Well, friends, we've just about done it: 3 months, a family of 4, and a 1-bedroom apartment.
This accidental happening into small-space living has forever changed our perspective on what we really need to live well and fully. We always thought that our upcoming trip to Nicaragua would serve as a line in the sand between what we need / what we want, but that line has been drawn as we lost most of our stuff, re-purchased the things we really like, and crammed our little family into approximately 600 square feet of space since July. That's a guess, I have no idea how big this place is.
Here's how we muddled through it:
1. We tucked the notion of privacy into a box that we subsequently burned on the bonfire of reality. (Enough drama for you?)
2. We set up our shared bedroom: John and I on a queen bed, The Caterpillar on the bottom half of a trundle, and Little Bear in the Pack'n'Play. We all fit. It's a big room. And usually by 4 AM things end up with all of us in the 1 bed. I present to you Attachment Parenting to the extreme. Dr Sears has yet to endorse our family, but I know he will.
2. We sorted out storage solutions, mainly using friends' garages / basements. There were a few larger wooden furniture items that were salvageable and a few boxes of memories or random appliances that made it through or were worth saving, and our friends have been gracious enough to hold onto them for us. We love you guys.
3. We selected a few high quality must-have kitchen items in stainless steel. I like stainless steel. We decided that our cast iron cookware was worth saving (obviously), and purchased a
- KitchenAid knife block,
- 1 cutting board,
- a stove-top kettle,
- a set of 4 plates,
- 4 mugs,
- 1 Ikea set of cutlery,
- 1 spatula, soup spoon, wooden spoon, potato masher,
- a toaster,
- a snobby coffee maker,
- a salad spinner,
- set of mixing bowls,
- a popcorn maker (non-negotiable),
- and a set of measuring cups.
[Once we received the KitchenAid mixer back from the cleaner's (cool, right?) we stored it. If we were staying longer we might find a space for it.]
4. We purchased a rug: We've had the same green rug since The Caterpillar was born and got another duplicate one from Ikea. That made us feel right at home. We love this rug.
5. We gathered toys / had a big Toy Shopping Day and were selective about what we added into our home. That was so fun! We also just recently added 4 full size Frozen movie posters to our house: in the living room, the bathroom, and 2 in the bedroom. It really looks like a girl-child runs this joint. At least it feels like hers.
6. We came to terms with the concept of 1 single room serving as our office, living room, kitchen, dining room, gym, and play room. There have been times when this has been incredibly rewarding and times when this has been incredibly challenging. It's rewarding when one of us is working and the other is playing with the girls and we basically don't miss a moment of their growth. It's challenging when everyone is losing it and a client is on the phone and the fire alarm is going off. Both of those things happen a lot. (John has made a lot of bacon in the last month and a half and it makes our fire alarm go off. He literally just discovered that he likes bacon toward the end of the summer. He'll get over it.)
7. We wrestled with sleep training: sharing a bedroom isn't so bad when everyone's asleep, but what happens when one struggles getting to sleep or wakes up loudly? The answer: the pack n play fits in the bathroom. Hold your pee, sir. (Just kidding, there's another bathroom we can use).
8. Prayer. Lots of it. Often desperate.
Although it's been a challenge to live in a small space, it's been a joy, and I think we could do it again (but maybe on a slightly larger scale).
We've learned that effective storage solutions are key, minimizing actual items is crucial, and that life without grace is impossible.
4. We purchased a rug: We've had the same green rug since The Caterpillar was born and got another duplicate one from Ikea. That made us feel right at home. We love this rug.
5. We gathered toys / had a big Toy Shopping Day and were selective about what we added into our home. That was so fun! We also just recently added 4 full size Frozen movie posters to our house: in the living room, the bathroom, and 2 in the bedroom. It really looks like a girl-child runs this joint. At least it feels like hers.
6. We came to terms with the concept of 1 single room serving as our office, living room, kitchen, dining room, gym, and play room. There have been times when this has been incredibly rewarding and times when this has been incredibly challenging. It's rewarding when one of us is working and the other is playing with the girls and we basically don't miss a moment of their growth. It's challenging when everyone is losing it and a client is on the phone and the fire alarm is going off. Both of those things happen a lot. (John has made a lot of bacon in the last month and a half and it makes our fire alarm go off. He literally just discovered that he likes bacon toward the end of the summer. He'll get over it.)
7. We wrestled with sleep training: sharing a bedroom isn't so bad when everyone's asleep, but what happens when one struggles getting to sleep or wakes up loudly? The answer: the pack n play fits in the bathroom. Hold your pee, sir. (Just kidding, there's another bathroom we can use).
8. Prayer. Lots of it. Often desperate.
Although it's been a challenge to live in a small space, it's been a joy, and I think we could do it again (but maybe on a slightly larger scale).
We've learned that effective storage solutions are key, minimizing actual items is crucial, and that life without grace is impossible.
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