The unexpected things no one tells you about RV living

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The unexpected things no one tells you about RV living

Parenthood is an unexpected and blessed adventure.  There’s no book to tell you all that you will learn from experience.  The same goes for any adventure, including RVing.  So this is a shout out to all my peeps (and then some) who have told me they always dreamed of RV life, but like me, want to know the skinny on the REAL LIFE happenings of the full time RV’er.

So here we go…..

No one tells you:

  • That there is a sprayer next to the commode for good reason.   (If your squeamish turn your head now…) When you poop in an RV commode you are dealing with VERY little water.  No water that sits in the commode and a very light stream that runs, makes for little little “poop washer offer”  LOL  And honestly the sprayer doesn’t work much better.  Be prepared for a lot of potty scrubbing…
  • That “Mom and Dad” time can be a bit of a challenge but is NOT impossible!  😉  Close every available door you have, accordion or otherwise, turn on the radio, maybe even wait for a windy night.  😉  And be blessed!
  • That central heat in an RV, will BLOW through all of your propane if run by gas.  Buy the itty bitty cheapo space heaters… they don’t use too many volts and it doesn’t take much to warm the place.
  • If you choose a motorcoach and you or hubby are not capable of making repairs, your “home” goes to the shop and you need a place to stay when something breaks  Keep that in mind when shopping for the right RV for your family… also that 5th wheels, toy haulers and travel trailers tend to have more PERMANENT beds/ bunks.  As in, beds that don’t have to be broken down or made up like couch or dining table beds.  More on this to come in a special  “What large families need to know about RVing” post.
  • You will need to learn to say good bye… A LOT.  We have met so many people just in 3 months, that we have adored, only to have to say good bye in a matter of days/ weeks.  BUT DO get their blog addresses, phone numbers and e-mail and stay in touch!  Who says you can’t reunite somewhere else down the road.  🙂
  • You will bond more with your family than ever and learn team work more than you ever thought possible.  We started out homeschooling before RVing which has been awesomely bonding.  But nothing says bonding more than 7 (and a half) people in 200 sq ft RV living together!  LOL  But SERIOUSLY… it’s GREAT!  But do be prepared if you think everyone “needs their own space” and think there will be ANY privacy… you might want to rethink RVing.
  • Storage is expensive. So before you plan on hauling everything off to storage and only taking what you need… plan carefully.  For us, we allow 5 shirts, 2-3 pairs of pants (or sub dresses for girls if they want), one heavy and one light coat each, one heavy and one light blanket each, all kids have a shoebox sized plastic tub with their name for their personal belongings… whatever they can fit but nothing more, basically one bowl, plate fork, spoon, cup, ect. a piece.  One skillet, one small pot, one big pot… all we have in storage are family heirlooms, mattresses for when we decided to settle down again, and off season clothes, decorations.
  • Not everyone will be as excited as you are about full time RVing.  If I have learned anything from homeschooling, home birthing, home churching, extended breastfeeding, co-sleeping, not vaccinating, not circumcising, using herbs more than meds, ect. is that there will be LOTS of naysayers along the way.  But I just want to encourage people to follow your hearts and your dreams.  NO ONE knows whats best for your family but YOU!

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor.Catch the trade winds in your sails.Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain