Lions, Tigers, Bears, and Dinosaurs?

Our homeschool group traveled to the Schiele Museum of Natural Science.  There were two new exhibits that we hadn't seen.  The first was the new National Geographic photography exhibit of Lions, Tigers, and Bears!  The photographers captured amazing photos of the various animals.  Some of the photographs looked surreal!  They were all captivating to see.  We loved reading the captions and learning more about each picture.  It was also nice to read about the photographer of the pictures.

Next, we ventured to the Dinosaur exhibit.  Life like models of dinosaurs filled the rooms.  Informative plaques hung on the walls telling about the period and interesting tidbits relating to the dinosaurs.  There were ample fossil casts to look at and marvel over.

The kids, though older, loved the Pirate exhibit.  It was a large playground type of ship they could climb on and release some energy.

We then browsed the areas of North Carolina from the mountains to the coast.  They love looking for the different animals in the exhibits.

The Hall of North American Animals is a hit every time.  Taxidermied animals are all over showing the diversity of wildlife in North America.  There is also a wall that has living animals that the kids gravitate to every time we visit.

We visited the Native American Hall to learn more about the rich culture of the different tribes of North America.

Finally, we went outdoors to walk the nature trail and visit the farm.  It was a pleasant day for a walk.  The pigs and the sheep were out waiting for the kids to see and pet them.  Of course, they all obliged!

Ping-Pong Ball Launchers

Mr. Jack had the kiddos design ping-pong ball launchers for an Angry Birds style game in class.  He explained how trajectory works with the launcher.  He showed them one he built and then let them loose to design their own.

They learn so much during these classes.  Engineering, physics, experimental design, testing, and redesign all comes into play.  At the end of class, they discuss what worked well, what could have worked better, which design worked the best, how would they do it different next time.  The kids aren't afraid to make mistakes or try new things.  Some designs that look like they would not work, work better than others.  It is wonderful to see them not afraid to think outside the box.  We love Mr. Jack!

Making the Avalanche 365MB Feel More Like Home!

I spent a couple of days slowly organizing and beginning the decorating process on the Avalanche.  It is going to take time to create the home away from home feel in our new space.  I get overwhelmed at times and want to just get it all done, but I know taking little steps in the decorating process will be better in the long run.  So, right now it is more about organizing.

We camp with our senior dog, Sally B.  She loves to camp as much as I do! Dog bowls are easy to stub a toe on and knock over in a camper.  There is really not a good space to place them out of the way.  I wanted to dedicate the far side of the kitchen island for the dog bowls.  I figured we would have less foot traffic in that area.  When browsing the internet, I stumbled upon a dog food storage and feeding station.  I decided to buy it and hoped that it would solve our issue. The IRIS Medium Elevated Feeder and Storage station fit perfect!  The height is just right for Sally B to eat and drink comfortably.  We didn't knock into it at all, so hopefully this has solved our issue.

The Avalanche is very dark inside at night.  Our first time out in it, we could not see to go up the stairs to the bath and bedroom.  The hall light is a very bright LED.  We left it on, but knew this was not going to work all the time.  I searched Amazon for battery operated motion night lights.  We do not have any outlets in the hallway.  There were plenty of LED bright light night lights.  I wanted something more subtle.  I finally found Mr. Beams Sleep Friendly lights.  They are amber colored and work amazingly well.  I placed one in front of Egee's bunk room door and the other near the second step in the hallway.  The light given off is enough to navigate up the steps without an issue.  Problem solved!

Another issue with our steps to the bathroom and bedroom was the slickness of the floor and treads.  I knew it was only a matter of time before someone fell going down.   I needed a landing rug, but worried about it moving under our feet.  I knew they made stair rugs for campers and I really didn't want to carpet the entire set of stairs.  I chose to go with the landing rugs.  They attach to the landing and steps with industrial strength Velcro for a secure hold.  I bought three different sized rugs, 14in for bottom landing, 8in for steps, and 10in for top landing.  They are working out great!  The peppercorn coloring works great for our decor.

The medicine cabinet in the bathroom is always a recipe for disaster!  I had the one in the Zinger nice and organized and needed to do the same for the Avalanche.  I used many of the same things I came up with in the Zinger.  I added Velcro strips to the wall and hung up our pill box, toothbrush holders, contact box, Q-tip box and manicure case.  I added the bathroom Command hooks to hold the ponytail hair wraps.  A metal shelf on the upper shelf helped wrangle in small items and allowed taller items and brushes to store underneath.  I found a razor holder and took off the suction cup then used an adhesive hanger to mount it in the cabinet.  Now everything is easily accessible.

The vanity storage needed some work, as well.  I bought an over the door toilet paper holder.  This works great, because we have no wall space to place the toilet paper.  The tissue box fits nicely in front of the p-trap.  The extra toilet paper is easily accessible on the top shelf and I can keep on eye on how many rolls we have.  I placed most of the feminine products in a plastic shoe box.  Another plastic shoe box, houses extra toothpaste, deodorant, razor blades, etc.  The black tank deodorizer is kept in a plastic container and our cleaning supplies are corralled in a small bin. Everything has a place and is easily to grab when needed. Finally, I placed a Command towel bar on the side of the linen closet for our hand towel.  It fit just perfect for the hand towel and it keeps the towel off the side of the sink.

The shower head that came standard in the Avalanche was lacking in a quality spray.  We bought the Oxygenics Fury and love it.  I put our shower dispenser organizer back up.  I love this thing! Seeing how much shampoo and conditioner we have left is great because I don't keep extra on hand.  The kids don't over use product and we don't have containers taking over the shower!  I also added two bathroom Command strip hooks to the shower wall to hold wet washcloths or swim suits when the time comes.  I may add a couple more if needed.

I still have more to do in the organizing of our new Avalanche.  I will keep you updated as I continue to make this our home away from home. 

Click here for Mods I did on the Zinger Bunkhouse!

Touring our new 2018 Keystone Avalanche 365MB

We are so excited for camping season to begin.  We have only spent one weekend in our Avalanche.  That was when we bought it and we haven't been out in it since.  We are putting the Avalanche on our seasonal site the first of April and I can then start really making it our own.

We love the gray, blue and black color scheme.  Plus the large windows in the living area to bring the outdoors in!

One really nice feature is the auto leveling system plus the mid and back stabilizers.  With a press of a button, it levels itself!  When the leveling is done the stabilizers prevent the trailer rocking from happening. My kiddos don't seem to know how to walk lightly in a trailer.  This fixes the elephant foot issue!

Everyone agreed that this floor plan fit our needs for now and in the future.  Egee got her own room with a desk.  LM got a loft bed above the midbunk.  Although, he really prefers the sofa to sleep.  Hubs and I got a king bed!

The kitchen island is great for food prep and I love the deep double sink.  The faucet with the pull down sprayer is so nice!

Our dining area is more roomy and the table has a leaf to give us another foot of space.  When we set it up on our seasonal site, I am planning on turning the table length wise against the window.  We mostly play games and work at the table, so this will give a better outdoor view.  One chair is typically going to be in Egee's room for her to work at her desk.

The kitchen storage was pretty much an equal trade off with the Zinger.  The pantry is more functional in the Avalanche.

The refrigerator is a huge upgrade!  We have gone from a six cubic foot fridge to an eighteen cubic foot fridge.  Finally, we have enough room to store a bag of ice and food in the freezer.  Plus, we can keep plenty of drinks cool in the fridge.  The microwave is lower and easier for me to reach.  That is a short person problem!

The rear living area is nice and roomy for Hubs.  He has theater seating and likes the reclining feature.

We love the fireplace.  It came in handy during our weekend in December.  LM is ecstatic over the fifty inch television.  A big factor in deciding on which 5th wheel to choose was which side of the trailer had the most windows.  Normally, you don't think about that, but I did.  My parents are in the seasonal site that we will be putting the Avalanche.  We are switching sites with them.  In the Zinger it didn't matter that our windows were mainly looking out onto the site beside us.  We could see my parents and that was fine. They have windows on both sides of their trailer and typically keep the blinds closed that look out on the neighboring site for privacy.  We won't really have that problem, because our main wall doesn't have but one window.  We will have more privacy.  Plus it is going to be nice to look out and see what is going on in our own camp with our large windows.  I felt closed off from our site inside the Zinger.

I am beyond excited about the king size bed.  Our bed at home is a king and it is so hard to go from a king to a queen.  We bought a four inch mattress topper for the bed.  RV mattresses are so uncomfortable in our opinion, but the mattress topper takes care of that.  I am also loving all the closet space!  We have room for everyone's clothes and I even have space we're not using!  The four drawer dresser is another plus.  We really enjoyed to two drawers in the Zinger.  However, this dresser is much easier to access.

Egee loves the desk in her room.  She is able to do her artwork and have privacy.

The sofa makes out into a bed.  The cushions are memory foam and she said it is very comfortable.  She is my princess and the pea child, so for her to say it is comfy is a big plus!

LM has his loft area.  It doesn't have the head space like the Zinger, but he said he was okay with it.  He tends to want to sleep on the sofa anyways and that is fine.  He climbs up into the loft during the day to just chill and watch YouTube videos.

The bathroom is next to our master bedroom.  The floor space is about what we had in the Zinger.  However, the shower is much bigger!  I also have a linen closet in the bathroom. We don't have to worry about being undressed and then forgetting to grab a towel now!

Once camping season begins, I will be making the Avalanche feel more like home.  Organizing and decorating it to be our little mountain getaway.  Hubs bought me quite a few things for Christmas to start my decorating quest.  I can't wait!

Goodbye, Zinger....Hello Avalanche!

We said a sad goodbye to our Zinger 28bh in December.  I really loved that travel trailer.  We began seasonal camping this past year and with all the time spent at the campsite, Hubs wanted to have more room.  I began the quest to find a larger camper to accommodate our needs.  There are so many nice 5th wheels out there and each had their own perks, but we needed to reign in the price and make sure our needs were met.  Two tough factors to contend with when you have four individuals with various needs and wants!

I spent many, many, many hours on the internet researching.  I spent countless hours looking through 5th wheels at dealerships. Then when I started to narrow things down, I had to take the crew on the walk through of several 5th wheels in the running.  One kiddo wanted this one and the other wanted that one.  Hubs wanted room!  Finally, we decided upon the Keystone Avalanche 365MB.

The dealership was no longer going to carry the Avalanche and the price was right.  Of course, I did more negotiating to see if I could even get a better deal.  I did get a better deal on our trade in of the Zinger.  Hubs couldn't believe it!

We had our farewell trip in our Zinger to Florida and back in November.  It was bittersweet.  I love the storage in the Zinger.  I had spent time making it our own.  It was also the first brand new anything we have owned.  It was going to be our forever trailer until the kids were grown.  However, that was when we were camping only ten weekends a year.  This last season we spent over one hundred days in the Zinger.

We signed on the dotted line the first weekend of December to take possession of the Avalanche.  We camped that weekend and moved our things from the Zinger to Avalanche.  It felt like a betrayed my camping buddy.  I know that is weird, but our memories in the Zinger have been wonderful.

Now it is time to move on and make the Avalanche our home away from home. We will make new memories in the Avalanche.  I can't wait until camping season begins!