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Family Camp

Family Camp

​Wait. Writers Camp, Couples Camp, and now Family Camp? We’ll, we’re kicking around the idea.

We have many friends who would love to attend Couples Camp (and whom we’d love to have join us), but they have young children whom they aren’t comfortable leaving with other caretakers.

So we began researching US-based locations for Family Camp. And of course, we want to go big. We’re talking pool, hot tub, water slide, ping-pong, video games, pool table, horseshoes, electronic dart board, a tennis court, all adjacent to a river for kayaking, inner tubes, and paddleboards.

We’re not looking at a single large ho

use, but a private property with multiple buildings so everyone has their own space. We want enough room so that families can bring their kids and maybe even a niece or nephew if they so choose.

We might have found the perfect location (pictured below) and we’re toying with booking it for a long weekend (so kids miss no more than a day or two

of school) in October and/or March. It would accommodate 4 or 5 families – parents who want to have an unforgettable experience with their kids, but also enjoy a bit of time to themselves while they kids have the run of the property. Like all of our retreats, all meals, drinks, and recreation would be included.

Accompanying Image to Amanda Turner's article 'Family Camp'

We’re still talking. We’re still running the numbers.

But we’re leaning toward pulling the trigger. Because we know, without a doubt, that Family Camp would be an absolute blast.

What do you think?

Join The Community!

Join our Facebook GroupJoin the quest for “The Sweet Life.”  Request access to our Facebook Group.  Let’s learn from each other!  GO HERE

Free Audio Book Download

Full Unabridged Audio Book “Vagabonding With Kids” by AK Turner!  GO HERE

Take The SWEET LIFE Assessment

See how you score? Identify your strengths. Discover areas in your life you want to improve. GO HERE.

Giving Back

Amanda and Mike launched an Impact Club in their hometown of Boise, Idaho in 2017, and have had a blast gathering like-minded individuals, families, and organizations to make significant impact in our community, raising over $200,000 locally and over $1.5 million nationally.  

Join Our Next Monthly CHALLENGE

Every month Amanda and Mike pick a month-long challenge that pushes us out of our comfort zone so we can grow, learn, and become better versions of ourselves.  Sometimes we design our own unique challenge and other times we join pre-established challenges. Email us to find out about our next upcoming challenge. Us@BusinessofUs.com

About Us

Our Story | Mike and Amanda TurnerWe are Mike and Amanda Turner, founders of “The Business of Us.” We are fierce advocates of helping entrepreneurial couples and families improve their lives, livelihoods, and legacies… READ MORE

The Trials of Travel

The Trials of Travel

The other day I wrote about tag-team parenting and how important it is to trade off the parenting duties, especially when we travel. Otherwise, we might just go crazy.

Right now we’re in Mexico living in a tiny space – two bedrooms and a bathroom that we share with our daughters. On Monday we’re moving into an even tinier space – one bedroom and a bathroom. Some people would see this as a recipe for disaster.

But in all of our travels over the past decade, we’ve spent a lot of time together in cramped quarters and we know how to make it work.

Part of it is respecting the fact that everyone needs their own time and space. Not just the adults, but also the kids. My twelve-year-old deserves an hour to read by herself just as much as I do.

We also work as a team. It’s not about keeping score. We help each other out and recognize that you only get what you’re willing to give.

And we understand that not everyone needs to do everything. Yesterday Mike took the girls to the beach while I stayed back and finished up some work. This may seem like I got the short end of the stick, but I preferred to work (and, honestly, I don’t love the beach like the rest of my family does – it’s just so… sandy). Everyone got what they wanted.

That isn’t to say that everything is smooth sailing. During every trip, someone needs something from a pharmacy. We’ve had canceled flights and jellyfish stings, car accidents and no running water. These are trials by themselves, compounded when we’re far from home and living in small spaces.

By exercising patience, teamwork, and mutual respect, we’re able to come through with our sanity intact.

Join The Community!

Join our Facebook GroupJoin the quest for “The Sweet Life.”  Request access to our Facebook Group.  Let’s learn from each other!  GO HERE

Free Audio Book Download

Full Unabridged Audio Book “Vagabonding With Kids” by AK Turner!  GO HERE

Take The SWEET LIFE Assessment

See how you score? Identify your strengths. Discover areas in your life you want to improve. GO HERE.

Giving Back

Amanda and Mike launched an Impact Club in their hometown of Boise, Idaho in 2017, and have had a blast gathering like-minded individuals, families, and organizations to make significant impact in our community, raising over $200,000 locally and over $1.5 million nationally.  

Join Our Next Monthly CHALLENGE

Every month Amanda and Mike pick a month-long challenge that pushes us out of our comfort zone so we can grow, learn, and become better versions of ourselves.  Sometimes we design our own unique challenge and other times we join pre-established challenges. Email us to find out about our next upcoming challenge. Us@BusinessofUs.com

About Us

Our Story | Mike and Amanda TurnerWe are Mike and Amanda Turner, founders of “The Business of Us.” We are fierce advocates of helping entrepreneurial couples and families improve their lives, livelihoods, and legacies… READ MORE

Find a Way

Find a Way

Last week our shoes were borrowed by the neighbor’s dogs. (You read that right). The dogs are super friendly, always greet us when we come and go, and I always take time to pet them.

Then one day we had to leave our shoes outside because they were muddy. The next day the shoes were gone.

Surely no one had stolen our stinky sneakers, right?

But they were gone.

Our only real concern was the GRIT challenge we’re doing. We were about to start our 4th consecutive month and the challenge involves daily workouts. Our shoes were kind of important.

Could we find a place to buy shoes in this tiny town? We’re in a relatively small town in Mexico and we didn’t bring much. We don’t have anything resembling spare pairs of shoes unless you count flip-flops. Would we have to drive all the way to Cabo to buy new shoes? Or make a day trip to La Paz?

Or we could just do everything barefoot on the beach, we reasoned. That would work too.

While I was working out how we’d complete our workouts without shoes, Mike began wondering if the neighbor’s dogs might have something to do with our missing sneakers. He widened his search for the shoes to include the entire dirt road we’re on.

He found them down the way, placed high on a fence post. Someone had found the shoes and placed them up there so the dogs couldn’t continue to chew on them.

My shoes are fine, perhaps a little tenderized. Mike had to tie segments of his shoelaces back together to keep them functional. But they’re still functional.

At no point throughout this debacle did we think that a little detail like lack of shoes would stop us from completing a challenge that we’d committed to. When I commit to a challenge, I want to be nothing short of unstoppable. I truly believe that if you’re determined to get there, you’ll always find the path.

We have will, so we’ll always find a way.

Shoes help, too.

Join The Community!

Join our Facebook GroupJoin the quest for “The Sweet Life.”  Request access to our Facebook Group.  Let’s learn from each other!  GO HERE

Free Audio Book Download

Full Unabridged Audio Book “Vagabonding With Kids” by AK Turner!  GO HERE

Take The SWEET LIFE Assessment

See how you score? Identify your strengths. Discover areas in your life you want to improve. GO HERE.

Giving Back

Amanda and Mike launched an Impact Club in their hometown of Boise, Idaho in 2017, and have had a blast gathering like-minded individuals, families, and organizations to make significant impact in our community, raising over $200,000 locally and over $1.5 million nationally.  

Join Our Next Monthly CHALLENGE

Every month Amanda and Mike pick a month-long challenge that pushes us out of our comfort zone so we can grow, learn, and become better versions of ourselves.  Sometimes we design our own unique challenge and other times we join pre-established challenges. Email us to find out about our next upcoming challenge. Us@BusinessofUs.com

About Us

Our Story | Mike and Amanda TurnerWe are Mike and Amanda Turner, founders of “The Business of Us.” We are fierce advocates of helping entrepreneurial couples and families improve their lives, livelihoods, and legacies… READ MORE

Traveling Minors

Traveling Minors

At the ages of 10 and 12, it’s time my daughters take a greater role in navigating the logistics of airline travel. After all, I was only 15 when I left for my first study abroad program in Russia.

Not that I think they’re ready to ship off to Eastern Europe, but they are quickly approaching an age when they might be traveling without us. This possibility becomes more real when you consider that their grandparents live in Mexico.

Emilia, in particular, gets downright gleeful at the prospect of traveling by herself.

I try not to take it personally.

We decided that on our current trip (I’m writing from somewhere over the Sea of Cortez), they would lead us through the airports and deal with boarding passes and make sure we’re at the correct gate on time.

We had the best of intentions.

When things get hectic as they do with travel, we, as parents, tend to take the lead and bulldoze through the situation. That’s how boarding the first flight went.

We regrouped during the layover.

“Okay,” I said. “Are you two going to lead us to the gate?”

“Yes!” Emilia said, and then immediately turned in the wrong direction.

Ivy spotted the “B” gates and got us on track.

“Ooh, look,” said Emilia. “There’s a café!” She stood spellbound outside of a coffee shop, where an ad displayed sugar-laden beverages masquerading as coffee. “Can we?”

“No,” I said. “We’d better get to the gate.”

They led us the rest of the way and we arrived to find that our group had already boarded.

While today was a good introduction, just dipping the toe into the water, I realized that we need to have an extensive conversation on time and how to manage it before trying to give Emilia the lead. In her charge, we would have all missed our flight because we’d be standing in line to pay seven dollars for coffee-flavored sugar topped with whipped cream.

I need to communicate that:

• Getting to the gate is a higher priority than sugar
• Planning should be done in regard to boarding time, not departure time
• If you don’t see a sign for your gate, you can always try turning to look in the other direction… or ask your little sister

So maybe we’re not quite ready for solo travel. That’s okay. We’ll work on one little piece at a time, and eventually we’ll have it all covered, from using airplane mode to filling out customs and immigration forms.

They already know the single most important part of traveling: Always know how to say “thank you” in the language of the country you’re visiting. They have that one down, so they’re well on their way.

Join The Community!

Join our Facebook GroupJoin the quest for “The Sweet Life.”  Request access to our Facebook Group.  Let’s learn from each other!  GO HERE

Free Audio Book Download

Full Unabridged Audio Book “Vagabonding With Kids” by AK Turner!  GO HERE

Take The SWEET LIFE Assessment

See how you score? Identify your strengths. Discover areas in your life you want to improve. GO HERE.

Giving Back

Amanda and Mike launched an Impact Club in their hometown of Boise, Idaho in 2017, and have had a blast gathering like-minded individuals, families, and organizations to make significant impact in our community, raising over $200,000 locally and over $1.5 million nationally.  

Join Our Next Monthly CHALLENGE

Every month Amanda and Mike pick a month-long challenge that pushes us out of our comfort zone so we can grow, learn, and become better versions of ourselves.  Sometimes we design our own unique challenge and other times we join pre-established challenges. Email us to find out about our next upcoming challenge. Us@BusinessofUs.com

About Us

Our Story | Mike and Amanda TurnerWe are Mike and Amanda Turner, founders of “The Business of Us.” We are fierce advocates of helping entrepreneurial couples and families improve their lives, livelihoods, and legacies… READ MORE

If Happy Things Annoy You

If Happy Things Annoy You

The other day I read a comment on a friend’s post. The commenter talked about hating people who post on Facebook to show their “perfect” lives. How he feels sorry those people and wants to slap them on the side of the head.

Here are six great alternatives to feeling disdain for other people who might just want to focus on what’s good in their lives:

  1. Ignore it. If you don’t like what someone is posting, for whatever reason, simply scroll on.
  2. Hide the post. If it bugs you that much, hide the post. Then you’ll see less of that type of post from that person.
  3. Unfriend them. If someone is posting happy things about their life and your reaction is to want to do them physical harm, then perhaps “friend” is not a great descriptor of your relationship.
  4. Ask yourself why it bothers you. Does someone else’s picture of their dog or vacation or birthday dessert or kids on the first day of school actually harm you in some way? If not, what’s the real root of your reaction?
  5. Be happy for them. This one is truly shocking to some, I know. But it doesn’t cost anything to be happy for someone else. Happy for their big successes and the little joys alike. Let’s raise each other up instead of cutting others down.
  6. Take a break from the internet. Unplug for a day. Maybe longer if you’re still feeling so grinchy.

We all have control over what we want to put out there. There are times in the past when I’ve been snarky or dripping in self-pity or even downright mean. But I’ve learned that that’s not who I truly am. That’s not who I want to be.

The internet is an amazing tool. What we do with it is up to us. We can choose to learn, share, inspire, connect, and spread joy. Or we can use it to isolate ourselves, reinforce our limiting beliefs, breed negativity, and lash out.

I don’t know about you, but as far as I’m concerned, the choice is clear.

Join The Community!

Join our Facebook GroupJoin the quest for “The Sweet Life.”  Request access to our Facebook Group.  Let’s learn from each other!  GO HERE

Free Audio Book Download

Full Unabridged Audio Book “Vagabonding With Kids” by AK Turner!  GO HERE

Take The SWEET LIFE Assessment

See how you score? Identify your strengths. Discover areas in your life you want to improve. GO HERE.

Giving Back

Amanda and Mike launched an Impact Club in their hometown of Boise, Idaho in 2017, and have had a blast gathering like-minded individuals, families, and organizations to make significant impact in our community, raising over $200,000 locally and over $1.5 million nationally.  

Join Our Next Monthly CHALLENGE

Every month Amanda and Mike pick a month-long challenge that pushes us out of our comfort zone so we can grow, learn, and become better versions of ourselves.  Sometimes we design our own unique challenge and other times we join pre-established challenges. Email us to find out about our next upcoming challenge. Us@BusinessofUs.com

About Us

Our Story | Mike and Amanda TurnerWe are Mike and Amanda Turner, founders of “The Business of Us.” We are fierce advocates of helping entrepreneurial couples and families improve their lives, livelihoods, and legacies… READ MORE

Kill Your Brain Cells

Kill Your Brain Cells

We grow up hearing that this is a really bad thing. That things like television and drugs will kill off your brain cells. I remember being a kid and visualizing this – then worrying that if I kept watching Saturday morning cartoons, I’d run out of them altogether.

As an adult, I’d argue that some of your brain cells should be killed off. The idea is to rebuild the mind, but first you have to destroy the part of your brain that operates because of convention. The brain cells that tell you to go along with the herd, those are the ones that have to go.

For over a decade I’ve been hearing lots of reasons why Mike and I cannot or should not travel internationally for months at a time with our children.

Also of note: For over a decade Mike and I have been traveling internationally for months at a time with our children.

The conventional, herd mentality, sometimes given voice by those around us, says:

“It’s too dangerous.”
“You can’t take your kids out of school.”
“It costs too much money.”
“Kids need routine.”

None of these things are true.

#1 Danger. I have more fear sending my kids to school in the United States than I do taking them overseas. I have no intention of stopping either one.

#2 Education. Have you heard of the internet? (If you’re reading this, you have). Online education options are amazing and free. Also, it turns out that other countries have schools just like we do.

#3 Money. During some of our trips (notably Spain and Brazil), it was actually cheaper for us to leave the US and live in those other countries for two months than it would have been if we’d just stayed home. Think about that. It’s both crazy and true.

#4 Routine. Not all kids need routine. Most are surprisingly adaptable. More so than their parents. This is just the adults projecting what they feel themselves or repeating what they’ve heard, without giving it real thought.

In the past decade we have had amazing experiences with our children. We’ve hiked in the Amazon in Brazil, watched caber tossing in Scotland, spent Christmas in Tasmania, kayaked in rural Thailand, explored castles in Ireland, released baby sea turtles in Mexico, visited Angkor Wat in Cambodia, hiked mountains in Alaska, and held owls in Spain. These are just a few of the things we never would have experienced if we’d listened to the naysayers and gone along with conventional thinking.

The lifestyle we’ve chosen and how we travel with our kids is just one example of killing off conventional thinking to open up a world of possibilities.

We all have control over own stories.

Sometimes we just need to realize that and regain control if we’ve subconsciously given it up along the way.

Join The Community!

Join our Facebook GroupJoin the quest for “The Sweet Life.”  Request access to our Facebook Group.  Let’s learn from each other!  GO HERE

Free Audio Book Download

Full Unabridged Audio Book “Vagabonding With Kids” by AK Turner!  GO HERE

Take The SWEET LIFE Assessment

See how you score? Identify your strengths. Discover areas in your life you want to improve. GO HERE.

Giving Back

Amanda and Mike launched an Impact Club in their hometown of Boise, Idaho in 2017, and have had a blast gathering like-minded individuals, families, and organizations to make significant impact in our community, raising over $200,000 locally and over $1.5 million nationally.

Join Our Next Monthly CHALLENGE

Every month Amanda and Mike pick a month-long challenge that pushes us out of our comfort zone so we can grow, learn, and become better versions of ourselves.  Sometimes we design our own unique challenge and other times we join pre-established challenges. Email us to find out about our next upcoming challenge. Us@BusinessofUs.com

About Us

Our Story | Mike and Amanda TurnerWe are Mike and Amanda Turner, founders of “The Business of Us.” We are fierce advocates of helping entrepreneurial couples and families improve their lives, livelihoods, and legacies… READ MORE

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