RV Ready - Crafting Future Unknown

You’re doing what? Moving into an RV full-time!

We had casually talked about moving into an RV when we retired. A few years ago we discussed spending one year touring the US while we homeschool the girls before they hit high school. It always seemed hypothetical to me. We have been homeschooling continuously now since October, 2012.

Through one of my homeschool Facebook groups, I found out about the World’s Best Roadschool Convention coming to Tucson, AZ. http://fulltimefamilies.com/family-reunions/2014-worlds-best-roadschool-convention-tucson-az/ I thought it would be a fun way to investigate this alternative way of homeschooling. Before it started, I read many blogs about families that live on the road full time. At the same time we were starting to feel restless and needing to move out of our current home.

Being prior military, I don’t think we have ever lived in a home more than 3 years. We had been living here since December 2011 and the floor plan does not suit our lifestyle. We have no extra space for school stuff or crafts. All our school books and supplies end up on the extra freezer and dining room table. The carpet needs replaced and the walls haven’t been painted in 7 years (painted last week). Plus, we can’t seem to grow much in our garden other than pumpkins. Anywho, we both felt God wanted us to move, but we didn’t know where. We didn’t feel led to any particular place. The Roadschool Convention started and I knew this was God’s plan. It was just like He brought homeschooling to us. After the first day I knew we would be roadschooling too, eventually. Both our daughters are keen on the idea too. We have so many reasons for going.

We want to get out of our current home. I would like to simplify our life by having less stuff. I cannot wait to be free from 90% of our stuff. We want to travel and see many sites around the United States as well as visit family and friends. We want to spend time together as a family. We want to be able to focus on being a family without the clutter of stuff. I am looking forward to only having to clean approximately 300 square feet as opposed to 1900! In a way we are going on the road after retirement. NASA spent exactly 20 years in the Air Force and we have his retirement income to rely on for our basic needs. We can pick up extra jobs here and there to supplement our desires like going to Disney World or taking a cruise.

Since the layout of our home was barely conducive to homeschooling, we didn't do many craft projects either. Living in our RV is certainly going to present many of the same challenges space wise. I am bringing a minimum amount of craft supplies. It remains to be seen if we make the time to actually do any crafts. I am hoping that with simplifying our lives that we will make the time. I will at least try to blog more. Stay tuned for our new adventure. Maybe we will see you on the road too!


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Do You Need a Break?

Totally copying this from my other blog. It applies just the same.

I am trying to be as "Hands Free" as possible this week. I am taking the lead from Hands Free Mama. Her blog has really awakened me to the lost moments of childhood due to my distractions.




Best Mom Blog Ever!

My girls will be starting school on Monday. Once they are in school, it will be hectic, but we will have a set schedule. We work much better with a strict schedule. Although, we spent many weeks of the summer in camps or VBS, there were plenty of days to seek opportunities for fun. I do look forward to a consistent schedule week after week. It will provide better organization, but I will mourn what we didn't have time to do before the start of school.

I will only be online after they are in bed, or before they wake up. That is only enough time to check e-mails and Facebook. I won't be able to blog anytime soon. It will be after July 17th for sure.

I will be on Facebook. Have you liked my page yet? RUReady2Craft, Check it out. Be sure to see the other cool crafts I find from other sites.

Have a great summer break. If you have children or not, enjoy the moments you have with other people. Focus on relationships without distractions.

I Surprise Myself

Since my oldest daughter goes to school now, she loses hair clips all the time. She is growing out a short layered pixie style hairdo that she wanted about 1 1/2 years ago. Growing out super short layers is no easy task. Her hair is always in her eyes. In order to keep some of it out of the way for school she wears barrettes, bobby pins, and/or hair clips. They seem to disappear as fast as I can buy them. I got most of them at the dollar store, but it was adding up.

Then there is my other daughter who is growing out her hair, thank goodness not layers. I put her hair up in a ponytail most of the time. She would prefer I braid it or do something fancy. The fanciest thing I can do is a basic Topsy Tail and/or put a bow in her hair. Yes, I have an original Topsy Tail tool from 1992. I still haven’t used it to its full potential.

I am hair challenged. I grew up with a curling iron in my hand. I can curl the heck out of any hair, but can’t braid or anything else to save my life. Actually I can braid embroidery floss. I used to make braided bracelets all the time when I was young. Which reminds me, do you remember the bubble gumwrappers that you could fold and make into bracelets? I found out recently that making those is doing origami. Who knew?
My point in all of that is that I can braid, but have a hard time with hair and don’t have the patience to do it on a live wiggly child.

Anywho, I know that God has a sense of humor by blessing us with two little girls that have gorgeous features that are best displayed with their hair out of the way. People tell me, “it is easy, just keep trying and you will get it.” I guess I shouldn’t say I can’t do it, it is more like I can’t do it well enough, so I don’t like it. Heck I have a hard enough time just trying to get a part straight. I can’t do jig jag parts either. I see absolutely adorable hairdos on other little girls that I couldn’t dream of doing.

What, did these people have Barbie head dolls to practice on all the time? I wasn’t really a doll kind of girl. I preferred Barbie’s camper instead of her. I liked to play card games, puzzles, house, tea parties with stuffed animals, color, and read. When I did get a doll, I tried to use my Mom’s curling iron on it. It was the biggest smelly mess ever. I have a memory of that smell, it was awful.

Hair after the playground.

I have decided that no matter what the girls’ hair may look like, a nice hair clip or bow detracts from the mess. So if the hair clips or bows are pretty and/or unique enough no one will notice the messy hair. Do you think that is a good strategy?

Hence my latest project: making hair accessories. It is less expensive than even the dollar store. Plus I have put an order into Grandma to please send supplies. Also, I have an amazing friend who does awesome crafts that is going to make me some bows too. I figured we can never have too many hair accessories with two active little girls!

You Tube has been a tremendous help. I never would have known how to do anything without You Tube. See my latest creations, not bad for a very awkward crafter in training. Now if I could just figure out how to stop burning my fingers. I swear I end up with more glue all over my fingers too than on the craft item. I keep something (plate or paper towel) by me to keep all the peeled glue in until I am ready to throw it away. Making these I went through 3 glue sticks. I did all these in one afternoon and evening which I won’t do that again. I think craft sessions need to be less than 3 hours.

If I keep up creating all these craft items I may have to take back my declaration that I am not a “craft person”. I think I have at least called a truce about my hating crafts. Maybe I can inspire others to do crafts for the sake of the children. Well, it helps our budget too since we have a much lower income now.

Galatians 6:9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.