keep his hands off other people and their things, and to ask permission before taking something apart. At 5.5, this one needs a careful balance of noise level and activity, or she just shuts off, curls up, and pops her thumb in her mouth. Either that or she completely and utterly loses it, and screams for an hour.

Don't tell me autism is over diagnosed, or give me the song and dance about how all children are special, or how autism is a gift, or that we don't need to live within the label, or that he/she/they seem to be getting along fine, or how you don't see how they are diagnosed with the this or the that.

Screw that.

I'd like to have a morning that doesn't include a meltdown over a piece of a toy that is six inches from where it was left the last time it was played with, or a complete freak out over the fact that we're having BLUEBERRIES on the oatmeal, and cinnamon is what is wanted (guess what! You can have BOTH if you want!) or a screaming fit over being touched on the arm and YOU WERE NOT READY FOR IT, or asking me six times in a row "is it allowance day yet? I want to buy another _____ (items that have to do with Indiana Jones or Star Wars)". And I really don't want to listen to a rant. Oh, God, I REALLY don't want to listen to the ranting. Just. Stop. Talking. For. Five. Minutes. How about THAT? And oh, guess what?

I DO NOT CARE ABOUT INDIANA JONES OR STAR WARS.

There.

I said it.

I don't care to know one more bit, not one more modicum of trivia about Indiana Jones or Star Wars. I know that it quite possibly makes me one of the more heartless people on the planet. Think of me what you must.

On the flip side of all of this, I know how lucky we are. I know how lucky we are that I've managed to find dietary interventions and environmental factors that make a huge difference. I know that we're lucky enough that, once I get them out the door, they can deal with a new situation with some prompting and scripting (getting out said door is a different post). In our family, we focus on social, and day to day living. It's enough for us if our kids can be happy, productive members of society. We don't care one whit about high scholarly academics, and having a degree in biochemistry.

I can deal with: hand flapping and hopping that rocks the trailer. Rearranging the cupboards so that it makes more sense. Having set up for camp go in the same way every time. Having a space for each kid to have whatever they want that fits into that container, even if it doesn't make any sense (candy wrappers? Tin foil? Bent paper clips? What??). Making really weird stuff out of index cards, or electrical tape, duct tape, and sticks. Putting food on plates so that it doesn't touch.

On any given day (like TODAY! THIS MORNING!) I vacillate between completely and utterly about to lose my mind, to being grateful to how much progress they've made, and are making. THAT alone makes me feel like I need to be medicated. I either accept them, or I don't, right?

Welcome to how my mind works. Utter chaos and confusion, with a helping of mayhem on the side.

PS if you have any ideas of what to do in the mornings to handle the noise level, please, have at it. Just don't suggest duct tape as a viable option.

Laundry: A Dangerous Prospect

2009-04-20T15:51:00.000-07:00

Everybody that has a larger than average family knows that laundry is the neverending beast. You can catch up on all of it, and the next day there is another load. The biggest inconvenience with living in an RV is the laundry. Sure, it's nice to go to the laundromat and get it all caught up at once. In between times you just watch Mount Laundry pile up, and hope you have enough quarters to get everything dried. Usually, that's the extent of it.

As I mentioned at the end of my previous post, I got kicked out of the laundromat.

Yes, me. Not so much as a parking ticket, and I got kicked out, with nine loads of WET clothes. All over $3.50.

This event would best be described by my oldest daughter, who was kind enough to write the entire happenings down in play format.

:Scene:
The laundromat by Kinkos and right by subway on Pacific Avenue next to Albertson's

Time
Right before 3 in the afternoon

Players: People
Daughter (Cole)
Mom
The dude on duty

Mom: Cole, please go and check the washer with the mattress pad and sheets
Cole: -Goes to check washer-
-puts hand in washer-
Mom..! This didn't spin out. it's still all wet
Mom: Oh. -walks over to double check- You're right, it didn't.

Mom: -goes up to dude on duty- Hey, uhm..our washer didn't spin out. -shows him washer-
Dude on duty: oh. It's because of the mattress pad
Mom: No it's not. We've been here plenty of times and washed this here and I've never had that happen.
Dude on duty: Yes it is. This happened just the other day and it was the mattress pad. When it's in the washer it gets too big and takes up the whole thing, so it doesn't spin out right.
Mom: okay, but i'm telling you I've washed it here before and i've never had this problem
Dude on duty: Well you're going to have to re run it yourself
Mom: i don't have the money to do that, and I shouldn't have to pay for it to be run again.-turns around halfway and mutters-
Dude on duty: Well I'm sorry, you're welcome to re wash it yourself
Mom: -mutters "frack" so lowly *I* could BARELY hear her and i was standing right next to her- are you telling me that you can't help me in any way???
Dude on duty: You're welcome to fill out a slip, and put in the box, but The Owner is on vacation and you're NOT going to get your money back
Mom: I am telling you, that i don't have the money to re wash it again and you're telling me that you can't help me in any way? I do laundry here quite a bit and have NEVER had this happen.
Dude on duty (AS MOM IS TALKING, (he's talking over her)) LISTEN TO ME, LISTEN TO ME LISTEN TO ME!
Mom: -falls silent-
Dude on duty: You do not need to be angry with me, i am only trying to help
Mom: I have not said one angry word to you.
-walks over to check dryers-
And don't worry, we won't be coming back here after today.
Dude on duty: Get you're stuff, and leave. Now.
Mom: That's fine. I'll make sure to be blogging and telling everyone about this.

-cole and mom start getting WET TOWELS out of the dryers-

Dude on Duty: You know we own the laundromat down the street too, right??

End Scene

And that is the story of how I got kicked out of the laundromat. And no, I didn't know the same person owned the laundromat down the street, either. I'm so glad he told me though.

I went down to a different town and finished my laundry. And met another RV housewife, which was wicked cool!

Customer service. Alive and well!

Deranged

2009-04-19T00:33:00.000-07:00

First, I have to type very quietly, which takes longer than not typing quietly, so it's going to take me a while to type this post. For some reason, the keyboard being typed on is very bothersome to my spouse. I have no idea why. It's not as if I'm discharging an M-16 on the other end of the trailer, or banging pots and pans together, but you'd think I was, given his reaction when I dare wake him with my incessant, nonsensical keyboard clanging.

Second, this week was actually so crazy that I've had to look at my calendar and Twitter updates to remind me what I've done this week.

The Readers Digest version:

My sister gets to go home from the hospital. She has nothing nice to say about the hospital food. Which, why would she? Hospital food is BAD.

8 yo gets an abscessed tooth.

4 kids go to the dentist. I cry when I pay the bill. Then I have a nervous breakdown when I find out how much the next set of appointments is going to cost me.

7 of us go to the chiropractor and wreak havoc on the office for a full hour.

3 kids go to the orthodontist. I cry when he tells me how much it's going to be, but then I'm happy because only one needs to move forward in the immediate future. One we're going to re evaluate at the end of the year, the other goes back in a year and a half. I feel like I just dodged a bullet. Whew.

I go to the naturopath and tell him this place where I got bit by the spider last August is still painful. He doesn't act like I'm crazy, and he gives me a nasty herbal concoction to consume twice per day, and then pokes me full of acupuncture needles. And then tells me to come back. Which I do, and we repeat the needle poking. Then he tells me to come back again, which I will do next week. And hopefully it will feel better soon, because right now I just feel sick from it. Bad spider! Bad!

My brother discovers that the warning labels that say you shouldn't drink alcohol while taking certain medications really is true, because if you don't heed the labels you could land yourself in the hospital in the ICU in a coma. He, thankfully, is out of ICU now, but still in the hospital.

My truck breaks an obscure piece, which was making my right trailer blinker work, but not my right trailer brake light. It was very weird, and it cost me $220 to fix it. But at least now I won't get a ticket for not having proper brake lights (that sentence cannot possibly be grammatically correct, but I can't figure out another way to say it).

My Mac dies on me, and I take it in, and they fix it, and I lose all my iTunes because the back up didn't work. iTunes lets me re-download, but they scold me for not having a back up. So Yay to iTunes for letting me re-download, but boo for scolding me.

I discovered that Costco has "natural" Pepsi. I think it tastes better than "regular" Pepsi, but the caffeine still keeps me up just the same - oh, look what time it is! One in the morning! Wheeeeeee!!!!!

We boondock several nights at a casino, because a) it's free b) it's slightly entertaining and c) it's near the spouse's job.

I take the dog to the vet, and find out he has two undescended testicles. The vet tells me to "go home and Google, and then make a decision about how to proceed". Er, okay then.

Oldest child goes skateboarding, demonstrating proper safety techniques for her little brothers, doesn't wear a helmet, goes down a huge hill, falls, and fractures a bone in her wrist. She then gets lectured by: the ER doctor, the charge nurse, several random mothers in the ER waiting room, and almost every person she runs into all week long when they ask about her arm. I find the entire thing hilarious. Apparently, if you break a bone anywhere on your body, when people ask about it and you say "skateboarding", the next question is "were you wearing a helmet?". It was much better than any punishment I can come up with.

The entire trip to the ER could actually be an entire blog post or two, being as that it was the busiest they had seen it *all year long*, and they had 60 kids come in during a five hour period of time. We didn't touch anything while we were there, and were afraid to breathe, lest any germs invade us.

Because of a culmination of items above, we're not going anywhere right now. We're parked up in Hoodsport right now. At least it's quiet here (or, at least it was, until we got here).

And oh yes.

I got kicked out of the laundromat.

Excitement? Me? No. Not at all.

Yawn.

Just Wondering.....

2009-04-13T22:02:00.000-07:00

Why is that every time I got out of the car today it rained?

How long can you make 38 gallons of water in the fresh water tank last?

Why do things go wrong, like the propane needs to be checked, or the battery isn't operating properly, when it is absolutely hella pouring down rain? No, these things can't happen in the daytime, during sunny weather. It has to happen a) at night b) when it's raining c) snowing, or d) just generally miserable out. And please tell me. WHY is it freaking less than 40 degrees out and it is April?! On what planet does that make any sense?

Random tidbits from the day:

I left my bottle of lotion I meant to bring into the car, on a water pump at a rest stop somewhere around exit 188. I had gotten sludge (I know, eeewww) on my hands. I left hubby to fill the fresh water, went in and scrubbed my hands, grabbed the lotion, set it on the water source, and then drove away. At least the bottle was almost empty (even if it was my very favorite California Baby lotion).

The kids are now referring to the rain that occurs every. time. I get out. of the car as "mom's curse". Gosh, THANKS, kids. It's Kibble for dinner for you. Now stop.

Actually, maybe I'm Eeyore. I mean, that would make sense, right? Oh, woe is me, it rains every time I get out of my car.

No, seriously, it was really freakalicious by the end of the day. I'd stay in tomorrow, but I have to take three kids to the orthodontist in the morning. Afterwards, I'll most likely cry, and then I'll come home and post about the insanity of having multiple kids needing orthodontia work at the same time.

After the orthodontist, I have to go to the naturopath, and most likely he'll tell me I'm taking all the wrong vitamins, and eating all the wrong foods, and then I'll come home and cry about how much the new supplements he wants me on are going to cost me. I'm fairly certain that between the orthodontist and the naturopath I could buy mosquito nets for an entire village in Africa, or educate ten children from Bolivia.

Right now I am boondocked at my friend S's house. It's rather a hoot, I've got my rig all set up in front of her house. She has a few more children than I do, so when we get us all together it's complete chaos. And the entire time, S and I are like "have you read this book (N STOP THAT!!)", or "I was thinking of trying this (K PUT THAT DART GUN DOWN)" or even "I'm not sure what I think about that (MOM MOM MOM I HAVE DOG POOP ON MY SHOE HELP ME HELP ME HELP ME, I HAVE TO BUY NEW SHOES NOW!). The kids all had a blast today. They want to know when we can play tomorrow.

All in all it was a satisfying day of errands, playdates, and a trip to Costco that didn't cost me $200. I'd count that as a win.

The Beginning

2009-04-12T20:13:00.000-07:00

We are finally, finally, done with the house. It's cleaned out, and the keys are turned in (and no, all the laundry did NOT get done). Good byes said and numbers exchanged. We drove away, and.....

we were happy. Elated. Moving. On. We'll miss some of the great neighbors (but NOT the church next door, who completely blocked us in our last night there, thankyouverymuch).

Count me in.

We've been boondocking (hmm, is this one word? Or two?) this weekend. We needed to be near the storage unit to finish deciding on some things, rearranging, selling, giving away. All of the (crowded) rv parks near here charged a mint for a single night. Rather than pay the inflated prices, we just floated around. And also, we found out many of the casinos in the area offer free rv parking, up to seven days at a time. Put some small blankets on the windows to block the light, and ta da! Free spot to stay.

The work at the storage unit was tiring, but good.

In the morning, we'll pull out early. Stop at the storage unit to get something we left behind. Drop off hubby at work, and then head on down to our hometown for what will now be known as Dentist Week. Tomorrow two kids have appointments. Tuesday three go to the orthodontist. Wednesday two more have dentist appts, the dog has to go to the vet, and get a bath at the groomer. Thursday I have to go back to the eye doctor. And then....

We head south, via a stop in Oregon on Saturday to do a car seat check. Given that it's April, you'd think that the weather would be somewhat nice here in WA state.

No. Definitely not.

It's been raining all weekend (and woo hoo! No unexpected leaking in the trailer!). Right now I feel like a wet dog. The rain picked up in force when we were dumping the tanks. I am totally drenched.

All the kids keep talking about "when we get to Texas". When we get to Texas we'll...... wear sunscreen, put away our fleece hats, wear our sandals, stand in the sunshine, hope it doesn't rain, see old friends, make some new friends - the list goes on.

Exciting. A new beginning.

Have You Lost Your MIND? (FAQ)

2009-04-04T18:04:00.000-07:00

In no particular order, here are the questions I am frequently asked (or reasonable facsimiles thereof):

Q: Are you crazy???

A: It's been debated. It's never been proven.

Q: Um. Isn't that a SMALL amount of space?

A: Compared to the average American family, yes. It has a sleeping space for everyone though, running water, plumbing, cooking facilities, *and it has a roof. I'd say compared to a large part of the world's population, it's practically palatial.

Q: That frig is TINY!

A: Your observation skills are unparalleled. No, really. Think of it like a puzzle. You have to work it all in just the right way.

Q: You do that by YOURSELF?

A: No. The gnomes help me.

Q: So you like, drive that?

A: Yes. I just don't back it up. At least, I try not to back it up!

Q: How do you all FIT in there?

A: One at a time.

Q: What do you do when it rains and you can't go outside?

A: Wait for it to stop.

Q: Do you DRINK?

A: I've thought about it.

Q: But. You don't have a television???

A: Nope. Couldn't find a place to fit one, and figured we didn't need it anyway.

Q: Um. This is for just like, one trip or something, right?

A: I hope not!

Much Ado About Nothin'

2009-04-03T23:51:00.001-07:00

You know what they say.

If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.

We ended up extending our time in the rental house. We're finishing up packing this weekend, and we'll be out of the house on Sunday night.

The trailer spent a week in the shop, getting repaired. We got it back, and it poured rain. It's still leaking, so it's going back on Monday. No, I'm not very happy about that at all.

Oldest child fell off the skateboard today and hurt her wrist. Hoping it's just a sprain.

As soon as we are done with our dentist appointments on the 15th of April, we are back on the road! We're making solid our plans for our next journey. The only downer is that we have to be back up here the third week of May for dentist appointments again, so we're having to plan things out instead of being totally free wheelin'. It's fun making plans though, who we are going to see, where we are going to go.

And somehow, I must find a way to get a new GPS! Me + no GPS = not pretty!

Fibber

2009-03-24T23:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I checked the medicine cabinet. One of the supplements that 7 yo takes three times daily was missing. That's when I realize I haven't *actually seen the bottle in - three or four days? Then I realized that when I was telling him to take his medicine, he was done awfully fast.....

I do a quick count in my head, and I'm pretty darn sure he hasn't taken any of his meds in three days. Okay, so that explains a few things. I call hubby into the room, and tell him. He calls 7 yo into the room.

"Son, we know you haven't been taking your medicine for three days now. We don't appreciate lying like that".

"Daddy, I didn't lie for three days."

"Oh?"

"I've only been lying for two days."

I went into the other room and laughed. Really couldn't help it. He was deadly serious, and very earnest. No! You can't accuse me of lying for three days! It's only been two days! Hahaha!

I don't think he'll lie about that again though, that's for sure. The look on his face when he figured out that we *knew... Cracked us up.

Herding Cats

2009-03-22T12:32:00.000-07:00

Since oldest child's birthday while we were on the road, I had promised a birthday party when we got back, and before we left again. Yesterday that came to fruition, and let me tell you. Keeping a group of teenagers together and even mildly on task is somewhat akin to herding cats. You think you've got them pointed in the right direction, and then all of a sudden you realize one or two cats are missing, and where did they go. So you go find the ~~cats~~ teens, bring them back, and you've lost another one. That one is wandering over there, talking to a friend not with the party, and those two wandered over to go to the bathroom together. Then so and so got mad, so they stomped off to nurse their hurt feelings, and two people had to go assist that person and drag them back to the group. Then somebody really, really has to pee, then ALL of them need to go to the bathroom. Then somebody is thirsty, and somebody else really wants a piece of gum. And.... You get the idea?

That's sort of how the whole evening went. I was bemused, albeit slightly frustrated. We started at just after 4 pm, with a scavenger hunt. The party was split into two groups, four on each team. They had just shy of an hour and a half to complete the task. The rules were simple: Don't spend any of your own money. You can't use anything that belongs to you or anyone else in the group. Don't do anything that would cause yourself or anyone else to call 911. No permanent, or non permanent physical, emotional, or psychological damage to anyone or anyTHING. And please, a modicum of tact, diplomacy, and decorum. Like, this much < > decorum.

After the scavenger hunt, we went to a local restaurant. That's when it got.... amusing. The restaurant is in a building that houses several other businesses. They couldn't fit us in the restaurant, so we were in the lobby of the building, with two, and then three, tables that we pushed together. Upstairs, there was some sort of event that involved drag queens. Yes, real, live, honest to God, drag queens. This being Olympia and all, most of the kids didn't even bat an eye. Drag queens? Big deal!

Now, remember the part about herding cats? This is the part where the herding comes in. I didn't want them to be so loud that we were obnoxious to the other patrons of the restaurant, or disruptive to the party going on upstairs, but not be a control freak and dictate everything and constantly shush them. I tried playing a game where each person said another line to the story ("that's lame!". "get over it. I can't help it, I'm old! I was born when the dinosaurs roamed the earth!"). Kids were up and down from the table. One girl was wielding a sharpie marker, and wrote on more than one person. Hats were stolen. Duck duck monkey was played (yes, duck duck monkey. Because geese are STUPID! You didn't know that??).

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I'm reminding on occasion of hello? DECORUM! Remember? This much < > decorum, people! The nachos arrived. Pitchers of soda arrived (and an argument of soda vs. pop ensued). The waitress was somewhat amused by us, and yes, I tipped her well. I must admit at one point I slammed my hand on the table and announced "you teenagers are WORSE than preschoolers! Seriously!". For some reason, they found this amusing. Okay, really, I was *not amused by one of the girls going into the mens room and using the urinal. Yes, she really did, although she managed to not get pee on herself.

After leaving the restaurant, the entourage continued through downtown. The Fair Trade store was open late. As we were walking by, we were exclaiming over several of the things: a little wooden helicopter, a gnome house, a wooden tree - and some little gnomes. There were several, of different sizes and colors. Three of them were blue. Oldest child of mine pointed at the blue gnome "no, not that blue gnome, *that blue gnome!" Since the store was open, the blue gnome was purchased, properly knighted and blessed by each member of the entourage, and then pocketed. I suppose you had to be there. That Blue Gnome is a very special little gnome.

We ended up at the playground by the boardwalk. Have you ever gone down a slide at a playground at 10 pm? You haven't? Really, you must. We finally started drifting towards the car after 11 pm (wait. It took an hour to get in the car? How strange). After shuttling four of the teens home, we finally made our way back to the rest of the family.

Whew. Herding cats is exhausting!

Done

2009-03-16T14:23:00.001-07:00

The worst part of something big like a fire happening is not the actual event itself. Aside from the numbing feeling of watching where you live be consumed by smoke and flame, you have to deal with things over, and over, and over again. You have to talk over and over again about how you felt seeing the firefighters crawl all over your house, and how your street was blocked off. You have to think about it every single time you talk to your insurance adjuster, the additional living expenses people, your friends who ask what's the latest with your claim.

Truth be told, if I could afford it, I would walk away and not spend another minute of my life thinking about this. I don't want to pore over another picture, or video, or inventory sheet. I don't want to argue with anybody about charges for two additional days of rental furniture, and a $100 turn away fee because the kids have been sick. I have no desire to get anybody sick, nor is everything as accessible as I want it to be. And what do I get? People calling to confirm at the wrong numbers, unanswered emails, and a fee that I can ill afford that has to be paid out of pocket.

Yes, I'm pissed.

I feel like all I've done for two and a half years straight is live and breathe rebuilding our lives. I am tired of FIGHTING everyone that has anything to do with any of this. It's complete and utter crap, to have to justify to my adjuster why no, I don't have the inventory done, I did four pages and then just completely and utterly lost my shit moving onto the next page of pictures. Do you want that inventory sheet with a side helping of nervous breakdown? Because that can be arranged.

I am sick of explaining to my kids that no, I don't know WHY this had to happen to us, twice. I'm weary of explaining to them that yes, we can replace the gnome house, or the the this, or the that (after I get the inventory turned in, that is), or that I'm sorry, they no longer make that thing you loved (and hope to God that ten years from now they aren't in therapy sobbing over their beloved thing that was lost that I was too overwhelmed to find a replacement). What makes all of this worse is that I don't even have a HOUSE to show for it by the time all this fighting is done. We have no home to call our own, no place to set down roots, and say "this is ours". And quite frankly, at this point I think we're all too scared to even think about buying our own place. Whose to say it can't happen again? No, thank you, I think we'll stick with the plan of moving into the travel trailer and seeing the country, instead of worrying every night that all our hopes and dreams will go up in a dash of smoke and flame, leaving us floundering for the fricking MEANING behind all of it, and WHY US.

Several people we used to know stopped speaking to us (this was never said out loud, but it was alluded to in conversation). They thought God was punishing us, and clearly if we went the way of God punishing us by burning our home(s) down, then they needed to steer clear. In case it was contagious, you know. And I have to tell you, I wonder now if God IS punishing us. WTH did we do wrong to deserve this - twice? I gotta tell you, shopping for everything all over again is not exactly fun, nor is living in a hotel for six weeks. It certainly *feels like punishment.

And no, I don't need another reminder about how it's "just stuff", and that we should just be grateful to be alive. OF COURSE I'm happy we're all healthy and unhurt physically by what went on. I don't need somebody else to say "well, you know, it's just STUFF". *I* get to say that it's "just stuff", not YOU.

So here I am rambling away. And my only point is - this reliving it in order to move on sucks, and I'm really quite over and done with the whole thing, only I can't just walk away and forget it. I'm sick of pretending like everything is okay, it's all going to be okay, and that everything happens for a reason.

Having Fun Yet?

2009-03-15T09:29:00.000-07:00

We have a LOT going on at the moment! So much so, that if I list all of it, I feel quite overwhelmed. Here is a sampling of what is going on:

Whatever is going around - we caught it. Rather, the kids got it. It's been several days of fevers, coughing, popsicle eating, sleeping, and consoling. Our high fever contest was won by the 5 yo - she hit 105 Saturday morning. Everyone seems to be on the mend now, thank goodness. I'm dosing everyone up on Vitamin C and all fruit popsicles in an effort to chase the rest of the illness away.

Tomorrow, the movers come to take the rental furniture away. That ought to be interesting, given that they're taking the refrigerator as well - which is something I forgot to take into account when I went grocery shopping on Friday. Because the children have been ill, I am way behind the curve with actually being done with the rest of the packing. It's not a pretty sight at the moment, let me assure you. Although I am fairly confident that once the furniture is out of here, it will give us a lot of space to finish sorting things out. They'll be taking the beds, which means we'll need to sleep in the travel trailer.

Which would be fine, if we could GET in the travel trailer. At the moment, the floor is completely torn up. There is water causing damage. The problem is we don't know where the water is coming from! We have the floor covering completely pulled up at the moment, and are trying to dry it out, and determine if we need to replace the sub flooring or not. We *must find out where this water is coming from and fix it before we lay down new covering. So for now, it's bare floors and heat on high (I'm sure we're zipping right through our propane tanks, given that it is SNOWING again!!).

The cool thing about being forced to pull up the floor covering is that we had to take out the booth dinette. It is *shocking how much room we have without that in the way. A once crowded space suddenly because a lot more pleasant! With the dinette completely out of the trailer, we've brainstormed some ideas for a "remodel", which will give us more storage and more seating. It will make the space a lot less cramped feeling.

Anyway, back to the trailer being a little inaccessible..... Looks like what we're going to have to do is talk to the owner and work out staying in the house for another week or so while we get the trailer floor dried out and fixed. Everything that was in the dinette storage, and the dinette table itself, is all piled onto the big bed. That's gonna make it a little hard to sleep in it.... Hopefully the weather will cooperate later today so I can get everything into the house so that all the beds are clear for tomorrow night (which is just what I wanted to do, you know - repack the entire trailer!!!).

I've been working hard on the inventory. I have a couple of inventory elves that have been a HUGE help to encouraging me and helping me. It's a relief to be able to send a grouping of photos to somebody, give a brief background about what it is in the photo, and have it transcribed and priced out. The pricing out is what often I get hung up on. Finding similar replacements for discontinued, hard to find items, or for furniture makes me want to bang my head on the wall. Repeatedly.

Chaos is apparently reigning the house this morning. I'm going to outlaw, by penalty of duct tape, the word "SHUT UP". It's not nice, and it's certainly not helping! Meanwhile, I'm going to go play referee and go untangle the latest argument.

Rant

2009-03-12T22:34:00.001-07:00

Here is my rant.

Why, no matter WHICH bathroom I go in, is there NEVER any toilet paper?!! WHY?!

No wonder I'm phobic about running out of toilet paper. I have to make sure I have enough so I can account for random rolls of toilet paper hiding all over the place (hmm, a benefit, perhaps, to only having one bathroom in the trailer??).

I'm working hard on the inventory so I can get that turned in.

We might have to rip up part of the trailer floor to repair the flooring from the leak a couple weeks ago.

And, that's all.

Pass it Around

2009-03-12T17:58:00.001-07:00

Four of six are laying around moaning, coughing, and complaining of sore throats.

Yay.

Let the games begin!

Feed Me

2009-03-11T23:26:00.001-07:00

Several of the children seem to be on a growth spurt, all at once. It's always what's to eat, when are we eating, is there anything to eat, can I have a snack? I fear for my grocery bill. I've been buying a lot more produce for snacks, and it disappears quickly. Carrots, cucumbers, hummus, and snap peas are all regularly showing lately. Popcorn and raisins, also popular.

The one who seems to eat the most, though? The 10 yo boy. He'll be 11 this month, and I've heard about how much these 11 yo boys can eat. Two words: A LOT!! Husband and I were discussing this the other night with said child. I joked and said "I've heard a boy of this age could even eat a whole chicken! One for the family, one for the boy". Husband looked at him and said "could you eat a whole chicken?". Without missing a beat (and with a mouthful of food, no less), the boy said "Yes. Can I?". Yes, my friends, I fear greatly.

Things are moving along here. I'm feeling better, fortunately. One (decidedly unhappy) child was ill today. Another one complained of some of the same symptoms this evening. Er, I HOPE not. We're supposed to finish moving out? Next week? Yeah. Wish me luck, will you? Our requested extension was REFUSED, so things are moving forward. The movers will be here on Monday to pick up all of the rental furniture. Here's me: AAAAHHHH!!!!

Warning Label

2009-03-10T15:18:00.000-07:00

First let me get out of the way - I still feel awful. We've asked for extension on our move out date. Hopefully that comes through, because if it doesn't? GACK.

And now, for the actual blog post.

My three and a half year old son is a maniac lately. This kid, he needs a warning label. If he's not making enough noise that you KNOW he's doing something, then he's too quiet and he's REALLY into something. Like, the other day, he was in my bathroom. It was wayyyy too quiet. What was he doing? He was rearranging my contact lenses. I found one of them a quarter of an inch from the bathroom drain. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Yesterday he wanted to go to the store with us. He ran outside hollering at the top of his lungs "SNOW SNOW SNOW SNOW!!", and running around in circles. In the store, he talked JUST LIKE THIS the entire time. He kept a running monologue of what we were doing, why we should buy it, what would happen if we wouldn't, what we would do if we did buy those bananas because he loves bananas wait you have to go back and get bananas! By the time we got back out to the car, hubby yelled "BE QUIET".

Nothing like yelling to stop the noise, I guess.

Also playing yesterday, the kid in the dog crate. He climbed into the crate, shut the door behind him, and announced he was the dog. He insisted we shut the crate all the way. He yelped a few times, panted, whimpered, scratched the bottom of the crate a few times, and then settled down. After a few minutes, he insisted we put the blanket on top of the crate because he was, you know, THE DOG, and it was time for the dog's afternoon nap. I'm not quite sure the dog was so amused at the boy being in the crate. On the other hand, he wasn't pulling on the dog's tail (which he had been doing earlier).

When we were in CA, he slipped away from his sister, and walked into another family's trailer, where allegedly he took single bites out of ten pieces of fruit, and then put them all back. The following day, he went back into the same family's trailer and ate a cake. Yes, I said A Cake. As in, I had to go buy another one. Also while in CA, he wandered away twice. One of those times we were ten seconds away from calling the cops when we found him. He looked at us like we were stupid, and said "I was at THE PARK". I mean, DUH MOM. Insert eye roll here. I need one of those GPS locator bracelets for him. Where is he? Aha, there he is!

This morning, he was drawing. All of a sudden he yelled "A CATERPILLAR! I drew a caterpillar. I HATE CATERPILLARS". I refrained from asking him why he drew a caterpillar if he hated them so much....

I could keep recounting things he has done in the recent past: jumping on the bed with people on the bed already (asleep), getting into the powder make up, dumping over the salad dressing, pulling the dog's tail, climbing up and drinking the rest of the glass of wine that was on the mantle, and on and on, but I think you get the idea. I'll tell you what. I need a full time aide just for this kid. That and some hearing protection.

Loser

2009-03-06T10:26:00.000-08:00

I am a total and complete loser. I got back on Monday, and have done about zero of anything since then.

Tuesday and Wednesday I was just wiped out. Yesterday I wasn't feeling up to par. Today, I'm attempting to be a contributing member of society, if not at least the family. The clock is ticking, and it's time to get a move on! The movers come on the 16th to pick up the rental furniture the insurance company provided. Last day in the house is the 18th. Tick tock tick tock!

I have a long mental checklist of what needs to be done, so much to the point that I'm paralyzed with indecision. What do I do first? Pack, sort, sell, laundry, clean, make meals... And where exactly do I fit repairing the floor of the trailer? We had an unfortunate leak on our trip home, and I fear the floor is ruined under the dinette. Plus we're planning the 16th birthday party of our oldest. We've got it half planned already, but we need to work on it a bit more.

Hm. Let me sum it up with this for the moment, because it's all I can muster:

Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Amateur Hour

2009-02-24T19:47:00.000-08:00

One of my fears is doing something stupid with the rig, or overlooking something stupid. Well, today I had it in spades. I got stupid on TOP of stupid. Seriously. I got all hitched up and ready to go (one of the other dads helped me by backing up the truck). I checked everything, and then rechecked it. And then.....

I stopped at Camping World to exchange a part. One of my rituals is to do a once around the rig before getting back in. Throwback from my grandfather, I suppose. It was something he always did, and it just seems kind of smart. I also have some pieces on the hitch that have to be checked every few hundred miles, so it's never a bad idea to check those.

I walk to the back of the truck by the hitch, and about smacked myself on the forehead. Seriously. It was THAT stupid. I left too much slack on the 7 pin connector, and it dragged. And ruined the whole cord. No way around it but to cut the bad part out, strip the wires, splice, and crimp. Now, this isn't something I've actually done before, but I knew I had the connectors. No crimper though, and nothing strong enough to cut through the cord.

I did what any self respecting woman would do. I walked into the service department of Camping World, and I begged. First I made the gentleman behind the counter promise not to laugh. Then I explained what happened, and I asked to borrow a crimper and a cutting tool. He not only handed over the tools, he sent a mechanic to fix it for me. I guess I looked way more pathetic than I thought (either that or he figured a girl wasn't up for the job!).

He had us back together in no time at all, thank the good Lord above. I mean, I thought about freaking out, but I didn't. I get points for that, right? Then I go into the trailer and..... I have no power. None. No lights. No refrigerator. Nothing. Okay, NOW I am going to freak out, for reals and truly. I mess around with some fuses and such, and nothing. Awesome frawesome. This is just getting better and better!!

Then, I stop for gas, and I realize about five miles down the road that I never relocked the side cabinet that has the tools in it! Hello? MCFLY? Thank GOD nothing fell out.

I call hubby, and get him to Google the converter we have, looking for solutions. He has me take apart the battery, hit the circuit breakers, and WA LA! Somewhere with all that fiddling around, we get power! WOO HOO! At the least, 'tis a happy ending to some rather stupid mistakes. Still doesn't solve the lost debit card and how do I get my gas money, but whatever. We have lights! And water! Yay!

Now I'm going to sleep, because this day? I'm done. I need a new day!

3 is the new 16

2009-02-23T23:04:00.000-08:00

Last night I bailed on the beach side campfire before 11. I know. Isn't that terrible? 3 yo had woken up earlier and wandered out of the trailer, and was yelling for me. Guilt ridden, I felt obligated to go in and make sure nobody woke up. Instead of sitting around the campfire drinking wine, I was in here laying in bed and Facebooking. And yes, that's a verb, and no, you can't tell me otherwise.

Anyway, oldest stayed out at the campfire (NOT drinking wine, insofar as I know). Right before midnight, it was discovered it was almost her birthday. Not wanting to be negligent friends, they threw together a sweet 16 birthday party in about three minutes. Here are the details as I was given them:

Several people, including my daughter, were tied to their chairs with pink crepe paper.

Gifts of Andes Mints and a set of Snail gel stickers were given.

A cake was nowhere to be found at that hour, so a marshmallow was the stand in. The only candle to be found was a numeral candle - with the number 3. Besides, you know, 3 is the new 16! I've had WAY too much fun going around today and telling her "happy third birthday!".

Happy Birthday was sung, until another camper threw open his door and yelled at the ongoing party. I'm kind of sorry I missed that one, actually.

Tonight, the festivities continued by way of another teen camper making some delicious brownies. This time, five candles were lit (5? Really? Why? I mean, it's not even divisible!), happy birthday was sung, and nobody yelled at us. Boo. What's a party without somebody telling you to PIPE DOWN!!!!

I cannot believe my "baby" is 16! SIXTEEN! I have to go ponder that for a bit longer. Sixteen. I should say something deep, or spiritual, or reflective, but I can't. I can't believe she is sixteen!!!

Blog Me

2009-02-22T17:08:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry, I've been having too much fun to post anything!

We pull out of here in the morning, and head over to another campground for a couple of days before heading up to Seattle via the Hoover Dam.

Some snippets: My face is sunburned. Half the kids are sunburned. This morning they ate hummus, broccoli, and sunflower seeds for breakfast. Yesterday I was a big girl and unclogged the black tank allllll by myself. I haven't, however, been able to fix the stupid leak on the stupid sink. I forgot a dustpan, so every time I sweep I have to borrow one. The smoke alarm goes off every time I fix food, so I've taken to saying "it's not a meal until the alarm goes off!". Which is sort of amusing, and even more amusing if you actually know us. Went to the tide pools at Dana Point yesterday, and saw some very large starfish. Stayed up too late last night, chatting around the campfire.

We are thinking we want a bus conversion when we upgrade, we've been through several here at the rally and they are really cool. We have the smallest rig by far, and the most people. But hey now, debt free is debt free, and we can make this work. So work it we shall until we can get us a bus!

More tomorrow or so, when we pull out of here.

Weather This

2009-02-18T13:46:00.000-08:00

Yesterday? Was a VERY long day. The whole thing would have been funny, if not for the fact that - well - it wasn't actually funny!

It all started out innocent enough. Got some sleep, got back on the road. Made decent time, even though we encountered every kind of weather you can think of: Snow. Rain/snow mix. Pouring rain. Fog. A little hail. Sunshine. Overcast. I felt like I was watching Weather Channel, only live! Pushed it a little bit, bribing the kids with a couple store bought snacks. Made the decision to drive until about 2 am, which gave a very do able amount of driving left for Wednesday. And then....

At 11:30, the car broke down. Now, it wasn't really my fault. My gas gauge told me I had 93 miles of gasoline left. Great! Duly noted! A couple miles later it says 83 miles to empty. Hmm. Okay? Awesome, the next exit is 7 miles down the road. Then the gauge dipped to 40 miles left. Then a mile later after that it suddenly says 23 miles, then DING, the low fuel light comes on, and BAM. I'm done. I coasted about a mile and a half, leaving me almost three full miles from the exit.

It's pitch black. I'm on I-5 going towards LA, and if you've ever driven it, you know that there are spots that are rather.... empty. I ponder my options. Option preference #1? Onstar. After a phone consult with dh, I push the Onstar button. And... nothing happens. After four tries, it finally connects. Then the lady says that I am not showing up. After a search of the database, it is determined that my car isn't signed up. Which, it is, so her telling me it isn't? Not okay. Since I don't exist in their database, we can't confirm the location so she can a) send out Chevrolet Road Care, which I would have to pay for or b) use the information to call for our RV roadside assistance.

At this point, it's been a solid 20 minutes already, and I'm not happy. The last time I broke down in the middle of nowhere, AAA had somebody on the way within minutes. Now I'm on to option #2, which is to get a hold of the RV road side assistance. I pull out the brochure from sign up, and the number says to call a number if you have an emergency. I call the second number, and that one tells me the same information as the first number (office hours and days), and then hangs up on me. Okay, NOW I am steamed. Seriously. It's past midnight, trucks are blazing right by me, and I have NOBODY on the way to help. I think about screaming, but reconsider, being that it will probably wake up the kids that are still asleep. I joke around with oldest that ha ha, it's not a trip until we break down!

Rather than bore you to tears, just imagine a flurry of about twenty phone calls back and forth between myself, hubby, Onstar, and then finally the RV roadside assistance. Finally, at 12:45 am, help is finally on the way, and will be arriving by 1:30. At 1:15, I notice my battery is going kaput, and the lights and emergency flashers are fading. Oldest kid starts praying, she's freaking out a little. Right then, a California Highway Patrolman shows up. YAY! He offers to stay until the tow truck arrives. Double yay! At 1:30, the tow truck driver shows up, and CHP takes off. Tow driver dumps gasoline into the tank, jump starts the car, and then follows me to the exit. YAY!

By now it's what, 2 am? I'm tired. We forge on ahead, we have to make up a little time. After about half an hour, I'm just totally done for. First rest stop we pass, full. Second, full. And by "full", I mean "semi trucks up and down the on ramp, the off ramp, and taking up every square inch of the available parking". The third rest stop, which we're all anxiously waiting for by now, is CLOSED. The next rest stop is NINETY miles away. 90. miles. Might as well be on the other side of the planet. 90 miles is also starting to get fairly close to our destination, so what's the point in stopping? It's already 3:30 am....

Yes, I did end up staying up all night. Yes, we made it safe and sound to the campground. Yes, I did find the Los Angeles traffic to be quite horrific, especially when trying to stay awake. Yes, I encountered a few of the infamous rude drivers, including twice being mid lane change and then having cars speed up and forcing me back into the other lane. Yes, I did almost get pulled over, until the cop decided he had better things to do and took off, leaving me with verbal instructions. No, I won't tell you more about that. Yes, I did call hubby and yell at him. No, it didn't help, but yes, it made me feel better. Sort of.

The campground is BEAUTIFUL. Everyone is really nice. The sun is shining, the little kids are napping. Ahhhh.... Love it!

Hear That?

2009-02-17T07:09:00.000-08:00

That, my friends, is the sound of the road. We're at a rest stop in Oregon right now. The truck next to me is idling, and I can hear the cars on the freeway. There's something about that noise.....

We had a few last minute issues to deal with on our way out the door. One important one? The brake lights. The brake lights! One of them wouldn't come on. I actually have no idea what was wrong with it. We bought some new bulbs, jiggled a few things around, and wa la. It worked. Whew.

At any rate, we didn't make it out the door until 6 PM, between lost bolts for the safety chains, the aforementioned lights, last minute laundry, and the like. We had a brief stop in Olympia to drop off library books, and stopped in Centralia at the Pyrex/Corning Ware outlet to get some bowls (and pushed a car off the freeway ramp, and since I couldn't move because she was in front of me, the whole ramp was blocked, and the cops came, but that's another story). We pushed on until about 2 am, and got almost 300 miles in yesterday, so I'm fairly pleased that we actually *got somewhere even though we didn't leave until so late.

Made a stop in Portland to get the trailer washed. Got lost. Got lost some more. Called hubby to give me directions, because I was utterly confused about where this place was (probably would have helped if he had told me the name of it when telling me what exit!). Got lost a little longer. Finally found the darn place. Got the trailer washed. Got back out on the road. Stopped to get gas - and nothing in the trailer was working. No lights, no refrigerator. Check the breakers. Check the fuses. Check the battery. Nothing happens. Have an inner freak out and will myself to not have a total and complete meltdown at said gas station. Ignore the problem by getting back on the road. Stopped an hour later and ta da! IT WORKED!

And now you're up to speed, more or less. We're going to shove back off onto the road in a few minutes here, and start making some more headway. And can I just say, when it's 40 degrees out and you don't have a gen set, and you therefore do not have heat? COLD!

Total and Major Freak Out

2009-02-15T23:13:00.001-08:00

I can't find 3 yo's other shoe. The only other shoes he owns besides this?

Rain boots? Um, yeah. That isn't going to work well.

Then I went downstairs to check on the laundry situation, believing it was almost all finished. And guess what I found?

TONS of laundry (but no missing strap cover for the 3 yo's car seat). NO WONDER there haven't been any socks. They were all downstairs, shoved in the oddest places.

It's likely I'll be up till about 1, doing laundry. And then up again first thing doing MORE freaking laundry.

I am NOT a happy person right now. I feel downright cranky!

1 AM - I'm thinking I put the strap covers somewhere so I wouldn't lose them, only now I can't remember where I put them. Genius. Pure genius. Still no sign of the shoe.

Crazy

2009-02-15T21:13:00.000-08:00

At the last minute (oh, recurring theme!) I decided to put a shelf in above the kitchen. It's given me a considerable amount of space for storage. We're running the dishwasher - again. Refrigerator and freezer are packed. Stick built house is a frickin' disaster, and yes, we're *still doing laundry.

We'll keep on with the laundry until about midnight. We're in the throes of sorting out shoes right now. And, I lost the car keys, which means we can't get into the roof top box. Or run to the store for caffeine. The kids are getting even more excited, if that was even possible. The 10 yo keeps hopping and handflapping through the house, the camper, the yard.... just up and down, all over the place. He says he's so excited he can't be still.

Our To Do list is shrinking even more. We're patting ourselves on the back right now. It's only taken about a dozen trips to Lowe's, but hey..... it's gettin' done!

Last Minute

2009-02-15T11:42:00.000-08:00

Everyone has to have a talent.

Mine, apparently, is Waiting Until The Last Minute.

Hubby and I were up until 2 am installing shelving in the cupboards. I'm glad we made the investment in the materials and in our time, because WOW! What a difference! Eventually I'd like to have baskets or bins to pull out of each shelf. Just for organization and ease of use, it would be nice. Even without it though, this is fabulous. Hubby just headed out to Lowe's to get one of the other boards cut to a different size, and buy more brackets.

I slept in this morning, but who can blame me! I tried to get up at 8, and then immediately fell back over. Too. Exhausted. !!!!

I'm off now to pack the refrigerator, vacuum, wash the windows, and put the screens back in.

The To Do list, it is shrinking!

Isn't it time to leave yet??

Hey, Stupid?

2009-02-14T18:19:00.000-08:00

Yes, that would be me.

I *know you're not supposed to call names, but trust me. In this case? It's totally warranted.

Last summer, one of the lights on the outside of the trailer stopped working. It was working... and then it wasn't. I was frantic. Holy crap! I broke it! How do I fix it? I checked the fuses. They were fine. I replaced the fuse anyway. Nope, still didn't work.

Can you believe that not once, not even for a minute, that I considered that the light bulb burnt out?

So here we are, it's been non working since..... August? We were in it until mid September. And I just now, just this very day, got it working again.

Um. Yay?

Pack it Up

2009-02-14T08:52:00.000-08:00

We've been wrapped up in dealing with a crisis the past few days (of a friend nature, not a family nature), so we've not gotten much done around here. Our goal is to leave at 2 pm tomorrow. The biggest thing in our way is the laundry, I think I'm going to take oldest kid over to the laundromat to wash the comforter and sleeping bags.

Hubby and I hit the camping store, and then the trailer store yesterday. Got most of the needed supplies. Have to go to Lowe's this morning to get the shelving, and things like the screen repair. I've already put in two loads of laundry this morning. We're installing the new replacement safety mechanisms on the trailer in a few minutes.

Gonna be a flurry of activity around here, but we already knew that, now didn't we? This is why I hated school - I always waited till the last minute to do projects and then oh! THE STRESS!!!

Keep an eye on the "to do" list below. I'll be crossing off items as they get done.

To Do

2009-02-10T11:53:00.001-08:00

No, no, I don't have anything to do at all, why do you ask?

*Replace screen on bunk bed
~~repair heating duct under sofa~~
*Replace/repair kitchen faucet (couldn't find replacement. Tried repair, replaced o rings. Still leaking everywhere)
*wash car seat covers (2 out of 3 so far)
*put car seats back together (2 out of 3 done)
*Shower curtain
*Toilet paper holder
*Safety Chain Replacement
*Breakaway Chain Replacement
*Chain on drop down stove
*7 Pin Replacement
*buy shelving
*Put shelving in wardrobes/cabinets
*door or something to cover kitchen cabinet where we took microwave out
*get curtains hemmed
*hang curtains
*WD 40 on jacks
*fix light bulb on outside
*Wash trailer!
*roof top box
*get AAA RV reinstated Bought different company emergency roadside assistance
*detail truck
*get wire harness fixed in truck
*tow mirrors installed
*clean windows in trailer
*wash air filter for a/c
*WATER SOFTENER
*flush king for sewer hose
*Laundry
*laundry
*laundry
*find/purchase six orange cones
*Pack trailer <---work in progress
*go through summer clothes
*put screens back up
*purchase two more curtains
*buy basic tools for trailer

Stuff that will have to wait until we get back but need to get done:

*new foam for bunks
*bins for shelving above dinette and sofa