New friends and frozen mice

You really meet the best sort of people out on the road.  Today I had the privilege of meeting another homeschool family that is also road schooling at my rv park.  They have a blog as well, guess I will have to look them up.  I had a good time talking to the mom, Sara, and Tres hit it off with the son who was about his age.  This is a tremendous thing, because Tres has the hardest time of all of our children with making friends.

Well, if you have been around homeschoolers very often, you might know about the wild and crazy things that happen in the name of education, especially science education.  And when you get several homeschoolers together, it only multiplies.

I met this new family this morning after our kids met at the playground.  Conversation turned to pets, and the son wanted to see our snakes.  So I told him that if he wanted to see them, it needed to be now, because later this afternoon was snake feeding day, and then the snakes would need time to digest.  To most people, this would bring about squeals of revulsion, but to a homeschooler, this is a fascinating learning opportunity.  So, I extended an invitation for them to view the feeding later in the afternoon, which they graciously accepted.

At 3:00, I had the snake cages lined up outside my rv and mice thawed. I use frozen mice that we buy from the pet store, and I thaw them with hot water.  On the road, I usually feed snakes outside so I have more space.  All the children were fascinated to see how snakes eat.  It is really amazing at just how large a snake's mouth can become.

Then we turned to more typical homeschool conversation of curriculum and learning styles.  I am so encouraged to meet this family.

Making memories...

Minions roasting hotdogs in the camp fire

Living the RV dream...

The one thing that blows me away about living full time in the RV is all the simple and fun adventures we share as a family. Today, as I got home from a day full of meetings and a long drive, I was greeted with excited and happy campers. Today the are getting to roast hot dogs in the camp fire.

Simple right? Absolutely. 

But it is simple things such as roasting hot dogs in the fire that provide fun and excitement on the road. At home we would probably grill or cook the hot dogs on the stove and have dinner at the table. No real excitement there. Change the scenery, roast the hot dogs over the fire and sitting in camping chairs, now you have adventure.

I think that is one of the fondest memories I have as a kid. The rugged outdoors, cooking your own food, and laughing and sharing during the process implants long, fun loving memories. It is something that the kids and I love to do. Along with fun, it is fairly cheap to do.

Uno playing guitar

The kids thought that playing music and singing by the campfire would make the event even more special. Uno brought out her guitar, my son brought his djembe, all while the rest of us lent our voices to some songs as we watched the sun set. That my friends are moments that make me more resolute that living this strange and fun lifestyle more fun.

Every day is an adventure if you look for it. I am sure you and duplicate this at home living in the traditional way. However, I think that living in our RV, on the road with the kids, it is just easier. They can play, explore, and see new sites and have new adventures almost daily. It truly is an escape from normalcy. We can escape competing with the Jones's. We can set our own expectations, living a life more fulfilled.