Jenny McQueen

One of my closest friends Lou came to say goodbye before we hit the road, and over the campfire, she asked me the most amazing question: What has been the best surprise of RV living? I’m not speechless very often, but y’all I really had to think for a minute.

There has been so much that we couldn’t possibly visualize until we were here. I was so nervous in the weeks leading up to moving into our 5th wheel that I didn’t really let myself dream about how good it might be. But now we’re 3 (almost 4!) months in, it’s better than I could ever have imagined. So what good things am I surprised by?

I’m surprised by how much easier a small space is to keep clean and organized. It sounds sort of obvious; less rooms, less stuff, duh. But still, the impact of 20 minutes of cleaning is shocking. I struggle with executive function, and that feeling of being able to make a difference in my living space in a small amount of time makes cleaning wayyyyy less intimidating. Which leads to me actually cleaning *more* frequently!

This brings me to my second surprise…that washing dishes by hand isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I haven’t figured why; if you saw the way dishes used to pile up in my kitchen, you wouldn’t believe that I don’t mind washing dishes now. Sure, we still get behind on them, but when that happens I throw on a cartoon for the twins, put on my earbuds, and get to work. Or I take the kids out to play while my husband knocks them out. Either way, living without a dishwasher isn’t as bad as I expected!

Another thing I’m surprised at is how quickly the twins adjusted; they really settled right in. I think they like the proximity to us, and they love being allowed to climb on all the furniture. The time outdoors, (4-5 hours a day if it isn’t raining) is beyond even a fraction of what they used to get. I have noticed less meltdowns and just overall happier kids.

I’m surprised at how much easier it is to get things done with less ground to cover! Twins need a juice refill? two steps to the kitchen. I need a pen? three steps to the cabinet. With everything in reach, it’s just a lot less work to get small tasks done.

I’m surprised at how alllll this adds up to better mental health for both me and my husband; it’s really a snowball effect. We have daily conversations about how much better this lifestyle is for us. I hadn’t realized how monotonous our life had really become; work, take care of the twins, survive witching hour, put them to bed, try to clean something before collapsing in bed ourselves. Repeat, and attempt to catch up on the weekends. It was like a frog in the boiling water, and we both feel a palpable relief at stepping away from the hustle. The risk was big, and so was the fear, but our improved mental health has been the very best reward, and I am so very thankful.