How to Unclog an RV Toilet

Just read/watched this helpful article about how to unclog an RV toilet.

blog.rvshare.com

(Scroll down just a bit to find the toilet article...there are some other useful articles at this link as well)

Some random things we do:

We have used the ice cube method whenever we have bought a bag of ice for a camping trip and had some left over at the end of the trip...after we empty our tanks we dump a few jugs of water down the toilet followed by the ice and our hope is that the ice will slosh around the tank and dislodge any stuck on debris.

We have picked up a tip from a fellow camper (J.I.)...we don't put much paper down the toilet.  We just put it into a small lined trash container in the bathroom and then take the liner to the dumpster very day. Our friend, who is a very experienced camper says it only takes one big clog to convince a person to do this!

We do use single ply toilet paper because some does get down the toilet...no need to buy expensive RV toilet paper; single ply commercial TP is fine.

Every time we empty our tank, we pour several big jugs of water down the toilet and then add toilet chemical...I currently like Walex Porta-Paks, purchased at Camping World.  No measuring needed, just drop one packet in each time you dump.

Steve likes to dump, add several jugs of water, then dump again because he usually sees more matter come through this second time. Then I add two more jugs of water and the blue pouch.

Comment below and share your tips and tricks to keep your RV toilet free and clear!

12 Easy Breakfasts for Your Next Camping Trip!

Just found this link! Some of these breakfast ideas which are perfect for camping sound delish and so much fun to make!  Check it out!

www.buzzfeed.com/christinebyrne/campfire-breakfast

Local Good Sam Camping Club

I decided to change the blog title once again because the old one translated awkwardly with the ampersand and the apostrophe when the posts showed up for email subscriptions.  Also, I wanted it to be more compatible with our www.wearetheshaws.blogspot.com URL.

Today we had the monthly business meeting with our Local Good Sam camping club/chapter before the official start of our camping season here in CT.  If you don't belong to a camping club already I strongly suggest you try one out!

We got to talking with the couple we bought our Class C from several years ago about everything we we still didn't know about RVing and they mentioned this club they belonged to.  One thing led to another and we attended one of their local Campouts as their guests.  We have learned so much from them about the nitty-gritty of RVing, been on some great trips and best of all we have made some great camping friends!

To find a GS club near you (technically called a Chapter) go to:

 www.goodsamclub.com/community/Chapters.aspx

Nu Wave Oven...why we couldn't live without it!

This appliance has changed our lives, so much so that we have one for at home and a second one for the rig!  Basically it is a convection oven that cooks many things, but our biggest application is for meat, from frozen to cooked in half the time it would have taken in the conventional way of cooking meat.

No smoke or odors that you would normally use an exhaust fan for and no splatter.  

What we often do it buy a bunch of meat, especially when we are on the road, cook it all up in the Nu Wave and then package it up into meal-size portions and freeze it.  Then as is so common for us, when the question comes up at five or six, "so what shall we have for dinner?" we can just browse the freezer, make our selection, thaw it briefly in the microwave and we are good to go!

Of course, if we haven't got anything precooked, we just cook our meat FROM FROZEN to cooked in minutes!  Yes, it browns.  Yes, the meat comes out juicy and flavorful. Yes, you can use your favorite sauce or marinade.  

Our favorites are chicken breasts or thighs, sirloin tips, and any grass-fed beef...steak or hamburger for us.

This is particularly handy for folks who need to really manage their diet for gluten or other things that are problematic in their foods.

To check out a Nu Wave Oven on Amazon, click on the specific banner ad you see on this blog.   

If you you purchase one from that button we will make a small amount of money, so thanks in advance!  No pressure, just check it out!

Cleaning up the homestead after the winter of 2015

Before we can sell the house, there is a whole lot to be done first!  Today's project was to cut down some trees next to our pool that have been dieing for quite awhile and the heavy snowfall this winter started their downward trajectory.

We bought a used Craftsman chainsaw for $50 from a guy who fixes chainsaws and today was its inauguration!  For anyone who lives in CT, you will understand that this whole project involved pilling down lots of bittersweet vines but that was a whole lot easier to do before their sap started running.

The whole thing was a success..no injuries, no broken saw, no broken neighbor's fence...maybe more tomorrow afternoon once the rain stops.

Life changes!

So 3.0 means there'll be some changes made!  In a nutshell we realized this winter on our trip that we need to move out of CT...to cold, too expensive, our home is too big for me now, and my mom is ready for a change as well.

It won't be for a year minimum!  We need to downsize again and then sell our house. 

We have all chosen western NC...in the foothills of several mountain ranges...to a burb of Ashville called Hendersonville.

Many more details to follow, but we will spend our summers in CT, perhaps camping at Acorn Acres in Bozrah to see the grandkids A LOT and to do a little camping with our Good Sams Club.

My boys will drive out to spend the week between Christmas and New Years with us.

We will have virgin territory to explore in our RV, too!

Come along with us!

3.0 is here!

Even though we have returned from our big winter camping trip, I am continuing with my blog.  I am hoping to grow it into a small income so I can contribute to our household finances...more on that to come!

So why 3.0?  Well, things are going to change for the Shaw family...more on that to come as well!

So first, I would like suggestions on how we can increase our readership?

Second, any suggestions on how I might improve this blog?

TIA for any ideas, and stay tuned for information about our upcoming lifestyle changes!

Camping Recipes!

http://www.50campfires.com

Hi all!  Just found this great site with some wonderful-sounding camping recipes; specifically four to get you through a weekend.  Check it out!

Three products I would never camp without!

 These are three of my must-haves, on the road and also at home.

First off is Suave Dry Shampoo.  I love this product!  I don't wash my hair quite as often when we are traveling in our rig, so this product is a life-saver.  Just spray it on dry hair, wait a few minutes, run your hands through your hair, and then brush vigourously...dirt and excess oil are removed and the volume in my hair is increased.  Love, love, love this stuff!

Second, I use Cetaphil cleanser to wash my face.  This product is very gentle for sensitive skin.  It can be smoothed over your face and gently wiped off with tissues or a cold or warm wet washcloth, whatever you have available.  In the photo you will notice that I get Equate brand from Walmart...much cheaper but the exact same thing.

Last is my sitz bath.  Just add about three cups of warm water to this pan and then sit on it for 5-10 minutes.  This may be TMI, but let's face it, we don't shower as often on the road as we might at home.  This washes all those parts that need to be washed more often than the rest of us does!  I didn't have a single UTI this whole winter, for the first time that we have camped for an extended period of time!  We got ours at Walgreens and it was less than $15...well worth it!

I hope some of you find this information useful!

Accessibility Modifications We Made to the Rig this Winter

Given my MS, below are some photos of things we did to make the rig more user-friendly for me this trip.

I always find the hand-held shower head nozzles to be very thin and slippery, so we added rubber bands to give me a more sure grip.  I think we ended up adding even more as the weeks went on.  It made a world of difference for me!  I sit on a shower seat so I use the hand-held for everything!

As mentioned on the blog before I was bothered by the light coming in from the skylight in the shower in the morning, so this is what we tried first.  It worked pretty well.

In our last rig we had one of these acrylic tissue box holders but never knew where to get more for our new rig.  Low and behold, we found them at Camping World for cheap!  We mounted one in the toilet room and one next to my side of the bed.  Placing the tissue box upside down makes the tissues easier to grab.

This is the Reflectix that Steve used to insulate our bedroom windows.  He got a big roll at Home Depot for about $40.  It's basically big bubble wrap with foil on each side.  I find our bedroom to be hard to keep warm and/or cool, and this really helped on the really cold nights.

This is Steve putting Velcro around the edges of the skylight because the light was still bothering me in the morning. Then he did the same with a big piece of thick cardboard, and now we have a removable skylight cover!

I do a lot in the toilet room sitting down, so Steve hung a floor to ceiling shoe bag right in front of the toilet.  Everything was then at my fingertips!