Donna here. Mike’s watching Sunday football, so I thought I’d take this opportunity to share some some insights into our everyday life and specifically how we manage chores and other everyday activities.

When we first hit the road, I was struck by how much longer it took to do things like preparing meals and washing dishes. It still takes longer, but I don’t think about it much anymore. It just is what it is.

There’s one chore that’s a lot easier and that’s cleaning. I can clean our new home in under 20 minutes. It used to take me a full two hours to clean our last home.

Almost daily in the beginning, I would bang a leg or elbow making the bed or blow-drying my hair. It still happens from time to time. In fact, I have a sizeable bruise on my thigh right now from bumping into the corner of the bed a few days ago. Come to think of it, though, I’ve always been a bit klutzy.

I do laundry almost every day. As I started a load of laundry this morning, I was grateful for the fact that we have a washer/dryer on board. I would not be a happy camper if I had to schedule time to do laundry, lug it to and from the park laundry facility, and hope that I didn’t have to wait for a washer and/or dryer to free up. Then again, if we had to do that, it would probably be Mike doing the laundry (since he’s retired) and I’d get out of that chore.

We have a Splendide 2000 washer/dryer that washes and dries clothes in the same machine. Apparently, this type of washer/dryer is popular in Europe because of its space-saving design.  I like that I can set the load to dry as soon as it finishes washing. Or I can just wash or just dry. The only downside to this set-up is that I can’t start a new load of wash until the previous load is dry, which is why I usually only do one load a day.

Some people complain that the clothes come out wrinkled in this type of combo machine, but I have no complaints. Then again, I’ve noticed that the clothes dry faster and come out better in dry versus humid climates and it’s quite dry here in San Diego. I did mix up some wrinkle releaser that I use as needed on heavier clothes like jeans. (You can make your own by filling a 16-ounce spray bottle with 2 cups of hot water, add one tablespoon of fabric softener, and shake to mix.)

My kitchen is way smaller than I’m used to, but I still cook pretty much the same way I’ve always done. The biggest challenge is keeping up with dirty dishes as I am preparing food. Sometimes I’ll have something like a dirty mixing bowl in my hand and realize that I have nowhere to set it down. I’m planning to write some RV recipe books that will take the challenge of cooking in a small space into consideration.

I just finished writing a book that will be published next year in October 2014. The working title, which could change, is The One-Minute Organizer’s Guide to a Cleaner, Happier Home. It was originally due to my publisher in late July, but I asked for an extension in June when I realized that there was no way I could write that book AND clean out our home in Michigan in preparation for leaving. That was a full-time job in itself!

I thought I might be able to write on the road as we made our way to Seattle and then down to San Diego. That was wishful thinking. For one thing, I couldn’t bear to miss out on the beautiful scenery along the way. But the real problem was that I just couldn’t get myself organized. Yes, me. Anyway, once we got to San Diego and could settle in, I was able to be more productive. Sort of.

When you’re a writer who has always had a nice desk with a desktop computer, ergonomic keyboard, comfortable chair and room to spread out, it’s a challenge to be productive at the kitchen table. The bench seat just isn’t that comfortable after awhile and the table is too high for typing on the keyboard. I tried working outdoors with my laptop on a TV tray and me sitting on a camp chair. I tried sitting on the sofa with the TV tray in front of me. But the kitchen table seems to be the best choice for now. Should we decide to upgrade our coach at some point, a work area with desk and chair is definitely at the top of my wish list.

While RV living does it have its challenges (there’s that word again), it’s not like they’re insurmountable or even that big a deal really. I share them with you because we promised to share the good, the bad, and the ugly realities of our lifestyle.

During the 8 weeks we traveled across country, I would tell myself, “This is your home.” But it felt like we were on vacation. Then, just a few days after we arrived in San Diego, I was washing dishes and I thought, “This is my home.” And I realized how happy I am that we chose this lifestyle. Remind me to tell you someday how that all came about.