Home is Wherever We Are

    When we first thought about traveling around the country we considered buying an older motorhome. As we thought it through, we realized it would be more practical to buy a trailer so we could drive around without having the big rig with us all the time. As we happened to live in the heart of RV country, we had plenty of lots full of nothing but RVs. We looked at many different trailers and got a good idea of what we wanted. We ended up finding this one through Craigslist and paying less than it would have cost from a dealer. It's 4 years old and was only used about 10 times, so it's in excellent condition. It had almost all the little features I wanted, and I felt so blessed that we found it. It's 28 feet long and 8 feet wide, so we've downsized a bit from our 1440 SF house. You know what, though? We are just as happy in this as we were in our "sticks and bricks" home. I like to say that our home is smaller, but we have a much larger yard! Right now I'm sitting on the couch overlooking the Pacific Ocean in the yard of the home my great grandparents built in San Miguel, Mexico. (You can read about what makes this place so special to me here and here.) And, at the request of many, here is finally a tour of our new home: 

This is our bedroom. We have an RV sized queen bed, which is slightly shorter than a regular one.  It's a good thing we're not tall people! Pearl has her little bed on the floor right next to me, and when she wakes in the morning she crawls up and "finds" me. One of the things I was happy about is that we have a real wall that separates our bedroom, not just a pull across curtain like many RVs. We keep our clothing and jackets, as well as the kids' hang up clothes, in the "closets" and Erik and I each have one of the overhead cabinets. There is also storage underneath the bed. 

This is the kids' bunk area. When I learned that some trailers had a triple bunk, I knew that was what I wanted. I'm so glad the kids each have their own space and we don't have to make the couch and table down into beds each night. Because our kids are still smaller, they each have a set of plastic drawers that hold their clothing and toys. They've decorated their spaces and made them their own. Peregrine is on top, Poppy in the middle, and Raphael on the bottom. 

Here's our bathroom. We have everything we need and no room to spare! There is even a tiny tub, although so far we've mostly been bathing in the homes of friends or family where we're staying. The tub is just the right size for the laundry basket, and I've got hooks for towels on the back of the door.

From the front of the trailer: the bunks are in the back to the left of the bathroom, and you can see the kitchen and table. We're realizing that having a slide or two would make things feel a lot more spacious, but it's really fine for now. 

Each child has a hook for their jacket, and the little cube shelf holds the shoes of the smaller ones as well as diapers and Pearl's books. 

We can all sit at the table, although it's rather tight. There's a hook for bananas and a hanging fruit basket. As I have virtually no counter space I had to get creative about where to put anything! There is storage under both bench seats, and that's where I keep most of my food items. 

This is the view as you enter the trailer. Erik installed an extra board that I can flip up to extend the counter a little. In an attempt to brighten things up I bought some repositionable wallpaper border and put it over the original border, which was similar to the valance thingies over the windows. I also cut cardboard and covered it with bright fabrics, then fitted them into the recessed areas around the cupboards. I have a little more fabric and plan to cover the valances at some point. I covered the couch with a fitted sheet I got at a thrift store. I liked the pattern better than that of the couch, and considering how grubby my kids get, it will protect the upholstery too! There is storage under the couch.

Here's a close-up of my teeny tiny kitchen, complete with dirty dishes! There is really no counter space, so my big cutting board can rest either on the stove if I'm not using it, or on the big sink if I'm cooking. I can also turn around and use the table if I need more space. Erik put up magnetic knife racks for my knives to the left of the stove and for my spice containers above the sink. I also have magnetic containers on the range hood for little things like pins, paper clips, rubber bands, etc. 

To the left of the door is a larger cube shelf that holds most of the kids' books as well as a basket for shoes. The rest of our homeschool supplies and crafty stuff is in other cupboards. On top of the shelf is our Berkey water filter and a valet for notepads, paperwork, envelopes, etc. Pearl's tiny potty sits on the floor right by the couch, tucked behind the bedroom door when it's open.

Home is wherever we are! 

    It certainly has it's challenges, living in a space this size. I often have to move several things to get to the one thing I need. It can get pretty tight when I'm trying to cook and anyone else is walking through the "kitchen". Sometimes I trip on the kids. Sometimes I would like to be alone. It can get awfully loud, and if the kids are talking it's really hard for Erik and I to hear each other. I wouldn't want to live in it full time in a climate where there couldn't be lots of outdoor time. But for this time in our life, it's perfect. We've been in it about six weeks now, and on the move for two of those. I was pretty concerned about how the sleeping would go, as my kids were used to having their own rooms, but it's actually been very smooth. We're learning to live together in a closer way than was possible when we could all sprawl out and retreat to our own corners of the house when we wanted to. (Or when sent there!) We still all have our own little "space" and I've been pleased that the kids love to invite friends in and show off their areas. I love being a homemaker, but I'm also a gyspy at heart, and in this little trailer I can wander and still have a place to keep home. For us, for now, it's just right. It's home, and it's wherever we are.