How I Do It: Limitations

 Support your local businesses!  Natty Greene‘s beer is made in NC!
The Green Egg and cooking accessories were purchased at Charlotte Grill Company.

I hope y’all had a wonderful weekend!  We had a great time hanging out with friends on Saturday night, and the hubs used his Green Egg to make some yummy barbecue on Sunday.  I’ll be enjoying it all week!  LOVE BBQ!

How I Do It: Limitations
Gates are the key to boundaries.  One thing that has helped me tremendously with having four minnies running around the house is having swinging gates on doors to certain rooms and to the stairs.  Here are the ones we use, that seem to do the trick…
Little did we know that purchasing these gates for Boozer six years ago, we would get so much use out of them now.  At the current time, it keeps me from having to run around telling L to get out of Boozer’s doggie bowls, and trying to go up the stairs.  And the girls know not to open them if they’re closed, so L won’t get through them.  The gates also keep the kitchen off limits, when I’m prepping meals, which helps a great deal.
Sparse space.  My pediatrician gave me some words of wisdom when W was little, and I still swear by it to this day: If you don’t want your child to touch the vase, instead of constantly telling your child “Don’t touch the vase!” just move the vase.  So, while the children are young, we don’t have any coffee table books, breakable items, etc. sitting out.  That way we don’t have to constantly tell them not to touch it.  I know this may seem a little extreme, but it works, and it has saved my sanity!  Yes, I have some great pieces that I would love to use, to decorate rooms, but I’ll simply save them for when the kiddos get older, and more responsible.  And I realize there are things that they have to be told not to touch, like in our case, the fireplace screen, the oven, stove, outlets, etc. but at least with everything else put away, the less scolding you’ll have to do.
Confinements.  Y’all, our house is small.  I’m not kidding.  Like 1500 square feet small.  We thought when we moved in that we would get a dog, and then move out before children…well, six years later…and we’re still here.  We’ve clearly made it work for us, but it definitely has its challenges.  Our problem was that they we bought it at the height of the housing market, and then the market crashed right after we moved in (terrible timing), so it’s been hard to try and sell it for so much less than what we paid for it, back in 2006.  So, all in all, with us having such a small house, it’s easier not to have things sitting out (clutter).
And I know I may seem crazy in saying this, but having a small house does have its benefits, I mean it’s a lot easier to clean for one thing.  We definitely maximize every square inch of this place…which makes for no dust and no wasted space.  While there are advantages, there are a million disadvantages to every positive thing to this house (i.e. while it’s easy to clean, it’s easy to get it messy too).  But for the time being, I’m content.  I always try and stay positive and realize no matter how small of a house…it’s OUR HOME.  I’m so blessed with my precious family, and thank the Lord everyday for that.
I hope this gives you a little more insight into how I make it work!  Next Monday, I’ll be discussing family involvement and errands/outings.  Challenging, but fun!

14 thoughts on “How I Do It: Limitations

  1. Looks like you had a great weekend! My sister did the same thing with her tiny house, she removed the things that she kept having to worry about being touched or broken.

  2. You have passed on some good advice:) Now that I have a little one again I needed to hear that. Staying positive is the best attitude to show your children. It took us 3 years to sell our starter home so I know it can be hard…but you will be in a larger home soon I'm sure. I was able to get some Lilly items for my daughters. Hope you were able to get what you wanted too!

  3. great advice! we are just starting to baby proof and your idea to just take away breakables is both simple and smart! love your blog!

  4. When I first read this post title, I thought it meant you were going to share some wisdom on how to have limitations when it comes to shopping Lilly..lol…because I seriously need advice in that area! The New Year sale + Lilly on RLL has done major damage on my wallet….but it's Lilly! At major sale prices! How can I refuse? 🙂

  5. You know I'm with you on the small house! I always tell myself: Small houses make tight families, and that the kids won't remember the pains of a small house – it's MY issue!

    I grabbed a top for myself and a dress for Molly on Rue La La yesterday 😉

  6. I love this How I Do It post! I haven't mentioned it a lot on my blog, but when I was 11, my 3 younger cousins moved in with us, doubling our family of 3 to a family of 6. We live in a small house, which at the time it was roomy and spacious for the 3 of us. My parents decided not to move when the girls moved in for many reasons and it was cramped, but you totally have the right idea when you say that it is your home, no matter what the size!

  7. I'm loving this series! Thank you so much for sharing your tips! I'm expecting my first in March & will definitely be referencing these posts! I totally understand your housing market woes. I'm in the same boat & live in the same city…we met briefly a few years ago when you dropped off two Rachel Leigh bracelets I bought from you! Anyhow, I feel your pain, but it looks like the market might be picking back up…

  8. I love your blog and am slowly sifting through it. You are right about the small house. When we had our third child (I also have little ones, and it's so refreshing to find someone else with a gaggle of small children who has not given up on her appearance!) , we went from a 1800sq ft house to a 3200sq ft house. Good gracious, it's almost impossible to keep it clean. And I noticed that I became much more lax about cleaning out closets/toys because there was so much space, and then it all added up. It's overwhelming, even with a housekeeper.

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