Living Small, Dreaming Big: RV Life on A-7 Farms
Living Small: Our First Season in the RV
The first night I stepped into the RV, it wasn’t with my wife and kids gathered around or stars overhead on a ridge. They were away visiting family in Pennsylvania, and I was left hauling heavy boxes until my arms ached, finally dropping onto the bed, staring at the low ceiling, and thinking, Wow… this is going to be an adventure.
The RV itself wasn’t new or pretty. It was already sitting on the property when we bought the land — tucked behind a massive oak tree near the drive, hidden and shaded, with county water and a septic system already in place. Practical, move-in ready. We thought it would be temporary. Four years later, it’s still home. In hindsight, a shed-to-home conversion might have been wiser, but the RV taught us more than any plan ever could.
Why We Chose the RV Life
When we closed on the property the RV made sense. We weren’t ready to build, and we didn’t want to bounce between temporary housing. It was livable, and it let us get moved in that week. At the time I called it an adventure; today I call it a classroom. Living in that small space has pushed us to be creative, to prioritize, and to find grace in the messy middle.
The Reality — Small Space, Big Lessons
RV life is unpredictable. One morning you’re watching TV together; the next you’re chasing down a leak and mopping floors.
Space is the single biggest challenge — cooking for a family of six in a tiny galley, sharing one bathroom, making room for dog crates, feed, tools, and kids’ toys.
We added a deck and built an outdoor kitchen that made cooking bearable, plus a small shed that holds a washer/dryer and overflow storage. Those fixes helped, but the reality is: it’s tight. It’s loud. It’s often inconvenient. And it has been worth it.
There’s something about sharing those cramped moments that makes you closer. We fight, we clean, we laugh, we sit shoulder-to-shoulder on the bed when the power is out — but none of us wants to be away from the family.
A Day in Our Life
Weekdays look different from weekends.
I get up at 4:30–5:00 a.m., brew coffee, and check the chickens — water, feed, quick coop scan — then head to my 9-to-5.
Weekends move slower: I sleep until about 6:30, sip coffee on the deck with one of the girls, check feed, collect eggs, and work through projects around the farm. Emily handles her dog training and rescue work, and we tag-team the chores and the kids’ schedules.
Family Voices (Raw and Real)
Kids say it like it is — short, honest, and funny.
Elijah (10): “It’s country. Kind of, actually.” He misses the old house “a little,” and when asked what rule he’d change in the RV: “We should always watch TV.”
Grayson (9): “I’m happy the RV is still working.” On school days he helps less, but on days off he pitches in with the chickens, feeding dogs, and sometimes making breakfast.
Lyla (7): Loves being close to the animals — “they’re pretty and cool.” Inside the RV, she reads Dog Man books and dreams of pumpkins for the garden.
Kyra (4): Simple and sure: she likes sleeping in the RV and being on Dad’s shoulders while watching the chicks.
Their answers remind me: kids adapt. They find joy in small things, and those small things matter more than we think.
Emily’s Perspective
RV life affected everything — including Emily’s dog-training business and the rescue.
Space and routine ripple into every aspect of her work. What helps her most is taking small steps: focus on one task at a time and use family time to cross things off the list together.
Living small slowed us down in a good way — it exposed how little we truly needed and sharpened our priorities.
Her advice to other small-business parents trying to homestead: create structure, stay organized, and be willing to accept a little chaos.
Hard-Won Hacks (What Actually Helps)
Practical lessons we’ve learned the hard way:
🧼 Black tank routine: Clean weekly; use a water-flow meter to know when it’s flushed.
🍳 Cooking: A heavy-duty griddle changed everything — big breakfasts, quick cleanup.
🧺 Storage: Heavy totes + labeled bins = sanity. One bin and one shelf per kid.
🐔 Predator protection: Electric netting for chickens — our Premier One setup saved our flock.
🌿 Outside space: Build a deck and an outdoor prep area; it doubles your living space.
⏰ Family rhythm: Five-minute morning and evening chores beat weekend chaos every time.
Finances, Faith, and Moving Forward
We thought living in an RV would save money. In some ways it did; in others it’s drained funds through constant repairs and upgrades.
Emotionally, it’s been humbling — patience tested, priorities re-shaped.
Faith frames everything we do. “Planted in faith, reaped in love.”
We’re stewarding what we’ve been given, trusting God to make beauty of the ordinary work. Someday we’ll look back and see why this season mattered.
Closing — Why This Matters
Living small isn’t glamorous. It asks for grit, humor, and a willingness to accept imperfect days.
But it gives you what money can’t buy: time with your family, shared stories, and the chance to build something with your own hands.
I love my wife, I love my kids, and I love this life we’re making — cramped, imperfect, and real.
I don’t know how long we’ll be in the RV, but I know this: these years are shaping our family in ways a nicer house never could.
