camping

Friday on the Farm: {Birthday & Camping Edition}

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I am writing this on Sunday and back dating for the sake of hitting Friday on the Farm. *insert cheesy face here*

We have spent the last 2 weeks celebrating birthdays … one right after the other. It has been a joy!

The kids got a new play set/fort/swingset/tree house/whatever you want to call it for their combined birthdays. Hopefully it will last for years to come, and will eventually become an actual tree house in the woods, near the pond.

They each got a small little special for their birthdays- the 7yo a field press and the last Narnia book, The 5yo Mister a bug/small animal terrarium for nature studies and a bug field guide, and the 3yo little Miss a fairy garden house.

Each of the kids had their own special birthday cake- all gluten and dairy free. Boy did that require some special grocery store trips … But we managed to do it!

Mister’s “rocket” cake:

Big sister’s Smores ice box cake:

Little Miss’s dirt cake:

The husband smoked up some BBQ for the week:

We spent Wednesday-Saturday camping at a local state park; all 6 of us in the pop up camper and our new caravan (not forgetting to bring out RV battery as that comes in incredibly useful sometimes!) that we finally managed to get finance for (thanks to Auto Finance Online, see this site for more info). It was surprisingly less difficult than expected. More specifically, after the first day and night, we had things figured out. haha. Keeping the caravan safe and secure is definitely a concern for anyone who owns one. Wheel clamps for caravans ensure that your caravan is not going anywhere you don’t want it to!

A few random camping with tiny humans tips we found made things easier:

  • Get one of these for the baby. just trust me. There is a time and place for a pack n play, but these little sleep tents are amazing when traveling! They fit in the tiniest spaces and can easily be covered with a light blanket for darkness
  • cover baby’s sleep tent or pack n play with a blanket
  • noise. machine. We took the humidifier we use at home in the kids’ rooms, but then remembered the pop-up has an AC fan, so we used that. PERFECT for blocking out the noise at a camp ground during naps and bedtimes
  • kiddie potty. We just keep on in the camper now, because it is easier than them using the camper potty, and we dont have to go up to the bath house, AND we don’t have to worry about them having privacy from fellow campers
  • wagon– saved our lives. when baby wasn’t being toted around in it, fed in it, or just playing in it, the 3yo was pulling it around for fun
  • picnic blanket– again, couldn’t have done without it
  • crocs for every child
  • overalls the kids can rewear each day, with a clean shirt underneath
  • just leave all the luggage bags in the car to keep camping space clear and organized. It’s a tip I learned from a friend after they hired a campervan with Rent.is on their European adventure, and it makes sense. Each night I got out their PJs, they changed before going into the camper, and I put their dirty clothes into the dirty clothes bag. Clothes to be reworn were placed on top of their bag (in the car) for the next day

Just some camping fun:

I woke each morning to my husband making coffee and breakfast over the fire. He is irreplaceable.

It was a lot of hard work, but one of the best family vacations we have had. My sweet husband did most all of the heavy lifting and hard work, and though I know he enjoys it, it was such a blessing to me. I actually got to chill and not really fret about anything. It was really nice.

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Simple Woman’s Daybook {11}

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Outside my Window …
It is a beautiful, crisp spring morning.

I am thinking…
I can not WAIT to go camping this week.

I am thankful…
That my husband and I share interests and can raise our children doing the things we love- like camping and fishing.

In the kitchen…
There is a giant box full of food for camping and traveling this week.

I am wearing…
jeans, a tshirt my husband got me from Chile, and a hair twisty on my wrist.

I am creating…
.. still working on Ila summer dresses.  =)

I am going…
CAMPING!  =)

I am wondering…
If it will rain or be pretty this week.  The weather forecast changed on us  =/

I am reading…
A great book for a review .. can’t wait to share with other homeschooling mamas!

I am hoping…
It is beautiful this week.

I am looking forward to…
Did I mention camping?  Ha- jk.  I am looking forward to this week in the country, spending time with my lil country bumpkins, and showing them how to really fish!

I am learning…
I eat better when my husband is out of town ..

Around the house…
Things are packed and sorta a mess; but all the laundry is clean!

I am pondering…
How I am going to work delicious, warm, ooozy smores into my low-sugar diet …

A favorite quote for today…

Keep Calm S'mores {camping fun}

Photo credit HERE (it’s a super cute printable, too!)

One of my favorite things…
Smores!  I can’t wait for my babies to have their first smores this week!

A few plans for the rest of the week:
NONE- just freedom in the woods.

A peek into my day…

Camping Trip Week

Photo Credit HERE

Simple Woman {Daybook}

Traveling: On the Road with Healthy Menu Options {and M&M link-up}

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We just came back from a wonderful family road trip- the husband and I loaded up the 3 year old and 16 month old, and hit the road for the beautiful mountains of Colorado.

I’ve not ever been skiing, or to CO. My husband has been a few times. It was amazing, and did I mention beautiful? The mountains were breathtaking!

Rocky Mountains

We are so blessed to be able to travel for a little family vacation. And just because we are traveling doesn’t mean we go crazy with junk food. We try very hard to stick within a reasonable budget, and eat healthy snacks. {which exclude fast food!}

We see it as, the more money we save while on the road, the more we can enjoy spending on nice meals and fun for the kids, once we get where we’re going.

So what does our road trip food look like?

It looks like several pre made peanut butter sandwiches, 4-8 oranges, 3-4 apples, a container of clean grapes, a few bananas, and a bag of nuts or trail mix.

Then we pack a small cooler with Lexie’s rice milk and Mister’s coconut milk, along with lots of bottled water. In that cooler we usually add lunch meat, and anything else that needs to be kept cool or cold. The cooler goes in the very back of the van or suv with our luggage.

When we stop for gas we may grab a few snacks, like more nuts or pretzels.

This trip, we traveled for about 8 hours. Some people think we are crazy to travel for that long with two young children. Maybe we are! One of our friends said that we should fly instead and then get a quote from this relocation company. She said they would pick up our suv and take it to and from Colorado so that we could still drive it whilst we were away. This was tempting, but flying is more expensive and makes it harder to control what you are eating. And hey, the drive is part of the trip for us. We actually managed to rent a car seat for the kids, so that made things easier for us. We spent a lot of time in the car on this vacation so it was important that the kids were safe and comfortable whilst on the road.

At lunch time on our journey, we stopped at a park where I made us sandwiches with spinach, and we had salads with homemade dressing. The kids were able to run around and enjoy themselves, and then we were back on the road in less than an hour.

I also like to pack freezer food for meals once we get to our hotel. We stayed in a condo that had a small kitchen. I grabbed a bag of frozen mexican chicken soup, and some frozen sloppy joes. This way we can eat one or two nice meals out for dinner, and still have healthy, delicious meals in our condo a few nights to save on cash. We are a family that eats out maybe 3 times a month; we don’t really enjoy eating our every single meal while on vacation.

And that is it! It is so easy to pack a small cooler (you will be amazed what you can fit inside!) and a lunch bag with fruits and pre made sandwiches for easy, on the road meals.

Going on vacation doesn’t have to wreck havoc in your wallet, or your health!

Be encouraged, friends! What foods do you pack for road trips?

January 20th ~

21 Week Baby Summary- baby 2

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Baby 2  is 22 weeks tomorrow, and 5 months old!  Wow, how the last 2 months have flown by!  The first 3 …. well, those seemed to drag on forever, and that’s probably because he didn’t feel good.  But now, they are going by so quickly.

Developmentally, during his 21st week of life, he started really grabbing and reaching for things.  If a toy was on the blanket next to him, he rolled to his side, and reached for it.  It was pretty cool the first time he did that.  =)  He can sit well in the corner of the chair, but isn’t really anywhere near ready to sit on his own.

Something I notice with #2, is they don’t get to do as much as early as #1 did.  Well, for mine anyway.  I think this is because I still have to be careful where I put Mister, can’t leave him etc., with Lady able to reach.  She will try to lay him down so she can lay with him, roll him over, sit him up.  She knows not to, but being the 2 year old she is, she thinks he “needs to, Mama!”  haha

He is rolling over consistently now, from his back to his belly.  Mister is a side sleeper!  When he falls asleep, it is often on his side.  Oh the joys of having a video baby monitor  =)

I think I mentioned last time, Mister’s reflux has seemed to flare up.  The dr. said although the dairy allergy aggravates it, babies with reflux will have flair ups between 4-6 months old, it just happens.  She suggested medicine, which our insurance doesn’t cover and is …. $132 a month!  Not happening.  So, I got to thinking and remembered I had some powdered probiotics (this brand) left over from Lady having thrush.  I started googling and read that many parents have calmed reflux flare ups with probiotics.  We tried it, and it is working!  Yay!  $17 (I think they were) vs $132, I’ll take that any day!

Because of the reflux flare ups, I have taken him back to only formula mixed in oatmeal, no more solid foods; he was’t tolerating them well.  Everything came back up.  He is eating the oatmeal/formula mix like crazy, and that’s good enough for me, for now.  =)

JTom came home last weekend, and everyone was so happy to see him.  L was excited, of course, and Mister laughed and talked to him a lot.  Baby2 definitely knew his daddy!  I think we were both a little nervous he wouldn’t after 2 weeks.  But, he did.  The first thing Lady did when she saw her daddy was show him her fingernails. Then she hugged him and asked him to play.

We are anxiously awaiting the move; I have started packing.  Warning to all grandparents: NO more stuffed animals or dolls.  EVER!  For either child.  I do not care how cute they are, how fluffy they are, or how much they look like our own animals.  No more!  Please … =)  I have thrown out I don’t know how many stuffed animals that L doesn’t play with.  Oh, and no more battery operated toys, unless they are the trains that go to her Thomas set.  Those are okay.  Books, age appropriate puzzles, art stuff, educational toys, that stuff is fine.  Just no more stuffed fuzzy things, please.  =)

Anyhow … oh!  Good news!  We found a chicken!  We thought the dog killed and drug off the missing chicken, but it turns out she was at the neighbor’s house … so Lady and I went down yesterday afternoon and got her.  The only problem we had was Lady eating the banana we were going to use as bait… But we got the chick.  She is happy, being back with her buddies again.

That’s it for now.  I will try to keep updating through the move, but it may be hard for a while.

Meg

 

 

Camping Trip- Halloween Weekend, 2011

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This weekend we decided to go camping. With J.Tom gone so much this month, we decided we needed some major family time with no work, no laundry- just play time outside!


Friday night we got our pop-up camper all folded out, cleaned, and loaded down with all our stuff. We love pop-up things – it just makes setting up so easy! I always say to people that one of the first things you should buy in preparation for a trip is a camping instant tent. There is absolutely no fun in spending hours trying to build a tent! It was about 8pm and everything was packed and ready to go. Saturday we headed for Dover, Arkansas to the Long pool Campgrounds. When we arrived we started unpacking all our things, fed the baby, and went to visit some friends we were meeting there. Lexie had the BIGGEST time ever! She LOVED playing in the dirt, throwing the rocks and running around like a crazy person exploring everything. She teased Scarlet, staying just out of her reach, the whole time. She played with leaves, learned about camp fires, and got to ride in the wagon with her friend Reid.


It’s a good thing she was wearing her overalls Saturday, because let me tell you- they were much needed! With all the falling, running, and playing sitting in mud that Lexie did, she definitely needed those overalls! She also needed some boots, but we didn’t have any of those… she wore her BRAN SPANKING NEW WHITE stride rite walkers I spent a gajillion dollars on that are so comfy on her fat baby feet. Yes, it was time for new shoes; our Lou bug is in a 5.5 wide now. 14 months old. Whew.


Anyhow, so Lexie had a big time. If she fell down, or grabbed hands full of mud, dirt, and rocks, she just dusted them off and kept on going. She’s definitely going to be her Mama and Daddy’s outdoor girl! (YAY!!!) Since we have been home, she goes to the front door and says “out out,” wanting to go play outside. She has discovered the grass and also mastered the steps (of course I’m all over that one, just in case, but she can do it on her own). She did really well at the camp grounds on the little steps up and down from the paved slabs to the gravel areas. She also knew how to sit on her “booty” on the stone wall (which wasn’t much of a wall). I think her favorite part was definitely playing in the mud and dirt. Next time we are going to have to go away for longer! My friend recommended going onto https://www.dreamlandtours.net/ and seeing what camping and hiking adventures we could go on!

dirt on my booty

dusting off the dirt

“I gotta leaf, I gotta leaf …”

“booty”


playing in the dirt
Lexie and Reid

Just chillin’

TOYS!

I NEED one of these!

Never holds still!

wiping my face and nose




7 month of Life- Lexie Lou is through the first half of her first year of life.. wow!

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Well, a lot has happened…  

Lexie is officially 22 pounds; I am not sure how long but she is VERY tall.  She has started pulling up in her crib. Funny story-I was talking with another mom whose baby is 6 weeks older than Lexie; we were talking about how they aren’t crawling or pulling up yet (although her son can crawl every direction except forwards, while Lexie is far from that).  Then we got home from camping with them, and I put Lexie in her crib while I took the sheets off and did some laundry; J.Tom and I were going to drop the mattress that afternoon because we figured she would be pulling up before long, and her head is higher than the crib when she sits..  I turned around from doing laundry an she was bouncing.. like this:


Then, she grabs hold of the railing and bounces.  Suddenly, she pulls up, like this:


And then, she is up!  And SO very proud of herself!!

So, that was one adventure this weekend.  Then after this I started holding her hands while we played on the floor and she will take a few steps.  She even pulled up on the couch while sitting on my knee (she cannot reach from the floor).  So, it looks like she is probably not going to crawl much, if at all.  I always figured she would be an early walker..  She will even use her stomach, while standing, to keep from falling-like if I have her hands, and she starts to waver, she will push her tummy up to keep from falling.  I don’t think it will be too long…

Anyways, what else… She is becoming more clingy to me.  I am not sure what is up with that, except that she has definitely started recognizing strangers.  OH-EM-GEE.  Last Wednesday she looked at J.Tom and said “Da da.”  Not “da da da da” like she was babbling, NO- “da da.”  Grr..  she hasn’t done it since, but when I ask her where Daddy is, she looks around for him… so she knows.  He practices “mama” with her now, because I think he feels bad  =)

We went on our very first camping trip as a family.  It was… interesting.  We had a BLAST.  Sleep time was a little difficult for me.  On the way up there, she got a 4th nap, so she was up until after 9:00 Friday night.  Then Saturday night we stayed at a friend’s cabin until late, managed to keep her asleep on the way to our camper, but then she woke up as I put her on her bed!  Then I couldn’t get her back asleep good, but J.Tom managed to after about 10 minutes.  Sometimes I think that must have to do with me nursing her; she just won’t go to sleep well for me sometimes, but then J.Tom can take her and in a few minutes, she is totally out!


Saturday I took her on several walks; we even ran into one of my brother’s friends there-WEIRD! Honestly, I recognized his son before I could think of his name.. but anyways so, it’s a small world.  J.Tom went fishing Saturday morning and Lexie and I walked down to the lake and enjoyed the morning.  That afternoon, some friends from his work came up and stayed the afternoon.  They brought their two puppies, both of which are BEYOND precious.  Then some friends from LR came down and got a cabin; they brought their little boy who is almost 9 months old.  Sunday morning we got up, I got things together and played with Lou while J.Tom fished.  Then we met our LR friends at the Cedar Falls Overlook-FUN FUN!  Here are some pictures from our weekend:
Angel Baby

Mama and Lexie

                                

Funny Face


Hey, looky up there- it’s Daddy!


Boo!


Lexie petting Scarlet 
At the overlook


Look out there!


Headed out on our “hike”


So, that was our weekend in a nutshell.  18 DAYS UNTIL I AM HOME WITH MY LOVIE LOU!  I cannot wait.  I am putting in applications at all the surrounding schools, we will see if I get any interviews.  I am hoping to get a job, complete my Praxis III, and get my official license.  I REALLY want to teach Kindergarten!  I just loved those babies, they are so very precious.  I think Kindergarten was much more exhausting than third grade, but I really enjoyed it more.  I will take any job though, you can always change grades later.  So, just be praying I find a job by fall.

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