If you’ve been following along with our recent updates, you already know—we made a pretty dramatic shift.
We went from a five-bedroom house to living full-time in a 32-foot travel trailer.
Yep… it’s a big change.
The kind that comes with equal parts excitement, stress, curiosity, and more than a few “what are we doing?” moments.
A lot of people have asked why we would choose RV life, especially with kids. The truth is, there isn’t just one simple answer. It’s a mix of practicality, restlessness, and a desire for something different.
This didn’t all happen overnight. If you missed the beginning of this journey, you can catch up here: Moving to RV Life: Downsizing, Minimalism, and Family Adventures
Why We Chose RV Life
To be completely honest, the housing market played a role.
But this decision didn’t start there.
At some point, I realized I was tired of the cycle—buying a house, settling in, and then packing everything up again two to four years later. We’ve done it more times than I can count.
And eventually, a thought stuck:
If we’re going to keep moving anyway… why not make it easier?
With an RV, the house moves with us.
My husband thrives on new places and experiences, and this gives him that without us having to completely reset our lives every few years. After some convincing, he agreed to give it a try.
Downsizing: What Stays and What Goes
Moving from a full house into a travel trailer forces you to make decisions fast.
Thankfully, my mother-in-law offered to store a lot of our belongings while we test this lifestyle. That alone has made this transition possible.
Everything has been sorted into three categories:
- Store it
- Sell it
- Donate it
Furniture, large household items, and anything we may want later—stored.
Things that still have value but don’t fit this life—sold.
Everything else—donated.
That meant letting go of things like my husband’s hunting gear and my oldest son’s drum set. Not because they don’t matter, but because they don’t fit.
And that’s been the theme of this entire process:
If it doesn’t fit the life, it can’t come with us.
The Hardest Part? The Kids’ Stuff
I don’t know how it happens, but kids accumulate things like it’s their full-time job.
Even with regular purging, the amount of toys we had to sort through was overwhelming. Trying to narrow it down to what fits in an RV? That’s a whole different challenge.
We landed on simple rules:
- One small toy bin per kid
- Shared bins for things like art supplies
- Only keep what actually gets used
It’s not perfect, but it’s a start.
Organizing a Life in 32 Feet
If there’s one thing I’ve always been good at, it’s organizing.
If I’m being honest… maybe too good at it. I like systems, and I like them to stay the way I set them up. That might be one of my personal challenges in RV life—learning to let go a little and not turn into the stressed-out mom over a misplaced bin.
Right now, the plan is simple and functional:
- Color-coded clothing bins for each child
- Minimal toys
- Everything has a place
Thankfully, our trailer has more storage than I expected, which helps.
Letting Go (Even When It’s Hard)
I’ve always leaned toward minimalism… with one exception.
Books.
Letting go of books has probably been one of the hardest parts of this entire process. But I’m hoping this lifestyle helps all of us learn the difference between what we need and what we just want.
Because when space is limited, you become intentional whether you like it or not.
Work, School, and Reality
This might be the biggest adjustment of all.
Even in a five-bedroom house, finding uninterrupted time to work was hard. I’ve been writing seriously for about a year now, and somehow my family still hasn’t fully grasped that laptop open = working.
It’s like a signal goes out:
“Mom is available. Ask her everything.”
One morning, I opened my laptop during breakfast, thinking I’d get a head start.
Instead:
- Pest control showed up
- The dog needed to be brought inside
- Social media needed attention
- Kids needed help
By 3:00 p.m., I had written… one paragraph.
And now we’re doing this in 32 feet.
It’s going to take time—for all of us—to adjust. But I’m hopeful we’ll get there.
The Lifestyle Shift
This isn’t just a housing change—it’s a full lifestyle shift.
The kids went from having their own space to sharing nearly everything. They’re also farther from family than they’ve ever been, which means no quick help or last-minute babysitting.
Errands? They come with me.
Always.
On the flip side, our senior dog is probably living his best life—more walks, more outside time, more everything.
What We Were Most Excited About
The beach.
That alone felt like enough reason to try.
Even though I’m more of a mountains-and-woods kind of person, there’s something exciting about living near the ocean. I don’t tan—I burn—and I don’t love the heat, so this will definitely be an adjustment.
But still… the beach.
The Fears
Of course, there are fears.
What if this doesn’t work?
What if the kids hate it?
What if something goes wrong and we’re far from everything familiar?
Those thoughts creep in more than I’d like to admit.
But at the end of the day, I keep coming back to one thing:
It’s better to try and fail than to never try and always wonder what could have been.
Curious how we got here?
I share the full story of our homeschool journey and the moves that led us to RV life in my book:
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The First 11 Days of RV Life
And then… we actually did it.
Day 1
The morning started off normal—breakfast, cartoons, getting dressed.
Then reality hit.
Trying to do school in a small space meant kids bumping into each other, fighting over computers, and quickly realizing our usual routine wasn’t going to work the same way.
We tried outside—too bright. Back inside—too cramped.
At one point, my middle child broke down crying. He told me he missed the big house… that this wasn’t what he thought it would be.
That moment stuck with me.
The day ended at the park, though, where the kids ran, played, and my youngest finally learned how to swing—with help from other kids cheering him on.
A high point… followed by a very RV-life moment:
A nail in the tire. A failed repair attempt. And the TV suddenly not working.
Welcome to RV life.
Days 2–3: Problem Solving and Small Wins
Flat tire… twice.
A broken TV… fixed, then broken again.
But also:
- A homeschool meet-up with welcoming families
- A diagnosis that gave us clarity moving forward
- The first signs that maybe… we can make this work
Days 4–6: Finding a Rhythm
Slow mornings.
Bike rides.
Sunburns (lesson learned).
Laundry, always.
We started finding a bit of a groove—figuring out what works and what doesn’t in a smaller space.
Day 7: Beach Day
Six hours at the beach.
Completely exhausted.
Pizza afterward that tasted way better than expected.
No complaints.
Days 8–9: Real Life Sets In
Back to school.
Exploring the area.
Homeschool park meet-ups just minutes away.
Moments where things start to feel… normal.
Days 10–11: The Hard Days
No sleep.
Accidents at 3:30 a.m.
No vehicle.
Endless laundry.
Truck issues that keep getting worse—and more expensive.
And then, just when it felt like enough…
The RV hit 86 degrees.
The AC went out.
Because of course it did.
Luckily the breaker only tripped and we were able to solve the issue.
So… Is It Worth It?
Right now?
I don’t fully know yet.
We’re still in the messy middle—the part where everything feels hard, new, and a little uncertain.
But we’re also learning.
We’re figuring out what matters, what doesn’t, and how to live differently.
So if you’re here because you’re curious about RV life, downsizing, or homeschooling on the road—stick around.
I’ll be sharing what works, what doesn’t, and everything in between.
Because this?
This is just the beginning.
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