Desert Ranger Plans, updated

  Little Rangers need to get their kits out at least once a month. They need to explore outside, learn valuable skills like tracking, stamina, waking at dawn, building fires, watching the stars....they need SKILLS and they are only going to get said skills by going out and roughing it in the wilderness.

Alas, one skill for a ranger mom trapped in the valley of the Sun, is to reserve campsites far in advance. 6-5.5 months in advance....

If we were really cool, we'd figure out how to make camp in the site-less wilderness...preferably under bracken where the Crebain of Dunland cannot sight us....but we aren't at that awesome yet. So we'll stick with reserved sites, until our skills are much much better. Dispersed Camping is far far more epic. This year, research dispersed camping and how it works, also scout out places for dispersed camping near our favorite sites.

UPDATE:  IT seems that contrary to my impression, Payson is actually COOLER than Sedona in the summer....So next year we are going to check Payson first for June, July, Aug. Sedona is more for April, May, Sept

UPDATE UPDATE: Driving up towards Heber from Payson gives you 2000+ ft of elevation, and its a little cooler, at the cost of 20 more min driving.

Feb-March really focus on my own little piece of earth, gardening, etc.

March--AZ Desert dawn hikes, Lost Dutchman campsite...or THE MINE cold 

[I need to reserve the Spring reservations by Nov/Dec, and Summer reservations by Feb/March]

April -- AZ Rim-country/Sedona Oak Creek--- AZ desert Dawn Hikes 

• [too hot to camp in AZ desert]
• [Mingus Mountain and Mogollan Campground and Aspen AZ not open till May], 
• THE MINE Morenci, AZ
• Yavapai, White Spar (Prescott) is open [but terrible bathrooms] not alot of trees 
• Sedona/Oak Creek stuff is Open
• Maybe....Payson IS ALL FF IN APRIL [Christopher Creek] and Ponderosea (AZ)
•  Houston Mesa [Payson near Water Wheel, Flowing Springs] are FF in April 

May -- AZ Rim-country, Prescott, ----Sedona/Oak Creek stuff is Open  (Payson is open)

• Mingus Mountain! 
• Mogollon Campground on Rim ?? (too cold?) 
• Ponderosa AZ ??
• Sedona/Oak Creek stuff is Open(Pine Flatts) [We had a great time at Cave Spring Sedona in May] Manzanita campground?
• Christopher creek might have water in it
• Houston Mesa Campground NEAR Water Wheel Falls (Payson) 

June 

• last chance at Prescott,  
• Payson-ish Houston Mesa Campground (5200 ft) NEAR Water Wheel Falls (Payson) NEAR Flowing Springs
• Payson--Christopher Creek [bit too hot only 5000 ft elevation]
• past Payson towards Heber, up on the rim, elevation 7000 ft higher on the Rim near Woods Canyon Lakes---Sinkhole Campground (7560 ft), Spillway campground, Aspen AZ (7000 ft)Mogollon campground (7700 ft)
• Maybe Sedona & Oak Creek Canyon Too Hot

July--Mountains or Creeks, 

• CHRISTOPHER CREEK IN PAYSON (no water in the campsite creek yet, hot at 5000 ft)
• Houston Mesa Campground NEAR Water Wheel Falls (Payson) NEAR Flowing Springs
• past Payson towards Heber, up on the rim, elevation 7000 ft higher on the Rim near Woods Canyon Lakes---Sinkhole Campground (7560 ft), Spillway campground, Aspen AZ (7000 ft) or Mogollon campground (7700 ft) 
• Maybe Oak Creek Canyon/Sedona [bc of Oak creek. Also Manzanita is COOLER they say, Pine Flats, Bootlegger, Cave Spring], 
• Maybe Mogollon Campground is 2mi from a lake....  Too Hot
• DREAM: THE ROCKIES, GORE CREEK

Aug--Mountains or Creeks, PAYSON,OR THE ROCKIES GORE CREEK Oak Creek Canyon/Sedona... Too Hot

DREAM: THE ROCKIES, GORE CREEK

CHRISTOPHER CREEK IN PAYSON 

Payson-ish Houston Mesa Campground NEAR Water Wheel Falls (Payson) NEAR Flowing Springs

Sept--Mountains or Creeks, PAYSON, OR Oak Creek Canyon/Sedona [Finally Cool Enough!...]

• CHRISTOPHER CREEK IN PAYSON 
• Payson-ish Houston Mesa Campground NEAR Water Wheel Falls (Payson) NEAR Flowing Springs

Oct -- AZ Rim-country, Prescott, Mingus [may-oct] OR Oak Creek Canyon/Sedona...

• Last chance for Mingus !!!!

Nov--AZ Desert 

• AZ desert dawn hikes,  
• Hidden Valley, 
• Fat Man's pass
• Sears-Kay Ruin (Hohokam)
• Check out Alltrails
• ??Montezuma's well [3 hr drive]
• Pioneer Museum? 
• Lost Dutchman campsite

Dec & Jan--AZ Desert dawn hikes [Hidden Valley, Pioneer Museum? Fat Man's pass, Sears-Kay Ruin (Hohokam)] Have back-yard fires and toast marshmallows.

Feb --AZ Desert dawn hikes, Lost Dutchman campsite. 

And how to homestead...when we are in a little quarter-acre lot in a desert, and may move in the near-ish future?

Homestead, but not as the homestead being the goal---as we may need to sell, and later owners destroy it. Plant fruit trees, for the future if owners keep it. And always garden with the kids. Involve my little rangers as much as possible...because its about the memories being forged WITH them, and the skills being forged IN them, and not about the physical garden or home so much. We are traveling, but we can make these way-stations along the way as beautiful as we can. As green as we can. As productive as we can. 

But it should always be about the little Rangers, and not the way-station.

So let's get out there, and go Rangering....

Fragile Beings Suspended

 We are such fragile beings, suspended above eternity.

Just one lungfull of oxygen, one burst brain-blood-vessel, one heartbeat away, from the edge of time. From the mysteries that sages have searched for, mystics climbing mountains. Just there, just hovering, right on the other side.

Changing our Family Culture

 I want to change our family culture closer to our original vision, of making Rivendell.

Family culture matters, routines and prayers matter. To put a rhythm to our lives, that can give something to fill up the kids hearts, to show them what is important. Habit shapes souls, because it is a continual time-offering of our lives, and our souls exist in time.

 Josh has already drastically changed our family culture the last year, by taking on the McCheyne Bible reading plan every evening as a family. And sticking to it, even when we come home 9:30 pm exhausted from a social event. He is stubborn, in the best way possible.

Josh has also changed our family culture the last few years, with the whole concept of "Family Fun Time" and the creation of the "Family Fun Time Wheel". He urges the kids to finish their after-dinner chores in time, that we take an hour to do something fun as a family. There's a wheel he had me make, with 6 different options to choose from, so that even when we are brain-dead at the end of the day, the options are clearly laid out for us.

[Image of the family fun time wheel]

We also got a little closer to our dream, last year, with our 4 weekend camping trips and 2 water wheel hikes. With the Family Fun Time the kids look forward too every evening, and the nightly Bible time with prayertime, as the girls dance to "He is Lord" at the end, there is a rhythm to our lives.

Five things I want my kids to have interwoven throughout their lives.

Prayer [The God who is here]

Joy [Singing, always singing]

Adventure [camping trips, attitude toward life, challenges unlocked etc]

Love [Kind, gentle to one another, forgiving one another]

The Holy [to see Him, to really see Him. The pillar of fire and cloud, come down to us]

Reshaping family culture through Lent

 Recently I've reflected on how little my daily expense of time reflects my actual ideals. 

I want to live like God is real.

I want to create Rivendell---a place of joy and peace.

I want to show my children, by how I live my daily life, what I truly think is important and life-giving.

Through daily tangible choices, I can change our family culture.

The point is to change our daily routine to where it actually shapes us. Because our daily time-slots do shape our souls, since our souls are being formed in real time. 

"Mental patterns" and all that, as psychologists talk about.

So I want to give the kids a life centered around the rhythm of joy and worship. Josh has already changed our family culture so much, with the evening Bible Readings added into family prayer. 

Now its my turn, to do my part when he's gone at work, to make our home more filled with God's presence. I want my kids to be like the Israelites, growing up with the Pillar of Cloud and Fire.

Another issue is how we treat eachother. There is too much fighting, too much negative talk and gossip and fussing. The change starts with me. I must get right with God in the mornings, and also, reset the family culture of how we treat eachother. Kindness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit.

For Lent 2026 I have changed my plans. 

Family disciplines

1. Family Prayer & Worship
1. Morning Prayer in the Babygarden every morning
2. the 5,7,7 QT in the mornings, five minutes listening to Bible, 7 minutes journaling/quiet praying, 7 minutes praying out loud, Korean-style.
3. Worship songs [Let the kids pick the songs with the lyric videos] at the end of school.
2. No whining, fussing, gossiping, fighting at all. [take it to Jesus] [-5 min gametime per infraction]
3. No sweet treats at all. [Fruit is ok]. UNLESS guests are over, or its a feast day [Birthday, or Sunday]
4. We will eat our way through our split peas, beans, and freezer. [goal empty the freezer]

Personal Disciplines

For me, I've changed my plans. I need a hard reset on how I cope with daily life, and my mid-life crisis.

1. Give up writing my Star Wars story. I think I am turning to it too much, as an escape or another world in dealing with my mid-life crisis.
• Instead fill those gaps of time with doing things with the kids. At the end of Lent I want to have done something significant with each child.
• Teach Isaiah how to draw
• Teach Isaiah how to recite poetry
• Teach kids (esp sarah) how to play the recorder
• Garden with the kids
• Teach the girls how to sew
• Paint iwth the kids, perhaps help them 
• ??Finally illustrate the woodcutter and the wolf-king
2. Give up personal Youtube browsing in the evenings
• [except 15 min max per day with a timer, for topics to research for home-improvement research for classes etc]
• Never change the 7 min internet timer on my phone.
• Instead fill gaps of time with reading books, praying. Read the Ignatius Examen, watch things on Formed, read various religious books I've bought over the years and haven't read. 

My general usage of time should be

1. Morning Prayer
2. Breakfast,
3. Devotions
4. School with big kids
5. When Big Kids do busywork, then go and cuddle little ones, Hide 'em in your heart playing. Go back to help big kids as needed.
6. Lunch
7. Worship God
8. Freetime---[This is where I will try to do those things with the kids]
9. House projects
10. Dinner
11. Cleanup
12. Family Fun Time
13. Evening Bible and Prayers
14. Time to talk with Isaiah, Josh, or read, or pray.

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)

Sadar Candy Recipes

 Peppermint bark

• 3/8 lb of melted dark chocolate, spread out on parchment paper. Let cool
• 3/4 lb white almond bark, melted + 16 drops peppermint oil, spread on top.
• 1/2 lb crushed peppermints [sams club has a 7 lb bag for $8], ninja'd. Spread it on top, then sorta press in.

Salted Caramel Crunch Thins

3/4 lb of chocolate [or cheap out and use chocolatey almond bark]

8--5 oz lb bag of pretzels, crushed a bit. /// BETTER do this with almonds, and salted roasted pepitas, crunchy cooked quinoa?

Caramel from Jenny Can Cook

Jenny Can Cook's crunchy caramel recipe, adapted.

• 2 sticks salted butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup corn syrup

Heat the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup in pot. Bring to a boil, stirring until butter is melted. THEN Reduce heat and cook, undisturbed and uncovered, for 7 minutes. [SET A TIMER, SO IT DOESN'T BURN]

• 
  
• 2 t baking soda [MAYBE NOT? THIS MAY JUST BE IF YOU BAKE IT. TRY WITHOUT NEXT TIME]
• 2 t vanilla

Remove saucepan from heat and stir in baking soda & vanilla. It foams milkyish.

1. Crush up Pretzels a bit, just enough to lay in a jelly roll pan a single layer thick. VERY IMPORTANT, DISCARD EXTRA SALT. Pretzels are formulated to be too salty, they guess some will fall off and you'll throw away the remaining salt in the bag. If you use all this salt it is too salty
2. Melt half the chocolate, just enough to make a base layer for the pretzels to stick into.
3. Lay the Pretzels in it, breaking pieces as needed to fit them into the chocolate.
4. Make Caramel
5. WORK QUICKLY---Pour it and spread over the pretzel mixture
6. Drizzle with the dark chocolate on top

PRETZELS ARE TOO CHUNKY---if doing nuts....

How to make this more like bark thins? Try splitting the chocolate into 2 parts. Spread half down, spread the nut-caramel mixture on top of it. THEN drizzle the remaining half over that.

Orange Chocolate Bark

1 lb dark chocolate, melted

+40 drops 5x orange oil

1/4 c. candied orange peel

1 lb pepitas, 50/50 salted and unsalted [add in slivered almonds??? Crunchy Quinoa?]

Spread on parchment paper. Sprinkle with orange zest.

Sadar Banana Bread

Best Banana Bread

Mix with a mixer

·         8 very ripe bananas, (medium/large)

·         2 sticks butter

·         1/4 cup granulated sugar

·         8 large eggs (6 jumbo), lightly beaten

·         1 tsp almond extract

·         1 cup milk

·         [2-3 cups ninja’d walnuts + 2 more eggs + 1/4 c. more sugar]

In a separate bowl, mix

·         2-3 cups all-purpose flour

·         2 tsp baking soda

·         ½ tsp salt

Mix the two bowls together.

Pour 1” thick into several 9 x 13 pans. Or 2 Jelly Roll pans

350 F----13-15 min

The Foundations of Female Attraction

 I wrote this for my teenage son, who is now very curious how to impress girls. Right now it mostly seems to involve fantasies of building massive muscles and strategically losing your shirt so she'll notice. 

So I felt the need to clue him in on what actually impresses the female half of the population. I put this up here in case it is useful for anyone else clueless how to impress a woman.

Foundations of Female Attraction

 LEVEL 1: Faith in Something greater than himself. Having Convictions, Principles and the Courage to act on those convictions----The girl is picking her LEADER. If he doesn’t know where he’s going or what he’s doing, or what he believes in---she’s not going to want to follow. It would be like you signing up for an army you have no idea for what country or what rules they follow or what religion.

2.       LEVEL 2: Mental Discipline. You must master yourself. A girl wants to know you have mastered your emotions and your anger. So that you are in charge, not your emotions. That she is obeying you, not your whims. Also that you work hard, can push yourself to do hard things. She wants to know you have mastered yourself, so she knows she she can trust you with herself and your future kids. 

3.       LEVEL 3: Kind to the weak. Having strength, but not being a bully, but a protector of the helpless. This is huge. How a man treats those who cannot reward him. Not in how he treats the boss, but the old penniless lady. Small children. Protects the weak and does not prey on them. Unselfish. Fearing God. Knowing that strength was given to him, as a trust. With great power comes great responsibility. In attractiveness: Spiderman > thug.

4.      LEVEL 4: Comportment & Posture. How you carry yourself in relation to the world. Slouching aristocrat or an alert soldier? This is self defence 101. Who do thugs choose to jump in parking lots?[link here] For most people, it is subconscious. People will decide what you are, who you are. It's how you know someone is ex-military. It's one of the factors when girls swoon for men after they go through bootcamp. Often their physique actually hasn't changed that much---but their comportment has. Soldiers hold themselves like they know what they are doing---like they are men. With a purpose. And know that they are a force to be reckoned with. Criminals aren't the only ones who notice your posture.

5.      LEVEL 5: Hygiene. Be considerate of not grossing people out. Girls are even  more grossed out than boys. They have been guardians of the home for millennia and lost children to disease. FIGHT NURGLE. Wash your hands, don’t pick your nose. Don’t make weird scraping sounds with phlegm in your throat like you’re dying of whooping cough. Blow your nose with proper form, and wash hands afterwards. Smell NOT-BAD. (really, Axe, stinks. It's a triumph of modern marketing that young men still think it works)

a.       Breath---xylitol after meals. Brush teeth, floss, ACT

b.       Underarm, vinegar, deodorant. Change clothes every day

c.      !!!! If you work out or labor or sweat---shower. Rancid sweat smell is like a dead animal. (usually only gets to that point several days in, I think based on my memories of my little brother)

d.       Scalp Care [Scalp wash routine, Vinegar rinse, keep dandruff away]

6.       LEVEL 6: Physique. Having muscles, looking strong enough to protect her and your future kids, is a definite plus. Having good posture (level 4) really helps maximize this. That is, a skinnier man who stands with good posture looks better than a slouching muscular guy. Girls in general aren't as impressed by strength just existing, as strength with purpose. Important note! While having a good physique is a plus, a man who is constantly taking selfies of his abs is a major turn-off for a lot of women. A girl wants you to want to look at her, not the mirror! Narcissus and Echo did not go well.

7.       LEVEL 7: Style. Hairstyle--- keep it relatively short (obviously male) and out of your eyes. Hair Gel can help. Clothing---Pick clothing that flatters you, AND sends the message you want. [e.g. medieval, loves certain movie, etc]

        Girls aren't irrational after all. These foundations of attraction really all boil down to---will he be man enough to protect me and our children, and man enough to love me and our children even when its hard.

She's signing up to follow you, after all. It's like signing up for the marines, but for your whole life, and to follow a specific sergeant till you die. You want to make sure that commander is up to snuff before you swear on.

And coming back to "Level 1" and why it is the foundation of everything else. She needs to know this sergeant is following the same General. 

And even when storms come, and when you fail, she needs to know that you will be man enough to repent, and turn to follow your God even through suffering.

Sunscreen Woes: Protecting my little Melanin-challenged Children from the Sun

White people are really fragile mutants from the far poles. Now that they have ventured from their dim polar homelands into the rest of the world bombarded with solar energy, precautions must be taken. They do not have 'white' pigment. Their "whiteness" is simply the lack of melanin, or in our modern kind-speak they are 'melanin-challenged'. 

Their melanin-challenged skin is not able to properly shield their DNA from the blast of our star's cosmic rays.

Obedient hat-wearing child, yet unburnt            Hat-hurling child who burnt toasty pink     

I must protect my little white mutants from the Sun.

Even in chilly October, the UV got to 6/7. Normally we are inside 11-3, so I forget how real this is. Little Irene burned even with her hat on 50% if the time, and slathered in sunscreen. I trusted in my 11% mineral sunscreen, and like the reed of Egypt, it splintered in my hand.

It was a nice sunscreen, Banana Boat Mineral sport. It had a runnier texture, but was still a little greasy, from an older formulation. I think maybe two years old? Only 7 months expired. I have used sunscreens much more expired than that which worked. Alas, I think this particular tube had been left in the hot car at some point earlier. It smelled and felt perfectly fine. But despite slathering my protesting offspring in it, little Irene the hat-hurler's crisped all pink, and my face (we ran out of hats, I knew my duty as mother and went without) burned pink and it was painful when putting on my lotion the next day. 

Things learned/Rules for Sunscreening my mutants.

1. Even mineral sunscreen can get less efficacious if left in the hot car too long. The heat may mess with the suspension of the zinc & titanium dioxide particles, letting them clump up more, thus creating more of a 'net' than a shield. (like in home-made sunscreens having a fraction of the SPF of the commercially mixed ones), 
2. Only get 18% + zinc oxide sunscreens. I am disappointed with this 11% stuff that relies on its suspension so much. The more the better. Also, Zinc protects better in the UVA region than Titanium.
3. Use the FRESH, JUST-BOUGHT sunscreen for camping & hikes. THAT IS WHEN IT MATTERS MOST. If I have old stockpiled stuff, use that for day to day homeschool days when it is only needed for non-peak hours.
4. Runnier textured sunscreens (that Jenny loves) only buy fresh (never more than six-months supply) and store extras in a cool dark place. [NEVER leave them in the car, even once. If going to the pool, bring them along in your purse and keep in the shade]
5. Kids under 5 shed their hats at every opportunity...so slather on the sunscreen. And keep training them to wear their hats!

Hiking with Children: Strategies for Success

Tip #1

Bring Candy, but only dispense it during the hike. Or it will not work. It doesn't have to be candy, but it has to be special. [dried cranberries, cookies, strawberries] It needs to be a triumphant snack to ceremoniously eat at landmarks (Keep marshmallows for general camping, roasted over the fire. We promise 3-4 marshmellows per kid, that can be revoked one at a time for bad behavior, and reinstated for good behavior)

Food helps everything. Trailmix, little sandwiches. You don't need to go crazy, someone needs to carry this stuff. Probably the 14 yr old boy, who will not complain about having to lug along extra calories

(These teens moods would have greatly benefitted from snacks.)

Tip #2

Everyone over 6 carries their own water. Buddies carry water for littles. Need comfortable water carrying.

Tip #3

Hats are a must. In addition to preventing toasted children, and skin cancer, they keep the head from heat headaches as well.

Tip #4

Buddies stick together

Tip #5

If near a creek, hike in rubber sandals and socks. Wool socks if cold. Bring extra socks. Rubber sandals dry off pretty instantaneously (unlike soggy sneakers), and the socks can be changed out with dry ones. If its cold, have them wear 2 layers of socks. The top layer being adult wool-blend socks.

Tip #6

Mom carries extra socks, toilet paper, small shovel, and pee funnel for the girls. 

Tip #7

Sing while you hike! Especially on the return, the downslope. The little ones love to sing "the road goes ever on and on." It lifted up my heart as we trudged back, and Irene and Ruhi and Ana were leading me in a rendition of it.

Tip #8 stop at the places they find fun. Sometimes we need to pause our adult "must complete this hike" mode, and remember, the whole reason we are doing this. It's for them to experience wonder. So when they have those moments, stop. Whether that's a creek, a pile of pebbles, or a big rock. 

Camping List for Cold Weather

 Applicable to Payson in October[65-70/45-41night], or the Rocky Mountains in July. Sedona in May [75day/52night]. Note: Oct 16 in Christopher Creek is 61/41. Need fleece hats for the night!!

[Temperature ranges of 70s-60s in the day, to 50s-40s at night]

Prepare yourself for complaints that this was a terrible idea, from the local child population, early in the morning, and in the cold evening.

The best antidote is hot chocolate milk, a working propane camp-stove [or even better, a rocket stove] is a must-have.

And wool socks. Adult size is fine, stuck indiscriminately onto children, pulled up like medieval hosen. And hats. They all need something keeping their ears warm. And those puffy winter coats for the mornings, and the nights.

Cold Camping List [days 61-70, nights 41-46]

Chuck Bag (Personal care) Put each category into a labeled gallon ziploc bag inside of the chuck bag. It makes it very easy to quickly find things, when the call for bandaids or hair ties goes up.

• Flashlights/Lanterns. Headlamps best for setting up camping the dark.
• Sunscreen & aloe vera gel
• Toothbrushes, Toothpaste, Xylitol mints
• Hairbrush & hair ties & hair oil
• Babywipes and Hand Sanitizer
• Bandaids, Ointment
• Allergy Meds, emergency benadryl
• Bugspray [and anti-itch cream]
• Duct tape (if the zipper gives out on a tent, a lifesaver)
• LED string lights
• Bible, Books for Daddy to read to us during the downtime in the camp
• car cell phone charger

Clothing & Kit

• Hats,  Sunglasses
• Waterbottles on belts [carabiners]
• Puffy Coats 
• Polarfleece Jackets//hoodie
• ADULT WOOL SOCKS FOR EVERYONE

• Clothes
• long sleeve shirts/tunic/dress & short sleeve shirts x # of days
• leggings x # of days
• 2 x underwear x # of days
• 2 x socks  x # of days
• 2 pairs of sweatpants or fleece pants [like over-pants, a MUST for night-time]
• !! Fleece Jacket [wear over long sleeved cotton jammy shirt]
• If there's a creek, double the clothes for little kids
• !!!If it gets down to 50s at night, polar fleece jacket and polar fleece pants for all the littles, to wear over their jammies
• Fleece hats to sleep!! (Or hoods)
• Rubber sandals
• BOOTS or sneakers

Camp

• Sleeping Bags and Pillows 
• !!!! if night gets under 52, you NEED polarfleece lining, like a sleep sack, inside of the sleeping bag PER KID. Wrap the little ones in polarfleece coats and pants inside of their sleeping bags
• Mattress Pad for Josh, and his pillows and knee pillows
• Tarps
• Tents [make sure you pack the rain flys!]
• Shade Tent
• chairs
• 2 fold up poly picnic blankets (lying down looking at the stars)
• little broom & dustpan for breaking down camp
• 2 empty gallon jugs, 5 gallon jug
• Campstove & Propane
• Branch cutter* [if no fire restriction]
• !!Rocket stove* [if no fire restriction]

Chuck Box

• Garlic salt, pepper, salt, sugar, tea
• Foil
• Ladle
• Wood flat spoon
• Metal cups for hot cocoa
• Disposable table-cloths
• Paper plates and Paper towels 
• Trashbags
• Canopener
• Firestarter and matches
• Dutch oven [foil packets are a joke] for open fire OR pan for rocket-stove
• Pot for boiling water for tea
• Mugs for cocoa and cereal
• Forks, spoons, knives
• Cutting board
• dishpan
• Shears
• parachute cord/string

Food

Day 1—lunch 1130am just before we hit the road	Left-overs
Day 1 dinner	Hamburgers/Hotdogs, bell peppers, carrot sticks
Day 2  Breakfast	Milk & cereal, apples & cheese OR Cheesy Grits,
Day 2 Lunch	Cold cut sandwiches Cold sausages from last night. Boiled eggs bell peppers, carrot sticks
Day 2 Dinner	Sausages & Potatoes and cheese [pre-cooked potatoes in Tupperware]  [[Ramen noodles + eggs]]
Day 3 Breakfast	Apples and cheese

Grocery Shopping List

1. 2 lb Cheese blocks x number of days
2. Butter or oil
3. Cooked Potatoes
4.  Onions, carrot, 
5. ketchup, mustard
6. Cereal & Milk & BOWLS/CUPS
7. !!!!cocoa
8. Tea & sugar
9. Buns
10. Bread!!
11. Cream cheese
12. Cereal
13. Marshamellows
14. Peanut Butter
15. Boiled eggs
16. Raw Eggs? [if outside temps cold enough]
17. Milk
18. Lunchmeat [freeze before]
19. !!Hot dogs & Sausages [freeze before]
20. Carrot sticks
21. Bell Peppers
22. Apples
23. Salt, Sugar,Garlic Powder
24. Ramen noodles
25. ?Grits
26. Peanuts & minimarshamellows & craisins [trailmix] OR Peanuts and cinnamon toast crunch cereal, makes a nice trailmix. Basically Peanuts + sweet thing. Half unsalted and half salted peanuts makes just the right amount of salt.
27. Savory trailmix---peanuts, pumpkin seeds (pepitas), savory chex, [garlic salt, parmesan]

Additional Tips

• First, make sure the van has enough gas! This loses 30/40 minutes "on the way" to get gas. [note: Mesa to Payson only takes 1/4 tank up. And Payson gas is cheaper]
• Group together things by type (e.g. first aid, teeth, skincare) in gallon zip lock bags inside the chuck bag. Kept all the essentials together for easy access

• Josh's very snug requirements
• 3 camping mats
• Egg crate 
• Mattress fragment
• 2 orange Coleman sleeping bags zipped together
• 2 low quality green Ozark trail sleeping bags unzipped used on top as blankets 
• Green fleece blanket
• Hat!
• H---for night clothing, loose large layers, better than tight layers!
• A night-cap [preferably a fleecy hat. Also can use a man's shirt as an improvised balaclava, face through the head-hole, arms tied around your head] It makes a world of difference.