We'd Rather be Camping Bucket Light

Yay! We've been working on establishing a business to fund the dream. We've come up with and trademarked several designs, and are excited to report we've made our first sale- a camping bucket light with our trademarked "We'd Rather Be Camping" slogan!

We've had a lot of interest in the past few days on purchasing these bucket lights, so we've opened a storefront to sell them.

Wondering what a camping bucket light is? Simply the coolest outdoor lighting there is! Our camping bucket lights are made of a 5 gallon bucket and bear our We'd Rather Be Camping slogan with either a tent, travel trailer, or RV. They are durable, waterproof, and unique- not the same old globe lights that you see at every campsite!

Check out our shop, and let us know what you think! Many more items in the "We'd Rather Be Camping" line are in the works!

377 Days in a Camper

Wow! Today marks our 377th night in our camper! Almost exactly a year ago, Brian and I were taking a walk, talking about how camping had completely revitalized our family. Hesitatingly, I brought up an idea that had been plaguing me for days, one that I felt drawn toward. I'm pretty sure I probably said something like, "You're probably gonna think this is completely crazy, but...."

The crazy thing turned out to be when Brian told me he'd been thinking about the same thing for several days. We both felt it was placed upon our hearts- this huge tug to do this crazy, completely nontraditional, people are gonna think we've lost our marbles, thing- pack up and hit the road in our camper, living full-time in an RV and traveling the US with our babies before they get too old. And thus The Dream was born.

It's been a crazy, chaotic, sort of downer of a time lately. We've felt stalled, stuck, like we're getting nowhere with our dream. We've been questioning ourselves-
"Is this really doable? Can we live full time in a camper?"
"Will this ever work out for us?"
"Is this really what God wants us to do?"
"What can we do to help us hit the road?"
"Does anyone read the blog? Do they care if we post or not?"
"What can we do to engage more of our audience?"
"Are we crazy?" (Dear readers, do you ever feel this way???)

Sometimes it's so easy to look at how much farther you have to go, rather than turning around to see how far you've come.  I guess it's the glass half empty kind of thing. Tonight, instead of staring ahead into that seemingly insurmountable abyss that represents our dream and how far away from it we are, we turned around.

We looked behind us to see how far we've come in those 377 days since we last slept in our sticks and bricks home. And, wow! We've come a long way, baby! In 377 days, we've....

• Sucessfully roadschooled one child, and will be adding the second to our own BCCS (Beasley Camping Charter School)
• Secured two campground hosting positions, each for 1/2 of the year. 
• Started this blog
• Started a Facebook Page
• Started a Pinterest Page
• Been featured in an advertising campaign on Jayco's Facebook Page about camping memories
• Been contacted by a producer of a new television show about potentially appearing on TV
• Been featured in a local newspaper article about our campground
• Been interviewed for an upcoming article about roadschooling in Cobblestone Magazine
• Happily lived together in a 31 by 8 foot camper and adapted to thriving in such a small spacce
• Met dozens of new friends in the campground
• Started writing an ebook on family camping activities
• Adopted a completely different lifestyle- one that's certainly not for everyone- but that feels right for us

Have we achieved our dream yet? No. We're still working on the sponsorship or money-making on the road details that will allow us to pull up roots and travel the US with our kiddos. Are we a whole lot closer? You betcha!

Camping has made us Famous!

Well, almost!

We're currently featured on Jayco RV's Facebook page as part of their Memories that Matter advertising campaign! Yay! National exposure! Check it out here!

Look! That's my photo and my daughter on Jayco's facebook page!

There are a few inaccuracies that I tried to correct in my comments, but that's okay.... (I do have a dear husband named Brian who, for some reason, is not mentioned at all. Bless his heart! {Love you babe!} We have a travel trailer, not a 5th wheel {boy, do I wish- that would equal more room!}And we spend six months camping, not just weekends. {If we can find a hosting job for the other six months, we'd do it full-time.} But all in all, it's a nice article!)

We've also been speaking to a TV producer for Bravo about possibly being on a new reality show highlighting different parenting styles. I'm not sure if we're TV material, but it sure is exciting to be considered! Look out Hollywood, here come the Beasleys!

We're being featured in an upcoming Cobblestone Magazine feature on Roadschooling, and we also have an article coming up next week in our local newspaper.

It's nice to get a little attention. Sometimes I feel like I'm writing to myself!

How Much Stuff Can Fit in a 31 by 8 Foot Jayco Travel Trailer??

Warning: Messiness ahead! If you are a neat freak (I so wish I was), please stop reading. What you are about to see is likely to offend you.

Still with me? OK. Don't say I needn't warn you! Now, please understand. We're not messy people, per se. We're not dirty, nasty folks. We keep a clean camper. But we seem to accumulate a lot of stuff.

We're starting our new hosting gig in 13 days-YAY! Remember, we've been full-time RV-ing in the front yard for about 5 months now. And we've been in the camper for 11 months straight! We decided it was time to take everything out of our Jayco, clean it top to bottom, and then reevaluate what we really need to put back in the camper. Everything needs a good overhaul in the organization department. We have two desktop computers for roadschooling we need to incorporate somewhere, and a billion other things we need.

So, we have literally taken everything out of the camper that wasn't nailed down. It took.... are you ready for this?....
70 trips (between all four of us)

Yes, you read that right. Seventy loads of stuff.

 This is embarrassing.... but have a look... Don't worry, we will organize it. But for now, we just wanted it out!

The "junk drawer". Jayco owners' manuals, 22 candles, an air horn...

 Yes, you see a spice rack and 38 plastic bags.

Food- that's OK, right???

 17 notebooks, umpteen cable wires, ....

 Enough play dough to stock a daycare, bubbles, ice cream churns (yes, two!)

Everybody needs a giant TV box and straws in their camper, right?

 Literally 28 blankets for four people

 A two foot tall bag of toiletries

Enough clothes for an entire daycare

 18 pillows

 Hey, this one is a must have....our 4 inch memory foam mattress topper!

75 plus DVDs.




Some of the stuff I can't believe was even in there.

Why??

Melted Crayon Heart Valentines Free Printables

Melted Heart Crayons

Free Printable Valentines

We love making things out of melted crayons around here. There's just something nifty about turning old, broken, stubby, no good crayons into a new swirly looking masterpiece!

Got broken junky old crayons? Great. Then you've got the makings of some awesome, one of a kind Valentines that are way cooler than the boxed kind you buy at Walmart!

Making these Valentines is simple and fun. You will need:
old crayons
a silicone heart shaped pan (it's only going to be good for making crayons from now on, so be forewarned)
an old cookie sheet or metal pan (ditto)
glitter (optional)

Step 1: Use an exacto knife to slit the wrappers of the crayons.

Step 2: Peel the labels off the crayons.

Step 3: Break the crayons into small pieces.
Step 4: Fill your heart molds with crayons.

Step 5: Put silicon pan on baking sheet.
Step 6: Bake at 250 in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until melted.
Step 7: Add more crayon bits and some glitter.
Step 8: Bake another 5-10 minutes, or until melted.
Step 9: Remove from the oven and let cool.
Step 10: Pop hearts out of mold.














Step 11: Use double sided tape to affix crayons to these printable Valentines. There are four different designs. (Don't worry; I took off Madison's name so your sweeties can write their own!)

Science Saturday: Magic Inflating Balloon

Welcome back to Science Saturday! We've got a great science activity to share with you today- the magic inflating balloon! The great thing about this science demonstration is it's easy, frugal, and only requires materials that most everybody has on hand at their home or camper! Oh, and then there's the major WOW factor, too! That's pretty nice also!

We've been studying states of matter and chemical and physical changes in our roadschooling lessons. This experiment fits the bill for both topics. Not only is it an opportunity to explore changes in the state of matter and view a real, live chemical reaction, but it's also an amazing thing to see! We've used this demonstration in classrooms as part of a Science Fun Day, at a Mad Scientist birthday party, and around the campsite just for funsies!

Before you read any farther, we must make you aware of our disclaimer.

DISCLAIMER: If you perform this experiment at your campsite, or other science activities like the Floating S Skittles, Ice Cube Sailboats, Glue Hands, or Fizzy Sidewalk Chalk Paint, be prepared for all the kiddos in the campground to flock to your campsite. As long as you don't mind your campsite being "the" place to be for all the campground kids (we don't), proceed at your own risk!

To make a ballon magically inflate, you will need: an empty water or soda bottle, vinegar, baking soda, a funnel, and a balloon. 

• For a 20 oz. bottle, pour about 1/2 cup vinegar into your bottle. (Don't use the funnel for this! If you do, wash and completely dry it before proceeding.) If your bottle is bigger or smaller, you may have to adjust amounts a little. Experiment- it's science!
• Insert the funnel into the balloon. 
• Pour about 1 - 1 1/2 tablespoons baking soda into the funnel. 
• Remove the funnel and shake all the baking soda down into the bottom of the balloon. 
• Stretch the neck of the balloon over the mouth of the bottle. 
• Hold onto the end of the balloon to keep the baking soda from falling into the bottle until you are ready. 
• Lift the balloon up and let the baking soda fall into the bottle. 
• Step back, and watch the magic!

  The kids were so amazed, we had to do it again!