Free ebook... Today only! How to downsize a house full into an RV

This book looks great.... Chock full of advice on how to get rid of clutter and simplify your life. Definitely worth a peek if you are considering full timing it, or just want to declutter! Check it out here!

Great apps for keeping busy on the road

While on the hunt for apps to keep our (not so) little ones busy on our disastrous road trip (more on that later), I came across an absolutely fabulous and FREE app from gorving.com.

It's called Get Away Games and is available for iPhone / iPad and Android devices (so loving our kids' new Nexus 7s! They make the iPad look like a toy!)

Get Away Games has four different games you can play: license plate bingo, road trip I spy, mad libs (the best free mad lib game I've found), and the ABC game.

All games we remember playing as kids on road trips in low tech form!

My favorite part of this app is that whenever you turn it on, it shows a different RV driving up! Way cute!

Elf on the Shelf Adventures

Our elf, Delfie, appeared this year in our Christmas tree! We had tagged it before Thanksgiving. When we went to cut it down the day after Turkey Day, look who was just hanging out in the tree!

He has been up to some adventures, let me tell you!

So far, this year, he has:

• Slept with our new kittens (mama cat seemed quite suspicious of the intruder!)
• Made a hammock out or unmentionables
• Worn the "We Will Get Along Shirt" to let the kiddos know that he knows they were misbehaving
• Snuggled under the tree and read Tuck Everlasting, which Hunter is reading for Roadschool
• Had a hot tub party with the Barbies
• Lined up all the red and green Hot Wheels
• Played Giant Backyard Scrabble
• Made duck tape bow tie, bracelets, and legwarmers for himself, as well as a Duct Tape Tree for the wall
• Hidden in candy dishes and the washer
• Made a candy cane swing

Do YOU have an Elf on the Shelf? What has he been up to? Share in the comments or post pics to our facebook page!

Crazy Elf on the Shelf Makes a Hammock

That darn Elf on the Shelf!
Really, Delfie?
Love that hammock! And a sock for a blanket, too!
Guess I should be glad he didn't use underwear!

Elf on the Shelf plays Handmade Backyard Giant Scrabble

Our Elf on the Shelf, Delfie, decided to get into a new game we made, Backyard (Campground) Giant Scrabble. We made large letter tiles out of construction paper and laminated them so we can play them outdoors at the campsite.

We decided we'd just play based on number of letters in words, so we omitted the whole points for each letter thing.

Want to make your own? You may want to know what the letter distribution is:

A-9      B-2     C-2     D-4      E-12     F-2    G-3     H-2     I-9     J-1     K-1     L-4      M-2     N-6

O-8      P-2    Q-1     R-6     S-4      T-6        U-4   V-2     W-2    X-1    Y-2     Z-1     Blank-2

We messed with the above a little, so it's not "true" Scrabble. We added a few more letters here and there as desired, but that's the basic recipe. 

Planning on making your own? We' d love to see them. Post pics on our Facebook page, or leave us a comment and we'll come check out your page!

Creative EASY Christmas Countdown Chain Tree

A little twist on the traditional countdown to Christmas paper chain... a paper chain tree!
It's very simple, almost self- explanatory! You will need: 16 strips of green paper (mine was about 9 x 1 inches), 1 strip yellow, 5 strips red, and 3 strips brown.
Starting at the top, make 1 yellow loop.
Attach to it 1 green.
Hang 2 greens off that loop.
Secure the 2 greens with a horizontal green loop.
Off each of the 2 green vertical loops (that are secured with a horizontal loop), hang 1 red and green loop.
Attach 1 green loop to each green loop above it. Attach both reds above to 1 green loop (there are 3 green loops in this row).
Secure the 3 greens with 2 horizontal green loops.
Hang 1 red and 1 green from each of the green loops above.
Hook the center 2 red and green loops together with a brown loop (2 browns in this row).
Secure the 2 browns with a horizontal brown loop.
That's it! It took me longer to type it than it does to make it!

This model has 25 loops (I like to have one left on Christmas day.) You can also make a smaller version if you're a little late in getting your countdown up!