A Day Inside

Ever wonder what a day in the trailer really looks like?  Well Saturday was just that.  It was snowy and cold out, and not the nice fluffy snow you can play in.  So we hunkered down and stayed in ALL day.  My biggest problem with this isn't being cramped together in a small space, it's that my kids want to just sit on their tablets all day.  So we decided to work on their Valentine boxes for school.  One of my worries with homeschooling was that my kids would miss out on things like class parties and exchanging Valentines cards.  This was a huge draw back for me, as I know it is for a lot of home school parents.  It seems silly but it really is a factor in the should we home school discussion.  Since we signed up for a co-op this year, my kids go to an activity day once a week.  So this year they were able to participate in a Christmas party and now a Valentines day party.  So it's a win win.  They are so excited.  Kya has asked me a million questions about how it all works.  I love it.  So we worked on their cute boxes.  Charlie made a Pokemon character and Kya's is a collage of stickers.  
I let Lily make one too.  She just wanted to put the stickers on everything but the box.  

Look how cute they turned out

While we worked on the boxes Brian was changing the breaks on the van.  Poor guy ended up working in a snow storm.  He was a trooper and got it done.  They kids liked taunting him from the window.

Lily had seen someone make barbie shoes on YouTube.  They used a hot glue gun and when she saw mine in the craft box, she insisted we try.  So this was our attempt at making barbie shoes.  It took a long time and after I finished them lily told me she hated them.  Kids! No appreciation.  I mean they weren't pretty but they did fit Barbie perfectly.  

Already disappointed before I even start.

We wrapped her feet in plastic wrap and then covered them with hot glue

Barbie seems to like them but they needed color

So we painted them with blue nail polish

And they are done.  They looked more like house slippers than the tennis shoes that Lily had hoped for.

So after a full day of crafting do you wonder what a small RV looks like?  Well let me show you.

Yep, that is totally real life.  I got behind on dishes and there were toys and craft items everywhere.

However when people ask me what I like most about living in a tiny house, my answer is always the same.  The house can go from this to this in less that thirty minutes.

Even the kids are better about helping because they know it's quick.  I spend so much less time cleaning and it makes the messes not feel like a big deal at all.  I have to admit that when it is messy it feels like the walls are caving in.  But just a quick clean up and everything feels much better.  We lived in a three story house before and after a day of crafts and playing, it would have taken me closer to two hours of cleaning to get the house clean again.  So I am always thankful at the end of the day that my time is much better spent now.  

So that is how a day inside goes.  We do a lot of crafting, play dough time, puzzles, really anything to keep us off electronics.  I will be so happy when the sun stays up later and when it's warm enough to go out and play.  

Lots of Love,

Stacey

  

Dance Surprise

My girls wear dance leotards on a daily basis.  It doesn't matter the weather, you can usually find them twirling around in a tutu.  So you can imagine the excitement when Lily took her first dance class.  Kya has been in this dance class for the last three years.  We go to the community center and they do a little performance in the spring.  It is the perfect balance for us.  Not a ton of pressure, just some fun dance time. It's all Lily has talked about since seeing Kya perform in June.  She was finally old enough to be signed up.
Well the morning started with some excitement.  The girls were up bright and early and ready to go.  Class didn't start until noon.  Trying to get school work done was torturous.  They just wanted to go.  Lily asked me a dozen times if her class was starting. 

Finally the time came, we piled into the car and headed off.  We got there and Lily was bouncing off the walls.  We had to wait a few minutes for the class before us to let out.  Then the door opened and can you guess what Lily said?
"I do NOT want to dance!" She dug in her heals and I had to push her through the door.  She wanted no part of it.  What?! I was seriously at a loss.  It never even crossed my mind that she would freeze up at the last minute.  Lesson learned...Never trust a three year old. 

Kya offered to sit next to her, nope not happening.  I offered to hula hoop with her, no way.  Finally once the class started we scooted over to the circle and she cowered in my lap while I tried doing the moves.  Great, I'm going to be dancing every week.  Doesn't she know this is my time to check my phone, text people back, look up stuff on the internet.  It's why I sign them up for things. I mean come on.  Okay, so I wasn't really upset, but I did want her to join in because I knew later she would regret it.  Honestly, I don't know how it happened. One minute she was hiding in my lap and the next she was up following along.  She tentatively followed the teacher around the room and then let me go back to my seat.  And then this happened...

It turned out to be so much fun.  The girls can't wait for next week.  Kya was such a good big sister.  She is so motherly and helped Lily and was so excited to see her doing a good job.  She takes the class after Lily.  She also did great and was excited to be back in dance class.

A few photos of the dancers.

Miles of Love,

Stacey