A day in the life of the RV travelers

Many people have asked me over the last 7+ months what life is like living in an RV. So, I decided that maybe I needed to blog about it.

Our day usually begins slowly for everyone except dad. He is always up at dawn or before ready to begin his day. He walks the dog, feeds him, ties him up outside and heads to the gym or for a run or for a bike, or for a swim..........he works out! The kids and I are usually rousing ourselves out of bed by the time he gets back. He is ALWAYS chipper and we are ALWAYS annoyed!! HA!

I try and cook breakfast 3-4 times a week. It doesn't always work out that way, but I try. After that the breakdown begins. I clean the kitchen, while the girls organize the beds and get things put away. Once the area is clean, beds are made or broken down, all the stuff has found its proper place, the slide comes in - which makes our RV 18 inches smaller. That is a lot for such a small space. Pooh then heads out to take down the dog house and put all his stuff away and Toley lets him in as he is in a state of panic that we will leave him behind!

Meantime, Z-man, Kik and Dad head outside to do the dirty work. They put all 8 bikes on the trailer and ladder on the back, buckle them down and do a lot with bungee chords! Kik's job is to take the keys and go around and lock all the basement storage for the drive. He also scans the spot where we have stayed for any extra items. Then they empty all the stuff from the sink, toilet and shower. NOT a fun job!!! All this while the water tank gets filled for the drive. Water and sewer hoses are stored (far from each other!!) and the RV is then unplugged.

We are ready to drive. We usually drive 200-300 miles, depending on the day. Kik seems to need a little time to wake up, so he sits around and watches the road for a while. After a bit he gets out his work and sits at the table near his number line for math. The other three get their school work out and hit the books. They usually separate, Toley going on the over head to work/read, Z-man in the back room to do the same and Pooh at the table or couch to get her math done. They all have some work on the computers, so they vie for the two laptops we have to get some work done during the day.

Mom and Dad are in the front seat, Dad usually driving, mom usually staring out the window :) We have our morning mocha or tea or coffee and try and get the GPS to go where we want it to go. We look for campsites, places to stop, interesting things and chat. Some days I take this opportunity to grade papers or check over work. I am in constant Kik contact as he requires the most help with his work. But that independence is getting better and better!!!

The dog finds himself a tight spot, right under every ones feet :) He stays there most of the day. He likes to head out the door if anyone is going out and just check out his surroundings, even if it is a gas station. He is pretty quiet and after about 2 months he FINALLY seemed to get into the groove of traveling all the time. Although I still think he would rather be at home in our fenced in back yard!

The day goes on like this for a long while, only stopping for potty breaks for the driver and lunch prep for the kids.

As we arrive at our campsites, the kids immediately check the Internet to see if it is working and ask if there is cable if it is American Idol night (or a football game in the fall).

As usual, the boys head outside. Kik has to ride his bike ASAP! He gets it down by himself, unlocks the basement, dons his helmet and off he goes. Dad gives him a perimeter and reminder not to talk to strangers and he is all smiles!

Z-man does the electric, water and cable while Dad gets the sewer job - poor man.

The girls and I pull out the slide and sweep up the floor. While the girls reorganize after a busy day of driving, I start dinner. We have limited counter space, so cooking big meals with lots of different items can be a challenge. AND, when I talk limited, I mean it! We have really just one 18inch by 18 inch counter top and another small one on the other side of the sink that might be 12x12 inch. There is a three burner stove that has a cover that pulls down over top, so if the stove isn't being used, I can have that space, but that is almost never the case.

The table is the same deal. It is a bench set, so Mom and Dad on one side, Toley, Kik and Pooh on the other (way tight!) and Z-man on a chair at the end. We have room for our plates, cups, silverware, and possibly one or two small bowls. What I usually do is dish up all the plates and the girls place them on the table. This way is not the best, but the only way we can do it. The problem being is that almost everyone wants some sort of seconds and up mom goes again to dish it all out. Ahhhh the life of a mom :)

The oven is small, as most of you have seen from the turkey experience. I can usually fit what I need in there. It is tight, but works well. It usually takes me about an hour to get dinner ready, so depending on our arrival time, we sometimes don't eat until 7:00, which isn't good for the Kikster!

Kik goes to bed around 7-7:30 in our room as the rest of the RV is the living room. We move him to his bed when we all hit the hay around 9:30-10:00. While the kids get Kik ready for bed, Dad and Mom do the dishes and get the living room organized AGAIN! Amazing how one little space can get so completely dirty! We usually do a Bible study then with Dad. We are reading about the life of Paul right now. Then we have some computer time, watch tv time or play a game time. It all depends on the night and how many people Toley can talk into playing a game.

Then it is off to bed. This is always a problem as it is a mad rush to the one bathroom. We do a lot of knocking and "ARE YOU DONE YET?" We have some that take longer.......I won't mention any names - POOH! and others who are in and out in a split second - Dad. When that time is up we bring Kik back into the living/sleeping area and get him settled into bed. He rarely wakes up, which is nice. Mom and Dad go back to their room and the three other kids try and settle down, although there are MANY times we need to yell in there to calm down. They laugh, wrestle, toss stuffed animals and pillows at each other or just plain bug each other until someone comes in complaining (with a smile on their face). I love to see them get along so well, I just wish it was during the day, not at 10 at night!!!

So, that is it in a nut shell. Not all that exciting, but fun none the less. Of course on days that we have plans to meet someone or visit a park or museum the day is different, but that is a typical day on the road.

XO Mom