Giving the kids the boot

JJ tempts fate by choosing his chores

Ah yes, chores....

Chores and daily cleanup and maintenance is very important when living in an RV full time. You cannot allow clutter to build up, or the dishes left undone. Now, in our family, everyone pitches in. Everyone has an assigned job duty until yesterday.

You see, we started to hear grumbling. Grumbling turned into whining. Whining turned to shear frustration on the part of Jen and myself. It seems that there are more desirable chores than others. I guess some chores are more fun and take less time depending on minion doing them.

So Jen and I gave them the boot... a boot filled with pieces of paper with a chore written upon it.

"Choose and Perish..."

So, the minions got their assigned duties by lottery. In that way, they allowed 'fate' to decide which chore they received. That worked for the most part. Some where happy, some were resigned to the choice given. At least this took the blame off of Jen and I for assigning duties. I guess at times we assigned duties based upon overall productivity. Some washed dishes, vacuumed, or cleared the table better than others and Jen and I might have the tendency to assign tasks based on who performed which chore best.

A reward for good behavior... frozen yogurt!

This came out of the thought of how to get the RV cleaned up the most efficiently. At times this meant children doing these mundane chores over and over. However, that didn't sit well with our minion nation. Their revolt and cries for fairness, prompted a change.

In the end, all was settled. We had peace in our little house on wheels.

Food on the road

Uno at the stove

Here is another installment of food on the road...

Early on, I wrote about the modern conveniences of living in an RV. One of the things people ask is about food, cooking, and meal planning. As you can see above, we have all the modern conveniences of home, in a more compact space. We even have built in slave, minion labor, that help with the day to day meal preparation.

We love to cook. In particular, if you ever met me, I like to eat! Uno, loves to cook and is quite accomplished at the young age of ten. She can cook a great omelet, and has learned many skills from her mom. She even cooks one dinner a week for the family with the assistance of Jen or myself.

When buying for a family of six, prepping, planning, and storage all begin deeply important. For one, we need to make sure that we buy enough in advance so that we can keep from running to the store everyday. We also have to get creative in sizes. We have found that half gallon milk containers are better to buy simply because their shape is more conducive to our storage needs and limited space.Thus, we have learned by trial and error what we can buy so that it meets our needs yet isn't so bulky preventing proper storage. 

That certainly doesn't mean we eat every meal at home. As a traveling consultant on the road, we have the ability to splurge a bit. Just this weekend, we celebrated my brother's MBA at one of his favorite restaurants, Fogo De Chao. Needless to say, it was an exquisite display of never ending meat! It was a lot of fun, great tasting, and enjoyed by all.

A Pre-Teen Road Adventure

My name is Jayelle and my family has decided to live on the road. at first I thought it would not be so bad but now I learned that it is not so easy but I can toughen it out. First of all I cant bring all my make-up I can only bring one thing off eye-shadow, lip-stick, lip-gloss, and blush . A girl has to have her beauty-products! I guess I can do without .

The big problem is personal-space and that is a big one for me. Almost nothing is private . But that is a small price to pay for all the fun I am having! You see lots of crazy things! I saw a giant pink elephant statue holding a beer in its trunk ,CRAZY! I also saw a giant concrete peach with a concrete little boy poking out of it., It reminds me of James and the giant peach!

It is also fun because last night we had a camp-fire adventure. we roasted marsh-mellows., I love those squishy little clumps of sugar! We also roasted hot dogs. I am a master at roasting things.

My twin sister and brother love to torch theirs and they usually falloff. If they do not fall, they are usually on fire. They try to put the fire out by blowing on the marsh-mellows or waving them in the air. It is so funny!

After roasting hot dogs and marsh-mellows, I played my guitar and almost everyone sang along. My brother attempted to play along on his drum. It wasn’t the best but hey, he's learning.

Today we made the trip to a different RV park in Indianapolis. We ate McDonald's for lunch (ick!!!). Then me and my sibs went to the park and met the owner's daughters. Afterward, we went back to the camper.

After a while, dad took us out to dinner. The food was good but the best parts were the jokes from the waiter. My favorite was when the waiter gave my brother the bill and said that he can wash dishes if he had to. The waiter then laughed, took the bill and gave it to my dad. It was funny.

After that, we went home and everyone just chill-axed and had fun. Some point or another T-rex took Pivas's cat cage and started carrying it around announcing that she had a kitty-cat in it . It was somewhat cute, bot mostly ANNOYING. After that, she was quiet and we watched Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

Pets on the Road

Tres with our Children's Python

One of the joys and challenges of being on the road is having pets on the road. Many people avoid bringing pets on the road due to the added inconvenience and cost. But, my family is very attached to our furry and scaly friends, so they had to come along.

“Scaly?”, you question. Yes, we are even different from most people in our choice of pets. We have four snakes living with us in our RV. I had always wanted to have a snake ever since freshman biology with Mr. Riedford at Mt. Vernon High School. Most other students avoided his collection of pythons, but I was one of the few who always sat on the snake side of the room, and handled one of the them whenever I got the chance. But my parents were disgusted by snakes and refused to let my have one. Then when I moved out the responsibilities of adulthood pushed the thought of snakes from my mind. But, there is something about becoming a parent that lets you tap back into the dreams of youth. So, two years ago I finally bought my first snake, a Children's python named Phoenix. Later, we acquired three corn snakes. Much to my husband's astonishment, all four of the kids love the snakes as much as me.

The first challenge of snakes on the road was their housing arrangement. Their usual glass aquariums were completely unfit for the road. So, I drilled holes into the sides of clear plastic bins, and I keep the bins securely closed with bungee cords. Not the most aesthetically pleasing, but it is functional, and the snakes don't seem to mind. Then, to save space, we stack the snakes' bins on top of a set of small plastic drawers. So the kids' room has a tower of snakes!

Tower of Snakes!

The next challenge is temperature control. Snakes are cold blooded, and can neither warm nor cool themselves. Different species have a different range of acceptable temperatures. My Children's python is from a tropical region of Australia, so he needs extra heat. A heat lamp on top of his terrarium works quite well, even with the plastic terrarium. The corn snakes are from more temperate regions and so are comfortable at standard room temperature. But when you travel in August, overheating your snakes is an more pressing concern. The day I left home, it was forecasted to reach 106. I knew my cat and my children could just pant or sweat, but I worried about frying the snakes. So, I left my home at 3:30 in the morning so I could make my drive while it was still a reasonable temperature. Since arriving here, we make sure to always keep the air conditioner running. No dry docking for us with snakes on board.

Finally, we have the challenge of feeding the snakes. In case you didn't know, snakes must eat rats or mice, there is no such thing as snake kibble. At home I keep a large quantity of frozen mice in the deep freeze. On the road, my freezer space is too tight to devote any space to rodent-cicles. So on feeding day, fortunately only every two weeks, I make the trek to the pet store and feed the snakes as soon as I get home. Michigan City has been challenging. The local store had only frozen rats and live mice that they could kill for us. Captive snakes are picky and don't readily switch between types of rodents, so the rats were out. As for the mice, my children had just spent the last few minutes watching the cute little feeder mice run on their wheel, and they begged me to spare the lives of those mice. So then it was off to the next pet store 20 minutes away. Fortunately, they had suitable mice. Hopefully it will be a bit easier in Indy.

We also have our elderly cat along for the ride. She hated the trip up here, but since we have been stationary, she has been pretty happy inside the RV. We knew our hyperactive dog would do poorly on the road, but fortunately my brother and his family are willing to care for her for a long term.

Happy Cat!

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.

A trip down Zaharakos lane

Fun filled day in Columbus, IN and visiting Zaharakos Ice Cream Shop

This weekend was filled with rain and fun. While the hurricane down south prompted a much needed thunderstorm in our area, we had to get a little creative in keeping our minions at bay. Most of the time, we spent sequestered in our home on wheels. There were a few stints where we were able to unleash the kids and have them ride bikes and make their rounds of the RV park.

Today, we got to visit my brother and his family for Labor Day. Having spent the morning conversing with our neighbor about the drag races getting rained out, and that they were moving on Tuesday, we traded addresses and said our good byes. Texting back and forth with my brother and we had plans for the afternoon. I was to have lunch with my brother and one of his friends while Jen and the kids along with my brother's wife and daughter would head downtown to Columbus for fun.

fully functional auto play pipe organ circa 1909

Columbus is really growing on me. The downtown area has lots of fun shops, and things for the kids to do. They even have an indoor play area. What blew me away was the free wifi. Come on, FREE WIFI. I guess being so starved at our camp ground has made me appreciate wireless connectivity especially when I forgot to lock down data traffic on my phone and already hit 65% of my data plan for the month. Thanks ATT, love ya! Now, I either will just use my phone as normal and pay the $10 hit for overage or just tightly control my access. With my job, more than likely it will be paying the $10 extra for overage.

I realized my problem, I tried to download some favorite podcasts while waiting to pick up pizza from Puccini's Pizza in downtown Columbus. When they told us that our pizza was done, I forgot to cancel the un-downloaded podcasts. Needless to say, wham! I just used a bunch of data traffic. Lesson learned I guess.

Looks like T-Rex enjoyed her treat

Lunch was great. Good to hang with my brother and reconnect. Meeting his friend for the second time (he was my brother's best man) was fun. I can see why he and my brother get along. We ate at Hooters. Not my favorite joint but I enjoyed wings, the good conversation, and the opportunity to get out after being shut in by the rain. On the way home, I spotted a smoke shop. After a few near death experiences after forcibly asking my brother to make the stop, I was greeted with the sweet aroma of Cavendish and vanilla.... smelly happiness for sure.

I forgot my pipes at home when we made the trip. I am not a big smoker, but at times, I like to smoke a pipe and kick back. I got my friend into smoking pipes a while back. I think I have created a monster as his pipe collection has surpassed mine. He and I enjoyed pipe smoking, fedora hats, and hanging out. I think our hunting trips last year were more about getting out to smoke and hang out than deer hunting. Needless to say, I missed my pipe.

A Ben Wade Estate Pipe

I found a great deal on a estate pipe. I have always wanted one. They are bigger, usually hand carved and look awesome to look at. More importantly, they are well made. I instantly fell in love with one and after seeing the price, I didn't hesitate. I picked up the pipe, some necessities such as pipe cleaners, and picked up some great smelling pipe tobacco to boot.

After eating dinner and watching the Hunger Games with my brother's family, we headed back to Arrakis. It was a fun, relaxing weekend. I got to enjoy time with the family, spend time with my brother, and I got a pipe to boot.

Frozen custard and a shopping trip

Ritters Frozen Custard...Nom, Nom

Yesterday was tag along With dad day. At first we had a relaxing morning, sleeping in and having a simple breakfast. Afterwards, we hopped in the van and headed out. Our first stop was Camping World. I picked up a satellite dish in hopes of getting our DirectTV hooked up. After several hours messing with the unit and unsuccessful connection with our service, I went to the Internet for answers. To my dismay, the type of receiver we have won't work. There are some extra pieces that power the signal. Actually called a power inserted and necessary in order for it to work.So today I will have to return my dish and hope they they take it back.

After Camping World, we visited Gander Mountain. I was excited to see that they had a Ruger Redhawk with mounted scope(I am a gun nut). The problem was they wanted too much for it being used, and that it was dirty to boot. I really thought about it, but walked away as I can always find better deals. My neighbor at our campground is a gun nut too and we have spent quite a few hours talking guns. He is better than I at finding deals. I have a lot to learn from this guy.

As you probably guessed, this isn't the minion friendly activity, and they began to get a bit unruly. We promptly found a frozen custard shop and had ourselves a treat. Ritters was awesome. Tons of great options and plenty of kid friendly choices. As you can see in the picture, they were enjoying themselves.

Jen is enjoying her morning

On the way back we got stopped in traffic. After a long delay, we pulled off and found a churches chicken for dinner. Right next to it was a gun store with indoor range. This will be a great place to check out later. I did stop in for a sec. While only taking a quick glance, I began to drool over their Kimber selection. 

After dinner, we headed back to Arrakis taking the back roads. I messed with our satellite connection as mentioned before and gave up. Finally, we just kicked back, enjoyed the evening together as the kids played and I rested.