Monday, April 30, 2012

Tiny House Love

In the day in which we live, it can be easy to be taken over by all the new technologies and inventions this life has to offer. I have even found myself longing for the "New & Improved" of things that were probably fine to begin with.
Lately, I have been trying to simplify my life. The older I get, I find I am very minimalist. I hate knick-knacks and clutter (although I struggle with the clutter part). I don't have a whole lot of decorations in my home (which drives my HGTV junkie mom nuts) and I'm really okay with that. A lot of my lack of stuff results from a lack of funds, but I'm okay with that, too.
If you will remember in one of my recent posts, I wrote about how I'm taking the Flats and Handwashing Challenge. Thinking about that has really opened my eyes to other ways I'd like to simplify. I have even become very fond of the idea of a "Tiny House". Google them. They are quite fascinating. To me, the idea of having everything you own and all the people you love being able to fit in a 500 sq. ft. area (roughly) is awesome. I know a lot of people that live in large cities have been doing this for a long time in the form of apartments, but I live in the country, where things are pretty sprawling. We don't have many neighbors, and I kind of like it that way.
The home we live in is a little more than 1600 sq. ft. It is double the size of our last house. The whole time we lived in 800 sq. ft., I felt suffocated. I felt like we were always on top of each other and I never had any time to myself. Most likely, all the lack of space was due to a problem of having too much stuff, but I digress. Even with double the square footage, I still sometimes struggle with finding a place for everything.
I think a lot of my tiny house love comes from a place within that longs to be so organized and simplified that I could realistically fit my life in such a small place and not feel like I'm doing without.
I have been doing a lot better at whittling down our necessities and getting rid of things that we no longer need. But I still see room for major improvement. I think some of my other want of a tiny house is having a place that is just mine. Some days, I long for solitude, a place to just sit and "be". A place that is not marred by Hot Wheels and Legos and Playstation. A nook that is all mine. And hopefully, but this time next year I will have it. I am in the process of turning one of our master bedroom closets (yes, I have two) into my "me room". If I had it my way, I would take my closet (because it's bigger and has a window) and turn it into a sewing/reading nook just for me. It will take some doing, but I'm determined. We shall see what unfolds. Stick around!

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Diapering on a Dime

For some, cloth diapering is not a choice, but a necessity. Last year, there was a call to action after an article surfaced about low-income families reusing disposable diapers. It broke many hearts, including mine. Kim from Dirty Diaper Laundry challenged the cloth diapering community to only use flats and covers and only hand wash them for a week, to simulate what things can be like for some families. For reasons I can no longer remember, I did not get to participate (but wanted to badly). I did, however, devour all the blog posts surrounding the challenge. I think it opened many eyes to the hardships some families face when raising babies. This year, I fully intend on partaking in the challenge. I'm gearing up, and I just bought my 5-gallon bucket to use as a camp-style washer. But I am trying to take the challenge to another level and will attempt to "diaper on a dime" using as many "found" items as possible. I will see how cheaply one could really get away with being when it comes to diapering.
Using flats doesn't intimidate me, I got into using them after the challenge last year. And now, I love them and use them everyday. The hand washing, however, does. I am a bit nervous about that part. But having seen the challenge last year, I learned a lot by reading the trials and errors of other bloggers. So I think I can handle it. But I will be updating throughout the week of the challenge and letting you all know how it's going. Right now, I'm trying to get all my ducks in a row to be ready. If you're up to it, feel free to jump into the challenge yourself. The challenge runs from May 21-27.

Excuses, Excuses

Wow, I'm a great blogger... Not! After my last blog, I had great intentions, but as usual, life tends to get in the way. But I've been inspired as of late, and this blog is becoming a priority once again. I look forward to sharing some reviews soon and some of the things going on in our family life. We are hoping to take Ian on his first overnight backpacking trip this summer, so I should get lots of fodder for the blog from our adventures. I am also hoping to reveal a new venture I am starting in our community in the near future. So I have lots in store and will be making more appearances this year than last... At least, that's my goal. And much like the blog, my YouTube has been pretty neglected as well. I hope to change that, too. See you soon!