This is the Life!

Today was a beautiful day! We woke up bright and early. Actually, those teen hoodlums woke up at 4:00 am - that is how sunny it was. So by 5:00 am they were out of the tent and out boating til they were called for breakfast at 7:30.

Given our tribe of children live on oatmeal or toast 7 days a week, they were very happy to be greeted by bacon and eggs this morning!


They don't know it but they will only have oatmeal once this week *smile*. Every other day I have something different planned.

The nice thing about not being at home is I don't feel compelled to spring/summer clean closets, plan school curriculum or clean the floor *again*! Here I can bead Raine's hair, so that she doesn't have to sit out in the hot sun with a cap of curls! We sat outside and beaded her hair, while enjoying the hot sun rays. At first it was hard for her to decide if she wanted her hair beaded - something she loves - because she was deliberating if she wanted to give up her playtime to sit for two hours. When I told her it would mean no hair combing for a week, which means no tangles, she jumped at the sitting time.

The boys spent the day in the water.


Cooper is getting very good at working the little dingy by himself, and the older boys spent their day in the kayak. At one point, as I was going for a walk, I saw the older boys in the kayak. They looked innocent enough...

Until a few moments later, when they got closer to the little boys. They were not friendly boys; they were fully armed pirates! They came fully loaded with two water guns and plenty of ammo *smile* each!


The little boys had no hope of getting away. Austin took it like a man, but Cooper got a little upset at the rocking of the boat and asked the captain of his boat to hurry him to shore, as he was getting seasick!



By the end of the day, they realized how much sun one can get by being out on the water! Ooops!! Dane was not pleased and Cassidy was in minor pain. Now we know that legs need to be coated with sunscreen as well as the arms, back and face!

At lunchtime, I had Dane run inside and make us some jam buns - a simple lunch, since most of the meals will be gourmet camping. He pretended the door was a takeout window and the kids quickly obliged him by getting in on the act.


Raine adores Briton. He reminds her of Yoseph, her little brother, in Ethiopia. He is cute and busy and mischievious. Here is a picture I took when I asked Raine what Briton was doing with her pudding. She told me that he was stirring it up for her. I can guarantee that none of my boys or Savannah would have put up with Briton 'helping' them like that! *smile*

And here was the end result when I walked back by them about 15 minutes later. She was giving him just 'baby bit', as he calls a 'little bit'. I don't know if I have met a sweeter child. I love my boys to bits, and they are sweet and charming and loving, but Raine has a blessing in her that causes her to be so incredibly kind and goodhearted. We are very thankful she is part of our family!


Briton has really enjoyed the bonus toys and ride on cars that are at this site.


And to make it even better, we are the first and only people at the site right now! I think we will end up making this a June tradition. While other poor children are still chained to school desks, we have the privilege of coming out camping and learning all about culinary arts on a campstove, fishing, water survival, boating skills, and outdoors activities. That is the bonus of homeschooling - our children can finish their curriculum as quickly or slowly as they see fit! One boy had completed his year in April and was very happy to burn the outer skins of his workbooks! *smile*

But of course, the learning and reading continues. In my house children read. On our holiday everyone was required to bring a book or three. As it turned out we had to send an SOS to Daddy to bring more books, as some children have read half a book in their afternoon quiet reading time.

Speaking of that time, that is when I get my blogging in. The boys all curl up with a book and the four little ones snuggle up in their beds for a nap. The schedules are all out the window. The girls are up til the boys fall asleep, and then we older ones are up for another couple hours. The children are learning to fall asleep to the sounds of people a few feet away. It certainly is a different way of life! But I *love* it!


When I was a teenager I began travelling with a backpack. I headed to Savary Island, then Hawaii, then onto Banff for six months, and then to travel all over Europe, back to Banff, and then finally down to Mexico and California. I had full intentions on continuing travelling, but I met my husband *smile*.

My travel bug quieted down after Ray and I did a couple trips. Our honeymoon was to Fiji. One trip was to Europe with a seven month old baby boy, Colt. Speaking of that - he cut his first tooth in Paris. *smile* And then we took both Colt and Dane to Mexico and California on a cruise. We intended to continue travelling, but our budgeting was not yet in a good place, and so the money wasn't there. The travelling died out, and my passion for it settled quietly down.

It wasn't until a few years ago, that I took my first Rambling Road Trip that I realized that the desire for adventure and travel had not disappeared, it had simply put itself on a shelf until such a time that it was appropriate to reemerge. That three week trip to California and surround states began the yearly trips. The next was our trip around Western Canada and this was followed by a trip to Ethiopia.

Now this year, things have gotten very tight due to the Recession, so the trip I will be taking will be to see adoptive families in the Western Provinces. I will have to keep it very tight, as money is like that right now, but it will still be an adventure!

But something has caught my ear. A fellow MOMYS - Mother of Many Young Siblings (have to have four within eight years to qualify, and I have done that three times! *grin*) told of a wonderful camping trip they took for a year in Europe and North Africa. Well, anyone that knows *me*, knows that is *right* up my alley. Now Ray is another story. So I shall continue my research and my thinking and leave it up to God. If we are meant to go then the doors will open.

In the meantime, one of the first things I needed to do was to perfect some simple 'on the road, out of a backpack, type meals'. So we began with Dane on the second night. He was to make Barbeque Kielbasa. This is a *delicious* dish, that is so fast and simple. It is done in one pan, and then the noodles are cooked in another.

Protecting Himself From the Heat

Here is the recipe, for those that want to compile some simple camping/travelling recipes:

Barbeque Kielbasa

1 medium onion, chopped
olive oil
10 italian sausages (I use this instead of real kielbasa, as that is what I had)

2 cups ketchup
1 packed cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce (and for those that don't know how to pronounce it: Wuss ter sheer - I come from that area in England)

Hot cooked rice or pasta

1) Cut up the sausage into tiny pieces.

2) Put the onion, olive oil, and sausages into the pan. Saute/cook until the onions are soft adn the sausages are browned.

3) Add the ketchup, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a slight boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for a few minutes.

4) While doing the above, have the water on for the noodles and cook them up.

NOTE: This recipe is enough for me to feed 10 people. I use about 1 kg (2 lb) of fusilli noodles, but any will do. This is a great way to stretch sausages far!

To see just how far they actually stretch, let me tell you what happened. Dane had cooked the dinner and was bringing the kielbasa to the house. He had just entered the door when the pan slipped and we lost 3/4 of the dinner! ACK!!

Thankfully, I still had all the noodles, so I opened a can of Hunt's Thick and Rich and poured a can of that into a pan with half of the noodles. I then added the remaining Kielbasa to the other half of the noodles and there was dinner. I found the Kielbasa sauce stetches so nicely over the noodles, that even if you only get a few pieces of the sausage (as was the case when we lost so much), the delicious thick sauce coats everything and makes it yummy by itself.

Back to our day:

The kids spent the rest of the day boating, playing sports games on the large lawn, eating, and reading their books. It was a very full and fun day!


Before Raine was allowed in the boat with Cooper, she had to show that she wasn't afraid of the water. So she walked in as far as she felt comfortable, but it was rather rough, so that was as far as she went.

Click on the picture to see Cooper's determination to get the boat off the beach. I think his tongue might be helping him!

Queen Mesai

We discovered her name Raine means Queen in French, and since Ray's family is French, it seems appropriate!

Unfortunately for Raine, she nearly had a mishap. She almost fell out of the boat, as she leaned towards the dock to push them off (a little later). It frightened her and when I told her she had her first adventure, she said, "I had NOT adventure." *grin* She did not want to claim it. She is a little tease!

First Watermelon - Yummy!

They have also been having lots of fun with the water guns. I think Briton had more fun shooting that being shot at. He had to sit on the trailer steps a few times for shrieking when squirted too close to his face.



I think filling the buckets from the lake and pouring it into little containers had more appeal for the little ones.


At the end of the day, Ray showed up with Colt. They had worked that day and had gone home to bring a few forgotten items. I have no clue how people tent!!! I love the convenience of the trailer!

After dinner, some more boating, and a movie for the bigs ones, everyone hit the sack and slept hard. This time two of the older boys chose to sleep in the house. One took the couch and one the floor. In the morning, they claimed it was much better than the tent!

And Daddy went back to work for another day... (with another list of things we forgot: games for the evenings, more blankets, more bugspray, and more books for the boys)
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And We're Off!

Finally we were ready to go!


I had taken the kids on some dry runs looking at campsites, to get an idea of where I wanted to go. I was looking for somewhere that I might like to go for an extended period of time. I soon realized the sites on the freeway were highpriced and crammed - not my style. I headed out to the woods and found some that partiers might appreciated - again, not my style.

I was looking for something serene and pretty, but yet a few modern conveniences. At least for my first trip out. I fell across a gem. It was not even advertised!! It has a wonderful children's playground, full hookups, hot showers, a movie house with an 8' screen if we want to bring our own movies (boys will love that!), some docks, and large parking areas!

The only downfall was that it was costly compared to the free sites: $40 a day, but for that we get all hookups, plus, we get internet!! Haha! You figure - she can't leave home without it! Well, how do you expect me to keep my blogging people happy, if I can't blog from 'on location'!! *grin* There is nothing like a live feed!! And what was the point of getting away? Rest and relaxation.

Okay, let's get real. Cooking three meals a day, while my little cooks play, watching five little boys and girls to keep them safe, cleaning up the trailer, so my little worker-bees get a holiday. Oh, it really is fun!!

As we loaded up the trailer, the truck, and the van, Colt said to me, "Doesn't it make you think of Cheaper By the Dozen 2?" Actually, I can't remember the movie but I do believe they went camping, so I am guessing it was in relation to the number of vehicles it takes to take us away from home!! LOL!!


We almost left Colt at home. Poor guy!! He has school to finish. SO close to the end of his last semester of his last year of school. He is spending the week here and at home, plus helping Ray at work. As Ray pulled out on the road, and I was about to get into the van, Colt says to me, from the front door where he is standing, "I guess I'm staying here for dinner?"

I looked at him blankly and then said, "NO! You're coming with us!" Poor guy. He went running after his dad before he lost his ride. It is so hard when you are a big guy and have so many responsibilities!!


It didn't take long to find this resort and get ourselves pulled in.


The kids quickly found the playground and made themselves at home.


We big ones got to work setting up camp. It is so wonderful to have all these older boys!


One set up the boys tent, another the screen tent and then he pumped up the children's dingy.


One built the fire to ward off the deadly mosquitoes. My goodness, Renee, you thought your mosquitos were bad! HA! You can imagine how much noise we make slamming our hands on trailer walls killing those pesky things, while children are sleeping!


I stayed in the trailer and unpacked all the food and boxes.


Ray and the boys levelled the trailer, unhooked the truck and then set up the barbeque. Dinner time!! Out came the hamburgers, fixings, chips, and drinks.

The little ones clustered around the fire with their burgers, while the big ones joined me out on one of the two docks.


It didn't take long for the little ones to wander over and ask if they could sit with me also. Oh, it was so serene. No other word for it.

That was until the boys found the trout. And then the excitement kind of took the silence out of the air. *grin* Dane ran off and grabbed his homemade fish prong thingy. No clue the name. Simply something he saw in a book that he made to spear fish with. After an unsuccessful attempt at throwing it at the poor fish, he figured they might as well get the kayak out and try catching a fish from there.

Too funny!! These guys had no intention on coming out in matching outfits, but they did! I told them, since they did they had to strike me a pose. *grin*


At this point, while the boys were out in the kayak, Cassidy decided to get out his fishing pole and try his hand at catching a trout for dinner.


Meanwhile, Dane and Colt had made it all the way across the lake to the other side.



They made anchor, officially named the land "Canada" and headed back home. I have no clue what the land I am on is called, if that is Canada!! *grin*


The little ones got braver on the dock and decided to go wading. The girls watched for a while, before I suggested that they join the boys. It didn't take long for them to get wet!



When Austin decided he was going to try out his swimming shorts, we were all encouraging him to get his face wet.


And when his face actually hit the water for a brief moment, Raine looks at me and says with incredible admiration, "Austin is awesome!"

So cute! I said, "Yes, he's a brave boy!"

The children played for an hour more and then it was time for bed. Boy that took a bit of time!! Five little bodies in a space 7' x 6' !!! Well, they all fit in. Savannah and Raine shared their bunk, Briton, Cooper, and Austin all had their own. After they were all through the bathroom, teeth brushing, jammies on, potty trips completed, we had our mosquitos killing time.

The big boys were outside playing baseball and I set to killing every single mosquit0 I could find. The little ones were told to tuck themselves under their blankets and wait out the masacre. *grin* Finally the work was done and they settled to sleep.

Meanwhile, by now the big boys had been invited in from the cooling down mosquito filled air to relax with a sweet video. *grin*. Dane says, What movie? I say, Loves Long Journey - Janet Oak. Well, what do you know, he and Colt came and joined us. *grin* We are working our way through all six of them. They are very inspiring and exciting.


Before I came in from the boys I could hear them having a count of how many mosquitos they killed. It became quite a game. I am glad they did the work for me. One boy in particular, had a hard time sitting still during the movie. If there was one lone renegade out there, this boy had to put all the lights on and kill it, while the rest of the audience was trying to watch the movie. *grin*

Bedtime came soon after the movie. At least, it did for the grownups, but the three that were sleeping outside, well, let's just say it took a reminder of their desire to use the boats tomorrow, before they decided to can it and get some sleep.

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After midnight:

I have learned that nights are cool when you camp - even in a trailer! I am glad we parked in the sun and not the trees! I would have froze to death! And I am also glad that I decided to pack my fleecy pants and sweater! They were very nice to wear when I was feeling the cold. It is amazing how cool it can get at night, when the days are so hot. On the list: more blankets.

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Coming To You Live From... Part 1

Our First Camping Trip!

You never heard of the trailer purchase, cause I have been so busy that I haven't had time to write about it. It was an interesting story. I had been camping when Colt was a tiny boy and then again, with a friend, when Colt and Dane were five and three. It was great fun. But Ray was not into camping. Can't deny it. Just wasn't up his alley. So the camping never came back.

Then last year, my good friend Corrie, and I spent some time together and discussed camping this year. So as time when by I got more and more interested and approached Ray. The idea was to buy a trailer, as I figured that might entice him more than a tent. Because of the recession and other reasons the decision was not to buy one. So I went ahead and bought what I needed to set up a tent. After this was started, Ray and I got talking again about whether or not we really wanted to spent that much money on tenting equipment, when we might turn around and buy a trailer in another year or so.

The other thought was if we bought a larger trailer, then we could use it as a family if Ray managed to get work out of town. That way we wouldn't have to split up like we have in the past. We began researching and found the perfect layout. It has four beds for children, plus a master bedroom slide, plus the couch and dinette.





The layout of the couch and dinette was in such a way that you could sit on the couch and face the dinette, thus creating a livingroom feel, plus you can use the masterbedroom as a sitting area for kids if you have a crowd in the trailer.

Ray was going to the Big City anyway at this time to see his dad, who was in from out of town, so this worked out providentially. Ray never goes to the coast, so the timing was beautiful! He headed down with the addresses for four different people selling variations of this model. They were all in same price range, and I had only seen photos of one of them.

I figured since Ray had blessed me with the decision to buy the trailer, I would let him make the decision regarding the choice. I had seen one and loved it, but pictures can be deceiving; Ray found another one and felt it was a much better choice.

Then began the headache of trying to get the trailer paid for! We had the money, but the decision was made on Friday and so I had to get money transferred and then try to get it sent via Western Union to the Big City. Well, as it turned out, to send that much money was going to cost $520!!!! So that idea was out. I then approached the bank and they could send a wire transfer in a few minute, but it turned out it would not clear til Monday! What to do! By now, it was getting a little stressful, because Ray was due to come home on Saturday, and we would have to wait for another week for him to return - IF the trailer was not sold by then!

Late that night, Ray called me and suggested I get a bank draft and FLY it down! So that is what we did. I hit the bank at 9:30 the next morning, got my bank draft, and shot to the nearest airport - not that close! I got there in the nick of time, got it on the plane at 12:00 pm, and began to pray.

Ray had to get to the airport, pick up the envelope, and then drive to another city to find the owner, pay for the trailer and then hitch up and head to an insurance dealer before they closed for the weekend! It was tight, but he did it. He called me from the road and said, "You are now the proud owner of a tin box." I am sure he was happy it got it all accomplished!

Six hours later, he pulled into our driveway. What a beautiful sight! Who would have thought that the year after we adopt two little girls we would be the proud owners of a trailer and a super new truck - in my favourite colour: red! God is good!


The next day we began scrubbing it out.

I shampooed all the mattresses and couch and cushions.


Austin worked very hard cleaning and sweeping and washing. What a little worker!


The layout was wonderful and there is room for everyone - if need be. We will choose to put the big boys out in the tent, though, so that leaves ample room for us. We won't even need to use the couch and dinette!

We are now packing the trailer and preparing for our first camping trip. It is so nice to have somewhere to store it all and not have to pack it each time.
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Part 2 - On our first trip
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Painting Fun

I gave the four little ones each a palette of paint and had them sit at the eating counter. They had lots of fun and proudly showed me their works of art when they were done. It was curious to see how they all did.

It was curious to see how different their skills were. Briton surprised me by drawing a stick figure with a clear design on the sides, and Savannah with how she just simply swirled around and around. And then I was impressed to see how Raine had moved up to the level where Cooper was. I found it quite interesting to see what the paintings revealed to me about each child.

Cooper's House

Briton's Person

"Burton's In There" *smile*

he's under the red spot

Raine's House, Including Daddy's Shop

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