Photo by: Smabs Sputzer (Flickr)

Whenever I go on road trips, eating healthy usually is the first thing I throw out the window. Earlier in the summer I went on a road trip to visit some friends in Idaho. The drive was a long one and I kept myself awake washing salty chips down with an energy drink. By the time I returned home, I felt physically sick and my stomach ached from all the junk. The next day I rushed to the grocery store and filled my cart with fruits and vegetables. Over the next few days I tried to eat only natural foods, hoping to fix some of the damage I had done to my poor heart. I promised myself the next road trip I went on, I would only eat healthy snacks and save myself from another achy stomach and massive migraine. When choosing snacks to load into your motorhomes, make sure to keep it simple, healthy and easy.

Almonds

These tasty nuts are a great source of protein and magnesium with no added chemicals. They are one of the healthiest foods and without the shell it makes for a mess-free snack. Continue reading →

Photo By: RelaxingMusic (Flickr)

Every couple of weeks I hang out with a group of my friends and we talk about everything going on in our lives from what we eat for breakfast to how we slept the night before. One of my friends has been struggling lately with exhaustion from sleeping difficulties. She never seems to get enough sleep. Sound familiar to anyone else? After quizzing her about her sleep schedule, it was obvious why; she wasn’t going to bed until three or four in the morning! I flat-out told her, “Go to bed earlier”. It seemed like a no-brainer to me. She explained to me that it didn’t matter if she tried to go to bed three hours or one hour earlier; she simply could not shut off her brain and fall asleep. After talking more, I learned that she spent her hours at night looking at Pinterest, Facebook, and editing pictures. Who can’t relate to that? In fact I am writing this post when I should probably be sleeping instead! The problem with using electronics before sleep, is it can throw off your bedtime routine and make falling asleep extremely difficult.

Time Flies When you are Having Fun

It might be me but when I crawl into bed, minutes before I should be asleep, I reach for my phone to take a quick look at Facebook. Unfortunately that “quick look” turns into 30 minutes or longer of me looking at pictures, reading articles, and watching videos. Those 30 minutes seem to fly by without me realizing it and my much-needed eight-hours of sleep is cut into. Having a bedtime routine is not just for babies and children, as adults need some Continue reading →

Photo by: Alan Stanton (Flickr)

I am not a morning person and rolling out of bed is hard for me most mornings, but sometimes it even hurts a little. I find myself rubbing my sore neck and attempting to stretch my achy back while thinking, “Man I am getting SO old!” Because of morning or nightly aches and pains, I automatically assume it is all a part of the glory of adding another day or year onto my life. Although I am not getting any younger, many aches and pains are actually caused by an old mattress. Many people forget that their mattress needs replacing, unless it is falling apart, stained and beyond smelly, but mattresses need to be replaced every 5-7 years. That might seem excessive, but when you think about how many hours you sleep and relax in your bed every year, the hours add up pretty fast. Even if you spent an average of eight hours on your bed every night, after seven years that would be 20,440 hours! That’s too many hours! It is time to replace that old RV mattress and here’s why:

Aches and Pains

Those aches and pains don’t mean you’re getting old, they are most likely caused by Continue reading →

Several years back, I went on a hiking trip with a group of my closest friends. It was last-minute and by time we arrived, the sun had begun to set and we knew it would be dark within the hour. We all hopped out of the car and started up a hill, thinking we would make it a quick hike and get back before it was too dark. Boy, were we in for a surprise! We wandered off the trail away and were trudging through trees and bushes when it got dark. Very dark. Without any preparation, the only things we had on us were our phones, clothing and shoes. No flashlight or compass. We pulled out our phones and used the very small light it illuminated to try to navigate ourselves back down the hill. Thankfully, we made it back to our car after three hours, a lot of mud, and blue lips from the drop in temperature. Now no matter how long or short of a hiking trip I go on, I prepare for hiking by Continue reading →

Most of my summers growing up involved lots of camping and being outside in the middle of nowhere. My family was the free-spirited type and a first aid kit was usually left behind at the house, shoved in the back of the kitchen cabinet. We would slip and fall and get an occasional scratch or three and my mom would wash off the bloodied dirt with soap and water and send us on our way. My dad always had a Swiss army knife in his pocket and my mom always had a couple of bottles of aspirin and Ibuprofen in her purse.

One day, my nephew sliced his pinky finger severely and the tip of it was barely attached. My brother and dad didn’t have any type of first aid kit and grabbed what they could out of the car. A clean diaper was on the seat and my dad quickly used his knife to cut it in strips and then used regular tape to wrap his finger. Who would have guessed that a diaper could stop the bleeding and save his finger? Although I would never suggest going my family’s route, if your emergency kit has a few essential items, then usually the other items can be made from things normally in your RV, like a bandage from a diaper.

Here are the ten things I would always have in my RV kit:

1. First Aid Handbook

I took a first aid class a few year back and by the time the class reached an end, I began to panic. How in world was I supposed to remember all of this stuff? It didn’t occur to me that having a medical manual in my car or RV emergency kit would easily solve that problem.

2. Gauze

Having gauze would have been a faster, cleaner, and easier solution for my nephew’s finger, but in case you run out of gauze, ripping up strips of clothing works too.

3. Antibiotics

A small scratch can turn into a serious infection and having antibiotics can prevent an infection from spreading and causing sickness.

4. Aspirin & Ibuprofen

Sometimes when I least expect it, a headache will get me and having aspirin on hand can save me from a lot of pain. It can help with any small pains, discomforts and swelling.

5. Antihistamine

Allergic reactions can become very serious and when you are exploring the outdoors you might come across something you are normally or newly allergic to.

6. Swiss-style knife

Scissors, tweezers and knives are great to have in your emergency kit and this amazing little knife covers it all.

7. Medical Tape

My dad used regular tape to hold the diaper over my nephew’s fingers and even though it worked, medical tape doesn’t stick so tight to itself and can be easily unwrapped.

8. 100 assorted Band-Aids

Having Band-Aids around prevents dirt and germs from getting in small scrapes and scratches. Choosing a box with a large assortment will give you a Band-Aid for a small blister, a deep slice, or a large scrape.

9. Peroxide

Peroxide is like magic. Seriously, this stuff has so many uses and should definitely be in every RV kit. It is great for cleaning, killing fungus, attacking germs and disinfecting the skin or surgical tools.

10. Matches

Did you know that the number one cause of death in outdoor recreationalists is Hypothermia? Having matches in your emergency kit could save your life.

This is my “must have list,” but my kit is filled to the rim with plenty of other things. It is always better to error on the side of caution, so stocking your RV kit with even more items and medical supplies is the best route. You can never be over-prepared but can definitely be under-prepared when that unplanned accident happens. What items do you keep in your kit and have you ever had to use them?