Our RV

So, now I will share a little about our RV. It's 41 foot long with 3 slide-outs. It's actually a 5th Wheel. There are 2 bedrooms. The kids share the back bedroom. They each have their own queen size bunk bed that goes up to the ceiling during the daytime so that they have more room. Due to limited space, we have to keep their toy amount under check. They have a small 1/2 bath in their room and a RV sized fridge, as well as a large storage box full of reading books. All of their school books are in a shelf against the wall. The main room in the RV is the kitchen/living area. It has 2 couches and one of them has a table in front of it for eating and doing school work. The kids also have a wooden table and chairs set in their room for doing schoolwork or playing with Legos on. The full bath is next to our bedroom. Also, we have a large area above for storage inside the RV and storage areas outside under the RV.
We recently bought a gazeboo for outdoor space to socialize and relax. We have a metal pin for our dogs so that they can enjoy going outside at times as well.
RV living is not all peaches and cream though. We have to flush the sewage for both toilets weekly and that part is gross and no fun. I also have to keep all the carpets covered with temporary carpet covering in order to keep them from getting ruined from pets and children. Lastly, you have to keep your propane tanks filled in order for your stove and water heater to function. Those things make it different from living in a regular house.

African Sulcata Tortoises

Below is a pic of our African Sulcata Tortoises grazing in the southern California sun. They love eating the grass. We had a scare a few days ago and one of the little guys got dehydrated. We have been working a few days to get him completely hydrated again. Its hard for people and animals to stay hydrated in the desert. I met a neighbor in the RV park we are staying in today. He was really nice. We discussed the fact that there used to be 3 sex offenders in this park but they found one of them dead in there RV a few years ago close to where we parked. Now there are 2 of them....one is only 2 lots away from us. It just goes to show you never know who to trust. I still do noy have any follows on this blog. If you are reading this....please sign up as a follower on our journey.

Devil Doggie, Flooding, etc...

So, I have decided that my Min Pin is really a little devil dog. This is now the 4th mouth guard that I have had that she has stole and chewed up in her pin. I would never buy another one at a dentist office. No, those are too pricey. I have made a habit of putting it up in the bathroom cabinet after cleaning it each morning....but I forgot today before she found it. Damnit. So, I will be getting to boil yet another mouth piece this evening. I have to use one for teeth grinding.

So, we renting movies yesterday from Redbox. The first one was called Silent House, it was nice and creepy, but I didn't care for the ending at all. Brought back bad childhood memories for me. The second movie we will be watching today and it's not so bad. I ran to the movie theater yesterday just to buy their popcorn to go with our movies, he he. I will post a picture of some mountains that were on the way there.

On another topic, last week we had flash flooding here in Apple Valley, CA. We took a few pictures on the way home from the grocery store that I want to share on here. It gets kind of creepy here when it floods.

We have a few tomato plants outside and I have some good news. I do believe the road runners that have been eating them at times have moved on. Now, if we could only do something about the constant flow of homeless people walking up and down the road right next to the RV....

Late night and busy day.

Omg. I am really sleepy today and fighting to stay awake. I stayed up last night until 1:30a.m. catching up on laundry with my new hand washing machine called "The Wonder Wash". I put them outside on clothing drying racks to dry today. I really do wish I could take a nap, but, alas, that will never happen. Just took a Stacker Energy pill, maybe that will keep me homeschooling the kids.
While I was out dealing with laundry this morning, one of the RV park workers came up to me and asked it I had a pet cat. I replied that I don't, only dogs. Evidentally, there are bad coyotes here in the area and they ate an entire cat, minus its head, which was found yesterday. A few years ago when we were here, I remember hearing the coyotes. They would scream and squeal loudly at night and it would really upset my dogs and sounded very creepy. I bet the reason they like this area so much is due to the fact that the Mojave River is right behind this RV park. Also, a lot of the local homeless camps are behind this RV park as well. This economy has really hurt California. It's scary and sad all at the same time. That's a part of traveling. You see and experience all kinds of areas and cultures.

Hobbies and Fun

So, there are many things we do for family fun. Here in southern California, there is hiking, movies, cooking out, visiting the local cities, etc.  This summer, both our kids attended Camp Quest West, a camp for the kids of atheist/ agnostic families. That was a HUGE hit! In northern California, we love exploring all the secluded beaches, going to the farmers market in Arcata, and hanging with friends. We love all the local breweries in NorCal.
I enjoy reading and crocheting blankets, scarfs, and hats. I learned to crochet in NorCal.
Here is a pic of the kids in their Camp Quest Tees...

Traveling Pets with Pics !!

This are our pets who go everywhere with us. Macy is our half chihuahua/half min pin. We bought her in Arkansas before we did a short contract in Kentucky. She is our calmer doggie. We have had her 3 years.

Next, is our min pin, Cali, who we have had for one year. We were in Eureka in Northern California when we bought her from a breeder in Sacramento. She is very active and full of life...so watch out! LOL

Lastly, we have our two baby African Sulcata tortoises. Right now they are in a 10 gallon reptile habitat, but they will double in size each year and as adults can get 150-200 pounds....so we will see how this goes and how long they can stay inside.

More about us !!

Right now we are on contract in Apple Valley in Southern California. It's called the "high desert" here and we're about an hour outside of L.A. I am originally from the deep south, so the first time we arrived in California, it was a major culture shock, but after traveling for 3 years now, nothing is a culture shock for us anymore. ;) It is amazing how much different one part of America can be from another. We never realized this before traveling and being from coast to coast.

So, our RV is quite large inside. We have a bedroom in the front, a living room/kitchen area, one and  1/2 bath, and the back toy hauler part has been converted into a large bedroom for the kids. Each child has their own queen size bunk bed that goes up to the roof during the daytime to maximize space. There is a second RV sized fridge in the kids room.

The main challenges of traveling full-time would be not owning a washer and dryer. I bought a hand-crank mini washer online that I use to wash clothes at home and since we are in the desert, I can put them out on clothing racks to dry in the daytime while I'm homeschooling. This saves nearly $100 per month in laundry costs, plus I make my own homemade laundry detergent to maximize savings.

I am a frugal mom since traveling. Since I homeschool, I can wait for school supplies in the stores to go on clearance before buying them for my children. Homeschooling is also great because we can go out and do fun things as a family while other families are working and kids are in school, so lines are smaller and places are less crowded. There are many perks to full time traveling. =)

A Few Pics !!

Here are various pics from our travels so far over the past three years. We have traveled to North Carolina, Kentucky, Arkansas, Texas, Southern California, and Northern California. We have seen many beaches, mountains, and cities. My spouse is a traveling heart nurse and I homeschool our two kids full time while we are on the go!!  Enjoy!

Hello everyone! Welcome to our Blog. We are a family of four who travel full-time throughout America, along with our 2 dogs and 2 Africian tortoises. I plan to update on this blog several times per week with updates on our location, how we are doing, our adventures for the weeks, etc....along with pictures of our travels.