Lessons Learned

The kids and I are back from a spring break trip to Death Valley and other parts. We were all glad for a change of scenery, and my travel itch is satisfied (for awhile!).  I'll have several posts of fun desert destinations coming soon.

With about 1100 miles added to the truck, here are a few lessons learned from this trip:

1. Ten bandaids is not enough for five days with two kids who like bandaids a lot. Even though we have a "no blood, no bandaid" rule.

2. Bribes work. Even a bribe like "be good for the next three hours of driving across seven mountain ranges (no kidding!) and you will get ice cream."

3. Take advantage of willing people to play with your kids, especially if that gives you a few minutes to relax.

4. But if your son suddenly starts crying because his new best friends have just left (and he doesn't know their names, but thinks one of them might be called Bacon Boy), then it's probably time to do something else.

5. If you have a preschooler who isn't quite potty trained at night, don't believe her when she tells you at night in the tent that she doesn't need a diaper.

6. Don't sleep in the low spot of the tent. Just in case aforementioned preschooler who really should have a diaper doesn't have a diaper.

7. Consider the rain as a convenient way to clean gear that might just be a wee bit stinky.


I'm sure I will think of a few more as I go through about 1,000 photos that I took. Yep, we had some good times.

A Little Fishing

 I think this may turn into our summer of fishing. We've already gone three times, and one time Desert Boy even caught fish, learned to clean them, and ate them for dinner (I was out of town so missed getting photos of that momentous occasion). He loves to fish. I'm good with that. I'm thinking of lots of fishing trips this summer where I bring my lawn chair, a good book, and let the kids fish to their hearts' content.

Do you like to fish? What's your favorite fish?

Survival: Making Fire

 My husband decided it would be a god time to try our fire making skills. This is something that's always stressed on the survival shows we watch. On the other hand, we don't want Desert Boy to get too enthusiastic about making fires. So we decided we would start with a fire-making method that isn't too hard, but does require some specialized gear: a magnesium bar and flint.

We gathered fine fuels, had something to shave the magnesium flakes onto, and set off to make a fire. I love the look Desert Girl has in the photo above.

Dear Daddy took a turn and couldn't get the fire going.

Desert Boy took a turn. He couldn't get it going.

I took a turn. I couldn't get it going.

Dear Daddy tried again. It still didn't work.

I was grumbling. If I were in the backcountry and cold and miserable and needed this fire, it took way more effort than I would have!

Finally a little bit of smoke appeared. But do you see an extra ingredient in the photo above?

The extra ingredient was a lighter. A tried and true, easy way to start a fire. (I don't consider this cheating, I consider it smart!)

So why couldn't we start a fire with a magnesium stick and a flint? I went to YouTube to get some pointers and found this nice video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZ_LrBafzNY

We probably didn't have enough magnesium.

So I tried again. And let me tell you, I couldn't get enough magnesium flakes (the size of a quarter) in fifteen minutes. I was not impressed. So we will be looking for other fire starting methods. In the meantime, we'll keep a lighter with us!

We might not be too good at survival right now, but we're going to get better this summer!

Thank You!

Thank you to everyone who voted for this blog in the 2013 Outdoorsy Mom Blog contest!

My goal was to get in the top 25, and you helped me not only accomplish that, but also to get into the top 12!

Thanks so much!

One of the benefits of the contest is learning about all the other outdoorsy moms out there. I've really enjoyed checking out the various blogs and recommend giving them a look. I've also made some new virtual friends, have gotten ideas for this blog, and been inspired.

Thanks again!

Waiting for the School Bus

What are these cute kids doing? Waiting for the school bus after a hard afternoon of play (like all the dirt on Desert Girl's clothes?)

 They have a very good reason to cover their ears--the air brakes on the bus! It's something most of us wouldn't notice, but their delicate little ears realize that that noise is quite loud. They also think it's kind of funny to put their hands over their ears.

 The school doors open, and off comes big sister Ava.

Then comes big brother Desert Boy (in a slightly grumpy mood). Maybe a trip to the playground is what everyone needs!