Monday - Day 78 - RVs: Past & Future

I love my sister, Margaret. She finds things on the internet and thinks of me.  She sent me a link over the weekend, "RV's, Past, Present and Future".  It wasn't simply that she sent me a link, but she pegged one of the photos to be John, Ty and I.  I loved the photo so much, I had to write an entire blog entry around it.

Since 1918, a covered wagon with an engine was used as a home on wheels.  How fancy did they think they were riding around in their 'motor' home?  The very first adapters simply added a motor to the covered wagons once being toted around by horses.

1918, Early adopters in 1918
prepare a meal on the back of their "housecar".

Trailers came in all shapes and sizes.  It fascinates me that no matter what decade you choose people had a desire to travel the country in a trailer, a fifth wheel or a bus.

1917 Adams Motor Bungalo, the original 5th wheel

1927 Ford-based house car

A family road trip in an early trailer

During the depression trailers were advertised to promote the ease and cost savings to travel with your "hotel".  During difficult economic times, I would bet many people were desirous to live, long term, in a shinny silver dome trailer, in lieu of a traditional home.  It was inexpensive and just as comfortable as home.

"A typical advertisement for trailers in the
depression era promised all the comforts of home."

With each new decade, RVs transformed from practical homes on wheels to more stylish options. I think it became more about how they appeared traveling as much as how the RVs looked on the inside.

A late 1940s trailer arriving at a campsite

A 1937 Curtiss Aerocar luxury 5th-wheel,
behind a custom 1937 international Harvester truck

Below is a typical 1940's family.  This gentleman was an aviation worker, much like my own husband who works in aviation.  He and his family enjoyed a meal in their trailer.  This is the photo my sister emulated to my family.  It's John, Ty and I and we will assume James is outside playing in the dirt.

A movable feast, this 1946 family enjoyed a meal in their trailer.

In more recent decades RVs became stylish and more convenient to tow.  Often bought to match their current stylish vehicle.

"A 1950's 'canned ham' trailer with a typical '50s 'bulgemobile'"

The early addition model vehicles were not as pretty.  In 1959, the first motorized vehicle to be called a "motarhome" instead of a "house car".

"First of it's kind made in Brown City, MI, 1959 Frank Motorhome

In round two, the 1961 Motorhome had an incredible transformation   It was redesigned by the son of the company's owner,  he was still in high school at the time.

The 1961 second generation Frank motorhome
featured a more aerodynamic shape

Innovation came and went.  Dual purpose amphibian homes could be used as traditional trailers or as houseboats.

'Surf 'n turf:  A 23-foot combo-cruiser  amphibian home.

A more current amphibious model motorcoach is a "self-washing pleasure craft"  This RV has a top speed of seven knots.  Personally, I think I would rather just pull my own boat behind our current trailer.

The Terra Wind amphibious motorcoach,
on the Potomac River in Ft. Washington

Now compare our RV to a future model, the eleMMEnt, which looks more like a futuristic spaceship than an RV.

Our current "Premier" RV

Luxury RV eleMMent

The entertainment lounge of the eleMent

For more photos and history on RVs past and future.  Visit http://photos.msn.com/slideshow/autos/rvs-past-present-and-future/23aqp0m9#1.  I found it fascinating to see how far we've come and the future is even more entertaining.

Sunday - Day 77 - A little Loofah and other perks

I woke up in our hotel room submerged in lush white bedding and plush pillows.  An entire queen bed to myself; no little arms or legs snuck into bed with me during the night.  No baby cries to disturb my peaceful slumber.

My first thought when I woke up was, "Am I in heaven?"  My second thought was, "I need to take a real shower."

The shower was just as luxurious as the bed.  I had to wonder, was it really that good or is it because I live in an RV?  I didn't care and took the hottest, most exhilarating shower ever and enjoyed every last bit of it.

My favorite part of the experience was seeing a miniature, complimentary loofah sponge wrapped in cellophane.  It was calling my name.  It is the little perks I tend to enjoy the most.

A mini Loofah sponge - complimentary at our hotel

As soon as I was dried and dressed, I received a good morning, Happy Mother's Day text from my husband.  All five kids stayed in the camper with him the previous night.  They had a fun, family evening while I milked my mini retreat.  

All our children camped out together,
while I was living it up with plush pillows

Receiving this photo via text message made my morning even better, my piece of heaven was now complete.

My girlfriend, Chelley and I, over ate at the scrumptious buffet breakfast, smoothie shots included.  We basked in the sun for a few hours.  I had time to quiet my mind and enjoyed doing a lot of nothing.

I discovered a few things as I lay by the pool wondering when I would be able to come back to my new favorite hotel retreat.  It may seem hard to believe, but I do enjoy the finer things in life.  I am a hotel snob and prefer staying at upscale hotels, but I am always looking for a bargain. I believe this is called being frugal (not cheap).

I am a princess at heart, but I can go with the flow as much as I need to because I realized it makes living with men (boys) easier.  Although I sleep in a camper most nights, I prefer my 1000 count bed sheets, I can eat anywhere, but I prefer clean restaurants with good food.  I let my boys play outside, but I hate anything sticky, like fingers, floors and tables.  I thoroughly enjoy a good beer on draft, but a flavored martini is equally as good.  A nice little balance keeps life interesting.

I woke up on my Mother's Day rested, satisfied and happy.  I went home and loved on my wonderful family. We had a sweet late afternoon and evening together.  We ate bad at the Chinese buffet, it wasn't clean, but I was happy anyway.  It was the perfect ending to my perfect day and I didn't mind one bit coming home to my camper.  Especially since my husband worked hard cleaning up the outside area and washed our home on wheels.  Like I said, it's the little perks I enjoy the most.

Saturday - Day 76 - Time Away

I love spending time with my family however an occasional night away makes for a happier mom.

I believe trips apart are healthy. Trips without the kids are smart. Trips as a family make memories. A little bit of everything manifests a lifetime of enjoyment and care for any family.

My friend Chelley and I decided to spend a night in Orlando about a month ago. By chance we booked on Mother's Day weekend. I think it worked out well. What mother doesn't deserve a little rest and relaxation before going home to her kids on Mother's Day?

We arrived at our recently remodeled hotel pleasantly surprised with our accommodations. We used a Groupon, and did very well for ourselves.

We ordered pretty adult cocktails as rain pounded the awning of the pool cabana bar. It down poured the second we made it to the pool area and sat down, we had no choice, but to sit and stay and enjoy the time together.

Blue Lemondes

Considering Chelley and I are mothers of young boys, we are use to lots of little boy energy and we are constantly keeping tabs on our kids, everywhere we go. It was weird for us to not have anyone to look out for other then ourselves. The kids screaming in the pool behind us were not ours. We could FINALLY relax. It felt incredible!

We had a fabulous evening drinking, talking, people watching and finding some good Italian food for dinner. I feel as If I finally enjoyed much needed quality time with my friend, something we rarely do considering our kids are always with us whenever we get together.

I'm sure when we go home rested and relaxed our kids will be happy to have us back. They will know that having their mom every other day of the year, makes each day a Mother's Day!

Daddy wore him out while I was gone!

.

Friday - Day 75 - Best of Both Worlds

I have two distinctive lives in our camper, one with my husband and one without. It is the best of both worlds.

Today was the completion of one week, one week of swimming complete, one week without my husband home, one week of a steady routine with the boys.

It was a great week. My kids are that much closer to becoming fish. I managed an entire week without the dog escaping, this is huge! I realized that my life got a lot easier this week. I am sure this is because I emotionally excepted the fact that managing ten days without my husband home was easier then I had anticipated.

Today is day 75. I honesty don't know where the time has gone. Today I took the dog for his shots and made reservations for him at the doggy spa. Rabbit deserves a little R&R while we are headed out of town next week.

Today I also picked my husband up at the airport and he took all of us out to a a delicious Cuban restaurant. Points for the husband.

After 10 days without John home, the boys and I had our own routine. We adapted effortlessly. Life had been very relaxed. I realized one evening, as I entered the campground gate, that I am the most relaxed I have been in a long time. Things seem to have come together and fallen into place without a lot of effort on my part.

Of course, the kids love and miss their father to death and they were so excited to see him when we picked him up at the airport. However, they also seem fine when he is gone; I suspect it's because they know he is coming back. As more time passes, living our life gets easier.

I also came to the conclusion that when John is away on business, it gives me independence and the confidence that I do not need him home all the time. I am in my solo mom world and I like the benefits that world provides.

I do enjoy my married mom life. Having my best friend to talk to, confide in and share feelings with is an important aspect of my life. My husband and I have dreams together, we adore our children and appreciate them every minute of the day. We have a partnership and a family unit that I cherish.

I will admit it can be difficult transitioning from solo mom to married mom, despite the fact that both are fulfilling in different ways. It take about a day to readjust after John arrives home. Once he is home it's as if he was never gone, until the next business trip.

I adore my husband and hope he always knows how much I appreciate how hard he works for his family even if it means traveling often. I also hope he is aware that we do okay on our own too.

We are fortunate, our situation will make for a long lasting marriage, living the best of all worlds.

Thursday - Day 74 - Super Elmo

What do you do when your cat falls through the ceiling vent in the shower?  Do you tell your husband or just blog about it and hope he thinks it is funny.

Our cat, Elmo, has adapted to the great outdoors and he spends many overnights outside.  I do not even hear him scrapping with the raccoons anymore. He must have stood his ground, showed them whose boss.

I heard Elmo meowing by the door this morning, but by the time I decided to let him in he was gone.  I heard him on the roof soon after, and silly me just assumed he would find his way down.

He really was making a racket up on the roof, I could hear him meowing and meowing, I finally went to see what he was up to and heard, 'Thug!'.  Out the bathroom door came Elmo looking forlorn.

The dang cat pushed the screen all the way out and jumped.  It's quite a long way down, but he made it.

Elmo pushed through the ceiling window and made it! 

Accumulated leaves along with the screen were scattered all over the shower floor.   I was able to snap the screen back on the window, and honestly if I didn't decide to blog about it, my husband would not be all the wiser.

I'm a little impressed the cat got back inside the RV.  He's a slick kitty.  That's why I love him the most. Shhhh, don't tell the dog.

'Super Elmo - Our Fierce Cat'

Wednesday - Day 73 - Friendship

It was simply a friend day.

I visited with an old friend at a nearby park. She is warm and caring and has endured life hardships.  It's helped her be a stronger and happier person.  She is a survivor and I admire that.

After the boys had done an incredible job with their swim lessons, I waited for my friend, Chelley, to get home so we could visit for a while.  She is sweet and funny and I can talk to her about anything.  We relate in many ways, specifically on parenting and life with little boys.

Afterwards, I met my step-daughter, Haley, for coffee and dinner.   Spending time with Haley is easy and fun.  We make ridiculous jokes together, that's our thing. Somehow, she has transformed from my young daughter to a friend, whose time I truly enjoy.  She reminds me of my young self in so many ways and I find I relate to her in new ways as she gets older.  She will be entering college soon, and I look forward to the woman and friend she will become one day.

This evening I spoke on the phone to a long time girlfriend from New York.  We laughed and shared and listened.  It is always so good to hear what she's up to, our lives are polar opposite.  She manages her own public relations company, while I manage a home full of little men.  She is a firecracker and I love that about her.  I can be brutally honest with her and she never gets mad.

Seeing or chatting with four friends all in one day helped me reflect on a few things.  They each came into my life at different times, and they are all very different people, yet I adore each one of them for who they are. Spending time together is easy and it makes me happy.  No matter where I am in life I will have a connection with each of them.

I also have friends who I cherish, but for some reason our lives have drifted apart.  I have wonderful memories of time spent together.  Next weekend I will be attending a fabulous New York wedding with college friends.  Some I have not seen in over ten years, it will be a happy reunion.  I suspect it will be as if no time has passed.  Although, I am more or less the same person I was in college and look much the same, I see myself very differently and feel I am a happier, more confident individual.  I truly hope after next weekend, I do a better job staying in touch with those I feel close to.

I will admit, I can't help but wonder will anyone I see, next weekend, find my current living arrangement strange?  Will I be judged for it?  I am one hundred percent okay with my life, but I have endured some judgment by few.  I am secure with my life decisions, and expect understanding.  Our life is different, and there is nothing wrong with being different.

I eventually want to turn my blog into a book for my boys to read when they are older.  I want them to understand how their mother perceived them at a young age and what an important role their childhood played in my life.

One day they too will be in college all grown up, making a life for themselves.  The most important lesson I can teach my sons, to take them through life, is that it is okay to be different and to love others for their differences.  Kindness is a virtue. One which takes a life time to develop and master.

I love all my friends, every beautiful bit of them.  I think they love me too, every last whacky bit of me.  They all keep me smiling and in return, I can only hope, I give back as much as they give to me.

Tuesday - Day 72 - Something to Love

Keeping busy is the key to surviving in a camper.  Being cooped up for days when it rains can get old, so when the sun comes out and I leave to visit with friends or to run errands, I often forget I even live at a campground.  And when I return, I am happy to see my home on wheels is waiting for me.

Every Tuesday I have an ongoing play date at the local McDonald's play area. The happy meals are discounted and the adult company is golden.

Most of the moms I am only acquainted with, considering I do not drop by every week, and then there are the new moms I meet on the weeks I do go.  A long time friend invited me to these weekly outings and I am forever grateful.

Today I meet a young mom who had a son, around the age of three.  Ty innocently claimed her son's lovey off a chair and hugged it with all his might.  All the ladies oooo'd and aaaaa'd watching Ty run with glee holding his new found friend snug in his arms.

Ty came with his own lovey who sat idly in his stroller, I grabbed it and exchange the little boy's puppy lovey for Ty's monkey lovey.  Ty was equally satisfied, his comfort and happiness restored in the simplest form.

I chatted with the mother briefly about loveys and how important I thought they were for a child's  development.  She listened wide eyed and I soon learned she had her own childhood lovey she still kept in her bedroom, her husband often teased her about it.

I have watched my step-children grow up with loveys, transporting them back and forth between their mother and father's homes.  I have seen my boys attach to their own loveys.

James is on his third lovey, the first was an adorable bear lost at age one.

James first lovey lost when he was one. 

The second was a Poo bear look a like, lost at the end of last year.  James tells me he misses his last lovey, the only one he remembers owning.  It was his friend, his safety net, no matter what his mood.

James most beloved lovey.

I reluctantly gave James one of Ty's unused loveys gifted to him when he was first born.  James attached to it quickly, which surprised me.  I have observed James and since we've moved he does not always need to have his lovey with him.  He often forgets to bring him places, but he still hugs and hold him tight with love.  A bittersweet reality that he is slowly out growing it.

 As a mom, I never want to see James teased for having a lovey, but I am convinced he is a sweeter, better child because he learned to love his lovey at at a young age.  He loves lovey and it is all his to love.  It is his lovey to hold and cherish no matter where he is.  Lovey allows James to be unconditionally affectionate and loving, wonderful traits for any little boy.

James latest Lovey,
conveniently named  "Puppy Dog"

Ty adores his lovey and looks for it often. He hugs it tight and always sleeps with it, sometimes covering his little face with it.  I catch him looking and finding his lovey during the night while he is still asleep.

Ty's monkey lovey.
Ty is our little monkey.

All children do not need loveys to be sweet, warm and loving, however, I am confident having a lovey helps ensure our kids are not ever afraid to love and are never lacking for the love they need.  When mom or dad are not there, lovey is always there to fill a need.  That's why we call it a 'lovey'.