Hey Birdie!🤗 Here’s another tip that might help folks (TMI warning!!): If you have enough core strength to let go of the bed with at least one hand, after you check to make sure the potty seat is in the correct position, use one or both hands to separate your butt cheeks until you sit; the sit will hold your cheeks apart. This makes everything more accessible when it’s time to wipe, and can reduce the skin contact made by both #1’s and #2’s, which makes for a more thorough clean when you wipe! ✨
@SistahRev obviously, with the OVERWHELMING thumbs up your comment is getting it is HELPFUL not TMI. real world advice for our HEALTH. you ROCK Sistah, for being brave and generous enough to care for others😇😇
@@dagnolia6004 Awwwww, thanks! 🤗 I’m over 60 years old and have always been pretty modest, so it’s taken me a minute to adjust to how explicit and unabashed people are about so many things nowadays! (I still “clutch my pearls” probably more often than the average bear!🤷🏽♀️😂😂😂) But I also very deeply appreciate the ways all this openness has given me incredible relief to find out that I am not the only one dealing with personal, relational & biological issues and realities that USED TO BE considered embarrassing, unmentionable, or private… it’s been nice to find out that we’re all human, and dressing it up really doesn’t change that fact! 😉 So as often as I can, I try to unclutch my pearls and jump into the fray with something that might be helpful, as I have been likewise helped by others doing the same. It’s strange and wonderful at the same time!😊 All the best to you and yours!🌹🌹🌹
Hey Birdy, you are one of the only van dwellers that I have found that truly shows you what van life is like. Keep up the good work, Great information. And you are very likable.
As a slightly bigger woman who was in a SUV, this is truth. No one talks about it but living in a vehicle where you can't stand up requires a lot of strength and stamina. Leg strength for all the squatting and arm strength for all the pulling, pushing, and lifting, especially lifting your body if you have to climb over things. I was completely EXHAUSTED after my first trial run in my SUV. It was months before I did a second trip. NONE of the RU-vidrs I had watched had ever said one word about the physical stamina needed to live in a small vehicle. Thank you for ALWAYS keeping it REAL.
I do hope more people start talking about that. I strongly believe the number one biggest tip we can give folks planning on living in their vehicles (full or part time) is to work on their strength. It was the hardest part of starting vanlife for me. I was so unprepared for that! 😆
Great tip about the emergency brake! My vertigo gets triggered in situations like that - where my brain “thinks” the world is stable and flat, but it’s not.
@user-kz6nu8jz5b I'm taking an exercise class at the pool to try to build my strength and balance back up. I had to wait a couple weeks for the class to start so I started doing Chair Yoga and easy Tai Chi. I found so many helpful videos on RU-vid, for free. I'm so glad I started there because it gave me the strength to do the exercise class. If you don't have money for classes or a gym I recommend looking for these classes free on RU-vid! I plan on continuing with the free RU-vid classes after my class is over.😊❣️💖
Lol, yes! I can peek out a little bit just over the top of the curtain, and I often snicker that people have no idea what I'm doing while they're passing by. But we gotta do what we gotta do! 🤣
This applies to more people than you think. Moving about in a van is difficult for the elderly and some of us neuro-divergent folks who walk into walls and such. Thank you and don't be embarrassed this was a cute share.
Speaking as a fellow "more to love" gal - thank you!!!! I have fallen to the floor a couple of times attempting to potty. It hurt, was embarrassing, and was not pleasant. I actually have to sit up and grab the seatbelt to help myself stand. I'm old,arthritic, and less than graceful. But I keep trying😉
Hello fellow "less than graceful" friend! I'm not sure if I actually have arthritis in my knees or if it's just my weight making them hurt, but I definitely understand where you're coming from. I'm actually just mad at the fact we need to pee at all. Come on! There has to be a better design! 😂🤣
It's my third night in my van. While it's totally true that the Toilet fits it the alley it is not true that my Thighs fit in the alley. I finally figured out the one way that I have to put the toilet so I get one knee on each side of the end of the bed. Being a large person with irritable bowel syndrome, a workable toilet is a must. Thanks for keeping it real!
Oh, trust me, my van toilet positioning has it's own challenge. I'm in a high top van, so I can fully stand up, etc, but I'm only 4'9" and my composting toilet is on a drawer slide, so let's just say my feet don't touch the floor when I'm on it. I have to get into a particular position to get to the wiping portion of the program so I don't topple over. 😄 Also, if I'm parked on a slant with the driver's side lower than the passenger side, the toilet wants to slide back into the cabinet while I'm on it, and I have to hold onto the counter top to avoid being folded in half. 😂
Oh my gosh, that's hilarious! I mean, I'm sure it's not funny while you're in the process of trying not to roll back, but picturing it is too funny!! Aw well, hopefully you've at least got a pretty view to look at often enough that it's worth it! 😂
My word, that sounds hazardous! Need to figure out a way to latch your toilet in the open position and maybe add some moveable risers on each side to give your feet more purchase. I'll bet you are getting very picky about parking places.
@danimcmahon5503 damn! That sounds complicated and hilarious/horrifying combined. Maybe this isn't helpful at all but we have folding stools that stash in tiny places that my kiddos use when using toilets/wiping after when toilets are too high that I also used as a makeshift squatty potty setup when I was pregnant but I'm short and visited people with the extra high/wheelchair height toilets at home. Sometimes you just need a foot rest!
@@findingbalance7884 Thank you for the suggestion! It's really more comical, and less precarious than I made it sound.😁I'm very flexible, and able to make it work with no problem. 😊
@CW-hb Welcome to Birdie watching. ADVICE: do not have a mouthful of liquid whilst watching Miss Birdie! the bizarre becomes normal AND spitting from laughter is NOT uncommon. 🤣🐦🐦🐦
Welcome to the Birdie Watchers Club! Birdie is everything you've been looking for! Real, compassionate, hilarious, insightful....the whole authentic package!
@wernotfree, @dagnolia6004, and @vanessachristopher, you guys are gonna make me cry! Thank you so, so much for making me feel so loved! I love you back! 🥰🤗
I stumbled across this channel a few days ago and I’ve ended up binging everything you’ve done! You make me LOL with every watch!!! You are a gem 💎 and deserve every success ❤❤
This had me laughing out loud. Because as a bigger woman using the loo in my van, I so relate! And also being of a certain age where, yep, once the brain has clocked what's going on, it's a-coming, ready or not. Add to that the just-woke-up fuzziness and there is so much that can go wrong. I think I should be able to list this as a skill on my CV actually. A bit niche maybe, but boy, it's definitely a skill!
Hi Birdie, you are such a joy to watch and listen to regardless of subject matter! You have the gift of a true raconteur. I truly wish you all the best in life and if you are unable to ever get back into an apartment with a dreaded landlord, I hope that you will be able to upgrade to a bigger van in the not too distant future. You deserve to have a more comfortable life and maybe not have to do so much gymnastics. Best wishes and stay safe, from an Aussie. PS. I see your subscriber count is on a steady upward trajectory - well deserved.
😂🤣😂 No spreading wide here! But rather aiming for the opening of the cup. Being a guy is a blessing for doing vanlife. I got a big smile watching your video every time, Birdie!😂😂😂
Not to be a smart behind, but bigger guys have to do exactly what she's doing when they go no. 2. I dated a big guy. The backside all works the same. PS Women end up aiming when we're doing vanlife also. She didn't show the pee cup or the shewee. 😂
this was useful!! Bob Well's ALWAYS asks everyone "how they go"; yet people just give very generic answers and gesture to a discreet box and say "my bucket is in there", OR show a never used urinal that they keep for "emergencies". toilet hygiene is glossed over in hiking vids, tiny house vids and almost all van life vids. thanks for realizing people REALLY want to know. when i was a little girl reading Beverly Cleary's "Ramona, the Pest", i loved that Ramona's excitement about kindergarten was that she would FINALLY learn how "Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel" went to the bathroom! Unfortunately, being told that "it wasn't an important part of the story" reinforced her dissatisfaction with all adult explanations. kindergarten children KNOW the FIRST thing they explain to you is the bathroom.
I'm a silent watcher because I'm an odd duck ..I never seen to saw the right thing or it's mostly misunderstood...I wish I was as brave as you ..I'm a BIG BIRD(chickadee chicken) lol😂.thanks for helping me learn to be brave❤❤❤
I 100% understand being scared. This is not something I could have or would have done a decade ago (either vanlife or this raw of a RU-vid channel). You never know what's around the bend for you. I'm just really grateful to know you. No matter whether you're a big bird or not! 😊❤️
@ crisstein it is awful to be misunderstood. i accidently hurt someone's feelings because they took an emoji i put in a comment as "laughing at them". without hearing tone of voice or facial expressions sometimes it is easy for others to just interpret what we are saying based on THEIR mood. i am proud and inspired by your bravery. keep flapping those wings...🐦🐦🐣🐤🐥
Girl, you are not alone and I appreciate your honesty. The last time I flew on a plane I realized I couldn't spread my legs enough to wipe in the tiny bathroom, like at all. A couple years later when my dad died, I drove across country instead of flying for the funeral because I didn't want to deal with an airplane bathroom as a rotund lady.
It's probably the thing I hate the most about being big, other than the joint pain. I haven't been on a plane in years long enough to need to use the restroom, but I can imagine that being a nightmare! Totally understand why you would take a road trip instead! ❤️
What a cool thing to say! I am still processing what's happening right now. I don't even know how to understand it. But, boy howdy, am I grateful beyond all words!! :)
Thanks for this. This is something I’ve really worried about. This video and the comments, have let me know I’m not the only one! I really appreciate it.
Hi Birdie! Thank you for ALL of your tips!! (TMI or not.) It helps every single one of us believe we CAN do certain things, instead of being afraid to even try. You are a Georgia Peach!! 🍑 (Even though I think you’re from Texas.) showing us what van life is genuinely and authentically like is so wonderful. Especially for some of us who are probably going to be needing to do this pretty soon, even if we don’t want to, but at least we will have some skills to help us. Thanks to you, Miss Birdie! Take care….lots of love to you…..and please stay safe. And if you are ever traveling in the Midwest, specifically the Minneapolis Saint Paul, Minnesota area, let me know! You might just need a break from van life, and you could stay here and really relax and we could have some real good times together! (yes, everyone, I am straight. But we could still have a lot of fun together!)
P.S. I have been told that many people put one or two puppy pads on the floor in front of their Porta potty. Just in case their urine starts to come out before they get the chance to sit down all the way!💗
That's so sweet of you to offer! I'll definitely look you up if I'm ever out that way. And yes, the puppy pad on the floor idea is great! I should totally start doing that. :)
I love how much you help people with these videos. Some people would just assume this is not possible. This does not apply to me, but I love, love, love you showing people what is possible.
Okay I know how awkward it must have felt for you to do this video but thank you so much! You are making bigger girls like me feel more brave about car camping/van life. Thank you Birdie. ❤💙💜
My body is always speaking to me. It says "you have to go soon, so go now". Then it started saying "I can see the stall door, start now". Now it says, "yep, I see the bathroom door, you can start". Needless to say, I don't make it "there" every single time. I need a potty, no matter what!
I am worse. I am not even thinking I need to pee, but as soon as I put the key in the door, my body goes "we're peeing NOW!". Apparently it's called latchkey syndrome.
Yes! What is that about??? It's so frustrating! I literally just had to deal with that in the library. Thank goodness my "home" is right out in the parking lot for a change of clothes. 🤦♀️
Being a nurse ,I put a commode and bed in my first travels. I just enjoy you so much whether youre talking about your daughter or fears of depression or toilet. stories....you are so real,and for that Im glad I found you.❤😊
I love watching your videos! I’ve subscribed since the beginning and you always have new and exciting stories to make me laugh. You are so honest, and yes today’s video was very TMI, but informative. Not everone is a perky 29 year old, and not everyone is a skinny rake so it was helpful. You are doing so well, look how many subscribers you have in such a short time! please don’t ever change 🩷🩷🩷🩷
Weighted squats are a brilliant way to get the strength needed for this. Don't buy weights, put heavy stuff in a back pack and do ten squats a few times a day. It has changed my life. My core is so strong and I've lost 36lbs 🤗. Love your videos Birdie 😊
Such a great tip! I've been trying to think of ways to work out when I'm away from the gym. And if I'm being honest, I don't even go to the gym often enough when I'm near the gym. So I'm totally going to try this! Thank you! ❤️
Hi Birdie, I'm currently watching one of your other videos. If you pick up a pair of men's boots or shoes at a used store, you can leave them outside of your door at night just to make people think a guy is inside. I did that when I was first camping in the middle of nowhere. Love you❤❤❤
Thanks. That was helpful. I have done a few nights car camping and my lack of bladder control is the worst of it. Your information is personal, but important. Again, thanks.
Too much info? Nope, just the right amount. So many van dwellers show off their toilet, but never go into the details of using it. I never thought about the parking brake, unless parking on a hill happens. I'll certainly remember that tip. That, and the one about bungee cording the toilet for travelling, from a previous video. :) Cheers. Jon in rural BC, Canada
You deserve every good thing in life! You really do! You are showing your true self and that's more than enough for a huge success on social media. I wish you that! And you'll get more and more comments - please don't spend so much time on them that your needs suffer (sleep and such). Sending lots of love from Budapest, Hungary ❤❤❤
HI BIRDI, YOUR AMAZING I LOVE YOUR FUN UP BEAT SPIRIT! YOU ROCK. I'M NOT SURE IF YOU EVER EXPLORED SONOMA COUNTY BUT SEBASTOPOL IS CUTE , RUSSIAN RIVER IS IS AMAZING LOTS OF REDWOOD TREES, AND THE LITTLE TOWN OF BODEGA BAY THEIRS A FAMIOUS CHURCH WHERE ALFREDO HITCHCOCK FILMED FAMOUS MOVIE THE BIRDS, AND OF COURSE THE OCEAN. CHEERS FROM NAPA VALLEY.
Hi Birdie! A few weeks ago I started a new "balance"exercise and it works. Startng from a sitting position I stand, then sit. Repeat 10 times. In a few weeks am better balanced and starting to stand without the push off. I get up stairs better. I will continue to see what improvement is available.
@Rebecca whoo Hoo for YOU! the Best Exercise is the exercise we do. tell us how you progress. i am starting YOUR program RIGHT NOW. i just did five at 1:15 in the morning🎉
Dagnolia, I hope it helps you too. I thought I would do more reps, but have not. I have slowed return to sitting to a more controlled sit... not quite a collapse 😊. If you can imagine, I lifted weights for years, but here I am. I walk around outside on the hill, but at 70 I am losing muscle mass. Tottery legs. Getting old is not for the faint hearted.
Thank you for this! I have actually been spending more time far away from the Planet Fitness where I have my membership, so I have been trying to think of ways to continue building my muscles. I'm totally going to do this! It's simple, but I bet super effective, because it's an action we do all the time. Thank you again!
Birdie , only you could make this subject fun. I have hip issues, and have seriously thought about this... BUTT if you can do this, I think I can. Love from Michigan.
Good job, Birdie! ...Yes, all the little TMI comments are the most important! Yes, when I did my potty 101 video, the filming inside my small van was REALLY a huge challenge!
I just found your channel yesterday and I’m already obsessed! You are so funny, real and likable and radiate such a nice energy. Will definitely follow along! Keep being real and you ❤
Oh Birdie, after camping in my van for the weekend with my 5.gallon bucket and a black snap on tiny toilet lid, I am buying this toilet! I am a big girl too and I thought it would be okay but it was not at all. I had to stand up to wipe my bum. Hehe! And the seat was so tiny and uncomfortable. So, I thought of your video and decided that's what I'm getting. The seat looks awesome on it. It was my 1st trip in the van before I make the final move at the end of June but I learned some dislikes and likes already and the toilet is one of the biggest things that annoyed me. Lol
Love your happy personality,I live in a garage,done up but no shower,toilet or water only a hose set up for a sink,I have my toilet near my bed to,as I had it further away and fell over my big dog,wasnt a good outcome so have a touch light near my bed now for when i have to get up during the night
