{Day 19} Real Home: Living Large in a Small Space

We have a lovely home. I'm so thankful for it. We bought it new nearly 6 years ago and it's the only house we've ever owned. The main living space showcases tons of natural light and high ceilings. Our bedrooms are plenty big and we've all got ample closets.  

I have a giant bath tub and our bathroom has two sinks. We have a garage and plenty of storage. The driveway is flat and therefore perfect for bikes and scooters. What's more, we have a huge, empty backyard that's big enough for my golf-loving son to practice his sport.

But...

Our home is sort of small. Now I know that house size is entirely relative. If we lived in Shanghai or New York, it would be a mansion. For many, many people, it would be a large home. By American standards, I honestly don't know. It's a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house and about 1300-ish square feet. 

I think it would feel less small if I didn't homeschool and we weren't here all day. Perhaps it would also feel less small if I was less of a borderline introvert {something I've only realized in recent years.} Frequently I long to escape to a quiet space where no one talks or asks questions. 

There are no dividing walls in the kitchen / dining space / living room / school area / foyer. 

It's like open gym all the time. 

While this makes the space feel large and airy, after 6 years and 3 growing kids, I am sort of missing walls and boundaries. 

Above our living space is a nearly 300 square foot bonus room and a small office. It has stairs to get there and everything. It's one of the reasons we bought this home: room to grow. And though our family has grown, our budget has not. So the bonus room sits there gathering cobwebs, mocking me with its spacious unfinishedness.

From time to time, I pray that God will give me that finished bonus room but He's teaching me to be grateful for what I have.

Though I'm not naturally a look-on-the-bright-side kind of girl, things like unfinished rooms are making me one. Some time ago I began to think about the ways in which a smaller space has been a blessing. And if you're trying to live large in a small space, maybe you can use this too.

Togetherness. We can think of it as "cramped" or we can consider it "cozy." I've been in large, gorgeous homes that felt cavernous, homes that boasted space but didn't seem to burst with life. {I've been in large, gorgeous homes that are welcoming and warm as well. Don't want to hate on the large houses}. 

But if I had to choose between the lifeless large and the bursting-with-life small, I'd choose the latter. Any day. 

Though we're constantly rubbing shoulders {literally}, close quarters are all my kids know. Each of them have shared or are currently sharing a room with a sibling. My daughter begged for her own room but when she finally got it, she was lonely as could be. 

I complain about our house feeling small, but they never have and never do. Not once. In fact, they randomly tell me that they love our house and think it's pretty. 

Maybe I need to take more cues from them. 

The Great Outdoors. Because mama needs some quiet by late afternoon, I send them outside. Seriously, I give them no choice. If we had a bigger house, maybe they'd play outside less. Our climate is a mild one so we're blessed to have playable weather many months of the year; I simply consider the yard and driveway our extra square footage.

Creative Spaces. For two days in a row my sons have played Legos on the 3 x 3 foot front porch. It's shady and covered.  

They've been known to play board games and all sorts of things on the front porch with one another and with the neighbor kids. I'd sort of gotten used to it until guests stopped by yesterday and literally had to step over tiny cities and battleships. I was a bit embarrassed. And it made me realize that this is probably not a normal place for kids to play Legos. But it is creative and that makes me smile.

Our porch, driveway, and deck are almost always littered with evidence of play. To the neighbors, it probably looks like we're always gearing up for a yard sale. {Hi neighbors!}

Less Stuff. If you accumulate too much stuff in a small space, you're on your way to Hoarders fast. And though I love the show, I don't want to be on the show. We are constantly cleaning out and purging around here. I've decided that having less is liberating.

I still want that bonus room but if it never happens, we'll be just fine. Because the older I get, the more I realize that home is not about more space and nicer stuff. It's about living real life together to the fullest: the messy, the glorious, the celebratory and the small. 

You can't put walls around any of that. 

..................................

I did my first post about Real Home 4 days ago but took a detour and talked about rest instead. Now I'm picking back up with thoughts about home. Join me?

{Click on the button for the list of all the days 

and topics thus far.}