The Holes in my Research

When we decided to move into an RV, J and I both did what we always do in the face of trying something new: RESEARCH.

We both read websites and blogs dedicated to full-time RV living.  We watched youtube videos to see how people had organized their space and solved the problems caused by less space.  J combed through blogs to find out what kinds of gear was essential for comfortable living and facing the challenges of cold weather.

There are several things that we didn't learn from those sources:

Without a list, you will probably take more than you need.  

• We determined that 8 outfits would be the best number.  Then, I could do laundry every week.  If the schedule prevented that, we still had one extra day of clothing.  Unfortunately, I didn't really keep track as I threw clothing in the suitcase.  

• I can't even tell you how many bottles of tylenol we had in past rental house.  There was a bottle on my desk, there was one in a kitchen cabinet, and at least a couple in our upstairs bathroom.  With the toiletries always being within 20 feet of where we are in the RV, there was no need for 4 bottles.  I had to make some serious choices on what we brought with us.  

Find items that serve multiple purposes.

• A collapsible colander can not only be used to drain the water from your pasta and rice, it can also be used as a dish drainer.  I sent J a picture of a collapsible dish drainer and he asked why we couldn't just use the colander we already had.  Obviously, that was a way better option.  Bonus: I don't have to find a place to store the colander.

• If you have kids, consider switching to the kid-friendly versions of common household items.  We all use baby lotion instead of having 3 different bottles of it in the bathroom.  We also only use non-allergenic laundry detergent, so that we don't have to  try to store both baby detergent and the regular stuff.  

The kitchen is the one place where items designed for RVs or small living spaces will be necessary.

• If your RV does not come with a sink cover or a stove cover, you will probably want to purchase them or find alternatives.  We ended up buying a stove cover to give us more space to prepare food.  Instead of a sink cover, we bought a cutting board that fit across the basin.  The cutting board is absolutely necessary in order to avoid balancing dishes on the edge of the sink while cooking.

• RV/camping stores aren't the only places to find useful kitchen tools.  I found a line of kitchen utensils designed by Joseph Joseph.  One of the utensils is a 5 in 1 tool that combines a spatula, serving spoon, slotted spoon, turner, and cutting tool.  There are also plenty of designers that have made nesting or collapsible measuring cups and spoons. 

Life Lessons from Full-Time RVing (Pt. 2)

Things I will never take for granted again:

• Immediate access to hot water
• We only have 30 amps that are usable before we blow a breaker, we turn the water heater off when the air conditioner is being used.  We learned very early on that if the air conditioner, water heater, and microwave were running at the same time we exceeded 30 amps.  This means that in order to take a shower or wash dishes, we have to turn the water heater on and give it half an hour, before beginning. 

• A dishwasher
• Aside from cleaning toilets, dishes are pretty high on my cleaning hate list. 

• A normal sized oven
• I love to bake, but making 4 muffins or 6 cookies at a time is going to make my holiday baking very tedious.  It took 3 rounds of baking to make 12 scones.

• Counter space
• The prime real estate of any kitchen is counter space.  We have one very small folding counter space.  That area is usually taken up by the fruit and vegetables that are not refrigerated.  In our previous houses and apartments, I was terrible about cluttering up counter spaces with small appliances, groceries that I didn't feel like putting away, mail, and anything else I dropped on it throughout the day.

• The ability to move around my living space without having to ask people to move
• The girls know that when I start working in the kitchen, they have to stay in their bunk or on the dining table benches.  If J and I need to move past one another, we either squeeze through or one of us moves into an alcove to allow the other to pass.  There are plans to upgrade to a larger RV, if we decide to do this for an extended period of time.  One with a slide will reduce this problem.

• Any bathroom that has more space than ours
• There is enough space to stand in our bathroom and that's it.  You can step in far enough to close the door. There is no space to put clothing while showering, except in the sink or on top of the toilet lid.  There is no counter to lay out beauty products or even set down the hair dryer while you style your hair.

Most of these issues revolve around the kitchen.  I think that's the area that has required the most adaptation.

Life Lessons from Full-Time RVing (Pt. 1)

Living in an RV has forced us to make a lot of changes.  Not only have we had to downsize our posessions and get used to sharing space with 4 other people 24/7, but we've had to make adjustments to the timing and way we do everyday activities.

I think the most important thing we've learned is that we don't need all the things that we had previously owned.  Its amazing how many kitchen gadgets that we owned, but rarely used.  Most of our small appliances were stored away in the cabinets and were used a few times a year.  Almost all of them were purchased for convenience rather than their unique ability to complete a specific task.  I haven't missed the steamer, the rice cooker, the toaster, or the food processor since living here.

The girls have fewer toys available, but find new imaginative ways to use them.  They recently had a picnic on the floor and used toys in some new, non-traditional ways.

The person most affected by the reduced space for "stuff" is J-Bug.  He was 5 months when we made this move.  He was still using some of the larger baby items (a small rocking chair, a swing, and a jumperoo) when we left the rental house. We brought the travel swing and rocking chair, but found that the swing was difficult to get around when it was running.  The rocking chair is the one constant for him.

I know that generations of kids were raised without all of these swings and chairs, but he really enjoyed jumping and swinging.  Luckily, soon he'll want to spend most of his time playing on the floor.

Good habits that we have developed:

• Cleaning up after ourselves
• I realize this seems like an obvious statement and I suppose I could pretend that I have always done this, but I suspect that my former roommates, friends, and parents would laugh at that.  With this amount of space, cleaning up as you go is a must.  My makeup and beauty products MUST be put away before anyone else uses the bathroom, clothing absolutely has to go in the hamper, and the toys need to be picked up before moving on to the next activity.

• Preparation for a meal needs to be done before cooking. 
• There is no counter space in the kitchen. This means that chopping, mixing, and dry preparations are all done on the dining table.  In order to avoid burning the food that is cooking while I try to find space to chop the onions, I make sure all the prep is done before I light the burners.

• Only purchasing things we need at the store
• There isn't really room for compulsive grocery store purchases.  When we purchase more than what we can fit in the pantry, it ends up piling up in our living space.  When we start putting pantry goods on the table or stove, that means we need to reorganize or go through some dry goods before purchasing any more.

• This is doubly true for non-food items.  We do not have excess room to store clothing, craft supplies, or toys.

In the next entry, I'll write about some of the things that I will never take for granted after this adventure.

"Itty Bitty Living Space"

The most common reaction I receive when I tell people we live in an RV is some comment about a lack of space.  This very issue was the biggest concern I had about full-time RVing.  How would a family of 5 survive living in such close quarters?

Surprisingly, it's much easier than I expected. We all have space that is periodically off limits to others.  J's favorite area is our room.  There are times when we allow the kids back there and there are times when the girls are asked to stay out.  I have taken over one of the dining table benches.  My crochet projects, books, and electronics are kept there.  The girls have their bunk bed and the other dining table bench.  

J also spends a lot of time outside.  He often sits out there while the dogs run around the fenced in area outside.

Our current living quarters are less than 200 sq. ft. It takes less than 20 steps to get from one end of our living quarters to the other.  When weather makes it impractical to leave the RV, we very quickly feel how small our living quarters are.  

The first day that J extended the awning, we had a storm.
By the end of it, the hail covered the ground outside and
had piled up on our covered trailer. 

In order to avoid that situation, we spend a lot of time out.  When the weather is nice, the girls play in the empty lot next door and play in our water table.  

We also go to the library at least once a week and the nearby playground a few times each week.  As a family, we go ice skating  at least once a week and hike on the weekends. I guess we'll have to become more creative when we get to the winter, but for right now, we're enjoying the sunshine.

The Natural Wonders of the RV park

Our RV park is sandwiched between a small airport and some very busy roads.  Despite that, we've had a number of animals come near our RV.  In just a short period of time, we've seen several birds, 2 rabbits, a few squirrels, a deer, and many interesting new insects.  

A few of the neighbors near us have bird feeders, so we often have birds near our RV.  The girls love to watch the birds that pick bugs from the gravel in the adjacent lot.  J-bear gets very upset if she thinks the birds are bothering her beetles.  We found this little guy one of the first few nights we were here. 

J-Bear loves to look for the beetles in the empty lot beside us.  When she finds one, she spends a few minutes looking at it, then runs away and tells everyone how scared she is.