Random thoughts from mom

Since the kids are all writing about the places we have been, I thought I would write about life in the R.V., or the ARV as the kids call it.

Initially it was way cool, all these cozy little nooks and crannies to put things into and snugly places to sit and play and sleep. But, once you have to live in it, spend all your waking hours in it, and try and find some solace in it, it is pretty tough. Like right now for instance. The kids are playing a game of monopoly with Daddy and Kik is sleeping in the other room, so I am in the bathroom trying to gather my thoughts! HA!

We all have slowly acclimated to the difficulties that these tight quarters offer. We have jobs that we do when we set up shop and when we break down. Most of my jobs have to do with the inside of the RV and thankfully Z-man and Daddy have the outside jobs (which includes the sewer pipes!). Kik's job is to get his shoes and bike helmet on and go for a ride. This is good for the whole family!! :)

The other thing I was thinking about the other day was how in a big kitchen everything is at your finger tips. If you need your pots and pans, spatulas, spices, potholders or whatever, they are right there. In an RV things are not quite like that. All my pots and pans are stacked in the microwave for safe travel. The oven is filled with a cookie sheet, a pizza pie pan, one cookie rack, two 9" round pans and a frying pan. That fills it to the brim! The kids books are in baskets on top of the stove and most of my plug in items (mixer, elec. fry pan) are under the bench seat at the kitchen table. So, when I cook, it takes all my energy just to get everything out. But, I have finally begun to relax about that. It may take a few extra minutes, but so what! All I have is time.

We do spend most of our time looking how to make things easier to accomplish. We race around all day trying to fit everything and we miss what is going on around us. I am totally guilty of this. But with this new life style, I am learning to relax a bit more. To not stress when it takes so much effort just to BEGIN to cook. I am looking at what is going on around me. Watching Kik trying to figure out how something works, determined to figure it out, or watching the girls snuggle with the dog and how much he loves the attention, or watching Z-man and Daddy laughing over some dumb joke that only they get! All of this is important, much more important than making my life quick, easy and convenient.

Not only is taking time to look at my family important, but also taking the time to look at the magnificent world that God created. We have been driving through mountains for a few days and they are so beautiful. Some of them remind me of our days in Germany. When I see those mountains I am reminded that God is good, ALL the time, even when I am focused on the not so important things.

Just some random thoughts from mom. Remember, I have been bumping around in this thing for over a week, so I might not be playing with a full deck! Not that I ever really was anyway! HA!

Till next time..............XO Mom

A brief comment from Dad for the pragmatists out there. While traveling by RV is great – easy eating, sleeping and tending to bodily needs – it has its drawbacks. The beating that the roads give our vehicles is amplified in the house that is our living area. Consequently, things are always falling and frequently breaking. Things that are supposed to be secure become unsecure and vice versa. WD-40 and 100 MPH (duct) tape are used extensively. Had to stop to get an engine light fixed on three separate occasions -- $ 100 a pop! Thank God for the Havre Ford in Havre (yeah, rhymes with Brent, I mean Brett F) who finally diagnosed the problem and charged the fix to the emissions warranty which hadn’t expired the day prior to the problem staring like our regular warranty. Also, I was hoping for 10 MPG, but had become satisfied with over 9. While fighting the 20+ MPH prevailing westerly winds in ND and Montana, we were lucky to get 7 MPG. So, we’re easily spending $100-125/day on gas for our 400 mile driving days. That's it.....Dad