Wednesday 18 September 2013

Days in a Motorhome

We have always been so curious about life in a motor home, especially when we drove past one on the road. We see it on TV and books, but never the experience. Last weekend, together with Bel and vonne's families, we finally explored and spent a mini fraction of our lives in a RV (Recreational Vehicle). It was truly enriching and exciting for 3 days, 2 nights 'camp out'. Js love this unusual trip too. They have been talking days about it.

It was a vacation that's so distinct from the several we did. It was no hotel stay, and there were so much to pack and bring along. From the basics to bed sheets and kitchen wares. Challenging but exciting to me. We planned to whip up meals, instead of the convenient, frozen way out. We decided to make life a little better by using the toilet for light businesses, even though the purging of waste wasn't a tough or yucky process. The kids and Daddies showered in the rather cramped bathroom, while the Mummies accessed the public bathroom in the RV park.

The standard RV we rented, came equipped with kitchen, microwave, bathroom, 3 beds (good for 5), fridge and table. All good enough to make living comfortable for days or to some, for years. 
 
Basic needs met

We rented parking space in a RV park, at Pismo Beach, to rest our 'home'. During the day, we  drove out to some nearby places, the Morro Rock beach and caught sight of elephant seals, at another beach. Didn't realise we could do so much with a bulky vehicle. 

While in motion, I entertained Js

Delightful meals were made possible. Mummies are excellent food providers with just the basics of a kitchen. Cooking schedule definitely gets better with each family preparing only 1 or 2 dishes. Team work maximizes efficiency.  

Dinner time!

While the adults took the table bench, the little ones had an extraordinary privilege to dine with their favourite cartoon, on a picnic mat. Daddy C brought his projector along! Nice! 

Kids moment

Our day didn't end after a gathered dinner. Daddies and Mummies re-convened for movie, under the stars, after the kids slept. Where we had so much fun and laughter over adult conversations and food. 

I gladly conclude that RV stays are of better fun with a bunch of friends and kids. We had an awesome time of fellowship with our family and friends, as well as a good set of RV experience to keep. Highly recommend!

Home Made Carpark

Got our hands to craft again. Together with Js, we made a little car park to shelter Jare's cars. I had this project in mind for months. After collecting some good amount of toilet paper rolls, we're finally ready for action.

Materials needed:
  • 14 toilet paper rolls
  • coloured paper
  • Foam stickers
  • Scissors
  • Glue

Materials needed. I prefer using hot glue gun.
 

1. Glue all rolls together to form a pyramid. The largest base with 5 rolls, and 1 less as you build to the top.

2. Get a coloured paper. Jare chose purple. Cut it to the length of the roll and wrapped it around the outer sides of the rolls. I used a sheet and cut it into half, which was almost the exact length. 

Pyramid formed and wrapped

3. Almost there! Get the kids to decorate the outer sides. I had foam stickers, so the kids had a wild time of random pasting.

Decorating

See what random means

 4. Ready! House the cars in!

Happy with his new made toy

14 rolls gave us 28 parking spaces. One roll can hold 2 cars, back and front. Cars are Jare's all time love. Although they seemed to have taken a back seat because of the introduction of planes, I have no intention of making him an airport.

Wednesday 11 September 2013

Creating Memories

Brought two little Js for an unusual treat on a lazy Monday. It's usually on road trips or vacations that we indulge on ice-cream, but yesterday seemed so out of the norm. Something seemed to be protruding in my heart that we ought to have Mondays out of the usual, with just their Mummy. The man gets to enjoy peace, while I brought noise out of home. I was excited to bring them out on my own, knowing it was an exclusive afternoon of bonding. 

As we arrived at cold stone, they started exclaiming the flavours they wanted. Colour choice for Jare, as he only recognizes colours, he chose green pistachio. Jazz could read her desired, she wanted chocolate. I had every attempt to hint them about sharing a cup of ice-cream, but I guess they each have a mind of their own. I respected. And that treat came with bonus, I asked if they wanted anything to top off their delights. You guessed it, they chose M and M. Again, my attempt to suggest the better choices like nuts were not of any favour.  

Totally in love with their expressions!
 
Instead of getting all finicky about finishing that cup of ice-cream, I actually enjoyed watching them lick the ice-cream off their spoons and searching for chocs within their ice-cream. In fact, I was enjoying myself as much as they did. Right from the moment we stepped into the shop, I blended with their every expressions.

In midst of watching them, I had a sudden flash back of my childhood, when my dad brought us to Swensens for ice cream. Sticky Chewy Chocolate, I remember. It was nothing but happiness and yayness. Enjoying our favourite treats with no time constraint, seems to have greater effect on that emotion of delight.

I realised, it wasn't about that over concerning of tooth decay or unhealthy treats, it wasn't about the inconvenience of towing two out alone, it wasn't about anything else. But, simply creating memories! The fond memories I want them to store and recall with a smile years down the road. I hope they'll remember me, not just as a disciplinary role, but a mother figurine with those happy moments. We all have different ways of creating memories, I hope you have found your special moments, too.