The Ever-Creative Evie

Duct Tape Purse Perfection

As I  walked through the door, I was tackled by Evie. She was excited to see me and have her daddy home. She was overwhelming excited to show me her knew art/craft project. A purse made from duct tape. I have seen a lot of things and I have to say that I am very impressed. 

She had made it for her friend back home she is planning to visit with today. Evie is like that. She often gives of herself and time to her friends. She like to make them happy. Making things, either drawing or using her 'other creative' forces to conjure up something fills her day.

School had gone by so much better today. Kids were up, happy, and much more focused today. Jen had several projects around Arrakis to finish before she heads back home to take care of some personal business, visit family, and check on the house. I for one will fend for myself for the next couple of days. I think I can manage.

A family dinner, a day of unfortunate events

Kids setup the picnic table for a great summer dinner

Today was a tough day...

From the very start of the day, it started to rain. This made travel to my new work location difficult having to almost travel by the Force due to the heavy rain, crazy traffic, and newness to the area. Luckily, with my Waze App loaded on my iPhone, I was able to get turn by turn navigation and avoid some costly delays. Even with the bad weather, I was able to make good time and arrive to my new client site ready to work.

As with any client, there are politics and culture. I have to say that the culture at my new client location is the most difficult I have experienced in recent past. It seems that there are those who are the 'culture police' to make sure that everyone is following 'the policy.' So, I was a little put back by the change in scenery. Especially with worrying about every step I make could lead to someone sending some email to higher ups because of something I may have done. 

Use of headphones... Nope

Eating at your desk...Nope

Use of cellphone... Only in approved areas

Texting.... Nay, Nay!

Jen kicking back to enjoy a book after her tough day

I am a take charge kind of guy. You give me something, I get it done. I am diligent, hard working, and work fast. Part of that is due to my ability to focus a midst distractions. One of my tools is the use of headphones. Being able to listen to music or podcasts in the background allows me to drown out the drivel around me. So, the culture in this location will test my wits and my ability to focus. Change is always hard.

Jen had her own list of struggles today. For one, our oldest was falling behind in her schoolwork and only putting in minimal effort. That is a struggle with homeschooling. The more 'open' environment, can lead to laziness. It is important to identify the struggle, offer encouragement, and if necessary enforce proper habits so that they can succeed. Homeschooling is a pleasure for sure, but these struggles can be daunting. You don't want your children to fall behind. You want to make sure they are making steady progress. At times,  you have to reset, re-evaluate, and make a course correction. Jen, the trooper and mom-extraordinaire, had to take a stronger stance than usual, and Uno followed suit.

On top of that, we had another camper misadventure. We forgot to batten down the hatches so to speak and left the outdoor kitchen door lifted up. This has never been a problem in the past. I guess I say that a lot since we are still inexperienced as full timers. Water seemed to fly sideways and collect on top of the counter in the outdoor kitchen. It then flowed underneath and got the floor wet in the minion's bunk room. So Jen battled getting all the water up, closing the outdoor door (getting soaked in the process), and getting all the wet things dry. We had to go out and get a wet dry vac to help finish the job and using fans to help finish drying the carpet. 

As you can tell, both Jen and I were in foul moods by the evening. Instead of cooking for ourselves, we got take out Chinese and had a lovely evening at the picnic table. The weather was much cooler due to the rain and quite enjoyable. We finished dinner, kids biked, and Jen and I grabbed books, our zero gravity chairs, and set ourselves to a quiet evening. This lasted a while until the swarms of mosquitoes decided to descend to our location. Packing up the books, T-Rex, and a few odds and ends, we headed to the camper. We finished the evening watching '1911', a historical movie about the Chinese Revolution starring Jackie Chan. Tomorrow, will be a better day, at least we hope it to be.

Tech savvy minions

Can you see the joy and excitement?

As you can see here, we have a new computer for the RV road school experiment. On my last trip to the local Wally-World with Dos, we looked at available and inexpensive options for buying a new laptop for Jen and the family to use along with the other 'tech' tools our children use for their education. I found a 'hodge-podge' selection of laptops that will fit our needs while not breaking the bank.

While not the Macbook air and the poor experience we received from Best Buy, this purchase was straight forward. No surprises waited for us. Jen actually picked out her new machine. While more expensive than I original was looking for, it was far cheaper than our previously mentioned first choice. I prefer Macs, won't stray from that idea, however this wasn't the computer I was going to be using on a day to day basis.

The computer booted up, I setup the user accounts and downloaded a few apps to help us get started. I spent the evening on my own setup with apps such as Evernote and Dropbox. Both accounts I use on a daily basis for storing notes, writing, and documents that I need to save. Evernote is my go to powerhouse. It is free and makes note taking and searching a breeze. I use it for day to day notes and messages to storing receipts that I scan in. There are a million ways to use the application. Some people have used it to write books to movie scripts. Others use it for grocery lists and daily task management. If you can think it, it is open and free enough to do it. Dropbox is an easy way to have documents readily available and shared at a whim. Need to send out a new resume to prospective consulting firms or clients, it is available to me via phone, Ipad, or computer. Evernote is much the same, synced via the 'cloud', I have access to all my notes, to-do's etc.

Other great ways of using these apps is for price shopping. Walking around and find something you want to buy but wonder if you are getting the best price? Take a snapshot on your phone via Evernote of the serial number, model, and price and then at your leisure, you can shop around. That is how we shopped for a new laptop. I took a snapshot of the different laptops we were interested in and shopped around. I found that the machine could be bought more cheaply online, but didn't want the hassle of shipping and the added costs. The two year protection was far cheaper than other options online, so our choice was pretty clear. That said, Jen did buy a different laptop than the one I was shopping for, but ultimately it was for her and she needed to be happy with her choice. Knowing that I wasn't going to pay a huge premium, and the alternatives were 'refurbished' models, my conscious was clear. 

One of those rainy days...

You know it is one of those rainy days....

On those rainy days, sometimes camping out and
watching a movie is the best thing you can do

The kids are rambunctious and full of energy. Being trapped in the camper, our home, 'Arrakus' to us, tests the limits of controlled chaos. I fully expected Jen's hair to be completely white, and Dos bouncing off the walls from the sheer confinement.

I was greeted with none of that. Jen and Jr. were on the couch reading a book together. Tayla ("T-Rex") was playing with her naked barbies. Don't ask me why they are naked. Rest assured that if you buy this child a Barbie, it will inevitably end up naked. I think, clothes on these figures are just extra wrapping to her. Either way, she was having a great time playing with them.

Jen had stewed chicken on the stove cooking away while I sat and unwind. Uno and Dos were out making new friends and riding their bikes. The weather had been clear for just a short hour and they took full advantage of getting on the bikes and 'vamoosing' away.

Funny thing these kids. They were so worried about not having friends, or being able to make new friends. But not a week goes by and they have made numerous new friends and pen-pals. Is it still called pen-pals when they just email each other? I digress.

I remember the fears of family members that our kids were grow up awkward. They were afraid are children would turn into the 'social pariah' of weirdness. Rest assured, my kids are socially healthy, have tons of interests, and can make friends at a drop of the hat. I challenge the notion to say my kids are better at making friends that 'normal' kids. You see, my kids don't have a social ladder to climb. My kids don't have to have approval from others in order to fit in a specific pecking order. My kids are kids, and can be just that. My kids are not pressured to fit into a specified peer group. My kids are 'free range....'

Free range? Doesn't that sound ultra hip and veggie? Oh dear, does that mean I am a hippy? Well, so far I don't dress like one, I still like to hunt, shoot guns, and guns shows are second or third most important events to attend other than church and evening supper. But yes, I am a little free range I guess. I am happy my kids are home schooled, and I am happy my kids are free to explore the world instead of confined to a specific geographic location. Just this last month, you would be amazed if you could see what I see in my kids eyes. It is like a world is unlocked to them. They have explored, done things, and seen many new things that they would never had a chance to see without this opportunity to be with me on the road.

Art and History Night

The Board Game of Se-net

Tonight turned into Art History night...

We started the evening with chili on the stove and an evening of sharing. Kids were in rare form for sure. We had a stressful day. Tonight we planned a simple evening filled with quiet times of reading, or other less involved activities.

Jen had to deal with our 'black pyramid' and had to flush the tank again. I had a brutal day answering the phone and fixing user issues. I think the quiet time was much needed as I really didn't want to have a lot of noise in the background. Spend a day in a cramped room surrounded by unhappy folks and dealing with critical issues does that to you.

I started the book 'Midnight in the garden of good and evil' and Momma-San went to bed early leaving me with a disquieted and rambunctious group of minions. No problem I thought. My book will have to wait. Uno asked for a game of Se-net. She is enthralled with everything Egyptian. She got this really cool book with fold outs and activities that she bought from her trip to the Museum in Chicago.

She told me the rules, we played. It was surprisingly fun. Much like a mix of chess, Othello, and 'Sorry!' all rolled into one. I like playing board games, the problem with two person games is that everyone else wants to play. Trying to keep T-Rex, the most annoyed minion who wanted to play, occupied was a tough job.

I haven't sketched in years, this was my result

That is when we turned to art. T-Rex was satisfied coloring in her new coloring book. Uno and Dos wanted me to teach them how to draw. We spent the next hour and a half working on drawing the human head and how to sketch things so that they eventually come out the way they wanted to.
In the end, all off to bed. I settled the minions down with a little struggle, and I am off to bed.

Chores and minions

T-Rex showing us she can clean like the bigger minions

Chores and the family, it is essential in keeping Arrakis orderly but it does a whole lot more than that. Have you ever met anyone who couldn't boil water, cook a decent meal, or simply forgot to learn basic life skills before reaching adult hood? I know countless examples from my college days. From simple meals such as Ramen Noodles to balancing a check book, there are people who just don't know.

That scares me quite frankly. At the same time, I remember resenting some of the chores I had when growing up. I remember having to push mow a half acre lawn at least once, maybe twice a week during the summer. I remember also having to weed-eat the entire thing. What was worse, there had to be nice straight lines. No round about in a circle mowing which is easy and keeps you going one direction. Nay, Nay... a nice pristine yard or nothing at all.

Want your own car? Get a job!

Got the job? Great, get your own insurance!

Mine was never this cool....

On down the rabbit hole I go. Teenager to responsibility and self sufficiency was a major piece of the 'raising' I got. Not that it was all bad. I learned how to do things for myself. I had to solve problems. I had to learn to manage money, pay bills, and take care of myself. If my car broke down, I had to buy my own parts. At times, my dad or a friend would assist me in repairs, but the majority of the time, I had to do my own work. I remember replacing the front grill and nose panel on my '78 Pontiac Grand Prix. It didn't match in color, but it looked better than the broken one it had when I bought it for $1000. I put it on myself. The grin on my face, and the feeling of accomplishment was immense.

So in the Barnes family, everybody pitches in. We all participate in getting things done. Basic cleaning to maintenance and repair. We all have our jobs to do. This helps us because it helps the family continue. You could call it 'survive' or better yet 'thrive'. We all are better off by doing the chores. It provides teaching moments, independent skills, and many other life lessons. Think of a goldfish and toilet situation. For us, Hamster and Air Conditioner... long story.

So, here is my list of why chores are important for family life on the road...

• A person who enters the real world with life skills will have a far easier time living, working, and dealing with others.
• Chores teach basic discipline.
• Simple chores around the house teach invaluable things such as time management, prioritization, and organization.
• We are a family, and the chores keep the family moving ahead and thus children learn that everyone has a part that makes the family stronger.
• Staves off 'self-entitlement'. Parents are not slaves to the children and we don't want our children to think the 'world' owes them something. If they want it, go out and work for it.

Breakfast Awesomeness

Come on... Stop drooling!

Off to work. Early in the morning and my wife got up with me and made me probably my most favorite breakfast in the world. "An omelet, light and fluffy...", to quote one of my favorite VeggieTales videos. Rounding it out with Dunkin' Donuts Coffee and fresh blueberries from the farmers market!

Before you start screaming at me for 'making' Jen get up and make me breakfast, I have to say it is a true blessing that Jen is more than willing to help me. I roll out of bed, shower, get dressed and have to be on the road in short order. My drive to the client site is a bit far from our campsite. We looked at others sites but they either didn't have room, or had less than admirable reviews online. We are pretty content with our location. While the drive makes my twelve hour day of work that much longer, a peaceful and restful place to call our home while on the road makes it worth it.

Uno and Minion 'Miss Mayham' find a frog

So Jen helps me tremendously by making me breakfast. It allows me to eat a healthy and well rounded breakfast without having to worry about fast food, junk food that is readily available at work, or other less than healthy options. With her help, I have been able to lose twenty seven pounds and keep it off!

Jen makes 'Arrakis' home everyday. From homeschooling, and keeping up with things, Jen has a lot on her hands. But we are having fun! Even when greeted with the dreaded 'black pyramid' as I arrived home today. For those who don't know about the 'black pyramid', it is what happens when the sewer backs up at the drain pipe and piles up behind it. 

Luckily we have a black water flush system. Hooked up the water hose to the system and ran it for about fifteen minutes to flush it out. Problem solved. It is those little things added to our camper that make it easy to maintain and solve the simple problems. Quick and easy, on to more fun.

One other thing... the door latch on our camper seemed very difficult to open last night. I was constantly getting up to open the door as the kids were coming back from playing or riding their bikes. Frustrated, I grabbed one of the most important tools in any mans arsenal... WD40. With a few squirts in the lock mechanism and along the latch and the problem was solved. 

And the hero for the day is..... Still Jen. One door fix still doesn't outweigh breakfast awesomeness.

Fun in the Sun, and not handling stress well

Another day in the Sun. The kids had an absolute blast yesterday when they visited Central Beach along the Lake Shore. Always careful as you can see, each of the minions wore a life jacket. It seems that the lake claims lives every year and that the under tow can pull people away. Of course this is the case whether you are in the Great Lakes, a river, or the ocean... there are always dangers.

Combine common sense, and a little extra precaution, you can have a fun day at the beach wherever you may end up. The only issue we had is that the kids came back a little sun burned. It could have been worse, all of our children take after me with fair complexion. We found earlier this year bathing suits that have UV protection and bought a swim suit for everyone in the family. That helps a lot. Me, I go from pasty white to the color a Lobster, back to pasty white.

The kids also were able to get five pounds of Michigan Blueberries from a local farmer's market. I would rather them eat healthy and delicious blueberries than snack away on unhealthy things like potato chips and other garbage easy to find at your local grocer. As you can see T-Rex in this photo, she is drinking one of the soda's made from our new SodaStream. Ok, we are not perfect! Sure, we could go the all natural way, however for our family, we live in a balance.

For me, I had a long frustrating day on the job. Coming home, I wanted to bless the wife by taking her out and buying her a new laptop since our old one crashed and the junker desktop we have been limping along at home didn't quite fit in our camper, we needed something very manageable that could server multiple purposes. 

We decided on a MacBook Air. I am a huge fan when it comes to Apple products. After supporting both Windows and Linux environments in my past, I decided several years back that I would buy a Mac and see what the hub-bub was all about. I was very surprised and happy. It combines the best in general security, had a great operating system based on Unix, that was mainstream enough to provide plenty of apps to meet my needs that worked well to integrate easily with Windows environments and networks. 

The main use of the new MacBook Air is for homeschooling. Providing kids with the tools they need to do their schoolwork, and matched with awesome and easy to use creative tools to make the whole process fun. My lovely bride would have all the tools she needed to prepare for teaching, with a small footprint to boot. And it fits really well with the RV life. It is ultra portable, lightweight, and rugged!

We found a great deal on the MacBook at the local BestBuy. They had an open boxed version for $250 less than a brand new one. I bought an external super drive as well as an AppleTV to go along with the accessories. The drive allows us to run DVD's as well as other learning programs we use to help the kids in the learning. We had to purchase this because MacBook Airs do not have a DVD/CD drive. That is fine with me because most of the time, we don't use it. Most of the material is available online to download. The AppleTV is for us to be able to send video streaming to our large TV. Thus making the material much more easily watched instead of having kids cram around a small screen.

Bought and paid for, off to the camper...that is when the trouble started. I opened the MacBook Air and everything looked fine. As soon as I booted up, I expected the normal start up and walk through that you normally see on Mac's to help you set up the computer. To my surprise, they hadn't wiped the machine. Worse they had locked the login user out from basically EVERYTHING. This along with not even providing passwords for the accounts made things more difficult. I even tried removing the setup file using terminal so that when I rebooted, it would take me through the process again of setting up the machine and creating new Admin and user accounts.

None of that worked. Instead, I had to call Apple Support. We went and wiped out the old settings and to my dismay, they wiped out the entire OS. The good thing is that you can restore the entire machine by downloading a new OS through the restore process. Unfortunately, it wouldn't find my wireless connection in the camper. I tried everything. I even walked the campground in the dark in hopes to find a good signal. No Dice. Eventually, I just gave up, put the machine in the box and tried to calm down.

In the kids excitement, they all wanted to see and look at the new machine. I was already under a lot of stress trying to get it configured. I really didn't want to be bombarded with a thousand questions and have everyone clambering around me to get a look at the new machine. I lost my cool. I yelled at the kids. Father of the year award... lost. 

I am definitely not perfect. I have lots of opportunities to grow in this area. I wasn't angry at them, I was angered that this new purchase that was supposed to be a godsend to my wife and children was utterly falling flat on its face. Instead of closing the computer and giving up an hour and a half before I did, I took the frustrations out on my children. Some things are just not worth yelling about. A smart person would realize that we should have had it checked out before we took it home. You know what they say when you assume...

Needless to say, Jen and I got up in the morning and prayed. I asked for forgiveness for my crappy attitude, and we are taking the MacBook Air back. I left it up to Jen as to whether she would take a replacement, or have the GeekSquad (who we purchased a package from) would work on the machine. Either way, I am fine with the decision. God is in control, even when I think I should be. This is a great lesson to me about living on the road. Things don't go as planned. Sometimes it will be out of your control. The best way to respond when things get away from you is to give up, seek help from those who are well suited to do so, and move on. It is not worth all the fuss nor the damage to relationships it could cause!

I was skeptical, but I was desperate...

I was skeptical, but I was desperate as to whether or not I could ever get any satisfactory wireless internet at the RV. Often times in the evening, I am logging in to make sure there are not problems and to prepare for the next day. Having a decent wireless connection speed saves me tons of time. Instead of fighting to connect, hopefully not getting dropped or suspended for an indefinite time, I want to log on, do my stuff and log off so that I can do something more meaningful like playing with the kids, fishing, or just about anything else.


As for road schooling, we don't have the extra room to store books and lots of 'paper' materials. A lot of the work has to be done online or using products such as Google docs to get the work done. Each of our children have a Amazon Kindle Fire we bought when they were selling refurbished ones for $149. This allows us to use them in conjunction with one laptop computer instead of having a laptop for each child. As you can imagine, for road-schooling like we are, connectivity is a must. Nothing like having a toddler upset that she cannot watch her PBS kids on her Kindle Fire! With the Kindle Fire's loaded down with books, and materials for homeschooling, it is just a matter of having connectivity to the Internet to allow us to facilitate and guide them through the process.


Over the last couple of years, I have tried several products from wireless tethering on my phone to buying a separate service such as Clear.com (don't get me started on them), paying for a data plan on my iPad, and just being frustrated all the time.


However, from a good suggestion I found perusing forums to find a way to amplify or extend an existing wireless network that would work well in an RV setting, I came across the NETGEAR Universal Wi-Fi Range Extender. The price was $67 and available at the local Walmart.  I have spent far more to try and get connected only to feel like I have utterly wasted my time and money. Often times products are so hard or complicated to setup or worse, they just don't work as described.


However, I did try this product after some glowing reviews in the forums along with great reviews on Walmart's own website. I was surprised at how easy it was to setup. I don't own the wireless at the campground but I was easily able to connect to, extend, and fully use it with this extender. As you can see, it takes up very little room and makes a world of difference.