There are certain things about apartment dwelling that I LOVE. The fact that I only have about 900 square feet to keep clean is probably at the top. Having 4 washers and dryers to use simultaneously is certainly up there too. Of course, not having to foot the bill for any repairs is huge as well, especially for the finances of a medical student family! But, may I also share some of my not-so-favorite aspects of apartments? 1)No room 2)Noisy upstairs neighbors 3)NO room 4)No yard 5)NO ROOM!!!!! I believe I have mentioned before that messy house= unhappy mommy, but sometimes it is next to impossible not to have a messy house when there is nowhere to put things. They say the key to keeping a tidy house is "A place for everything and everything in its place"...well, what if you don't HAVE a place for everyhing? Literally?! Our apartment seemed more than sufficient when it was just Jon and I - we don't have THAT much stuff! But 2 adults + 1 growing, active boy + 1 active, growing girl = CLUTTER! Children add a whole new dimension to the accumulation of THINGS: there is the ever-changing wardrobe (I just bought Kai those pants last week, how can they already be above his ankles!?)...the ever-changing interest in toys (just lie there and look at the mobile, it's fun, I promise.)...and the ever-present need to have TWO of certain constantly fought-over toys (Kids! Share! Take turns!) Furthermore, there is the "PACKRAT" in my genes which forces me to hang onto baby clothes, toys and other necessities "in case we need them again" (which will most likely be the case in the not-too-distant (but not-too-near!) future. With nothing more than a 4'x4' room for storage, we have really had to get creative with our storage system!
So, knowing that this apartment will be our "Home" for the next 2 1/2 years and trying to make the best of it, I am now in "De-clutter" mode. Today we got rid of a queen bed, toddler bed, a computer desk, a sofa and a love-seat, not to mention bags of books, toys and clothes. When the Christmas tree finally comes down (Jon likes to leave it up till New Years, much to my chagrin!), we will have all KINDS of room, where the kids can actually run and play (and I can keep the clutter under control - at least, in theory!) I couldn't be more excited!
Any tips for LIVING IN CONFINED SPACES? I would LOVE to hear them! :)
1 comment:
Ha ha ha ha ....ha ha ha...ha ha ha... I laughed the whole way through. It was only a few days ago when Joey said the exact same thing, "It would go in it's PLACE if it HAD A PLACE to Go!" I know what you mean exactly! And I'm always saying the same two good things about this place, lots of washers/dryers (except mine cost 2.25/load!!!) and keeping a 600sp ft apt clean is easier. My only suggestion would be to check out flylday.net. I'm not so great at following her yet, but I think I've learned a lot about keeping or not keeping stuff!
And what did you replace all that furniture with? A futon?
Good luck, let me know if you have any more great ideas for keeping the small space clean! :) Oh and one more plus to having a small apartment (=small bathroom). I can sweep the entire thing while seated on the throne! Ha!
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