Trailer Life

Sometimes, I find myself questioned by curious people, “What is it like to live in a big trailer?”  This is a loaded question.  In most people’s minds, our 36’ fifth wheel is huge, and normally speaking, they would be right.  However, if you put six people and all their belongings in a 325 square foot space for an extended period of time, it can get mighty small, mighty quick, as they say.  On a normal day, I spend a great deal of time just picking up after everyone – over and over again.  My kids should be the world’s greatest toy-picker-uppers, since I tell them to do it at least five times a day, and usually closer to ten. :)  It just seems like the job never ends.

Embarrassingly enough, this is what my trailer looks like most of the time.



What’s happening in this picture?

Abigail is finishing her homework.  The large pink crates (and the blue one beneath them that you cannot see) are filled with school books.  These are used every day, and keep a semblance of order to our school supplies.  Under the pink crate on the far left are two sterilite three-drawer organizers that hold shoes and our stash of 3,ooo+ crayons and their accompanying coloring books.

The sink is full of clean dishes that still need to be put away, but hey – at least they are clean!  On top of the stove is a bag of special allergy-free cookies for Josiah sitting next to my new Keurig.  How I love that thing!  A cup of dark hot chocolate or peppermint tea in the mornings just really gets my day going.  By the way, I got that free, along with a year’s supply of K-cups.  How awesome is that!?

On top of the counter is my old laptop (not quite done getting all those pictures transferred), two boxes of crackers that I need to put back on the tippy-top shelf (I have to stand on a chair to reach it, so t usually gets delayed until I have several things to put away up there), a rather nasty-looking oven mitt that will not fit in any of my drawers, and a few school papers that were attacked by a three-year-old with a pair of scissors.

Esther and Daniel are playing on the floor with matchbox cars, and the car mats have apparently been discarded since they are lying on the floor in the corner next to the vacuum.  The vacuum is supporting a denim skirt that has to hang dry.  My new computer is sitting open on the table, waiting for me to finish my school plans, blog posts, and other important documents.  Josiah, having finished his homework is sprinkling Legos all over the dinette, but at least he tends to pick up after himself.

And the kid’s room… Well, let’s just not go there today.  So now you know my deep, dark secret: my trailer is not always spotless.  In fact, it rarely is.  Do I like that? Not really, but that is life in my corner of the world.  Now you know. :)