OKAY, so I took some of your advice on changes to make before embarking on camping trip #2.  So let's chat about how those changes planned out and what I think of camping now. Many of you told me to plan more activities for the kiddos to keep them busy.  That worked pretty well on this trip because it happened to have been a campsite that is attached to an amusement park.  We did morning rides, back to the camper for lunch and naps, out for afternoon rides, then back for supper.  Little kids usually went back to the park for fireworks or more little rides while the bigger girls and I hit up the amazing concerts available! Even though everyone was way over tired and exhausted, everyone seemed pretty happy because they just wanted to keep doing things.  This made life easier for me!  I also made SURE that I did not forget my hormone loving oils and supplements.......HUGE difference that made!  No crazy mom syndrome on this trip!  We were loc...

OKAY--whoever talked me into this camping thing seriously needs to repent.  All of my friends, you know who you are, that told me about all of the fun and the memories and yadda yadda yadda........ LIES...ALL LIES!  I darn near lost my religion going camping for five days with this crew.  OH LAWDY!  I have fully decided that I am not a great camping mom.  I did learn a few lessons on this past trip.  Lesson number one is that I will NEVER forget my Progessence Plus oil at home EVER again!  I packed all necessary essential oils ahead of time and completely forgot the one that I use every night to keep away the "mom crazies". Second lesson is that I need to have a schedule of things for my kiddos to do that includes SCHEDULED times at the pool, playground, etc ahead of time.  Then they MAY not beg to go in five different directions all at the same time. Third lesson is that Mommy NEEDS down time.  I didn't realize exactly how much!...

We are preparing for our first ever (really) camping trip.  Now, you would need to know me to know that this is a STRETCH for me!  No, I am lying.....its not a stretch it is a full blown miraculous thing.  BUT, remember, I am working on Fun and Family this year and someone convinced me that camping would accomplish both.  I, however, am quite certain that camping with strengthen my Faith more than anything.  Two adults, five kiddos, one dog all in one camper....YUP--this will make or break my Faith! I am NOT a big fan of camping.  When someone puts vacation plus camping in the same sentence it sounds like an oximoron to me.  We did go camping TWICE in the last sixteen years of marriage.  The first time was in a tent big enough to barely fit the air mattress......not good!  That was before we had kiddos.  Then we went again with three kiddos in a "three room" tent.  Um, NO....those are definately not three rooms.  It's like on...

As I am working through a life of balance I find two areas to be severely lacking.....Fitness and Fun.  To encourage myself to find areas of Fun I decided to make a "bucket list" of fun things that I would like to accomplish within the next 3-5 years.  Some of these are this summer, some are near future, and some will Max out that 3-5 years.  Some are on my own, and some include the entire family. *Hawaii *camping - One Trip down, one to go *The Creation Museum *The Ark encounter *Kids Pool party *Read one book a month - I MAY be reading more like two or three a month ;)         (This is totally fun for me....don't judge) *Travel *Amusement park *Young Living Convention *Silver Retreat *Elevate *Hike two mountains this summer        (this one is back burnered since I sprained my ankle) *Fire pit and smores - did this on camping trip #1 *Fireworks *Parades - Got in two so far in the Summer of 2018 *Disney *West...