Some people make resolutions on New Year’s Eve. Not us. We love celebrating the opening of our RV season with a little tradition called RVFTA’s Spring Camping Resolutions.
It’s hard to believe we’ve been making our Spring Camping Resolutions for four years now!!! And we absolutely love that so many of you have joined in on the fun.
Over the years, some of our resolutions have changed dramatically. We definitely don’t resolve to camp more these days, since we usually end up RVing about 70 nights a year. But some of the same resolutions do keep popping up year after year (um, less phone time, *cough). That’s okay. We can keep working on ourselves. Campground of the Week listeners know that nobody’s perfect, right?
And this is the type of episode where we really do share our imperfections. Just like so many of you, we get stressed about packing up for a weekend trip. We also don’t read as much as we would like, and our phones are in our hands way too much. Instead of beating ourselves up about our imperfections, let’s give ourselves a pat on the back for doing this whole RVing thing in the first place. The campground is a fantastic place to work on being a better person, parent, and spouse. Let’s all take a deep breath and enjoy the blessings.
Segment One: Stephanie’s Spring Camping Resolutions
So this year, Stephanie refused to go back and revisit her 2017 resolutions. She’s trying to be a little kinder to herself, and just isn’t interested in looking backward. In 2018 it was all about the right here and now. With boys that just turned 9,9, and 5, it feels like the family dynamic has shifted dramatically. That means it’s all about focusing on what is best for the family at this moment in time.
#1: Go Farther, Faster
Okay, this is a weird resolution. Most people talk abut slowing down and enjoying the ride. But we’ve done that for the last few years. We’re really good at visiting a destination and really enjoying the heck out of the place.
Now Jeremy is pushing for visiting destinations that are much farther away, like Mt. Rushmore and Jellystone. Stephanie’s up for that, but only if we can pick up our pace and cover some ground more quickly. You can listen to hear more about how they are *trying to compromise on different traveling styles.
#2: Completely Personalize the Toy Hauler
It took us year’s to completely personalize the White Hawk and once we did it was so much more comfortable to travel in. Stephanie thought she would be better at attacking that project with Buck the Toy Hauler. Unfortunately, a lot of things got in the way last year. This year it’s a priority.
#3: Camp solo in Penny the Pop Up
We bought Penny back in the fall and Stephanie was only able to squeeze in two nights of camping in her. Now Penny got a facelift and she is ready to go. Now the trick is actually scheduling some me time, which is really hard for most moms to do.
#4: Read
This one has probably appeared on Spring Camping Resolutions over and over, but it’s important. Before kids, Stephanie was an avid reader. It’s been tricky getting back into regular reading ever since the twins came along. Staring at the phone is always easier, amiright?
#5: Research New Audio Books and Podcasts for the Family
Interestedly enough, our kids are on their best behavior in the car if we are listening to an audio book or family-friendly podcast. Stephanie has raved about Overdrive many times in the past. It’s a great app for borrowing and playing audio books from your local library. Our boys have grown up a lot in the last year, and we definitely need to track down a new set of books and podcasts that will keep them engaged. I Survived is apparently so last year.
Segment #2: Jeremy’s Spring Camping Resolutions
As we mentioned before, this past year was a time of real change for our family as our kids entered into different stages. A few of Jeremy’s resolutions reflect our commitment to always adjusting and making changes based on what’s best for our family. The only constant is change, right?
#1: Spend Time with the Boys Individually
This is actually a really hard thing for us to do. Our older sons are identical twins and we have struggled to convince them that it is fun to do things individually. Our third son took a cue from his big brothers and developed a very tribal mentality. We know one-on-one time is valuable. So we’ll keep trying.
#2: Do More Dry Camping
We outfitted Buck the Toy Hauler with solar panels this winter and are so excited to spend some more time in state and provincial parks this summer. With three young kids, it’s okay to want the convenience of electricity in the RV. Now we can have the best of both worlds.
#3: Enjoy Spring and Fall Camping Even with the Sports Schedule
Many of you RVing parents can relate. We are now entering into the thick of it with three kids in sports that they absolutely love. We want to encourage their passions and dedication, so we’ll figure out how to camp in spite of the scheduling conflicts. You can listen to here some of our ideas and solutions.
#4: Start a Motorhome Fund
There’s no other way to put it. Jeremy wants a motorhome so, so bad. But you know what? It’s just not a financial reality for our family at this moment in time. He wants to start saving for a future purchase…but that might mean we have to hold off on the RVFTA Fall Gear Guide…
#5 Testing RVs
We’ve been offered the chance to test RVs out in Elkhart this summer and Jeremy is ridiculously excited about it. Over the years, we’ve done a lot of work in the RV industry, but this is something that he has wanted to do since he first started reading Trailer Life 10 years ago. Hopefully we’ll do a good job and get asked back!
#6 Start Shooting Images in Raw
It’s almost embarrassing to admit to other photographers that you shoot in JPEG, but Jeremy comes clean on this one. Mostly it’s been an issue of pragmatism. We usually share onto our social channels during a trip, so it’s easier to send a photo from the camera to phone and upload. But it’s time to up the photography game and start shooting in raw.
Segment #3: Listener Spring Camping Resolutions
We received a tremendous response after our first Spring Camping Resolutions episode back in 2015. Now many of our longtime listeners have joined in on the traditions and share their own hope and goals for the camping season ahead. We shared some of our listener’s resolutions in this segment, but you can read them all (and add your own!) right here in the RVFTA Facebook Group.
Other resources mentioned in this episode:
We inducted the Equalizer Sway Control Hitch in the RVFTA Gear Hall of Fame this week. We’ve used this brand since we bought our first travel trailer eight years ago. Listen to hear our complete review, and check out Mark Polk’s YouTube video for more details:
And here’s my new spring jacket that I nabbed at Cabela’s last weekend for $39.99!!! It’s been in heavy rotation this whole week and it’s my favorite new item. Plus I just saw that it’s discounted to $31.99 online.
See you at the campground!
Stephanie + Jeremy
