I have had a lot of people ask me what it is like living out of a hotel for several months at a time. There are two ways to look at it: it is both difficult and good.
There are some nice aspects to living in a hotel. We stay at extended stay hotels usually, which means there is a kitchen in our room. This makes it seem a little more like home because I can keep food in the fridge, and I can cook. Another good thing: having a maid clean everyday. Now, some people might see this as a great thing, and yes, it certainly is at times, especially when I was having so much physical difficulty over the last year. It was a tremendous blessing not to have to clean during that time....but I guess I could say there is a bit of a drawback. My standard of cleanliness is a little more picky than most people. I'm a "clean messy" person. In other words, I am very picky when it comes to vacuuming and dusting and sanitizing. Some days I was tempted to call the front desk and ask if I could borrow a vacuum, a mop and a bottle of Windex. It's not even just that I'm picky, but I actually LIKE cleaning. I know, I know...it sounds crazy. On the other hand, I tend to make "piles" all over the place. I have a pile of receipts here, a pile of clothes there, and a pile of coupons over in the other corner. I'm not terribly gifted when it comes to being organized.
Another plus is that we had our own bedroom. At the time that we were living in the hotel we had a bedroom for ourselves, a living room, a kitchen, and Ethan got to have his own room. When we would come home to NJ, Ethan's crib was still in our room. It was nice to have that bit of space and privacy at the hotel. It was more like having an apartment than living in a hotel room.
Our hotel also provided an evening meal Monday through Thursday. It was always sort of a light meal like tacos or soup and salad. We didn't usually take advantage of this, but it was nice to have it available to us if we wanted it. (An obvious added benefit to this is that it would have helped save on our food costs).
Now for the difficult aspects: it just isn't home. While this may be true, when we are away from home I am constantly trying to find ways to "bring home with us." One way to do this is to bring candles. I had them lit for dinner time or for when Aron came in from work. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of buying scented candles, and I'm not sure Aron really appreciated the heavy aroma. (Sorry, honey, I had to include this because it is slightly amusing).
Another way to make it feel more like home is to bring table linens. Had our hotel not provided placemats and cloth napkins I would have brought my own. When we are at our permanent home we always use cloth napkins and placemats. Dinner time is such an important time of day for the entire family. It should not just be a time to eat but a time to talk, relax, and enjoy one another's company. The table should be a warm and engaging place. One way to elicit this kind of response is to create an inviting atmosphere, hence the usage of table linens. When I'm at home I also like to keep some kind of centerpiece on the table for decoration, whether it be a bowl of fruit or a glass vase with some colorful stones in it and a candle in the center. I also like to use my Grandmother's doilies - I'm fortunate enough that I married a man who appreciates my traditional side. I like to bring a small set of speakers to play music on also. I play music at home a lot, so it only makes sense to play it wherever we're staying.
Life on the road can also be lonely. I make it a point to try to stay in touch with friends. This could mean emailing, text messaging or phone calls. Most importantly, we make it a point to get together with our friends whenever we can when we are home. Sometimes we are tired and want to relax when we are home, but nothing beats getting to have some quality time with the people we love. It is so refreshing, and I think living in a hotel has caused us to treasure those friendships even more so than we did when we were still living at home.
So, in answer to the comment that we so often hear "Wow. Living in a hotel. That must be rough..." Yeah, it is difficult, but it certainly has made us appreciate "home" that much more. Also, you've heard the saying "Home is where the heart is." That is why when we are away from our own house, I try to make sure I bring a little bit of home with us, and all it takes are a few easy, creative ideas.
