It can be done! We have an oven in the camper. It is a gas oven that you have to light every time you use it– which we had zero experience with before. It is also tiny….1 shelf that does not move. It only fits a 9×13 size pan or smaller….. But even with all these new differences compared to a typical oven we can still bake! I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed baking until I thought I would not be able to. We have baked a birthday cake, brownies, cinnamon rolls, sausage babies, apple turnovers, biscuits, muffins, manicotti and cookies! (And as I type that list its a visual that I have sweet problem…I’ve always known but now you do too!!!)
8:00- He goes to work, work at this hour includes cleaning the pool, picking up trash (cruising in a golf cart looking for bags on the side of the road), being on call for any maintenance type needs. She finishes breakfast with the boys. Then usually does some form of “camper school” which involves calendar time, reading a bible story and then something else….. doing a craft, singing deep and wide and then going to the beach and digging deep and wide holes. There are endless options.
9:00- She has to send a Zingle (a text message to all the humans staying at the campground regarding the day’s activities). The boys are welcome to come along on a trip to the office (we both have golf carts so getting around is pretty easy) or they can opt to go work with Dad (they love trash duty).
10:00- He is still on duty (with or without one or two children) and usually has started working on a project of some sort by this time- mowing, building bunk beds, cleaning AC filters, tearing down picnic tables etc etc. She is either having free time and at the beach playing baseball or something of the sort with the boys. Or could be prepping. Prepping could be for the craft at 11:00 or for the next week, planning events, drafting weekly schedules etc.
11:00- We both are usually at the morning activity. Depending on the day of the week this could include: scavenger hunt, worship, craft time, tie dying, rock painting or something of the sort. The boys are with us doing said activity.
12:00- Lunch time! We both clock out and go back to the camper and eat lunch. We get an hour lunch break IF we have to go back that afternoon. He goes back on mowing or big project days. She goes back on prepping days. Sometimes we both stay home after lunch, it varies.
1:00- Nap time and quiet time. Little m still naps. Big M has quiet time (he is in our room) playing with quiet toys, listening to an audio book or occasionally falls asleep. They get their time apart and now Mom and Dad can too. We take turns taking our own naps, going to the beach or pool and reading, running errands.
2:00- Still nap time for little m. Big M gets to do a “big boy activity” (something he doesn’t get to do when a younger brother is around). Work on phonics flashcards, play with slime or rice, play slap jack or matching, read a chapter book. Sometimes both parents are around, sometimes one is working or sometimes one is doing their own relaxing.
3:00- Nap time is usually getting over. The boys have a snack. And we start getting ready for the 4:00 activity. Prep for anything that might be needed for it.
4:00- Activity time. Usually the Fun Train (he drives a pick up that is pulling 12 double rain barrels on wheels while she is sitting in the bed of the pick up with a megaphone and a stereo and the boys are having a grand ole time). Sometimes this activity time could be a foam party, bike ride or pool games—whatever it is we are all together.
5:00- Most days of the week the work day is over. On Fridays or Saturdays there might be another activity later on. Now we prep, cook and eat dinner. If it’s a beautiful day out we might push everything back and go to the pool for a little while before dinner.
6:00- Clean up dinner. Maybe go on a walk, go to the pool, go to the beach, watch the sunset. Or prep for the 7:00 activity.
7:00- Activities at this time include: s’mores, bingo, movie night, karaoke or glow train. If we have an activity we typically all go and make a night out of it. If there is not an activity then we have some more family time, play baseball, read, walk, ride bikes, beach, pool, etc. Then start showers and get ready for bed.
8:00-Ideal bedtime for boys on non activity evenings. Bedtime gets pushed back if we are still at an activity at this time. Adults clean the camper, have a fire, eat ice cream, work on the blog or just enjoy some peace and quiet.
And for all of this “hard work” we get a free camp site (includes- water, electricity, trash, sewer, cable and internet) plus we each get paid $10/hour.
Stay tuned for an in-depth financial breakdown post soon!
Grab your kiddos and head to the great outdoors! Walk and talk and enjoy your time and when you need something “to do” stick shape time! You guessed it….pick up sticks and make shapes. Once you’ve made shapes you can do some identification “put this rock in the triangle”–and if that needs a competitive edge turn it into a race! Make the shapes into things….the circle into a pizza–now you can play restaurant, turn the square into a house–now you can play house, turn the rectangle into a window–just imagine all the things you can see. Let me know what you and your crew come up with!!
PS- if you’re living on a beach with no trees, you can play this in the sand. That being said… people please enjoy your trees. It’s been a month since we’ve seen real trees. I miss them! If you want to share your fall trees I’d love to see those too!
A part of my gig here is leading actives. Today’s worship time was on me, just thought I’d share my notes with you all. Enjoy
— Emily
I was sitting out at the beach the other morning having some quiet time and I got mesmerized by the waves. It was a very cloudy morning and the sunrise itself was minimal but the ocean just caught me off guard in a new way and it was just so neat. I saw basically three things: waves, ghost crabs and birds.
THE WAVES
The waves came in and they came out but they always came, they were always there. And that just reminded me of God. I had never really looked at the ocean and connected it with God in that way. I’d thought about God creating it and how amazing that was but this was new.
It reminded me of how constant God is. Always there no matter what. The waves do not stop.
The beach can be busy- you can walk up the walkway and look out and there are dozens of people. They have their umbrellas and tents set up. Their speakers are playing music, adults laughing and having a good time, kids are playing and running around. It’s busy…..But the waves are there.
It can also rain at the beach- it can be windy and rainy and you don’t even really want to go out to see the ocean. But just because it’s not perfect and sunny doesn’t mean the waves stop, they are still there.
The ocean can also have storms. Like legit stop you in your tracks, close the roads reroute you kind of storms. But the waves are still there too.
Hebrews 13:8 says ”Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever.” ….He is always there, He doesn’t stop.
So in my little moment there on the beach I saw God as the waves. And then there were the crabs and birds.
GHOST CRABS
Honestly I’m not a huge fan of them, they just kind of creep me out. They walk sideways, their eyes are on top of their head, I always feel like they are watching me, I feel like I have to watch out for them…like they are going to come get me. Like it’s a scorpion or something. Anyway…… they are there at the beach. They are living. They are working. They seem to have an alright life. They scurry across the sand, dig their hole and keep bringing scoops of sand out and then go back for more…. doing the same thing over and over. They can see the waves and hear the waves but they just keep digging their own hole….and then we have…..
The SANDERLING
This little bird is in tune with the waves!! There are usually two wading birds out there. There is a taller bird that wades and gets its grub and moves on —thats the Willet. But the Sanderling, man that things KNOWS the waves. The waves come up and the sanderling scurries up….the waves go back the sanderling scurries back, so in sync, so in tune with the waves. It rarely gets wet, it KNOWS the waves. The sanderling lives off of the waves. It gets its life source, its food from the waves. Its life is a beautiful dance with the waves.
That reminds of Proverbs 3:6 “In all your ways KNOW, recognize and acknowledge Him”…..be the Sanderling, know recognize acknowledge the wave and the life He brings you…..and second part of that verse holds promise….. “and He will direct and make straight your paths.” If you see yourself more as the crab, just stop. Get out of your hole, out of your funk, stop digging and digging and go live by the wave. He’ll make your path straight, He promises it. Live like the sanderling, fully dependent and in sync with His rhythm.
Each picture is a sunrise on a different day. The last picture is the sunrise where these thoughts came from!
No, we are not a traveling, baking circus (even though sometimes it feels like we are) but seriously cookie sheets. While the boys were in their carseats as we traveled this was their table (and let’s not lie sometimes even their plate!), their crayon holder, their play dough tray and their flat coloring book surface. In emergencies it can also be deployed as their seat on the side of the road to watch a blown out tire being replaced (see previous post).
We have used them while being stationary as well. A dry erase marker plus magnets and the fun just keeps on coming. Big M making words and working on sounds, Little M working on matching and identification.
These cookie sheets can be used in more ways than we ever thought and we can’t recommend them enough! Thank you Sister and Dollar tree!
Now, your homework assignment. What do you have lying around that could be used for a completely new purpose?
Obviously not ideal and something you’d never wish for, but if we had to have a blowout (like legit explosion) it turned out perfectly.
No one or no thing was hurt. Praise Jesus, seriously soooo thankful! Someone kindly waved to us frantically (a new word for Big M to learn) indicating what happened. We pulled over (of course it was right as the road curved so cars struggled to see us) but after the cop came and parked behind us with his lights they got over much better.
American Family roadside assistance came in clutch. The tow service came and air jacked the camper up, put on the spare (the boys got a front row seat) and we were on our way. This whole episode gave us two hours of family time in the cab of the pick-up that we did not expect. The boys were able to get out of their carseats and discover every inch of space. They LOVED putting on our sunglasses and still talk about it.
When recapping the day with Big M he said the worst part was getting the flat tire but the best part was watching the flat tire get fixed. It was a great reminder for us that sometimes without the tough parts of life you wouldn’t get the best things God has in store for you.
Went though Missouri, slept in Illinois. Went through Indiana, Kentucky and slept in West Virginia. Breakfast in Ohio because we were so close! And then through Virginia and into North Carolina! We stayed at two KOAs and a cute little campground in the middle of North Carolina- literally adorable! We drove between 6-8 hours each day. Had a tire blow out with a bent rim (more to come later) on day four but overall great days on the road with games, kid’s audio books (actually decent for adults) and a few naps.
Grab a bucket and go for a walk. Collect as many different colors as you can, or as many of the same color as you can, or how about the favorite color of everyone in your family, or…. as you can see the options are endless…. but grab a bucket go find some things (rocks, leaves, flowers, water balloon remnants, etc.) then glue them on paper. Categorize them however you want- color, size or even make a rainbow (again these options are endless.) Easy plus fun and makes a memory. Be with and talk to your kiddos, they are pretty cool.
