Pantry Woes

For the first time, I may be in over my head.

I have 2 big boxes of pantry goods and a very small pantry.  One of the requirements of every place we've lived in since college is that it MUST have a stand alone pantry.  Luckily, those have been easy to come by...until now.

The biggest challenge will be some of the bulk shopping we've done since I have discovered the heaven that is Costco.  I finally live near one and it more than lived up to the hype.  The only problem is that I know have 4 large bags of nuts, a large tub of dates, and a giant container of pancake mix.

There are 4 shelves in my pantry.  My guess is that they're slightly more than a foot deep, a foot tall and a foot in width.  I remind myself constantly that these are not meant to permanently house a family of 5 and that it will take a bit of creativity to get things organized.

(An hour later)
I got the first box of pantry supplies in there.  It's a really good thing that I am good at Tetris.  The only things left in this box are 2 large bags of nuts.  The only thing that concerns me is that the pantry is now about 3/4 full and I have another box.

(Another hour later)
Well, it's done.  There are now pantry goods on the shelf under the table (where the girls sit, so they won't be kicking it.  There are also some pantry items under the area where the bunk beds overhang.

A few notes about RV pantries and full-time RVing:

• They are surprisingly large considering how small they look.

• Remove items from their box to maximize space (crackers, cereal, cookies, etc...)

• Use bins to make accessing goods in the very back of the pantry easier.  It will be easier to slide a bin out to get the canned goods in the very back, than to remove the things in the front over and over again.

• You wouldn't think I'd have to say this, but I ended up having to re-do mine after using it for a few days.  Organize your shelves with frequently used items at the front.  This may mean separating items your would otherwise store together.

• Utilize space outside of the pantry for larger items. (under the dining room bench, under the dining table, under the couch, small niches and cubbies.

J-Bear, you're not invited to my wedding.

After a day of running, we had the brilliant idea of going to get sub sandwiches at the local grocery store.

Unfortunately for every grocery store in the area, I grew up with Publix as my go-to sub shop.  Needless to say, I have yet to find anything that comes close to Publix bread here, but at least King Soopers has Boar's Head meat and cheese.  Maybe it'll be close...yeah right.

Tangents aside, we got our subs and had a picnic outside the trailer.  E-Roo was so excited, I think everyone within the full-time section of the RV park knew we were having one.  J-Bear was too busy looking for bugs and then telling us how scared she was of them.

Most of the dinner was spent remarking on how well this had all turned out, but later it turned to the amazing spectacle that is J-Bear's food dipping obsession.

Me: Oh wow, J-Bear, are you sure you want to dip those nacho cheese chips in your tres leche icing?
(she nods and merrily continues)
J: J-Bear, that's gross.  You're not invited to my wedding...
Me: Your wedding?  Are we getting married again?
J: It was the first thing that came to my mind when I thought of fancy eating establishments.

It's amazing when I consider how much time we spent eating dinner in front of our computers and TVs before we moved into the RV.  The girls and I still eat breakfast in front of the TV, but the other meals we turn off all electronics and talk.  If I had to choose the best change we've made, this is it.

The First Night

We spent our first night in the RV and it was much better than I expected. We still have the rental house for another week, but we want to make sure everything is set before we move over for good. We brought a couple board games that the girls could play, some clothing, and food to last us through the night.

E-Roo is all ready to spend the night in her new bed!

When we arrived, the girls were so excited to see "the bus" again.  We played some games, had some snacks, got everyone in their pjs and in bed.  The girls played a little in their bunk bed before J had to step over and stop the fun.  Our oldest, E-Roo, was out like a light shortly after they settled down.  Our middle child, J-Bear, had a harder time.  She kept getting out of bed to make sure we were still in the trailer.  The youngest, J-Bug, fell asleep quickly and still only woke once during the night.

E-Roo and J-Bear have already adopted our neighbors.

There were a few obstacles that we ran into the next day.  While preparing to wash my hair, I realized that I had grabbed the conditioner instead of shampoo.  Luckily, we use Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap to wash our hands, so I had a backup plan.  That stuff really can be used for just about everything. I turned on the water heater, only to find that the water was still ice cold 45 minutes later.  I called J in a panic.

Me: We have our first problem.  The water heater isn't working.  I just washed my hair in cold water.  

J: Did you turn it on about a half hour before you used it?

Me: Yes.  

J: Did you turn the correct knobs in the shower?

Me: Yes.  One gave me cold water and the other gave me even colder water.

J: Did you turn on the correct water heater switch?

Me: There's more than one?  

J: Yes, the one you need is on the right and says Water Heater: electric
Me:  Oh.  Problem solved.  Nevermind.

After we all ate breakfast and got dressed for the day, we returned to the rental house.  We still need to pack and clean the house before next week.  All in all, it was a good first run.  We have another list of things that are needed at the RV and we'll move things over slowly.

J-Bear cleaning up some spilled milk.

Luckily, E-Roo is there to coach the clean up crew.