We recently reached our first year of full time RV living a few months ago and what a blast! I honestly didn’t know what was in store for us and although we have had a few hiccups along the way, this has been an amazing experience and memories have already been made that will last a lifetime already.
With that being said, not every day is an exciting adventure or a new exhilarating experience. Some days are well…just us living in a camper. Although that isn’t always exciting to us, we have actually gotten a lot of interest in what that is like.
So believe it or not, due to popular demand, let me present to you a typical day of RV living!
Who needs an alarm clock when you have a toddler? Living in such a small space makes for some tight sleeping arrangements. Our daughter sleeps in a large wardrobe converted to a bunk bed that she LOVES! We are really happy with the way her space turned out, but she is right outside our door which means she has became our built in alarm clock.
As tough as it get sometimes to be quiet and I have to be a ninja while she sleeps, I wouldn’t want to wake up another way than to hear “MAMA” out my bedroom door like I do now. Some mornings it comes too early and I want to keep sleeping, but I know those are sweet words that one day she will outgrow as she wakes. So after my “alarm clock” goes off, we hop out of bed and eat breakfast as a family.
This is a special time that is such a blessing to us and honestly one of the best things that has came out of RV living.
Before this journey I HATED leaving for work before we were able to get up and have breakfast together. Now that I am home more, I get so many mornings of pancakes and oatmeal over giggles and belly laughs.
It is the best part of waking up….sorry Folgers.
Cooking in the RV isn’t much different than when we lived in a house. The difference is the amount of space we have to store food and prepare food. We have a convection microwave oven so it does take a little bit of planning because if you are using the oven, you are not able to use the microwave portion until it is done. So this makes it a little more tricky but not impossible or a deal breaker.
I love using the crockpot because of the same reasons others do. It is a one-pot cooking and we can spend all day out and about and come home to a cooked dinner. It is a beautiful thing!
Nap time is when everybody recharges. Our daughter loves her sleep and this is a good thing, but can backfire when we have something planned around nap time. We try to plan our outings around that, but sometimes it isn’t feasible.
If we are home, nap time can be a number of different things for us. Sometime I am going to be honest… I lay down too. If I am tired I take advantage of this situation even if that means just resting and not necessarily napping. If I need some me time, I will use this as my free time to do something by myself, workout, or even do some grocery shopping while she sleeps and hubby is at home with her. I don’t feel as guilty taking time for myself if she is sleeping. So this is a great time for everybody to get what they want out of this about 2 hour time frame.
After nap time, it is back to play time. If we have not left the RV now is the time, because she has probably had her limit of small indoor spaces. We go for a walk, bike ride, or take a trip to the park or creek. Typical things kids love to do.
The only difference I would have to say is that we do have to get out and explore more do to a small space it does make you a little stir crazy to spend all day at the RV. That is okay with us, because we love being outside and exploring just as much as she does. It kinda forces us to get off our phones and computers and get outside in the sunshine.
The downside of that is what if there is no sunshine? What if the weather is bad? We do try to follow the weather for the colder months. This winter we spend in Texas and it was amazing. Not too hot or not too cold, it was perfect! Although, even when you follow the sunshine there are days that it rains. So when that happens, we put on our rain boots and find an indoor activity such as a museum or even as simple as a Chi-fil-a run where she can play inside. Any excuse to eat Chi-fil-a am I right?
We end the day with dinner as a family. We all sit down together at our tiny little table that is perfect for us, and enjoy more family meal time. As the day comes to an end and bedtime approaches, it is time to wash dinner out of our toddlers hair and read what she likes to call, “books in bed”. We climb into our bed and read books that she has completely memorized and close out with my absolutely favorite part of the day, bedtime prayers.
If you ever want to know someones heart, then pray with them. I adore listening to our daughter say what she is thankful for to our heavenly father. In her sweet 2 year old voice she states, “Thank you God for…..” and continues to give a glimpse into her precious heart. At two, this mostly consists of ponies, trains, fireworks, and ice cream followed by yum yum yum yum among others. I look forward to this every night, because I can see through her eyes what stood out to her that day and it is a reminder to me to be thankful for every single moment and experience we are blessed with.
The typical day of RV living is not much different than living in a house to be honest. It has some sacrifices and challenges at times, but it gives back so much more freedom and family time to our lives that I wouldn’t exchange for these moments together. Although I do hit my elbows constantly in such a small space, it’s still totally worth it!
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