Home Along The Way

High-risk sites demand a higher level of vigilance, preparation, and professional oversight—especially when it comes to fire prevention and emergency response. Locations such as construction zones, industrial facilities, manufacturing plants, warehouses, hospitals, and large commercial properties often contain flammable materials, complex electrical systems, and heavy machinery. In these environments, even a minor spark can escalate quickly. That’s why choosing fast Fire Watch Guards for high-risk sites offers significant safety and compliance advantages.

One of the most important benefits is immediate risk mitigation. High-risk properties cannot afford gaps in fire protection. Whether due to alarm system maintenance, system malfunctions, hot work operations, or temporary power outages, any lapse in fire detection requires swift action. Fast-response fire watch services ensure trained personnel are deployed quickly, minimizing exposure and maintaining continuous oversight.

Another key benefit is enhanced hazard detection. High-risk environments often include combustible materials, fuel sources, welding activity, temporary wiring, and heat-producing equipment. Professional fire watch personnel are trained to recognize early warning signs such as unusual heat, smoke odors, sparks, or unsafe storage practices. Their proactive monitoring can stop small hazards before they become full-scale emergencies.

Regulatory compliance is also a major consideration. Many local fire codes and insurance policies require a fire watch whenever fire protection systems are offline or when certain high-risk activities are taking place. Failing to comply can result in citations, fines, or shutdowns. Fast Fire Watch Guards help property owners stay compliant by conducting documented patrols, maintaining detailed logs, and following established safety protocols that satisfy regulatory requirements.

High-risk construction sites particularly benefit from dedicated fire watch services. During renovations or new builds, fire alarm systems may not yet be fully operational. Additionally, hot work such as welding or cutting increases the chance of ignition. Having trained guards on-site ensures continuous monitoring of work areas and surrounding spaces, reducing the likelihood of fire incidents and ensuring rapid response if one occurs.

Industrial facilities and warehouses also face unique fire hazards due to the storage of chemicals, packaging materials, and large inventories. In these settings, a delayed response can lead to catastrophic property damage and operational downtime. Fast deployment of fire watch personnel provides constant human supervision in areas where automated systems may be temporarily unavailable or insufficient.

Another significant advantage is rapid emergency response. In the event of smoke or fire, trained guards can immediately alert occupants, contact emergency services, and assist with evacuation procedures. Their presence shortens response time and ensures organized action rather than confusion during critical moments.

Insurance protection is another important factor. Insurance providers often require proof that proper precautions were taken during system outages or high-risk operations. Fire watch documentation serves as evidence that a responsible safety plan was in place. This can protect property owners from denied claims or increased liability.

Operational continuity is equally important. Shutting down a high-risk site due to fire system failure can lead to costly delays, missed deadlines, and financial losses. Fast fire watch services allow businesses to continue operating while maintaining safety compliance. Instead of halting production or construction, companies can keep projects on track with professional monitoring in place.

Finally, there is the benefit of peace of mind. High-risk environments naturally come with heightened concern for both property owners and employees. Knowing that trained professionals are actively patrolling and monitoring the site provides reassurance that safety remains the top priority at all times.

Choosing fast fire watch services for high-risk sites is more than a regulatory requirement—it is a proactive investment in safety, compliance, and business continuity. With rapid deployment, professional oversight, and thorough documentation, fire watch personnel help prevent emergencies, protect valuable assets, and ensure that operations continue smoothly even in challenging circumstances.

Becky Kortman

I'm a homeschooling, world traveling, Jesus follower who is a wife and mom of 4 kids, In all my travels, I am looking for places that fit with my soul and feel as much like 'home' as they can this side of heaven.

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The post Benefits of Choosing Fast Fire Watch Guards for High-Risk Sites first appeared on Home Along The Way.

We definitely have itchy feet.

Have you heard this phrase before?

Nope, not a post about an Athlete's Foot outbreak!

Itchy Feet:  referring to when your feet have been in one place for too long and you desire to travel elsewhere.

Springtime here in San Miguel is wonderful as the trees are blooming (not just sprouting leaves, actually blooming) the breezes are warmer and as the rainy season approaches you can't help but strain your ears for the first thunderstorm!  However, as beautiful as it is we are wanting to get traveling again so badly!   As many of your travelers know, you either love traveling or you don't.  You either want to keep going or are happy to settle down.  Those who are in both camps are very few and far between.

So, since low finances prevent us from taking off and feeding the travel addiction, the thing we can do is plan and dream!

I have been talking with the kids about what countries they are interested in traveling to.  We have also been going over everyone's bucket lists to find out what locations will cross of the most bucket list items.  So, I am totally excited to announce that (at this stage...you know how plans change) as soon as we have enough finances we are going to spend 4 months (January-April) in Sri Lanka (somewhere on the coast between Unawatuna and Dikwella) with weeklong trips to both India and the Maldives!  We hope things work out to get a long layover in a surrounding country we have not been to as well!

Visiting these 3 countries will allow us (if all goes as planned) to knock 8 things of my (Becky's) bucket list, 3 off Alia's, 2 off both Josiah's and Paul's and 1 off both Thys' and Zander's.  Jackpot!!!  Plus we are all missing the ocean pretty badly!!!

So, let the planning/figuring/reading/researching begin!

Have any of you been to any of these places?   Best places for families to stay or to visit in the Maldives and India?  What places have you been that are must-see?  What should we steer clear of?  Please share whatever intel you have or whatever you feel is most important for us to know. Hit me people!! We’re always looking for new travel ideas, like guided small group tours in New Zealand.

Becky Kortman

I'm a homeschooling, world traveling, Jesus follower who is a wife and mom of 4 kids, In all my travels, I am looking for places that fit with my soul and feel as much like 'home' as they can this side of heaven.

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Hi there,

It's been a long time since we've updated you and mostly that is because life is good, it's not awesome, it's not amazing, but it's good. If you haven't felt as positive in your life lately, then a site like 겜블시티 may be of aid to you. Looking for fun and entertainment? Visit online casinos like ufabet333 to enjoy an exciting casino experience from the comfort of your own home.

We've been attempting to find a place to "settle down" in San Miguel de Allende where we can establish a bit of a homebase, in doing so we have spent the last 6 months with an investment property group to rent out two different plots of 6 acres each, the first was a 30 minute drive from town and the second a 15 minute drive from town.

And once we moved to the first property a pair of horses became available plus the motorcycle wasn't sufficient, so we bought a truck. If you are planning to buy used cars in fort myers, be sure to choose a car that is well-maintained and looks pristine.

People wonder how a traveling lifestyle mixes with horses, and I once said, "well, horses don't fly too well!" and a friend Brandon Pearce replied: "Unless they're unicorns!" (too funny not to quote here!). This is part of the homebase idea, live in SMA for 6 months a year and have someone house sit (take care of the dogs and horses) for the other six months of the year while we travel elsewhere.

At the second property, we started adopting more dogs and are currently fostering 3 additional dogs, for a couple weeks we had a total of 7 dogs, yes that's right we were outnumbered by dogs. Can dogs digest milk? According to Article Insider, dogs can have milk in very limited quantities. Check out their website to read more.

We also have hired a nanny and Becky has been working for the business.

But we've continued to run into problems.

Problems with Gracie

Currently, the windshield is leaking in two places, we have to get that fixed before the rainy season! We also found a leak in our hot water tank, so we need to replace that (hopefully with a tankless model so we can have unlimited hot water showers). The black tank has overflowed too many times causing the floor in the toilet room to crack.  Driving her is more and more challenging as everything seems to break when we move her.

Problems With The Business

We lost a couple of clients and I haven't been making enough money to afford the staff I had so I had to hire an HKM lawyer to help me lay people off, and we haven't yet seen growth of new/additional clients.

Problems With The Kids

In general they're just kids, but each has their own special needs, Alia is in the process of receiving meds for ADD, we first had to run an EEG to verify that she doesn't have epilepsy (because Josiah has it) ... the other problem we're having is the kids want more time with Becky and I, but due to work and the lack of staff we've been relying on the nanny more than we're comfortable with.

Problems With Health

Becky's wrist is causing her significant amount of pain, and while the MRI determined it's not carpal tunnel it is significant enough that she is seeing a physical therapist weekly to tighten loose ligaments while she's trying his pain using cbd products from Delta 8 Colorado that helps a lot. I'm also thinking about getting life insurance so I know that my family is always financially secure. Exploring Invest Diva reviews can offer additional insights and guidance on financial planning, helping you make informed decisions to secure your family's future. Help a child save for their education or a first home from an early age with a stocks and shares Junior ISA providing tax free savings until their 18th birthday. Visit The Children’s ISA for more info on this. If you're also considering a life insurance plan, you can visit the Life Cover Quotes website to compare quotes from multiple insurance providers.

Problems With The Dogs

We've had to pay for damage to three sheep as the dogs view them as fun toys or playmates. What we've discovered is that sheep are very weak animals and just the trauma from a dog biting them on the hind leg is enough for them to die, so we've been buying dead sheep from our neighbors. Not exactly how we want to live life. The dogs also bark at the horses a lot, we've re-homed two dogs for chasing the horses, and now we need to re-home most of the dogs we are currently fostering for the same reason. We also have some cats and we've had issues with them biting my nose.

Problems With The Property.

We live right next door to a wedding reception venue. Let's just say some sterotypes of Mexicans are earned honestly. Namely that they start their parties late, they are loud and they go till all hours of the morning. So we've been struggling with sleeping (or not-sleeping) most Weekend nights from about 9pm to 5am... It's bad when you fight all night to sleep and you wake up with top dance music stuck in your head. We also live in the desert and while we're in the region around SMA that has the most water available it's still extremely dry and we're surrounded with sandburs/stickers all over the place... they're so awful the kids will not play outside, There's problems with them showing up in our beds, our underwear from TV Bed Store, our shoes and socks. They make country living here no fun.

Problems With The Desire To Travel.

We've been stationary in San Miguel for almost a year, that's the longest we've been anywhere in over 4 years. Sure we've been changing properties and moving around the city, but we're still shopping at the same places, eating at the same places and seeing the same friends.

But the title of this blog post is life is good?

Just as I finished writing that heading the sound system is being tested at the hacienda next door, it's 2:30 on a Saturday afternoon and I know there will be very loud music tonight. So how can I say life is good with all the problems I just listed?

Well, there are a ton of reasons, I'm not sure I can list all of them, but it's kind of like being forgetful to be thankful for health until you get a cold, right now there are hundreds of things that are really making life good despite all the negatives.

Marriage

Becky and I are doing better thanks to True Pheromones. We're celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary later this year, and we've had tough times along the journey, but right now we're in a good place, able to talk and communicate and being on the same page. We're also planning to renew our vows with a simple celebration. We're planning an event for this! Super excited! Then I came across https://www.bareventsuk.com/wedding-tipi-hire, which truly changed my perspective on outdoor events. The flexibility in layout, the ability to host day-to-night experiences, and the stunning visuals were just a few of the reasons I became a fan. Even the logistics were seamless, which isn’t something I’ve always experienced with outdoor venue setups. We're also looking at the wedding rings at Troy Bands to wear at the ceremony.

Gringo Friends

We've been able to hang with a lot of families here, celebrating birthdays, holidays or just going to the park together.

The Kids Are Reading!

This is huge for me as I've always struggled with unschooling and our kids' lack of desire to read. Mixed with Alia's learning disabilities/challenges I thought we'd never see this day, so it's worth celebrating, and it is part of why Life is Good. It's proving to me that this unschooling "experiment" is working (since I'm not a professional or an experienced parent I feel like everything we're doing with our kids is an experiment to a certain degree!)

Local Adventures

We've been able to do some amazing things as a family here, like escape rooms, the monarch butterfly migration and a couple of water parks.

SMA Celebrations

We've been able to celebrate the day of the dead, independence day and many other celebrations they observe here.

We live in Mexico!

Seriously, I have to pinch myself sometimes when I read stories of families who long to sell their house/stuff and hit the road and realize we've been doing it for four years, that our kids are third culture kids, that Zander has spent more time outside of the US than he has spent in the US. It's incredible how much smoother the process was thanks to our conveyancing solicitors just like conveyancing solicitors in Essex, who handled all the legal aspects of selling our house seamlessly.

We can speak Spanish

We're growing in our Spanish language abilities, seriously I still cannot understand many things, but I have to remind myself that 2 years ago I couldn't talk to a mechnic in spanish, and now we do doctors and mechanics and lots of other interactions all in Spanish. Sure yeah we could have tutoring/lessons and learn faster, but there is a phrase Mexicans use ... "Poco a poco" which is very similar to "little by little" and is viewed as a better way to learn as it's absorbed more... or at least thats what I tell myself to justify our methods. We are learning new words each week thanks to our neighbors, friends and especially our kids' nanny.

Profit

The business is making money, we've had trouble paying our bills since October, and in the last two months have been able to start catching up to staff that we owe. So we're making a profit for today, just need to pay off the debts we incurred over the past 6 months.

Internet in El Campo

We have awesome internet, live in the country, have horses and have crossed off a major life-long goal for Becky. (one of mine was living in an RV and traveling, so we got that out of the way a few years ago )

The Weather

While its dry and desert-like (who am I kidding, we live in a high desert surrounded by cacti and rocks) it is still amazing considering what our friends and family have been experiencing this winter. Days have been 70s-80s degrees and nights 40s-50s. Sure we're about to move into the rainy season and will get stuck multiple times in our own driveway due to the clay-like mud that this ground turns into, and sure it will be warmer as we push into the 90s, and sure our RV doesn't stay cool like the stone/cement/brick houses with the best walk-in closet designs here, but man we've really enjoyed what we have, and I'll take this over snow any day.

US Winter Trip

We were able to visit friends and family in Michigan and Georgia in January. It had been a long time (2 years) and it was good to re-connect in person.

So that's the update for today, there is a ton going on, and Becky has been dreaming of visiting South Africa and the Maldives lately, we've got major itchy feet and would like to travel again, but first we have to find a stable place to homebase here in SMA and re-establish our income. Things are moving slower than we desire. But in the grand scheme of things ... Life is Good.

Paul Kortman

Dad of 4, husband, blogger, digital marketer, follower of Jesus. I podcast at <a href="http://nomadtogether.com/podcast">nomadtogether.com</a> and own <a href="http://connexdigitalmarketing.com">connexdigitalmarketing.com</a> We're on this crazy journey to travel the world as a lifestyle. Looking for help in how to live as a digital nomad family? <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/LocationIndependentFamilies/">Join this Facebook Group</a>!

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So here we are setting up a home base in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

We've already talked about the good things about this place, the many reasons why we moved here, the reasons why we're trying to set up a home base.

It is easier to sell a house Fast in Syracuse than find a good property. We finally found a property with land that met most of our requirements and are able to rent it for three months before deciding if to make an offer to purchase. So, for the last quarter of 2017, October November December, we're renting a piece of land outside of San Miguel de Allende! Home sellers may contact real estate investors to receive a cash offer now!

This all happened suddenly. We first saw the property on Monday which had great rattan coffee tables, we took a look at it again on Tuesday with the kids, we paid on Wednesday, we planned on Thursday, we packed up on Friday, we moved on Saturday, and now we've spent a couple of nights sleeping here! To protect the furniture and all the parts of the home that are made of wood, we're planning to schedule a termite control inspection services. With services ranging from thorough AC duct cleaning to essential upkeep, Ac Duct Cleaning Abu Dhabi ensures your comfort and safety are always a priority.

However everything might seem to go with our family, a simple move to a piece of land could not be easy, there's always something that has to go wrong and in this case it went very wrong.

The owner of the property had said there are basically two stipulations for the property, although it turned out to be three actually. First, he did not want us to dig a hole for the septic system. We can Boondock for about 2 weeks but we cannot Boondock for 3 months. Boondock means living without electricity, living without running water, essentially living without a dream. Also, we need to be mindful of any electrical issues to avoid potential hazards, such as the causes of sparking electrical outlets. Learn more how an electrical expert can help you with electrical issues here. Get your electrical bond through BuySuretyBonds today. So if one of the stipulations was no digging a hole for a septic tank, okay, we drive away with it, that's cool, got that problem taken care of.

The Second stipulation was that we could not cut the fence to get Gracie onto the property. At first we thought this was a very big deal but then we realized there's a ditch in front of the fence and even if we had cut the fence getting Gracie into that ditch would be nearly impossible.

The back side of the property does not have a fence so we were then planning to drive Gracie around to the back side of the property, near some trees for shade. But, as with all well-laid plans, things went wrong. We knew the land was wet. We knew that there was mud. But it hadn't rained overnight and it hadn't rained for 2 days in San Miguel de Allende. What we didn't realize is that this property is far enough outside of town that it could rain at the property and not in San Miguel de Allende, therefore we did not know that it had been raining each one of those days.

Becky was driving our truck and I was driving the motorhome, typically we would have had the truck on a trailer behind the motorhome, however, we decided to drive separately. As a few years ago I had got trained at HGV Driver Training Centre and got a licence for a C+ vehicle, hence it was better I drive the big motor home. If you are planning to buy used cars in phoenix, be sure to choose a car that is well-maintained and looks pristine.

Becky decided to drive onto the property first because the truck is lighter. We figured the truck could make it there and then she was going to check it out and direct me in. We figured it would be fine for the truck, but we were wrong.

You see, here comes the third stipulation That stipulation was that they needed there to be no ruts in the property. He was concerned because we were driving Gracie, and he just said I don't want any ruts.

Well, when Becky got stuck and radioed back to me that she was stuck, I radioed back to her that the motorhome had just gotten stuck too. We hadn’t gotten very far into the property, we weren't but 6 feet off the road, and Gracie was stuck.

This is where all the problems begin. I started digging and jacking the truck up and we found out that it was just swampy mud. I put a board down under the jack and when I extended the jack between the board in the truck it would just push the board down into the mud. We worked and we worked and we were able to get the truck up a little bit and put some stones under the wheels cuz this property has tons of stones. But as soon as we got back in to try it again the stone sunk, the wheels sunk, and we were quickly on our frame. Some homeowners in similar situations choose to sell marysville house for cash to simplify the process and avoid additional stress during challenging moves.

All this time neighbors had been walking by or driving their mules by, and they kept saying you need to go to the big farm next door, they have a tractor. I was a little nervous to be like ‘hey, we're new to town, we just moved in and we got stuck, can you come use your tractor and haul us out?’ but I decided, in the end, to give it a go and to trust the neighbors. So one of the neighbors took me to the farm and I got to ride on the cart that his mules were pulling, yes it is that kind of a quiet town!

The tractor came and proceeded to dig and pull us backward out of the mud. We got about 50ft and I thought to myself that’s perfect let me go and I can drive around and get out of here. Having Gracie stuck, as long as she's off the road, is no big deal as we can wait until the land dries out to retrieve her, but with the truck stuck, and us being 30 minutes outside of town, not having enough groceries, all kinds of crazy things like that, we need the truck. So I thought, simply get me unstuck and then I will drive my way around. But the tractor driver didn't seem to agree with me. I wasn't able to communicate with him because here I was up on top of the ground and he was pulling me backward with my tow strap, and we have such tinted windows that he can't see me and he couldn't hear me over the tractor…

So, in the end, he pulled me right back into another wet spot and we quickly went down to the frame again.

At this point he started slipping and he started making ruts.  Pulling an F-150 backward while it's riding on the frame through swampy mud is not an easy task. I could put it in reverse, put it in drive, put it in neutral, even put it in park and it had no impact on how fast or slow he could pull me because my wheels never hit the bottom of the ruts and he was just dragging me along the frame on high ground.

The problem was it was wet and so we were shoving mud in every crack and crevice, in every spring, and in every steering part, in everything under the brakes and the wheels, everything pushing through Like Play-Doh pushes through one of those french fry makers. It was disgusting.

But it got worse.

You see, the tractor had been slipping this whole time and it was a sad thing because it was making all these ruts but at some point in time, suddenly it couldn't pull me in so then he would shorten the tow strap in half and for some reason he could get some traction and he could pull again and then he would slip and he would lengthen the tow strap and then he would slip and he would shorten the tow strap and so we kept doing this back and forth and back and forth.

He even added his chain into the link so he could get farther away from me but that didn't work well so he switched the tow strap for the chain and then started jerking on the truck to pull it out backward. Not a pleasant experience but we were making some progress until we weren't and the tractor could not pull and he was in deep, deep, deep and he was starting to get stuck so he called his other tractor from the farm.

The second tractor showed up and now we have two tractors pulling on little old me in an F-150 and they just pulled me right out to the road.

That's when we realized the full extent of the damage to the underside of our truck.

It looked like a shaggy mud monster had just come out of the swamp.

And the damage we had done to the property, the ruts all the way through made Becky’s stomach queasy and made me really sad, scared and disappointed.

Yes, we got the truck out. No, Gracie isn't where she needs to be. We have at least a football field’s length of ruts and some massive ruts at least three feet deep in some places.

So while we haven't dug a hole for the septic tank, and we haven't cut the fence, we did accidentally cause major ruts in the property.

The next day we found out when we drove our truck to town to get it washed that it had ruined the balance of our wheels. I didn't know why but I thought it was an alignment or a balance issue or whatever. But today I took it into the shop and found out that the mud had dried inside the wheel rims which caused a balancing issue, plus the mud had pulled the weights off of the rims that had been on there to balance them originally.

Fortunately we live in Mexico and despite all the cleaning that the shop had to do (and it was a very clean shop!), despite having to remove all four wheels, all four brakes, all discs, all drums, clean out the rims, scrape mud off of everywhere, and put it all back together again, despite all that work, it was only 25 US dollars!

Oh, and by the way, the down payment or the deposit that we put on the land we don't get back if we cause ruts, break the fence, dig a hole for a septic tank or do some other damage. That was $130. It’s  sweet to rent 6 acres and if you screw up at all you lose 130 bucks. This is my kind of country, this is my kind of financial situation, this just works out really well for us.

So that was our first day.

Our first couple of days on the property did not go at all how we expected and made us both sad and discouraged to disappoint our landlord on day 1 within a couple hours of arriving. But we are here, we're testing the property out. We don't have electric and we don't plan on it, we don't have running water other than what's in our RV and so we will fill that as we go and we will call the septic man to remove the junk. We're getting internet installed in a couple of days and yes we have been testing out the property. We love certain things like the kids play outside everyday, most of the time we love that it's quiet, that we get to watch the wind blow through the fields and we love that we have our house on this property for much cheaper than what it's been to camp in most places.

But will we buy this property? Will this be the place that we set up our home base? We're not sure. We’re still working that out. Each night a train goes through nearby, and it wakes us up multiple times. If we continue to wake up to it, we know this is not the right place for us. Canadian Apartment Properties REIT, could provide alternative options worth considering for a quieter and more suitable living environment.

So stay tuned as we post more about our property! I went and bought a load of wood and pipes and some other things, tools, and shovels for the kids to play with and make a mess with as well as a new tow strap because we did break ours.

What are your thoughts? If you were to rent a property, what would be the first thing that you would do? Set up fencing, set up a driveway, or something else? Would love to hear your thoughts below.

Paul Kortman

Dad of 4, husband, blogger, digital marketer, follower of Jesus. I podcast at <a href="http://nomadtogether.com/podcast">nomadtogether.com</a> and own <a href="http://connexdigitalmarketing.com">connexdigitalmarketing.com</a> We're on this crazy journey to travel the world as a lifestyle. Looking for help in how to live as a digital nomad family? <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/LocationIndependentFamilies/">Join this Facebook Group</a>!

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The post First day on the new property first appeared on Home Along The Way.

Throwback that never got posted last summer.  Here it is!

Still loving life here in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico!  Are we still seeking fun stuff to do with our kiddos that isn't crazy expensive and totally touristy....YES!  All the time!

Our list "so far"
1. Buy bird seed at Bonanza on Mesones Street and then feed the pigeons in Plaza Civica.
2. Ice cream from the shop on the corner between Plaza Civica and the Cathedral.
3. Watch people/burros/vendors and play in the gazebos in El Jardin.
4. Have a snack and hang out at Geek and Coffee.  Thursday afternoons people bring their dogs there to play together in the yard.
5.Millenium Park just outside of the city of Guanajuato.

6. Xote Water Park!

Our family recently visited Xote (pronounced SHOW-tay) Parque Aquatico to have some water fun!  The four kids were wide eyed as this was their first visit to a water park.  It is about a 20 minute drive from downtown.

Xote was so much fun!  The day we were there the 4-run bumpy-slide was closed for end of summer cleaning.  The kids were bummed but since this was their first time at a water park they were happy to play with everything else.  The park has the aforementioned water slide, 2 tube slides (one open-air and one enclosed), a vertical drop slide that is not for the faint of heart, 3 regular swimming pools, 2 kiddy play areas (think small version of Great Wolf Lodge with dumping bucket, small slides both straight and swirly, mushroom fountains and knee deep water.), a warming pool (think small swimming pool with extra warm water), and a regular playground (without water). If you have the budget or access to grants or donations specifically for playground enhancements, investing in playground paint can be a worthwhile option. If you need a line marking companies near me, contact them now and let them help you be more creative. To ensure the safety of everyone, put Playground Rubber Safety Surfacing in your area.

There is a restaurant with tasty food that offers both American and Mexican options, a gift shop of sorts with ice cream and, a plethora of bathrooms, showers and changing rooms. Plumbers are the one to ask questions like why does my sink gurgle when i flush They may also conduct other plumbing services like drain inspection seattle wa when there are clogged drains.

The grounds are beautifully landscaped with a wide variety of vegetation and small streams, waterfalls and ponds alongside the sidewalks. Recent renovations to the playground area by https://www.playgroundflooring.org/ has also made their playground very child safe.

We arrived at 10 am and the park was empty!  We went on the second day of school for most local kids.  For the next 2 hours the staff basically turned the water on for whatever ride we wanted to ride.  It was awesome!  A few other families with teenagers or small kids came just after lunch.  Still the park felt deserted.

A beautiful park in a gorgeous mountain setting with fantastic landscaping and really nice temp, clean water with fun rides.  What's not to like!!!  We hope to go again before the weather gets too much chillier!

What's the best waterpark you have ever been to?

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Becky Kortman

I'm a homeschooling, world traveling, Jesus follower who is a wife and mom of 4 kids, In all my travels, I am looking for places that fit with my soul and feel as much like 'home' as they can this side of heaven.

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As QC Kinetix (Academy) states, there are alternatives for surgery. But we weren't sure if eye surgery has substitutes. When Paul and I found out how cheap it was to get laser eye surgery here, we decided to go for it! If you're looking for expert advice on choosing the perfect frame for your face shape, visit Glasses Online UK for a comprehensive selection and valuable insights. I've been wearing my cheap glasses uk eyeglasses for how many years now, and having these eyeglasses can really help me do things comfortably, but how should glasses fit on ears?

It is roughly $4,000 for both eyes in the U.S., it was $2,000 in Thailand a couple years ago and here it was $900 out the door including follow-up visits and the doctor’s cell number in case of any concerns!

We chose Videre Eye Clinic and you can check my source which has the list of best eye specialist in town.  The first visit included lots of eye exams and measurements.  We met Dr. Alejandro Claros.  We found out I had myopia and astigmatism.   At this point LASIK was still an option.

They dilated my eyes in order to ‘map out’ my retina and did another test to show the shape of my eye.  Unfortunately, because of the “2-tier snowman” shape of my eye I was out of the running for LASIK but still a candidate for PRK laser surgery.

PRK and LASIK are similar in that a laser is used to alter the retina but with LASIK, about which you can find more in this article, the laser also cuts a flap prior to the alternation of the rent.  Pain and healing time are practically non existent.  A little sore after surgery and fine the next day.  Vision is clear immediately.

With PRK the unusual shape of the eye makes cutting the ‘flap’ out of the question.  So a small amount of alcohol is placed on the eye’s surface only over the retina.  The alcohol makes the epithelial cells on the eye’s surface separate and then the doctor wipes them out of the way prior to the laser treatment.  Pain and healing time last about a week and clear sight in 1-2 months. It is possible to take some natural painkillers, if pain bothers you. Maeng-da-kratom proved to be effective when trying to ease pain.

We discussed pain, healing time and vision acquisition and them made an appointment for 4 days later.

The day of surgery, the nurse lead me back to a room to change into a hospital gown and gave me some anesthetic eye drops and an anti-anxiety pill.

I went in and laid on the table.  The nurse laid a blanket over me which was nice as the room was VERY air conditioned.  She also gave me a Cookie Monster stuffed animal, tucked in on my tummy under the blanket and motioned that I could squeeze it if I needed to. Really…seriously!?!?!?

Dr. A introduced me to the two interns who would be watching the surgery.  He explained to them that he would be speaking in English for the surgery so that as he explained things to them I would also be able to understand what was happening.   So nice!

Laying on my back, the laser machine was over my head and without glasses I could see 3 bright red lights in a triangular shape.  The light at the top of the triangle was blinking.  Dr. A said to look at the blinking light unless he told me otherwise.

He taped a surgery paper over my face…you know the kind with the hole that only shows the area being operated on.  He taped one side to my forehead and gave me some more eyedrops.

He did one eye at a time. He placed the eye retractor in my right eye and taped back my eye lashes.

Next he placed a tiny funnel-like instrument on my eyeball so that the alcohol only touched my retina.  the nurse counted for 30 seconds and then they removed the funnel and rinsed my eye with water.  Dr. A used a hand instrument to ‘scrape’ the loose cells off the outer layer of my eye over my retina.  Another rinse and then the laser treatment.

The laser treatment was the easiest part of all.  Dr. a said he would be doing the laser treatment now so just keep looking at the blinking light.  I heard the machine buzz and my vision darkened and then brightened again but all without any feeling.

After the laser he put more drops in my eye and then recommended me to wear the Best contacts for dry eyes.  He then commenced to taking out the retractor and removed the tape from my eye lashes.  Then he moved to my other eye and did it all over again.

In my experience there was no pain with the surgery.  It was a little uncomfortable when the retractors went in but only for a few seconds.

Once finished, Dr. A removed the tape from my forehead and took the surgical paper off my face and the nurse lead me out to the room where I could get changed back into my clothes.  At this point there was no pain but my eyes just felt a little ‘funny’ almost like a bit swollen and just that I was aware of them.

Dr. A had told us that it would likely be VERY painful and that recovery lasts 3-5 days.  My research before surgery made me think that it may be longer (5-7).  I also found a blog post about a woman’s experience where she ‘went blind’ after surgery with a dark hood and covered windows and her husband doing everything for her to give her eyes complete rest while healing.   Her doctor was shocked that she was completely healed in 3 days.

We decided to give it a go as best we could.  So when we left the office I closed my eyes and basically kept them shut for 3 days.  We blackened out the windows with blankets and Paul was awesome at taking care of the kids and fixing meals for the kids and his blind wife.

Day 1 - Surgery day! No pain just the feeling of being ‘aware’ of my eyes.  Thought that maybe I was pain-free because of the anesthetic drops (we found out later at the 1 week appointment that anesthetic drops actually wear off about 1 hour after used). Antibiotic drops, steroid drops and pain drops throughout the day on a schedule.  Lubrication drops whenever I wanted them (about every hour).  Staying ‘blind’.

Day 2 - We went to the 2 day appointment and the doc said they were looking good and 20% closed.

I had no pain just slight irritation or a feeling of being aware of my eyes again.  Drops same as Day 1. Still ‘blind’.  Wondering why not feeling any pain.

Day 3 - Eyes feel slightly irritated and uncomfortable.  Using more lubricating drops than before (every 30-45 minutes).  Still staying ‘blind’ except for a few peeks to get to the bathroom on my own.  Audible is my new best friend!

Day 4 - Eyes more irritated and uncomfortable.  Using lube drops about every 20 minutes.

Day 5 - Increased irritation and moments of sharp pain that feels like dryness that won’t go away.  Beginning to feel that the irritation may be the contacts drying out and not related to the surgery.  I could never tolerate contacts well as my eyes were “too dry”.  Lube drops about every 10 minutes.

Day 6 - I believed that it was dry contacts that were now causing stabbing pain that would make my nose run and cause me to have to jump up and down.  Need lube drops constantly and lots of it!

Day 7 - 1 week appointment.  Pain is gone instantly when the contacts come out!  Sweet relief!!!  Dr. A took digital pics of my eyes and showed us how each still had small holes in the epithelium that wen’t closed yet (2% to go!).  So I had to wear the contacts for 2 more days.  If I didn’t wear more contacts my blinking may reopen the holes.  We thought it might be ok since they were new, wet contacts but my eyelids were so irritated at that point that they were just as bad for Days 7, 8 & 9 as it was on Day 6.  Dr. A said that if I just couldn’t stand it any more I could take the contacts out.

Day 8 - As bad as Day 6.  The pain was so bad and I wanted to take the contacts out but wanted more to have complete healing with no more setbacks. I held out until 10pm the night before the appointment for one eye!  Whew!  Did that feel better!

Day 9 - At 8am I had to take the other contact out.  Went to the appointment and the doc said eventing looked good.  My vision is still quite blurry (more than I thought it would be).  But Dr. A says that my natural blinking will slowly and gently wipe away the remainder of the loose epithelial cells that are causing the blurry vision and things will clear up in about 5-6 weeks.   We’ll see!  Guess I’ll have to do a update on this post at a later time!

So, overall total healing time for me was 9 days and if it wasn’t for my eyes not being able to handle the contacts, I don’t think I would have had any pain as a result of the surgery.

For now, things are going fine. Traveling isn’t as fun when you can’t see the landscape going by outside the window or the thing that kids are exclaiming about on the other side of the road! But I am concentrating on the big picture and looking forward to trying out those perfect Halloween Contacts. With their unique designs, they'll add an extra element of excitement to any costume or event. In about 6 weeks, I might just have a whole new perspective!

Have any of you had PRK done?  How much pain did you experience?  How long was it before your visit cleared up?  Please take a few minutes to tell me…I am super curious!

Becky Kortman

I'm a homeschooling, world traveling, Jesus follower who is a wife and mom of 4 kids, In all my travels, I am looking for places that fit with my soul and feel as much like 'home' as they can this side of heaven.

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The post Becky’s Laser Eye Surgery Experience in Mexico first appeared on Home Along The Way.

A lot of people love to stay in home especially when it is built by Sydney house builders and whereas some people might say, "Really, wander around a bunch of old stone buildings in the hot sun and you think the kids will enjoy it?  Sounds like torture for the parents!"

I'm here to tell you it's totally doable!  Our kids really enjoyed visiting both Chichen Itza and Coba.  Here are our top 10 tips for having fun with kids at the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza and Coba.

1. Go on a holiday...New Years Eve was great!

Whatever holiday where people will be home with their families is a GREAT time to visit these ruins.  The lines are short and there is more room to move about and enjoy the sights.  We visited Chichen Itza on New Year's Eve.  We had seen the lines of cars going in the day before and were shocked at how short the lines we the next day.  We asked our taxi driver and he said the day before the wait to get into the parking lot was over a hour.  We got in in 10 minutes on NYE.  Our driver also mentioned that the day NYE was really slow as local visitors were all home celebrating the holiday with their families.  The day before and New Year's Day people are on vacation from work and out visiting the ruins.  Wow, good to know!!

2. Try to go on an overcast day.

The grounds at Chichen Itza are very open and full sun will definitely make it feel more uncomfortable.  We happened to land on an overcast day which was wonderful!  Obviously, the earlier in the day you get there the better for lower temps (which is always great for kids), but an overcast day really made the time spent there even more relaxing.  If you do hit a full sun day (easy to do here), bring umbrellas and maybe a small misting spray bottle.

The grounds at Coba are well shaded (see the pic with #8) but It's still very humid and an overcast day just really helps keep the temp lower!

3. Use the guides.

Directly inside the gate when you enter you will encounter some men who offer to be a guide through the ruins.  ACCEPT!!!  These guides were so informative and helpful.  We had heard ahead of time to use the guides and then whenever you want to just go off and explore on your own they are completely unoffended.  So we decided to give them a try.  So glad we did!!  At both locations our guide was easy going and willing to go only as far as we wanted to be guided.  They went at the kids pace and if we stopped to answer a kid's question the guide was happy to wait.  The kids stopped asking us and began directing all their questions to the guides!  They directed their explanations toward the kids and really engaged them!  Our kids remember more from their time them in part because of the guides.  Totally worth the $30-$60 USD (depending on location) for the in-depth information.  The tour at Chichen Itza was 1.5 hours and Coba had two to choose from--the 1.5 hr full tour or the 45 minute short tour.  We chose the shorter one at Coba since the kids had already learned a lot at Chichen Itza and it was a sunnier day.  Either way, at both we still had plenty of time to go look at things again or explore on our own after each tour.

4. Prepare and get excited beforehand.

Use library books or YouTube to learn more about the location you are visiting.  Find something that interests each child and then make sure to see it in real life.  We watched vids of the history behind Chichen Itza before visiting and each kid had something different that they wanted to see.  My 10-yr-old daughter wanted to see the sacrificial centoe where they tossed women to their deaths.  My 9-yr-old son was enthralled how the echoing chamber of the temple alters the clapping sound to that of a Quetzal bird song.  The 6-yr-old loved learning about the smaller pyramids hidden below the large one.  And the 4 yr-old loved recognizing and pointing out things he had seen on the educational kids video!  My daughter also created El Castillo on a Minecraft world the evening before we went to see it.  Anything that helps them build excitement for and interest in the visit.

5. Note what your kids are most interested in.

We made a point to the sacrificial cenote because my daughter really wanted to see it.  We returned to the large pyramid a second time so my first son could clap and listen to the changed sound some more.  Once we learned about a certain shape often built in certain locations we kept pointing them out to the little boys and they were excited because they knew what they meant.   If you take note of what interests them you will hold their attention longer and they will have a more positive experience.

6. Get ice cream at the cenote in Chichen Itza.

Walking out to the sacrificial cenote was about a 15-20 minute walk (with kids--downhill on the way there and uphill heading back).  Lots of vendors along the sides of the path with all kinds of souvenirs.  There is a little shop nearby the cenote where we got everyone a paleta (ice cream popcycle) for the walk back to the main grounds. Definitely do this!  It totally distracts from the uphill walk back!

7. Use the pedi cabs at Coba.

We chose the shorter of the two offered tours at Coba since the kids had already learned a lot at Chichen Itza.  So the 45 minute tour gave us a really nice overview of the similarities and more importantly the differences between Chichen Itza and Coba.  Then you can walk or rent bikes or pedi-cabs to travel the 2 kilometers out to Nohuch Mul--the tallest pyramid in the Yucatan that you can climb to the top.  We would suggest the pedi cabs since you will appreciate the rest and breezy ride back after you come down from your climb.  The kids loved riding in the pedi-cabs and we made a point to find out our driver's name and the kids had fun taking selfies on the ride back with our driver in them!

8. Snack/drink at the top of Nohuch Mul.

Climbing to the top of Nohuch Mul at Coba was definitely a highlight but it went over even better since we had a snack and drink in our backpack.  It was lovely to sit at the top and have a little mini picnic and a rest.  We took a bunch of pics and swapped taking family photos with another family at the top.  The snack really gave everyone the burst of energy they needed in the hot sun to make it back to the bottom where the shade and pedi-cab ride gave us another boost.

9. Evening light show at Chichen Itza...12 thumbs up!

WARNING: It's pricey.  It's late at night.  You have to leave Chichen Itza and then return later in the evening.  BUT, it's AMAZING!!!  Best light show any of us had ever seen!  All six of us said it was worth it!  It's a repeat of a lot of the things you learned from your guide earlier in the but it's good repetition for the kids.  They got all excited when it talked about things they remembered from our tour.  It was projected right on the side of El Castillo.  It is in Spanish but you can get a free iPod/earbuds (leave them your ID) that has the program translated into numerous other languages.  You just open the program app and when the show begins your translator starts as well. If you're from the middle east, then you can even get a swahili translation of the program.

10. Let go.

Don't try to see everything!  When your kids start running out of steam or their interest wanes, call it a day!  If the kids have good memories of the time spent there chances are you will too.  Forcing them to keep going will only cause you all to end with discouragement.  Let go of your need to see everything and relish in the experience you are having with your kids in an amazing place.  Better to leave happy than frustrated.  We didn't see everything there and we didn't stop and read every plaque.  It was much more fun to get to be there and take it all in AND have the kids enjoy it with no whining or complaining.  Are my hubby and I upset about not getting to see everything there?...Nope, not at all!  It was a wonderful experience.

I hope that this list helps you to prepare well for your trip to Chichen Itza and/or Coba.  They are wonderful places to visit with kids.  I have to admit that before we went I was thinking that they were "no fun for them" locations that maybe we should just skip.  I am so glad we didn't!

Let me know in the comment below if you have traveled to these or other ruins with kids and have any other tips for traveling families!

Becky Kortman

I'm a homeschooling, world traveling, Jesus follower who is a wife and mom of 4 kids, In all my travels, I am looking for places that fit with my soul and feel as much like 'home' as they can this side of heaven.

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The post Visiting Chichen Itza and Coba with Kids first appeared on Home Along The Way.

After some time north of Merida on the beach for Christmas we set out to visit Chichen Itza, Coba, and 6 centoes before starting down the Mexican Caribbean coast.

More on Chichen Itza, Coba and the cenotes later. Today, I wanted to update you quickly on where we are and what we are doing.

Some kind policemen gave us some coconuts and taught daddy how to cut a fresh coconut so you can drink the milk.

Thys' face tells the story of concern over the coconut milk being gone before you get another drink!

YUM!!!

Enjoying leche de coco on a hot day.

We planned to start our trip down the coast in Puerto Morelos but as heard from friends of ours who live aboard that they were just arriving at Isla Mujeres (just off the coast of Cancun) so we changed course and went to Cancun first. When we leave next week we will have enjoyed a whole month here when we didn't expect to come to Cancun at all! It's amazing how things change when you travel with no plan.

Anyway, we have gotten to spend some lovely time with our friends together on their sailboat, together at the beach, in town and even at the pool at our campground.  This was the first time sailing for all of us and it was so fun!  Thanks Oasters!

Captain Matt and Paul aboard 'Beatrice'.

Josiah helps Saskia with some lines while Thys grins for the picture.

It's fun to stand on Rylan's bed and stick your heads out the hatch!

A pirate ship sailed past! Alia and Josiah on deck with Greyson and Rylan.

We did some fishing but didn't catch anything.

The water was pretty choppy for swimming off the boat but it did cool us off!

My view! Now imagine breeze on your face and the gentle swaying of the boat! So peaceful!

Out and about with our friends!

A palm branch so big it takes 4 boys to carry it!

Chomping on pears with Greyson and Rylan while watching a short video on the underwater museum just off the coast of Isla Mujeres.

We flew back to San Miguel de Allende for four days specifically to get finger-printed for our residency process.  It was so nice to be back there and the cooler weather was so welcome!  It was also super great to see friends and meet new people as well.

A group of fabulous location independent families we hung out with one evening in San Miguel de Allende.  Friends old and new!

Back in Cancun, we have enjoyed seeking out the eateries frequented by the locals.  When we find a restaurant that is packed with locals and not a gringo to be seen we know its a good one! Good=Delicious food for cheap!

Our dinner view one evening....perfect! Of course we ate seafood. In fact, the catch we saw the fishermen take off the boats was what we ate for dinner!  Don't suppose the average tourists would appreciate the fishing boats blocking their view but we loved it!!!  Talk about riparian dining!

Cena (dinner) by the sea! Muy deliciosa!

We were exploring one day and came upon the pirate ship we had seen when out on the Oaster's sailboat. The kids said we needed a photo! This is our "ARRGH, Mateys" pose! Zander didn't want to sit in the chairs without me. He has every right to be afraid of pirates--they were terrible dudes who raped, pillaged and killed after all!

.We also added a family member this month.  After looking a few different shelters and rescue clinics Josiah (who was the next one up to choose a pet) chose a sweet little girl who he named Stella Jo.  She is a darling.  She is only 3 months old, so, yes, we are still cleaning up tinkle spots but we are loving her soft snuggles and silly puppy antics.  MooMoo was uncertain about the strange interloper at first but every day is making progress toward living together peacefully.  She would hide in the bedroom at first but today, a week and a half later they are both napping on the couch.

Seeing dogs at a shelter. One shelter had 180 dogs rescued from the streets!

Thys does a 'double-tug' with a couple of sweet doggies.

Puppy Attack!!!

Daddy holding puppies!

So many cute puppies but this is the girl that won! You're coming with us little lady!

"I get a rainbow colored harness, a pillow and a couch all to myself?!?! This is amazing!!!"  She is all legs! We know she is part Dachshound and we are guessing the other part is average Mexican street dog.  We have no idea how big she will be.

Isn't she just so sweet!

January saw the kids getting their first taste of a trampoline park with 8ft trampolines.  Paul took them on a Daddy Day and they loved it...of course!

A Daddy Day trip to Sky Zone Trampoline Park!

We have spent this month parked at Mecoloco Cabañas and Trailer Park in Punta Sam (northern end of Cancun).  Pretty quiet place in January.  We have enjoyed having a pool to cool off in!  Thys has learned to snorkel now and is excited to see cool fish!  I am still working with Zander.

My beautiful 'güera' (Mexican blondie)!

Playing on the crooked palm. Gracie is on the far left. The RV next to us is in storage.

We have been thinking and saving and planning for our next family vehicle. Trying to decide what works best for our family, our lifestyle and our budget right now. We made our decision about vehicle type and now we plan to go back to Merida next week to purchase it. In case you lose your car keys, be sure to contact a reputable locksmith for a key fob replacement.

So, that's what we are up to next! I will post again soon about our adventures at the local Mayan ruins and cenotes! Stay tuned!

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Becky Kortman

I'm a homeschooling, world traveling, Jesus follower who is a wife and mom of 4 kids, In all my travels, I am looking for places that fit with my soul and feel as much like 'home' as they can this side of heaven.

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The post January News first appeared on Home Along The Way.

Last year for Christmas we were in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Becky asked the kids afterwards what they liked and didn't like about Christmas that year as it was our first Christmas not in Michigan, our first Christmas not with extended family. So it was our opportunity to set up a new family tradition and a new family style of celebrating Christmas.

One of the main things that came out from the kids is that it wasn't Christmas without a house and without a tree. So back in June Becky started making plans for Christmas 2016. Something that has always been true for our crew is that food is how we celebrate Christmas, so combined with the kids' desire for an actual Christmas tree and a house, we rented a house on the beach north of Merida because we were planning on checking out the Yucatan peninsula for the winter/spring.

However, it was a chore leaving SMA as we were sick, it was a chore getting to Merida through sickness and RV troubles. The whole time Becky was concerned about are we going to make it, will we have to redo the entire schedule. Christmas for us this year was a 10 day activity and food packed adventure.

Unfortunately nothing went according to plan. First off most of the kids were sick when we arrived. Becky had spent the night taking care of us sickos and didn't sleep much... so after an uneventful hour long drive up to the beach house we were ready to collapse.

It wasn't going to be that easy however, as we made a wrong turn into the neighbors driveway and backing out of that driveway was a long challenge which involved me ripping off the driver's side mirror.

Once we got Gracie into the right driveway we had to do a bunch of finagling to get her into a parking spot. I shouldn't have attempted any of this without radios between Becky and I (Lesson finally learned!) but I did.

Our radiator has had prior problems which were fixed in Zihuatenjo, and again fixed in SMA yet it didn't fully appear to be fixed, and while parked in Merida we noticed radiator fluid leaking out underneath.

I had no idea how bad it was and when gassing Gracie to get over a bump into her parking spot for 10 days... the radiator blew!

Green fluid all over the place and a mess.

But we parked Gracie and got the kids into the house, a pool, an ocean front view, this was going to be awesome, despite being sick, breaking a mirror and having a blown radiator!

Turns out we all would go through multiple rounds of sickness for the next 10 days. I'm writing this on our last day in this house and we're all tired but on the mend. Will we get sick again? I hope not!!!

Just to be sure all guests know, this house has survived (resisted) two hurricanes. Yes we're on the Gulf of Mexico and yes hurricanes do turn south and hit Mexico. Fortunately December hurricanes are VERY rare!

The sunrises we were able to be awake and out for were fun!

Sunsets were equally beautiful!

Becky did a fantastic job decorating our tree with meager decorations we had along, it really did feel more like Christmas thanks to having a real Christmas tree!

Due to the house only having one couch which was very uncomfortable and the fact that we were sick so much I spent a lot of time in one of the two hammocks, all of the kids loved the hammocks and these two boys sat on me most of the time I was in a hammock. The hammocks were a blessing to have! (We'd like to modify the trailer so we can hang a hammock or two or three from it because they were so great!)

Zander found out that hammocks double as awesome swings... and yes heads were hit on the tile floor a couple of times... no sever injuries, but some tears were had. Eventually the kids learned how to get in the hammocks and flip so they were on their hands and knees with the hammock opening beneath them and the hammock on top of them. Lets just say they had a blast with these!

One of the many fun activities Becky had planned was fake snow, who knew that baking soda and hair conditioner makes snow? The kids had a lot of fun with this!

Reindeer Pancakes, even though not everyone was feeling well enough to eat these they are super cute and tasted great! -- Can you tell Becky had done a lot of planning for this celebration?

Unfortunately this is how we spent about half of our time at the Christmas house... still if you're going to be sick, being sick at a beach house is a pretty sweet place to be sick!

The wind and waves never quit here, it's not enough to surf but they're perfect for body boarding, the kids loved having their body boards with them.

On one of our beach walks Thys and I found some treasures, there are tons of shells here and we were able to find a bunch of whole shells overtime we went for a walk. This day we also found a bunch of horseshoe crabs... yes they were dead, but it was fun for the kids to be able to play with and study them.

Attack of the crabs!

Josiah received the Brick Bible for Christmas, we've been amazed at how much the kids are into this Bible more than any other version we have. I had no idea how controversial this book is but all I can say is we've had more discussions about circumscision since Christmas than ever before in our house!

One of the other activities that Becky had planned for us was a plastic wrap ball of candy, as we unrolled it the candy flew out... the kids loved the game more than they loved the candy. Although the airheads did disappear somehow. :)

With some of the shells we've found on the beach the boys built a couple of sand castles in our "front yard"

As boys would do, the shells are missile launchers and weapons :D

MooMoo LOVES the beach, between the freedom to run and go where she pleases to the frisbee fun, to the digging holes to cool off in she too had a blast here. 10 days without wearing her harness!  The wind was so strong that the screen doors were often blown open, she used these as opportunities to come and go as she pleased. She's a fun dog for sure!

As a family we made a sandcastle instead of making a snowman on Christmas day. Despite many days of high tides since the castle still stands!

A close up of the Shell Awning and the drip castle section of our Christmas day sand castle. Alia and Mom were the drip castle specialists!

The castle mountain and the moats. The boys were all about the moats and sticking shells places. It's fun to see their personalities develop!

Glow sticks! We were able to do a glowstick party inside. We had planned to have the party on the beach, but due to high tide there was no beach during the time we were all feeling well enough to do the glowstick party.

The ornament Becky created for us to remember Christmas 2016 by. Pretty awesome in my opinion!

It's gonna be hard not having this as our front yard... beautiful!

So tomorrow we leave with no real schedule except to be back in Merida in April. There are near and long term goals of checking out all the cool snorkeling spots in the Caribbean coast of Mexico as well as hitting up some of the Mayan ruins around here and taking the kids cenote swimming. But the immediate goal is getting Gracie the 45 miles to the radiator shop without seezing the engine.

I went to fill up the radiator the other day and the water just gushed out underneath... so we have a massive hole(s) in our radiator and need a new radiator. The problem will be getting Gracie to a shop. 45 miles (just over an hour of driving) is too far to go in the Mexican heat for a rig her size without coolant. So our plan is to drive 10 miles at a time and let her cool off for a couple of hours between. Which means it might take us 8 hours to drive the one hour to Merida!

Never a dull moment with our crew!!!

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Paul Kortman

Dad of 4, husband, blogger, digital marketer, follower of Jesus. I podcast at <a href="http://nomadtogether.com/podcast">nomadtogether.com</a> and own <a href="http://connexdigitalmarketing.com">connexdigitalmarketing.com</a> We're on this crazy journey to travel the world as a lifestyle. Looking for help in how to live as a digital nomad family? <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/LocationIndependentFamilies/">Join this Facebook Group</a>!

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The post Christmas 2016: Christmas in a Beach House first appeared on Home Along The Way.

When we left San Miguel de Allende after being parked still for 6 months we knew we'd be starting another adventure full of issues, stories and breakdowns. But we had no idea how much all of that would happen on day one!

We spent the night in a mall parking lot, however we neglected to realize it was a Saturday night at a mall during December/Christmas shopping season... getting into the mall parking lot took a lot of finagling, caused a lot of stress and involved 6-10 security guards. It's one of those parking lots that once you are committed there's no going backwards/getting out.

We were then asked for a bribe ($5 USD) to stay the night.

In the morning we woke to find a volcano out our windows and we knew we needed to attend to Becky's health.

Becky and the rest of us has been sick for quite sometime with a respiratory cold. Most of us had pulled through in time to do a few last minute goodbyes however we shortened our list from 30 things we wanted to do before leaving SMA to about 10. It's a bummer that we couldn't see everyone again and that we had been sick, but we were now on our way.

Except that Becky's cough had grown worse. Here in Mexico some pharmacies will give antibiotics over the counter, but they've been tightening the screws on that so while I had checked three different pharmacies we couldn't get any antibiotics without a doctors prescription. We had a feeling her cold had turned into severe bronchitis or pneumonia.

So we stopped at an ER thinking they would just give us a prescription for antibiotics and send us on our way. Turns out , however, that the ER Doctor was bored on a Sunday morning and refused to write us a script saying she needed to be admitted and it could take 10 days for her in the hospital.

I was a bit shocked as this is not normal Mexican treatment but then I realized we chose the best hospital in a very large very metropolitan city. There was little difference between this hospital and one you'd find in Michigan, so after some discussion we submitted to their treatment/testing plan and while we were proven correct, it took 5 hours for them to agree with us and send us "home" with an antibiotic prescription. During that time Becky had blood work, urinalysis, Chest x-ray, IV, 6 breathing treatments, and compression treatments. Total bill was $500 USD, which initially seems high, but that's for all of the testing, 5 hours in an ER bed and 10+ doses of medication and a ten day supply of antibiotics. So we're still thankful that we have affordable health care here in Mexico. Yes this was a private hospital and yes we paid cash for it. I cannot imagine what that bill would be in the US, we typically estimate about 10% is what the Mexican health care system cost... so I assume this would have been around $5,000 in the US.

Once that was done we were back on the road, while we got a late start we decided to keep going and see how far we got before dark fall. We covered a lot of ground but Becky was not feeling well. It was a combination of the drugs she received from the hospital and the take home antibiotics.  She was down for the count laying in the back of the RV for the remainder of the day.

There were some significantly poor roads and due to the road having a hump in it Gracie actually got her front wheels off of the ground while we were going about 60 MPH. It was quite jarring and concerning to all of us. We found out later that we had indeed bent some parts when doing that which made the rest of the ride for the next two days pretty awful.

We also hit a section of road where the potholes were so bad we couldn't go more than 40 MPH and still were swerving all over the road trying (unsuccessfully) to miss them. Those bad roads set us up for many failures over the next few days as we continued our journey to Merida.

First we blew out a tire on the inside of our dually axle. No worries as we have two tires there, so when we saw the next tire shop (there are tons of them here in Mexico) we pulled over and paid the guy $4 USD to remove the rest of the rubber so as to not cause further damage. This is the third tire blow out on Gracie we've had and so we decided to buy new tires for the remaining wheels when we got to Merida.

Unfortunately we waited a day too long.

The next day we blew out a front tire. It was one of our greatest fears as we have 6 wheels in the back of Gracie, but in the front we only have two, and if one goes then you loose steering but the front of your rig digs into the pavement and you're pretty likely to turn and roll. So we had been very nervous about safety in the event of a front tire blowout.

Fortunately we were able to pull over and started making phone calls to our insurance which has roadside assistance. We also called the Green Angels who patrol/help people on toll roads in Mexico. Turns out neither could help because I didn't have a spare tire and we were too big to tow anywhere.

Fortunately another traveling family in an RV had stopped to see if we needed help, so he took me to the next village where we found a tire shop with a used tire that would fit. I was concerned about the tire but I only needed to drive another 2 hours to Merida where we were going to purchase new tires. The closest place to purchase a new tire was indeed Merida.

So with a lot of really awkward spanglish I was able to convince the guy to drive back to Gracie, remove the rim/tire and bring it to his shop replace the tire and drive me back to Gracie with the used tire on the rim. I found out later that in this area Spanish is mixed with Mayan for almost a new language, which is why communication was so difficult.

We got back on the road and we were good to go, however an hour later that used tire blew out (AGAIN!). It was now almost dark and I was getting really frustrated, but I knew what to do this time and took the rim/tire off of Gracie and asked a guy to take me to a tire shop... this guy was great and took me almost to Merida for a new tire from a Goodyear shop. Ironically this is the same shop we returned to the next day to purchase an additional three tires (so now we have 6 new tires on Gracie and two spares for the two old ones on the tag axle).

We finally pulled into Costco's parking lot to boondock quite late, but we were in Merida! Becky was getting better, each day she had more energy and her cough was diminishing.

Due to the front tire blow out (twice!) we had some damage to the wiring, and we knew we needed repair work done on Gracie for other things (that needed a larger city) so we spent a couple days at the repair shops, tires, brakes and some wiring. Thankfully, Ed's Automotive, Inc. does Lynchburg car repair.

We also had a lot of plans for last minute things we needed to purchase for our Christmas celebration, some of it were gifts but most of it was food (thus Costco!) So here are some shots of the funner times in Merida (aka those times we weren't sitting in a repair shop)

Our last night in Merida found Alia, myself, Thys and Zander all getting sick. One of our nightmares happened when Thys from his bunkbed turned away from his puke pan and projectile vomitted on Becky in our bed below him.  NOT a fun experience!

I do have to say, Becky did an amazing job keeping it all together while still not 100% she took care of her sickies and cleaned up after us.

The next day we left Merida for an airbnb that we rented on the beach for ten days. You might think the Gracie troubles and the sicknesses would be done... but then you'd be wrong. Stay tuned to hear how 6 months of planning went down the toilet.

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Paul Kortman

Dad of 4, husband, blogger, digital marketer, follower of Jesus. I podcast at <a href="http://nomadtogether.com/podcast">nomadtogether.com</a> and own <a href="http://connexdigitalmarketing.com">connexdigitalmarketing.com</a> We're on this crazy journey to travel the world as a lifestyle. Looking for help in how to live as a digital nomad family? <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/LocationIndependentFamilies/">Join this Facebook Group</a>!

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The post Puebla to Merida and Christmas Prep first appeared on Home Along The Way.