4Real Forums: Small Homes

Oh, Dearest Mother, Sweetest Virgin of Altagracia, our Patroness. You are our Advocate and to you we recommend our needs. You are our Teacher and like disciples we come to learn from the example of your holy life. You are our Mother, and like children, we come to offer you all of the love of our hearts. Receive, dearest Mother, our offerings and listen attentively to our supplications. Amen.

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Mothering and Family Life
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Topic: Small Homes

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lapazfarm
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Joined: July 21 2005
Location: Alaska
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Posted: July 18 2008 at 5:41pm \| IP Logged

I just found this thread and am loving it! Our new house in AK is small (around 1000 sq ft I think)and the space is not arranged how I would like it at all (big open kitchen with no food storage space, lots of space in upstairs master bedroom loft, but tiny kids bedrooms and a BIG portion of the living room taken up by both a wood stove and monitor heater.)
But it is what it is and I am trying hard to find ways to make it work for us. I think it has enormous potential, it's just getting there that will be the challenge! The big challenge will be what to do with all of our school materials, particularly science stuff,and books. The double heater situation means that there is little to no wall space for bookshelves, so I am really pondering what to do with books. Obviously the monitor heater needs to go, which will open up an entire wall and lots more floor space, but dh is hesitant to be rid of it until we see how heating with wood goes. Winter is long and harsh here.

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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning

joann10
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Joined: Feb 10 2007
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Posts: 3493

Posted: July 18 2008 at 5:53pm \| IP Logged

In our 900 square foot house and 12 people, I keep the school books in under-the-bed tote boxes. One box for each kid. We pull them out in the morning, onto the beds, and take things in and out during the day to the kitchen table(also known as the school table). At dinner time they get returned to under the beds.

For science stuff (we love science stuff!) I have one small closet with shelves above the clothes rod. I do need to get on a chair to get what we are using down, but at least it is out of sight.

Servant2theKing
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Joined: Nov 13 2005
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Posts: 1505

Posted: July 18 2008 at 6:08pm \| IP Logged

A large master bedroom loft could do triple duty as a library/familyroom/bedroom! By day it's a family hangout, by night it's a cozy parents' retreat! We have a sofa, loveseat and our TV for videos in our average size master bedroom...since we saved space by having drawer units in the closets, instead of using dressers, we gained space for lounging together in our bedroom where we read or watch movies as a family...our livingroom is also less cluttered as a result (but most studying does take place in there and we have small desks and study baskets in that room). We used to have most of our bookshelves in the master bedroom as well, but recently transformed our daughter's old bedroom into a library/guestroom (after she left home). It's amazing how multi-purposing rooms in a home can somehow make a smaller home seem much bigger or at least more livable! Of course, ruthless control of clutter helps make things even more pleasant for all, especially Mom!

I love reading all the ways you ladies have creatively stretched your small living spaces! Hurrah for cottage homeschooling!

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helene
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Joined: Dec 10 2006
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Posts: 304

Posted: July 18 2008 at 9:47pm \| IP Logged

JoAnn, You are amazing. I remember you from another thread about small houses and you take the cake and I often think of you as I go about my day-to-day.

MaryAn, I am not sure of the diameter of the round table that seats ten. I have a bulky rectangular one myself. The tables at my wedding reception were round and seated ten and were not very large at all.

Sarah, thank you for being so kind and gracious about my "duh" moment. I love your blog and will be putting it on my daily list. Thanks for this thread, too! Some great ideas here!

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Happy Mom to five girls (20,17,13,11and 4) and five boys (19, 15, 10, 8 and 6)

Erin
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Joined: Feb 23 2005
Location: Australia
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Posted: Sept 15 2008 at 5:25am \| IP Logged

Sarah

Thought I'd share this picture of my ds' 'doll's bed' as one solution to fitting in more children to an already crowded room.

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Erin
Faith Filled Days
Seven Little Australians

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