Our Grand Adventure --Roadtripping 1650 miles with 8 kids in 2 days--updated

And back. So that's 3300 miles

update: we survived. I updated this with what actually worked

Before the trip...

• PLAN OUT THE STOPS with the exit numbers, with Josh. Print it out and save it.
• Paperwork [insurance, ID, registration.]
• Window-Tint is up [retape where kids have peeled it]
• Window Curtains [?] <--Shortcut, Duct tape and sheets!! A simple and effective way to do it.
• Water bottles and 2 gallons of water in jugs.
• Train oldest 4 in situational awareness, wide berths, keeping witnesses, planning routes of escape, and how to pepperspray.

TO PACK UP

• Ear plugs!! 
• Leather driving gloves
• sunglasses
• Toiletries accessible during the trip
• Aloe vera & sunscreen
• toothbrushes & toothpaste, xylitol mints
• hairbrush and hair elastics
• Car Phone Charger
• Laptop, charger
• Switch
• On Phone (with auxiliary cable)
• LOTR (Phil Dragash), 
• Voyage of the Dawn Treader, 
• Magicians Nephew, 
• Horse and His Boy, 
• the Silver Chair. 
• CHRISTMAS CAROLS. 
• And Star Wars music.
• Pack car up 72 hours in advance.
• 4 warm outfits, layers.
• 4 underwear, 4 pairs of socks
• 4 leggings
• 4 long sleeve [cotton)shirts
• 4 jumpers/dresses/tunics
• fleecy pajama pants to wear under skirts in real cold
• Puffy winter coat, jacket/hoodie
•  Boots and sneakers. 
• Sunday outfits packed by mom
• Backup bag of socks packed by mom
• Hats
• CAR POLAR FLEECE Blankets
• Snacks limited to Apples, Cheese sticks, and Water. Remember hte horror that was the rotting stepped-on oranges, and the temptation that was the yogurt on I-40.
• Vomit trash bags on each aisle, including the passenger seat
• Working trash bag hung on the back of the passenger seat. Extra trash bags in reserve for emergencies
• Baby Wipes and Paper towel roll in the car, to clean up stuff

THE DAY BEFORE

• Car has to be all packed up at least 24 hours before go-time
• Kids go to sleep in their travel clothes, have all the waterbottles, hoodies, and shoes piled up by the door. [wake them up, drink water, use the bathroom, get in the car]
• eat low carb, save candies for later. Do 3 HIIT workouts. 
• Lights out at 8pm, go to sleep at 9. WEAR EARPLUGS Remember you are waking up at 6am.
• Go to bed at 9pm, wake up at 6am. Start driving at 6:20am.

TIPS THAT KEPT YOU AWAKE ON THE TRIP

• Eat Keto during the trip. Even half a waffle and you were falling asleep. 1 slice of pizza max, and that after the sauerkraut. Remember how sleepy you got on carbs.
• Don't have snacks in the car. Remember how you were tempted to try to eat and then not focus on the road.
• Combatting sleepiness
• COLD AIR. Stuck on cold air blowing on you, just a little uncomfortable, helped keep you awake.
• NO SUNGLASSES Squinting in bright light wakes your brain up
• LORD OF THE RINGS, or Patrick. Stories keep you awake much more than music. Especially if you are explaining Boromir's motivations or Aragorn's sense of duty to the kids.
• ABSOLUTELY NO CARBS (Remember how much carbs made you sleepy)

FIRST DAY---speedrun to OKC. 16 hrs when being efficient, assuming no problems. 

• Don't stop other than bathroom stops than Sams Club or FlyingJ/Pilot/Loves
• Get 2 pizzas at a sams club at Lunch time and gun it. 
• Only apples and cheesesticks and waterbottles in the car.

SECOND DAY

• Free Breakfast---up by 6am. Hannah does a HIIT workout and chugs caffeinated tea
• Hannah Does Not Eat The Free Carbs
• out the door 7am!!!
• early lunch---Conway AR samsclub, get 2 pizzas. Eat these the rest of the trip, plus water.

******************

Day 1 Eastbound

Start: Home

    Holbrook, AZ (175 miles from home), just BATHROOM Maverik gas station / McDonald's

   Refinery, NM (I-40 exit 39, 288 miles from home) GAS Flying J travel center

     Alternate stop: Moriarty, NM (I-40 exit 196, 157 miles from Refinery) Pilot travel center

   Sam's Club Albuquerque, get 2 pizzas and BATHROOM & Gas

    Sam's Club in Amarillo, TX (I-40 exit 64, 241 miles from Moriarty) [cafe closes at 7 though. Nice potty]

 Alternate: Amarillo, TX (I-40 exit 74, 252 miles from Moriarty) Love's or Travel America travel center

Alternate stop: Amarillo, TX (I-40 exit 76, 254 miles from Moriarty) Buck-ee's

Alternate stop: I-40 East mile 128/129 (65 miles from Amarillo Sam's Club)Rest area with playground, no gas

    Comfort Suites OKC, OK (I-40 exit 145, 248 miles from previous primary stop)

    

Day 2 Eastbound

• Start: Comfort Suites, OKC – get gas at OnCue around the corner
• OK-315, Nice rest area with good bathroom, kids played when I took a quick nap
• Alternate stop (past primary stop): Roland, OK (I-40 exit 325, 180 miles from OKC) Pilot travel center
• Conway, AR 129 (I-40 exit 129, 315 miles from OKC) Sam's Club – also ALDI
• Alternate stop: I-40 East mile 234/235 (108 miles from Conway Sam's Club) Rest area with trees, no gas
• AR-161 PILOT
• Lamar, MS (US-72, 203 miles from Conway Sam's Club) Exxon gas station
• Corinth, MS (US-72, 250 miles from Conway Sam's Club)---Several gas stations shortly after entering town (Exxon, Mobil, Shell)  ALDI ~3.5 miles further down the road, close to LCP – intersection of US-72 and Harper Rd
• Brightly lit Love's travel center. Muscle Shoals / Tuscumbia, AL (Take ALT US-72, about 1 mile past where US-72 splits north to cross the river [DON'T GO LEFT/NORTH ON REGULAR 72!]; 307 miles from Corinth)  
• End: Huntsville, AL (50 miles from Muscle Shoals)

Goals and Projects

I messed up on blogger, and it ate the entire page of my projects. (Now blogger isn't letting me republish this as a page, so its going up as a post. I think I'm switching to wordpress soon. They treat you more like you've got a brain, and you don't have a glitchy server overriding you)

I had a little meltdown, but I think God is trying to tell me something about my priorities.

 

God.

I need to study His Word and spend time with Him. I have been too focused on short term stuff, and lose Him. And then I lose joy. And I turn into a jerk. Which is not good for the kiddos. Or me either. Its so hard to give up little pleasures for Him, but this is also indicative of the state of me....that I am close to my little pleasures and hobbies, but far from Him, so its giving up what is near and cherished for a Stranger. But I need to flip that. God has to be closer to me than my little pleasures, so that they pale in comparison to Him.

1. Daily Bible Reading & Study. Keep it simple 5 readings a week, taped to the wall and I highlight it when I do it. That way if I "fail" for a couple days, perfectionist me doesn't decide I "ruined the whole thing" and give up.
2. Daily Time with God. At least15 minutes a day of bringing Him my worries, just listening and journaling (because I get less distracted when I'm writing Him letters). Also praying through a list of people every day. It sounds really lame, but I'm going to make a little chart for this too....because I need accountability for myself.
3. Bible Study with Josh. Every evening, at 10:30 at night, we will spend at least 15 minutes on a Bible Passage, studying it together. We met in a Bible Study, and I like how different than mine his brain works.

Family.

I always mean to "spend more time" really spending time with the kids and not just keeping them alive/fed/clothed etc. But I tend to zone out and do things with them while thinking about something else. I need a schedule. And a highlighted chart, because I need accountability and structure like that.

1. Start Homeschool.  [Right after 2nd Breakfast] Start Isaiah with the Reading Program, and have the kids work on letters and numbers and simple math problems. Reading, Writing, Arithmetic. Even 10 minutes a day, every day at the same time, say after 2nd breakfast, is something to start with. Then do arts & craft with the kids. It can be stressful, as they wield paintbrushes, etc, but make an effort. Every day, either paint, crayon, marker, do a project, etc. with them. Even if its just 10 minutes after their 3 R's.
2. Hang out with them, intentionally. [Right after Baby's Naptime]. Focus on them. Just spend an hour hanging out, not trying to get laundry done, or sitting in the corner planning projects while they play, but just focusing on them for at least an hour, engaging them in conversations and playing along with them. Need to find a good time.
3. Read them at least 7 books a day. FIX A TIME. (2 of which should be about Jesus).
4. Go on a walk with them every day. [early morning, right after/before Breakfast] When the weather is no longer like the surface of Mercury, I will walk with them every day, preferably at 7 or 9 am.
5. Rocking Chair Time. [Right after Bedtime/Prayertime] My mom did this with us, and it was one of my most cherished memories. Should would have each of us take a turn, in which she would rock you in the rocking chair and sing you a song of your choice (usually "Morning Sun"), every night.

Stories & Paintings

I think God did give me a tendency & desire to write stories, and I think He wants me to do this. Often a picture will come into my head, an idea, and refuse to go away, just waiting. I know I've had this desire in me to write stories that show how big the sky is....how much meaning and love and poetry God has written even into this fractured universe. But for the most part in the last few years, I've pretty much focussed much more of limited spare time into other things (like making clothes and crafting with wire, or finding deals at thrift stores) which are good things, but I would be dissapointed if at the end of my life I had spent my free time on those things and never finished those unwritten stories that keep coming back to me. I also really want to be a part of helping out with my sibling’s stories, which I think have the potential to make this world a better place…because stories can open our eyes to beauty and truth.

I also want to learn how to illustrate Children’s books, and write the children’s books that I want my children to have. There don’t seem to be nearly enough of the kind I want to read to them, and I know how pivotal children’s books (with beautiful illustrations) were to shaping my sense of wonder about the world, especially the ones I had read to be before I was 6. Isaiah is 4 already, so I’m on a clock here….

1. Work on Sojourners with Micah
2. Work on Overworld/Underworld & Singstory with Bekah
3. The Morning People
4. Prodigal, Ambertstone, Where the Lilies truly grow, and other stories.
5. Write & Illustrate St. George and the Dragon
6. Write & Illustrate The Woodcutter and the Wolf-King
7. Finish planning and make the 7 icon set I’ve been planning for 2 years

Study

My Hebrew keeps slipping, alas, I need to go and refind it. I feel like I’m just burying something that I should be growing. So I want to set aside just 15-20 minutes, 4 times a week, to work on Hebrew and Greek. My goal is to be able to read through the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) every year, at breakfast, with the kids (Which is less than 3 chapters a day). And to be able to read through the New Testament with the kids 2x a yr (just a chapter a day) in Greek. When I get consistent with this, I want to start actually studying Church Fathers and Interpretation and all that. (Cyril of Jerusalem Catechetical Lectures to start with, because they are so poetic. Augustine, etc.)

1. Hebrew
2. Greek
3. Help with Daddy’s book.
4. [Church Fathers]

Projects
These are concrete things, I create with my hands. I don't know why, it gives me so much more satisfaction than doing other necessary (yet cyclic) things, like laundry, or cooking/baking (because it all disappears...), etc. But I do have lists and lists of things I want to do, and have spent so much time/energy thinking about it. I need to be more realistic & responsible with how much time I set aside to do this, but also (ironically enough) be more disciplined about actually doing them.

To Do List Sept '15-Jan '16

1. Gondor Ranger Tote Bags
2. R&D blaster packs from canvas
3. Hobbit Outfit for Little Hobbit
4. Jenny B-day skirts
5. Epic Echoes Dresses (Green, Tan, Brown Sheet)
6. Grecian Dresses(w/ nursing fronts, and cowl) Jersey: Brown, Tan, Cream/white flowers. Sheets: Cream, pale Sea Green to dye, tan sheet [drapey w/ sheen]
7. Hobbit Clothes (Everyday LOTR-Armhole Princess Seamed, Kirtle bodice top?) Swirly Green, Olive Vine, Brown Poly vine, Red repurposed. 4 chemise shirts. Half Circle Skirts. Aprons
8. Eowyn Dresses (Everyday LOTR-Shoulder Princess Seamed)(Green Sundress, WW Sundress[sheet], Shieldmaiden Sundress[ja], Tippeted half sleeves—Green Gown[need HL fabric], Shieldmaiden [sheet],WW Gown
9. Arwen Dresses (Everyday LOTR) Half sleeve Bloodred Gown [sheets], Bridge dress half sleeves [sheets & chiffon], Green dress [need HL fabric] with chiffon BIG sleeves.
10. Peplum Tops (Simplicity, no collar, French cap sleeves) white & cream sheets.
11. Simple Shirtwaist Dress (Simplicity, no collar, French cap sleeves—might modify to reg cap sleeves) Blue Vines from HL, WWII tribute (gray green sheet, pockets), WWII Tribute 2 (need tan sheet, pockets, add collar???)
12. Collard Shirtwaist Dress?
13. Refashion Jean Shirtwaist dresses
14. Print/finish Gondor Tunics for myself, Gondor Tunics for the kiddos, Print kid’s T shirts, etc.

Christmas Sewing

1. Leather Steampunk Blaster Pack for Keziah
2. Leather Black Mara-Jade-ish Blaster Pack for Mali
3. Icon Set for Bekah (Painted on Hardwood Plywood?)
4. Blue & Gold semi-circle Icon Set for Sfs (Painted on Hardwood Plywood?)
5. Scripture Hangings for Mommy (Mount on HL stiff posterboard when there)
6. Petticoats for Leah
7. Fleece Elven Cloaks for the kids

Really Cool Ambitious Stuff 

1. Josh’s Ranger Outfit
2. Isaiah’s Ranger Outfit
3. Mali’s Mara Jade Outfit
4. Josh’s Imperial Uniform
5. My Wool Cotehardie Medieval Dresses

Stuff for others

1. Leah’s Hoopskirt
2. Leah’s Petticoats (try poly rope corded, and softer mirror organza one?)
3. Leah’s Summer Dresses (Red, Blue, Bright Green, Purple vines
4. Leah’s Winter dresses (need linings) (Poly Felicity, Purple flowers,
5. Bex Wine, Red, and Green Medievaloid dresses (Print necks?)
6. Bex Kurtis (her blue, her orange red, l.o. purple vines)
7. Bex muslin topped dresses (finish!)
8. Bex Red Arwen Dress from her sheet.
9. Micah Hobbit Waistcoat
10. Tirzah Gloves
11. Tirzah medieval printed blue and gold skirt
12.  Mali 50’s dress with square collar and petticoat 
13. Elven Lanterns 2.0 (with plastic sheeting?) for Bex and Leah

Little Girl (to Women) Sewing (list of what I found to be the most helpful tutorials/free patterns)

1. Pinafores (teach Apron Sewing, Petticoat sewing) [Also make little Pinafores with patch pockets with Applique matching the gingham stuff?]
2. Pantaloons & Fancy Pants (lots of free patterns, put links here)
3. A Line Hand Stamped & Appliqued Dresses (Teach Bias Binding [insert most helpful tutorials HERE]. Stamping or Applique [insert most helpful tutorials here]) (A line tutorial with facings from Climbing the Willow HERE. Nice simple closure solution)
4. A Line Dresses, with variations—Tiered Ruffle Dresses (Ruffles, Puffed and Butterfly sleeves, appliqued patch pockets. Sailor Collar, Peter Pan Collar.)
5. Basic Girls Dresses (Do lined bodices, and bias bound bodices) Skirt Variations (Gathered, vs half circle) Sleeve Variations (Sleeveless, Short Butterfly or Puffed, Long sleeved) [H—do the whole Gingham stack, flutter sleeves, half circle skirts, stamped white waistbands [Show Cathy how can modify this slightly for 18TH cent costume, princess, anything] (Basic Bodice Free Pattern from Climbing the Willow HERE, note 3/8" seam allowances, and no closure allowances, will have to add) (put most helpful placket tutorials HERE)
6. Hats. (Bag Lining) [H—white hats, and gingham reversible w/ bias binding matching?) Good free pattern and tutorial Oliver and S, HERE also find a good ruffle hat free pattern)
7. Basic Girl’s Dress for Neighbor (red, red flowers, bright pink) 
8. To make it for Women---> Just add darts! (or princess seams) (basic sloper, most intuitive BEST TUTORIAL HERE, part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, and here goes)
9. Women: Rub Off Simple elastic-waisted red dress.
10. Women: A line skirt (my favorite drafting instructions, very simple, HERE, simply draw out the sides to make it A line)
11. Women: Half Circle Skirt.
12. Women: Sundress w/ Half Circle Skirt

Baby Shower Sewing

1. Little Girl A line Dresses w/ matching fancy pants & Hats
2. R2D2 Dress & Hat
3. Winter Fleece hats--- Elf Hats, Kiss Hat? Little Knight Helmet hats,
4. Jersey sewing---Animal Hats, Stenciled LOTR drool Bibs
5. Sleep Sacks. Nursing Covers. 

Random Projects

1. Birka Style Medieval Pouches
2. Eowyn Belts (Filigree, Filigree w/ trim, From Recycling Metal, From Recycling Mixed Media)
3. Medieval Studded/Decorated Hanging Belt (Fabric & Paint, Velveteen & Sewology. Leather & Tandy Rivets)
4. Underbracers from faux suede, dwarven, ranger, elven variations
5. Brown Leather Bracers (possibly with veg tan embellishment, or leather cut out glued) for myself…
6. Gondor Black Leather Bracers (with 2nd layer cutout surrounding center piece, glued. Then possibly veg tanned cutout for tree and sea bird stuff in center…)
7. Screenprinting experiments
8. Couching & seed beads, experiments 

Headcoverings

1. Medieval Hood Headcoverings
2. Lace Headcovering (like Snood for All Seasons & Jewish Orthodox one I saw)
3. Simple Triangle shape head kerchief (Vintage or Dwarven)
4. Straw Hat refashions (1940s)
5. Felt Hat refashions (1940s) 

Future Dresses

• Epic Echoes (Claret Red HL w/ gold stencil OR w/ gold border w/ red stencil, Navy & gold, Also Navy and gold w/ cranberry French cap sleeves)
• Medievaloid Maternity (Claret Red HL w/ gold, Hunter Green HL w/ gold, Tan w/ olive stripe, Green w/ Brown Stripe)
• Arwen (Cranberry Claret Cotton HL—half length tippeted sleeves)
• Eowyn
• Square Neck Empire Puffed Sleeves, Dk blue w/ cream or white lace at neck.

Doing the Dishes: Part 1 of Recognizing Patterns of Failure and Setting Myself up for Success

I am far too spontaneous, doing things in the moment, having trouble sticking to plans and goals....
While discipline and character are clearly what I need, recognizing my "patterns of failure" really help.

Example, I struggled with doing the dishes, pretty much all my married life. They would seemingly grow, just sprouting out of the sink, onto the counter. And stare at me, an hours job at least (we didn't have a dishwasher in our first appartment). And grow things. And it would take me so much emotional effort to face them...I would finally face them when we ran out of things to eat off of, which before the kids, was about 2-3 times a week. That mountain grew things. And I was always embarrassed, when people just dropped by (the kitchen area was the main area, there was no where to hide them).

After we moved in with my in-laws, things improved a lot. (One thing, because we take turns with the nightly dishes depending on the weekday, so that obviously helps)
But also, I learned tips they did which vastly cut down on the amount of emotional energy it took to face the dishes in the first place, which will last me after we move out.

  

•  1. Right after being doing with something, scrape the food off, and rinse it out, before  putting it in the "dirty dishes" bin. 

This made a HUGE difference for me. The dishes didn't grow things. The sink didn't have a slimy layer of sludge on the bottom. By throwing away/rinsing initially, there wasn't all this extra food for the bacteria to prey on in the first place. Also it made things so much easier to clean--food wasn't dried onto it.

•  2. Fill the dishes bin with REALLY HOT water and a little squirt of soap. Let sit for 2 minutes. Then scrub/wipe them all and put them into the "rinsing bin", and then rinse them all at once. 

This was is SO MUCH FASTER. The initial soak of hot water made things so much easier to wipe down/scrub, vastly cutting down on the washing time. Doing the washing and rinsing one sinkload at a time made things much more efficient than hand washing and rinsing each individual piece.

• 3. Do as much of the dishes as possible BEFORE dinner. After dinner I will be exhausted and have the least amount of emotional energy left.

This was my biggest problem. I would let the dishes compile all day, expecting to do them "after dinner"---the time, when I would be most exhausted, most wanting to go lie down or finally do something relaxing or fun. And with the kids in the mix, there's the whole bedtime routine as well, giving me about an hour of free time after dinner is done and the kids are down, before its time to go to bed so I won't be a grumpy mom in the morning.
This is literally now, the difference between me being able to craft/sew and not being able to at all.
I find, what this means, is trying to get dishes done while the kids are eating one of their 4 meals before dinner. Every little bit helps. Often I fail at this...
AND, the prime dishwashing time, is when I am MAKING DINNER. Often you have to wait for water to boil, or stir something every now and then, or wait 15 minutes before pulling the tin foil off of something in the oven---or letting the pizza cool for 5 minutes after taking it out --- all those little 5 minute chunks of time, this is the time to stand near the oven/stove---which is the sink---and get as much of those dishes out of the way as possible. This has helped me so many nights when I wouldn't have had the energy to face ALL the dishes after dinner.

In all of this, my biggest problem is character. In doing things I don't want to, instead of putting them off till there's a crisis.
However, while this is the heart of the matter, I've found my lowering the "emotional energy threshold" of these tasks, I make it that much easier for myself to do. It's recognizing my patterns of failure, and replacing them with patterns of success.

Here

Pattern of Failure:
 letting dishes go till after dinner--->being too tired to face them-->they grow things in the sink--->being too grossed out to face them--->CRISIS--->mustering up vast amounts of emotional energy and doing very stinky dishes for 2 hours--->feeling tired after dinner, putting dishes off--->repeat

Patterns of Success:
--->rinsing most of the food off BEFORE it can get really gross, and thus take more out of me.
--->doing little bursts of dishes while have energy
--->doing dishes in a more efficient manner (sinkload wash, sinkload rinse, etc)