Found a new trailer

We found a cool trailer-car set-up. Unfortunately, I doubt we can track one down. It might be for the better.

Hoops!

A few days ago I wrote about my, uh, flabby tummy, and how I needed to buy new shirts. Someone left a comment about how I should look into hooping--as in hula hooping--as a way to deal with my midsection. (Thanks, Julie!) She mentioned that another mom-on-the-road hoops all the time and has a blog about it (both about hooping and living on the road). Julie didn't say which blog it is, but I'm pretty sure I know the one she's talking about. I had seen that blogger mention hooping before but never gave it much thought until Julie brought it up.

Then I realized: My gosh! What a fantastic way to exercise on the road (or anywhere, for that matter). A hula hoop is relatively light, it's flat, it's something the kids can do with me, and I can probably even convince myself it's not really exercise.

So I looked into it. Turns out that the cheap-o hoops from Toys R Us aren't a good choice. It's better to have something wider and with more heft. I found some tutorials on how to make your own hoop. It actually looked pretty easy. You just need some irrigation tubing and electrical tape, both of which my husband probably has lying around (if he hasn't already bequeathed them to the neighbors). But Steve is at work and I'm impatient, so I checked craigslist to see if anyone local had some hoops for sale.

Lo and behold, there were several listings, including a woman in my city selling adult and kid hoops. Perfect! I dropped her an email and she was free to meet at a park this afternoon so I could try them out.

I looked like a complete dork at first, but after she gave me some pointers (move your hips side-to-side, NOT in a circle!) I actually started to get the hang of it. So Elias and I walked away the owners of new hula hoops.

As an aside, for a long time a friend of mine has been updating her Facebook statuses with mentions of hooping. I always thought she was talking about basketball, but now I'm not so sure. (Becky, if you're reading this: Which is it?)

American Girl Goes Camping

No, not me. A doll.

For some reason I have received the American Girl catalog for several years. As the mother of a boy who deplores all things girly, I used to flip through the catalogs wistfully, sigh, and throw them away.

A few days after Anna was born I received another American Girl catalog in the mail and devoured it with glee. I finally had a reason to look!

As usual, I skimmed over the "modern" dolls at the front of the catalog. I have no use for those. The history geek in me expressed interest only in the "historical" dolls. Imagine my dismay when I saw that the doll I had always wanted to get for my hypothetical daughter had been discontinued just a few months prior (Samantha, from the turn of the last century). A newcomer, Kit, from the Great Depression looked promising. I just needed to sit back and wait for my daughter to age about seven years.

Another American Girl catalog arrived today. I almost threw it into the recycling without looking at it since the historical dolls really don't change that much and since Anna is still only 15 months old. Steve was washing the kitchen floor, though, so I couldn't get to the recycling bin. I sat down and for once a modern doll--their "Girl of the Year"--caught my attention.

Her name is Lanie. She's cute. Blonde. Has the same inexplicable buck teeth as all the other American Girls. Likes nature. Has a pet bunny. And...

...she has her very own camper!

It has a shower, a pull-down bed, a sleeping bag, play food, and stickers so you can decorate the interior and exterior!

I decided that I had to get it for Anna. I could put it away for a year or two or eight until she was old enough.

Then I saw that it costs $295 and weighs 43 pounds, and I decided it could probably wait. If I can't find it a few years from now, I can always buy it off ebay...or maybe make one out of cardboard.

Articles

I found two pertinent articles today.

First, one about people living in micro-houses. If you're going to have a house that small, it might as well be mobile.

Second, one about the states with America's worst drivers. California is number 4! I took the test and got a 95 percent.