Why I Love My Tiny House

0

Our house is old and tiny. When we purchased it five years ago, we didn’t really take future children into consideration; we now have a three-year-old and a second baby arriving this July. While there are times I’ve definitely wished for more space, having a small house has several advantages I have come to appreciate.

Besides loving the character, charm, and sturdiness of a 75-year-old home, I love that I can see or hear my son in almost any part of the home. When he first began crawling, it was super easy to baby-proof the area and keep an eye on him while he was exploring. As he has grown, it has been easy to keep our living space toddler-proof.

A small home also sort of forces minimalism in “things,” which is I something I’ve tried to embrace in all parts of life. With limited space, there just isn’t room for too many toys or belongings. So toys become reduced to the things that are actually played with and other things become reduced to what we actually need. And if you want to keep clutter controlled, then everything needs to have a place. Storage and organization are helpful in keeping order in our space and keeping this mom sane. Older homes often have ample closets and drawers, which is advantageous with small kids who have lots of small things.

Another advantage-it takes less time to clean! I’m able to keep up with cleaning a small space much easier, which is must for a full-time working mom. There are still things that fall behind but it’s not as overwhelming as if we had a large area to clean.

We know that a small home will become smaller as kids grow, and it may not be ideal forever, but for now, it perfectly suits our family and lifestyle. And we love being able to teach our kids that it’s important to us not to “have” more than you really need.

Previous articleTake Care of Yourself: Self-Care Reminders
Next articleGuide to Neighborhoods & Suburbs in Columbus
Andrea Connell
Andrea Connell is social worker, wife, and mom to a smart, active, and sweet toddler, Brady. Originally from Lexington, OH (not Kentucky as commonly thought!), she moved to Columbus in 2001 to attend college at The Ohio State University, and it has been home ever since. She earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in social work, and has worked with children in some capacity for over ten years, including as a therapist, case manager, and early intervention service coordinator. She now works full-time for a large social service agency, but a flexible schedule allows her to manage work, motherhood, and domestic duties and keep (somewhat) sane. She met her husband, Brian, through mutual friends about six years ago and they have been married since 2013. Andrea loves living in Columbus and enjoys exploring all the fun places, events, and festivals that the city offers. Most weekends, you can find her and her family at the Columbus Zoo or any park that is conducive to expending toddler energy. She loves spending time with her friends and extended family, which includes ten nieces and nephews! Other interests include reading (when she can stay awake long enough to do so), occasional date nights with her husband, texting instead of talking on the phone, local coffee shops, live music, and attempting crafty projects that may or may not get finished.