In reality, the outdoor space next to the trailer is an important part of our existence. In our current set up I am growing some vegetables in a container garden at the rear of the outdoor space. Our trailer has an outdoor kitchen, grill, propane burners and extra fridge - we use that kitchen often. I cook outside when possible (especially when the air conditioner is running) and we sit outside and enjoy the space. I especially like to sit outside when using the solar oven so that I can ensure it is oriented towards the sun. This is also where I hang out the laundry on our drying rack and where I fold clothes. (BTW, I still love doing my laundry at a laundry mat - the facility here is small, reasonably priced, and convenient.)
The rest of our outdoor space is multi-purpose. We eat outside, the pad is used for chalk art, we paint rocks, Sister makes mud pies, bikes are parked here, toys are brought out, the kids can play in water from the hose...when it is not too windy the awning gives nice shade, We are outdoors a fair amount - but there are days where we are not! For those days, video games!! The funny thing is that while in Zoom meetings over the past months I have heard various colleagues say something about never seeing their kids because they are off in their rooms playing video games - if our family were still in our 4000 sq ft house, we would have the same situation. However, because the kids are so close to us while we are playing the games, we are all a part of what is going on with each other. Often, if I am working and the kids are done with school, I am thankful for the games - especially when I have meetings or am working on a project that requires my concentration. Other time when Husband and I are playing our game it is nice to be within earshot of what is going on in the kids' games.
The kids have an Xbox in their room and they play online with their cousins as much as they are able. Depending on our location we have had varying arrangements in terms of internet/data connection. When in Mesa, we had Cox cable - which worked really well for the online play. These days, in rural St. Johns, AZ we are using Verizon hotspots from our phones - so there is a constant conversation about how much data is left. However, with that said, the kids are currently playing on throttled hotspot data until it resets in a week or so and they are still able to make it work. The Xbox was their present for Christmas in 2018....for Christmas of 2019, after our second summer of travel, we bought them each a Nintendo Switch Lite. Having something portable and battery powered is a wonderful improvement to our situation.
Because Husband is a tech geek and retro gamer, we also have a number of other consoles. Actually, he and I have enjoyed playing couch co-ops over the years (even before having kids). We are currently playing Divinity Original Sin II on the PS4 - which is an absolutely amazing game! "But where do you put all of these consoles/cords/controllers/games?" Great question! Poorly managed cords/controllers are a pet peeve of mine. Thankfully, Husband does a great job of managing it all - the system has developed over time, and is quite efficient. We have three TVs in our rig - one in the kids' room, one in ours and one in the main living area. The consoles are split between those three TVs, cords zip tied and neat, controllers put in their places. I tried to take pictures, but I'm much better at taking pictures of sunsets.
Of course we also have our laptops for work/school/entertainment as well. As long as everyone keeps track of charging their own devices, life is good - if not, well, drama. Controller batteries are the worst - if left to me the kids wouldn't be able to play anything because I would've given up. Husband fights the good fight and is constantly reminding and managing the kids' devices! As you can imagine, charging devices is a necessity for us, and was certainly taken into consideration when designing our solar system at the homestead.
Besides video games the kids each have a bin of toys (under the benches of the dinette in their room) and there are some favorites that get played with often (like the Magformers). They both have quite a few books - currently Brother is really into reading manga and likes drawing characters, Sister enjoys looking through National Geographic books about animals (her "biology books" as she likes to refer to them). A while ago I made a list of things the kids can do besides play video games. I posted it in their room and I ask them to read it when they need to take a break. They are both good about going out for a bike ride or walk periodically during the day. It's been three years in this small space (and our smaller first trailer), though I will value having a bit more space in our tiny house at the homestead (500 sq ft + two lofts), I do feel content with this space and feel we are able to do the things we would do in a house. We even have a piano and a guitar!
I guess the moral of the story is that when you live in a tiny space you appreciate the outdoors and you are very considerate about how you use the indoor space. We set up the indoor space to support the things we do when indoors. Our possessions are trimmed down to those things we use on a regular basis. I remember the cupboards of kitchen stuff I used to have in my house and compare it to the comparatively fewer necessary items I have now as the most obvious example. Clothing is another area where significant reductions in quantity were made. In the end our small space is very comfortable and our things deliberately chosen. Even during a quarantine we enjoy our tiny space!
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