Chaos-Caravan

Hey, I’m Sam. Mom of four kids, living a life that’s half chaos, half comedy. I went to Wilson High School in Portsmouth, VA, so yeah… I’m not the best writer, but I’m going to let that stop me from telling my side of things.. Now that we’re living in the ChatGPT era, I don’t have to worry about spelling or grammar, but don’t worry, this is still 100% me. I’m old school and wrote all this on paper first. My family is full of “you can’t make this shit up” moments, and since I talk way too much and my husband’s officially over it, this blog is going to be the perfect outlet.

I like to think of myself as a “Type B” personality, but honestly, I’m probably closer to Type C — which is like Type B, but worse. The kind of Type C where you leave your shoes in the car so you don’t forget them, forget water bottles constantly, and ask “what’s a doctor’s appointment again?” We’re rarely on time, stay up too late, and yes, we homeschool. Total chaos. But somehow, we love it. Like, really love it.

I’m married to the world’s most annoying, spontaneous, Type D man on Earth (Type D, like Type C, but worse). Type D is the kind of guy who wakes up and decides, “Let’s take the family on an eight-hour spontaneous road trip and forget to pack clothes.” But he’s mine, and I’m sticking with him. Yep that’s him.

Life with four kids is what I like to call peak life. It’s messy, it’s loud, it’s exhausting… honestly, it’s a circus. My teenager, who I once worried might never hit his milestones, is now the smartest person in the house. I literally can’t believe I stressed over that. Then there’s Asher, August, and Finley — all two years apart and ranging from 5 to 9 my “perfect little textbook children,” because so far? They’re surprisingly easy to raise (knock on wood).

And yes, we have pets. We have an ancient old dog named Chopper 119 in dog years who’s been terrible his whole life but is still the family favorite. We also have a bearded dragon. Don’t ask me how that happened. Neither my husband nor I are reptile people, but somehow here we are. Parenting: doing things you swore you’d never do.

As a family, we’re adventurous… in our own budget-friendly way. Camping, hiking, and low-budget traveling is our jam, which makes for good stories and a lot of laughs — like the time we went camping and ended up sleeping in the minivan. First off, thank God for the minivan. Plan A, B, and C all failed, and my husband literally slept on top of the minivan. I swear I’m not making this up. True story. Please follow me for more budget-friendly travel tips. And of course, every trip we manage to strap some kind of boat to the roof of the car. But seriously this kayak rack is awesome and cheap.

Don’t get it twisted we also love Roblox, Fortnite, and binge-watching shows just like everyone else. Between the chaos, the yelling, and the Fortnite, our house is loud, messy, and somehow still standing.

Honestly, I don’t have a huge, supportive family outside of my husband and kids. So I’ve basically had to build my own tribe. That’s part of why I’m doing this blog to share my stories, the hacks that mostly work (and the ones that don’t), and hopefully connect with other moms who are living the same kind of crazy.

I’ll share whatever keeps us (mostly) sane — or helps us survive being completely insane. Wellness and self-care tips that actually fit into mom-life (still figuring that one out), travel adventures and misadventures with kids, and encouragement for anyone juggling the chaos of raising a family. Life with a lot of kids isn’t easy, but it’s never boring. Stick around — you’ll probably leave thinking, “Well… at least my house isn’t that crazy.”

And seriously, tell me about one of your travel fails in the comments. I know we’re not the only ones who end up sleeping in a minivan 

Also disclaimer, I have no idea what type c and d personalities are, I just know we don’t fit in the normal boxes.