Alternately titled: Big Family in a Small Space
Allyson said...
One of the home options available to us right now is a 2 bedroom townhome, but I'm not sure how townhome
living will affect our family. Would you mind giving me some ideas of what it was like for your family to live in a townhome?
We lived in a townhouse from April 2005 through April 2011. Before we moved in, we had been living in a small 2-bedroom apartment. We had 2 kids-- a 2-year-old and an 8-month-old. When we moved
out, we had 5 kids, ages 8, 6, 4, 2, and 8 months. Our townhouse was
about 1200 square feet, but we used one bedroom exclusively for storage
so we figure we had about 1100 square feet of living space. There were
times when we felt cramped and desperately wanted more space! I think
Brian felt it more than I did. I was there all day long so it was my cozy space and I made it
work, but after Brian had been at work all day, he came home and the tight
space could be confining. I don't mean to say that he complained about
it. The small space just bothered him more than it did me.
We had to be very careful about how much "stuff" came into our house. We had to limit large toys and toys with small pieces. The 4 older kids shared a bedroom and the baby shared our room. Their kids' closet was relatively large so we stored toys on shelves and hung up a lot of their clothes. We also had a storage spot in their closet for underwear, socks, and PJs.
We had to be very careful about how much "stuff" came into our house. We had to limit large toys and toys with small pieces. The 4 older kids shared a bedroom and the baby shared our room. Their kids' closet was relatively large so we stored toys on shelves and hung up a lot of their clothes. We also had a storage spot in their closet for underwear, socks, and PJs.
For me, the hardest part of living in a townhouse was our lack of
privacy. Any time we went anywhere, our neighbors knew. Most of our neighbors were friendly and none of them were nosy, but just knowing they knew our every move
was a little disconcerting. We had no problem with noise. Apparently
the walls were built thick, but I still worried when the kids got rowdy
or loud. When we moved into our new house, it was amazing how much
freer we felt to come and go.
She also asked...
I'm sure we didn't go outside nearly enough. Again, it was the privacy issue and the lack of space. We did have a sand table on our back patio that
got lots of use, although the neighborhood kids used it, too, and
enjoyed throwing our sand on the ground. We went through a lot of
sidewalk chalk. That was a way to be out in the fresh air without
needing a lot of space to move. We also had quite a collection of bikes
and tricycles to use on the many sidewalks around our house. For you, that would depend on the roads near your house and whether such an activity would be safe. Bubbles were another fun thing. I would blow and
the kids would chase and pop.
...and...
What suggestions would you give for storing/organizing homeschool material in the main living quarters?
I had to be careful about the amount of homeschool stuff I collected. We had a tall bookshelf in our bedroom. One shelf was devoted to homeschool things I wasn't currently using. That included Bible books we were finished with or math books in a level we hadn't reached or sewing cards or math manipulatives, plus supplies like paper and markers. We had another bookshelf downstairs that housed the kids' favorite books and the books we used all the time as a family (the dictionary, a medical book, etc.). I reserved the very short top shelf for stacking homeschool materials we used often: current teacher guides, our art prints for the year, the 3-hole punch. Sometimes I also used the top of the bookshelf to house loose papers like our reading list or coloring sheets. Finally, each of the older kids had a small tote bag or backpack to hold their personal workbooks and pencils. We tucked those beside the bookshelf and I insisted on neatness. No sloppily tossed bags allowed!
We lived in a townhome for many years too, w/ 5 kids in a 3 bedroom space. We were fortunate to have garages split the homes, so it was quiet. This was also when I ran a daycare, and it worked. Attitude is the can do of it all don't ya think?
ReplyDeletebtw...how did I miss the whole bulk shopping posts w/ tri-moms? back to read it more thoroughly, lol....
Sheri