Mild: Plain M&Ms are kind of gross. At least stick some peanuts in there or something.
Medium: I don't let my two year old have screen time. Or maybe I've not seen a superhero movie since the George Clooney Batman and Robin movie, and I don't intend to.
Hot: REPEAL THE SECOND AMENDMENT!!!!!
Extra Spicy: Ryan Gosling is a butterface and The Notebook was a terrible movie (actually, everything Nicolas Sparks has ever touched is stupid AF). Fight me.
I'm all for saving money but I find thrift stores gross and I immediately feel like I need a shower after I leave there. Only time I'll ever shop there is looking for a Halloween costume or something.
ETA: No judgement to people who do shop there. You can often find some great things at great prices (and I have donated a lot of designer and high quality clothes myself). I just can't.
@AGK2015 Peanut M&Ms are superior, I don't want LO to have screen time either, the second amendment needs changing because this nation is so different from the one that agreed to bearing arms, and Gosling is NOT in my lineup of future ex-husbands (actually, a boyfriend made me watch The Notebook...and I later dumped his ass).
I don't have any UOs locked and loaded today so I'll just share thoughts.
NTNP since Dec 2012 | TTC since Jan 2016 Dx: Unspecified IF BFP#1 Nov 2017 • Blighted Ovum + MMC • D&C at nine weeks BFP#2 Apr 2018 • It's a boy! • Born 13 Dec 2018
Just here to agree with everything @AGK2015 said. ESPECIALLY the Nicholas Sparks one. His stuff is garbage. Well, my impression is that its garbage. You couldn't pay me to read one of his books or watch one of the movies, save for the one I've seen (see below) .
@echo-charlietango An ex also made me watch The Notebook! He loooved it because his grandma had Alzheimer's, so I tried to hide my disgust, but I hated it so much. I also dumped him later (for many, many things).
@AGK2015 while the plain ones are not the best, they are far from gross! My DD does not sit long enough to have screen time, BUT she was SOOOOO soothed by the Classical Baby videos on HBO go so from 3 months-9months we would put them on when she was being a twat (which was often). I think we need changes with gun regulations, but banning guns is not going to get rid of the problems. And Nicholas Sparks sucks.
@kristah2 I get overwhelmed when things are not organized better. I have a hard time shopping at TJ Maxx or Marshalls because I have to go through the racks and I usually just leave
My UO: I heart screen time and love the tablet my 2 year old has, haha.
I know this is probably not the case for every kid, but my daughter is *incredibly* high energy. She runs wind sprints while eating dinner, never sits still for a second, climbs every available surface like a monkey, etc., and every babysitter and friend we have inevitably asks "is she...always this energetic?" Yes. She is. Every hour of the day! So, it is *very good* that there is something that she can sit and engage in (other than books, which she loves and we read to her often) for five minutes so I can cook dinner. My husband and I are so exhausted by our lil tornado, we consider our tablet a blessing from the heavens, lol. And she has learned so much from it! She has several song and dance routines memorized, she learns new phrases all the time ("I have a great idea!" is the latest, which I love) and she has gotten way more into vegetables she previously didn't want to try, due to songs that hype squash and broccoli like they're treats, haha. I love it. Screen time is our friend in my household! Also, as a kid who is going to grow up in the age of smart phones, tablets, computers, and whatever other new inventions will come out, I do think it's cool that she understands how to navigate these devices from a young age and will definitely be extremely computer literate.
So yeah, tl;dr, not only do I have no problem with (a reasonable amount) of screen time once kids are past the pediatrician recommended age, I looooooove it.
@AGK2015 I'm with you about the screen time. We just don't. In fact, we don't even own a TV. No judgement for parents that do, though. Different strokes for different folks.
My U/O..... anyone who tries to off-load their job onto you, because they can't be bothered, sucks. Blanket statement.
@maureenmce Yeah, to clarify; I'm not against screen time in general, but for us, it's just not necessary. Happy to put off the battles over "You've had enough TV, time to go outside," and "No, you can't play with Mommy's phone," and I love that I don't have to worry about screening content or whatever. We'll see how long it holds once number two comes around. Also, full disclosure: I'm pretty sure my husband has been letting her watch Llama Llama on Saturday mornings while I sleep in (because it's based on her favorite book) and it's just not worth fighting over.
@Jens_Hoes my ideal model wouldn't necessarily be a ban (although if it happened, I wouldn't be sad about it), just treating gun ownership as a privilege you have to earn rather than a right that the government has to prove you can't handle; you know, make it so gun ownership is the purview of the demonstrably responsible, instead of being open to anybody who hasn't been formally adjudicated irresponsible (which all too frequently doesn't happen until someone has already gotten hurt... domestic violence and abuse, for instance, is hugely underreported, which means underprosecuted, which means lots of dudes with guns who have serious potential to harm others). Can't do that without getting rid of the 2nd, so that's my In-An-Ideal-World scenario.
@kristah2 I thrift stores! I wash everything before I wear it and that is good enough for me. I feel a lot less guilty buying used stuff than new stuff. And I am actually more grossed out by sleeping on hotel sheets. I've seen those investigative reports showing the staff doesn't always change them and put clean ones on!
Some screen time is fine. I'll definitely let my kids watch a reasonable amount of TV. But I will do everything I can to never let them play with my phone. I just feel like that's a whole different can of worms. To be fair, my husband has a flip phone and although my phone is a smart phone, it has no games on it and I don't use it to watch videos or anything else like that. I use it for boring adult stuff like email and maps. So hopefully the fact that we don't use our phones as toys will keep our kid from learning to view it as an entertainment option.
@ab_canada I don't think it's gross, but peanut butter is a vastly overrated food. I take pb&js when I know I'll be doing field work during lunch, which is maybe a few times a year. And those are more about the jam for me - the peanut butter is just an afterthought (although it must be crunchy. Creamy peanut butter is effing disgusting). Other than that I don't touch it, maybe save for the occasional Reese's cup that finds its way into my possession. It's just not that good.
Another UO inspired by my post immediately above. The best pbj sandwich is one that has spent several hours being jostled around at the bottom of a backpack, especially if its been a little smashed and the jam starts to sog up the bread. H thinks I'm insane but I'm right.
@hkom The only thing my kid wants my phone (or dada's phone) for is to look at photos of us. It is actually so sweet. When my husband puts her to bed instead of me, she demands to see photos of me until she falls asleep. My heart.
@AGK2015 Yeah, I am totally a "you do you" parent because only you know what works with your family and your kids. Our DD being so high energy and outdoors obsessed, it's a welcome respite. We never have to beg her to put the tablet down, but if it got to that point, we would definitely cut it off. We don't have a tv, but we have been very happy with the tablet, although if we had a more chill daughter I don't think we'd use one much, if at all. I'm curious to see if this LO will be similarly high energy or more mellow (my husband and I adore DD's energy but are ever so slightly hoping for more mellow, lol.)
@AGK2015 Yes to your opinions today! Plain m&m’s suck, as did The Notebook! No screen time for us (though my kid is not the tornado @maureenmce describes, and I do agree that we will have to find some balance given that the world is VERY digital these days).
Now my husband wants to give a guest comment, haha. Transcribed: You are so right. We are in Scandinavia right now and I’m pretty sure nobody has been shot since we’ve been here. The same is probably not true for most major cities in the US. But question: is there a way to remove the second amendment without eroding confidence that the remaining items in the Bill of Rights are sacrosanct?
Me: 31 | DH: 31
Together since 2003 | Married 2010 TTC #1 January 2016 BFP April 18 2016 | EDD December 29, 2016 Welcome baby A! January 9, 2017
TTC#2 March 2018 BFP March 30, 2018 | EDD December 12, 2018
@PensiveCrayon. Realistically? Probably not. But that won't keep me from beating the Second Constitutional Convention drum anyway.
And (getting waaaaaaay unpopular here) I'm not sure that redrafting the Bill of Rights would actually be a bad thing. I think we could use some tweaks to the First Amendment (particularly as it relates to free speech, and with additional clarification on the establishment clause). I don't think anybody gives a lick about the 3rd, I think the 4th should be reworked and strengthened, and the 5th and 6th and maybe even the 7th given serious thought in light of the current benefits and drawbacks of our criminal justice system. The 8th could be more explicit, I don't see anybody going after the 9th, and the 10th... well, I think that's a good topic for a spirited debate. And lord knows there are some extraordinarily important rights (or things that should be rights) that should absolutely be enumerated that currently aren't nearly explicit enough (thinking along the lines of a right to privacy, or even the right to vote). Certainly nobody's going to get everything on their wishlist in a redraft, but we don't live in 1789 anymore, and I think there are ways to make good compromises that reflect the fact that we no longer live in a pre-industrial revolution society dominated exclusively by white men.
@hkom I am deeply skeptical of your judgment given your position on creamy peanut butter... but tell me anyway. Do you at least do grape jelly, or are you wrong about that, too?
@maureenmce That is really too cute. What a sweet kid.
My UO: American houses are generally too big. Average house size is over 2000 square feet, second only to Australia. Why do people need that much space? I guess I can see it if you have a bunch of kids, but on average women have 2.4 kids in the US. Reasons big houses are less cool:
you have a lot more space to keep clean
more space to heat/cool
there is a tendency to fill the space you are in, so people accumulate more stuff in big houses
less cozy feeling
I sometimes complain about my 600 square foot apartment, but I honestly appreciate how it limits the amount of junk I can accumulate and that it's easy to keep clean and cheap to heat/cool.
@AGK2015 I am also correct in that seedless blackberry jam is the best for pbj. And pile that ish on to your generic soft wheat bread. It should ooze out the edges.
I will grant you that blackberry jam is delicious (seriously, with chocolate gooey butter cake? To. Die. For.), but that is NOT how you make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, damnit. It's called peanut butter and JELLY for a reason.
@kadeephd YES re: house size. I am baffled by the trendiness of McMansions - the heating and cooling bills must be astronomical! Plus, yes, I can barely keep a 2 bedroom apartment clean, how do people clean 3500 sq foot houses? My dream is a small or medium sized house (like 1200-1400 sq feet) and then a huge yard, so I can grow all (or most) of our fruit and veggies at home!
@AGK2015 You don’t like plain m &m’s?!?!? What about dark chocolate ones? @maureenmce I am glad I am not the only one with a super high energy kiddo. People always comment about DS and how he will crash later and I’m always like “nope, he is always like this.” @kadeephd I feel like cleaning our 1600 sq ft House is too much work. I cannot imagine cleaning some of these gigantic homes!
@kadeephd Yesssss! We just started watching the Minimalism documentary on Netflix last night, so your opinion is timely. We’re feeling very convicted, and have for a while. Our dream future home waffles between tiny home (except how are we going to feasibly fit in the 3 kids we’re planning? I know it can be done, but maybe this is a dream for when they’re all out of the house) to the smaller-sized home @maureenmce mentioned, complete with large garden, chickens, etc.
My in-laws just retired at the beginning of this year and bought a brand new McMansion. It’s nicely designed, but for the life of me I don’t know why two retirees (one with bad knees who literally avoids going up stairs) need four bedrooms and six bathrooms. (That said, it is very nice to have our own space when we visit, and our not-so-secret plan for the nearish future when H loses all his AF salary to become a priest is to get a parish in KC and move in with them. Ha!)
Me: 31 | DH: 31
Together since 2003 | Married 2010 TTC #1 January 2016 BFP April 18 2016 | EDD December 29, 2016 Welcome baby A! January 9, 2017
TTC#2 March 2018 BFP March 30, 2018 | EDD December 12, 2018
Team screen time here. Our daughter knew the alphabet at 2 yo, and I credit PBS Kids for a lot of that. They're also always coming to me with weird things like, "How does your body make blood? Oh, wait. I know that. Your bones". We don't have cable, so all they're ever watching is educational, and I just can't get too worked up about it. It's so different than what I watched as a kid (it's seriously a wonder my brain isn't rotten - I grew up on soaps and looney tunes).
Our current house is about 2200 sqft, and I'd love something with a bit more space. Specifically, I'd love it if the kids had a dedicated room to play in, so that I didn't have to deal with their crap all the time. Having larger bedrooms for them would be nice, too, because they could really use a little more closet space.We're generally pretty good at just purging things when we're done with them/don't use them anymore, so it's not like we have a ton of crap. But ... this baby, for instance. I have no idea where we're going to put the crib in DS's room. It just... isn't going to fit well. It's going to be so awkward until the kid can move to the bottom bunk.
@PensiveCrayon SIX BATHROOMS?! I cannot even imagine trying to keep six bathrooms clean.
Our house is about 1400 sqft and it's pretty much perfect for us. I wouldn't be mad if one of the spare bedrooms was a little bit bigger, or if we had a second bathroom, but it's really not that big of a deal. I'm sure it'll be crowded with kids, but that's OK - I don't think each should have their own bedrooms anyway. I shared a room growing up and the whole family shared one bathroom for most of my childhood and I think I'm better for it. We didn't have a "playroom" either. We just played in our bedrooms or outside. If we wanted to bring toys downstairs it was just expected that we put them away at the end of the day / when we were done.
Ha, I'd be thrilled to not have to share a bathroom with my kids. Maybe it's a good experience for children to share growing up, but I'm a grown up dammit and I just want some privacy once in a while.
The house I grew up in was huge. There were a lot of us (I have four siblings, so 7 people living in the house), but it was just so nice to have some space when you needed it. This coming from someone who's arguably weirdly close with her family now. Like, my parents basically lived with us part-time before my mom got sick, my dad may move in with us full time if/when my mom passes. I'm a huge fan of large community spaces for everyone to hang out, but personal space is important to us, too.
@PensiveCrayon That is a huge retirement home, though it's a bit different if they bought it with the idea of you and your husband and kids moving in. My parents currently live alone in a mother/daughter house that is five bedrooms, five bathrooms, two kitchens, two dining rooms, etc. We moved into that house when I was in 8th grade because my dad's father's wife had Alzheimer's and they needed help. It was still probably more space than we needed at the time, especially since my brother and I were both in college within five years. All my grandparents are gone now and they are slowly trying to get the house to a place where it can be sold. The taxes alone are crazy on that house. They just have so much stuff! My dad's mom, who lived in Florida, also recently passed away and I keep trying to get them to have an estate sale for her stuff (they could really have an estate sale for their current house, but they won't hear it), but my dad wants to fly down there and rent a truck to bring a bunch of it to my brother and his wife in NC. Part of the reason for doing this is because my grandmother wanted me to have her (very nice) piano, which we don't have room for right now. My brother reluctantly agreed to keep it until we're ready for it, though he doesn't really want it. It would be nice to have the piano someday, but I'm also not super attached to it and would be OK if they just sold it. And my dad is going to pile a bunch of stuff they don't want in that truck for them too. They really don't need it. They just moved from MD to NC and they actually ran out of space in their moving truck -- so they have to figure out how to get the rest of their stuff out of their old place before the end of the month. And my SIL is pregnant and is being induced next week! It's times like these that I thank my lucky stars we live in 600 square feet. We legitimately don't have room for extra stuff so it's easy to say no, and we can move relatively easily.
Wow that got long. I have a lot of thoughts and feelings about stuff.
Re: home sizes DH & I are still trying to nail down our ideal size & amenities. Our last house was 3,500sq’ and was *too damn big* but now that we’re in a much smaller house I am dealing with little storage. Luckily we have about 10 years to live in more temporary homes before we decide on retirement city and build. Right now we’re thinking 4/2 (bedroom, kid room, office, guest), with an attached garage, big fat pantry, mostly open concept, no stairs, big yard for big puppers. We’re trying to be minimalists with my art & closet maximalism
NTNP since Dec 2012 | TTC since Jan 2016 Dx: Unspecified IF BFP#1 Nov 2017 • Blighted Ovum + MMC • D&C at nine weeks BFP#2 Apr 2018 • It's a boy! • Born 13 Dec 2018
@katy0990 Nope! Stale chocolate with an exoskeleton is stale chocolate with an exoskeleton, regardless of whether it's dark chocolate or milk chocolate. Pass.
Our house is currently 1150 SF (3 beds, 1 bath), which is as close as it gets to the perfect size for us. We'd love a second bathroom on the main floor, and it would be nice if the kitchen had any cabinet space at all, and when #3 comes along and the kids get a little older, we may feel compelled to build a little addition or move (no objections to kids sharing a bedroom, but the kids' bedrooms are 8x8 and 8x10 with giant radiators and inconveniently placed doors and windows, so fitting two beds might not be feasible), but for now it's awesome. Especially in the summer, we spend most of our time out in the yard anyway; extra space just isn't a need.
@AGK2015 our new home is the same size as yours, and kid rooms are the same size, too. Basically, if we have more than just this one baby, we will likely need to move again. Still trying to figure out the storage situation, as we have no basement now, and were used to throwing all our crap down there!
I grew up in Ukraine, so our family of 4 lived in a bachelor pad. Yes, we survived just fine, but it just makes me appreciate my 3 bedroom house so much more! I will do my best not to accumulate too much stuff, even though it will be hard with having the first grandchild on both sides of our family.
Some amusing stories from living in the bachelor pad:
When our parents wanted to watch a scary movie on TV ("The Mummy" gave me nightmares, lol), we would have to play in the kitchen.
When us kids wanted to watch something on TV and it was very late or very early, so mom and dad were asleep, we had to sit on the edge of their bed (fold-out couch), plug in headphones into the TV, and (get this!) share the set of headphones so both of us could hear
@kadeephd Oh no, they didn’t buy it with us in mind...we’re just planning on moving in That’s only if all the pieces fall perfectly into place with the seminary stuff, which they’re 95% not likely to. And I can see myself actually being driven batty after a month of living under the same roof as MIL.
@hkom Psh there’s a team of housekeepers who come to clean the house. #luxury Plus the three bathrooms upstairs are untouched when there are no guests, and I’m pretty sure the basement bathroom is also generally untouched.
As for our current space, it’s mostly perfect. I would add a play room and dedicated pantry if I could, and maybe one more bedroom for planned baby #3, but like @echo-charlietango, we currently live the transient life and should be out of AL in two years.
Me: 31 | DH: 31
Together since 2003 | Married 2010 TTC #1 January 2016 BFP April 18 2016 | EDD December 29, 2016 Welcome baby A! January 9, 2017
TTC#2 March 2018 BFP March 30, 2018 | EDD December 12, 2018
All you who can live in small home - seriously mad props to you. We bough a 2 story with fully development basement so 1800 square feet with 3 beds and 4 baths 2 years ago and we are BUSTING at the seams. Our plan is to stick here for about 4-5 years then build or buy or forever home which is going to have to be at least double the size. I need bigger bedrooms, bigger bathrooms, more storage, bigger laundry, bigger kitchen.. Maybe I'm high maintenance
we are currently in about 950sqft, and it's perfect for just the 2 of us. I think we will also be fine with one babe in there, especially before they are mobile. As @kadeephd mentioned, it makes it really easy to say no to extra stuff! We are looking for a big more room, though. I think 1500-1800 will end up being the right size for us (planning 2 mayyyyyybe3 kiddos). As it stands now, we don't really have a guest room, which is a bummer because both sets of parents live far away, and can't really visit for a day trip. A new home will have at least 3 bedrooms and some outdoor space, also preferably an eat-in kitchen. Other than that, we'll see that comes up! we are actually looking at a house tomorrow morning. I don't think it's THE ONE, but maybe i'll be pleasantly surprised
Not quite sure where this belongs but I don't get all of the memes and comments made about Hillary Clinton lately. People are criticizing Trump for all of the idiotic crap he does with Russia and Putin and then I feel like Trump supports response is to talk about Benghazi or emails or crooked Hillary. I agree that she was shady AF at times, and not my favorite choice to be running this past election, but for christ sake, SHE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH TRUMP MEETING WITH PUTIN. Maybe I'm not fully informed but....
Re: UO Thursday
Mild: Plain M&Ms are kind of gross. At least stick some peanuts in there or something.
Medium: I don't let my two year old have screen time. Or maybe I've not seen a superhero movie since the George Clooney Batman and Robin movie, and I don't intend to.
Hot: REPEAL THE SECOND AMENDMENT!!!!!
Extra Spicy: Ryan Gosling is a butterface and The Notebook was a terrible movie (actually, everything Nicolas Sparks has ever touched is stupid AF). Fight me.
ETA: No judgement to people who do shop there. You can often find some great things at great prices (and I have donated a lot of designer and high quality clothes myself). I just can't.
I don't have any UOs locked and loaded today so I'll just share thoughts.
Dx: Unspecified IF
BFP#1 Nov 2017 • Blighted Ovum + MMC • D&C at nine weeks
BFP#2 Apr 2018 • It's a boy! • Born 13 Dec 2018
@echo-charlietango An ex also made me watch The Notebook! He loooved it because his grandma had Alzheimer's, so I tried to hide my disgust, but I hated it so much. I also dumped him later (for many, many things).
@kristah2 I get overwhelmed when things are not organized better. I have a hard time shopping at TJ Maxx or Marshalls because I have to go through the racks and I usually just leave
I know this is probably not the case for every kid, but my daughter is *incredibly* high energy. She runs wind sprints while eating dinner, never sits still for a second, climbs every available surface like a monkey, etc., and every babysitter and friend we have inevitably asks "is she...always this energetic?" Yes. She is. Every hour of the day! So, it is *very good* that there is something that she can sit and engage in (other than books, which she loves and we read to her often) for five minutes so I can cook dinner. My husband and I are so exhausted by our lil tornado, we consider our tablet a blessing from the heavens, lol. And she has learned so much from it! She has several song and dance routines memorized, she learns new phrases all the time ("I have a great idea!" is the latest, which I love) and she has gotten way more into vegetables she previously didn't want to try, due to songs that hype squash and broccoli like they're treats, haha. I love it. Screen time is our friend in my household! Also, as a kid who is going to grow up in the age of smart phones, tablets, computers, and whatever other new inventions will come out, I do think it's cool that she understands how to navigate these devices from a young age and will definitely be extremely computer literate.
So yeah, tl;dr, not only do I have no problem with (a reasonable amount) of screen time once kids are past the pediatrician recommended age, I looooooove it.
My U/O..... anyone who tries to off-load their job onto you, because they can't be bothered, sucks. Blanket statement.
@Jens_Hoes my ideal model wouldn't necessarily be a ban (although if it happened, I wouldn't be sad about it), just treating gun ownership as a privilege you have to earn rather than a right that the government has to prove you can't handle; you know, make it so gun ownership is the purview of the demonstrably responsible, instead of being open to anybody who hasn't been formally adjudicated irresponsible (which all too frequently doesn't happen until someone has already gotten hurt... domestic violence and abuse, for instance, is hugely underreported, which means underprosecuted, which means lots of dudes with guns who have serious potential to harm others). Can't do that without getting rid of the 2nd, so that's my In-An-Ideal-World scenario.
@AGK2015 Yeah, I am totally a "you do you" parent because only you know what works with your family and your kids. Our DD being so high energy and outdoors obsessed, it's a welcome respite. We never have to beg her to put the tablet down, but if it got to that point, we would definitely cut it off. We don't have a tv, but we have been very happy with the tablet, although if we had a more chill daughter I don't think we'd use one much, if at all. I'm curious to see if this LO will be similarly high energy or more mellow (my husband and I adore DD's energy but are ever so slightly hoping for more mellow, lol.)
Now my husband wants to give a guest comment, haha. Transcribed: You are so right. We are in Scandinavia right now and I’m pretty sure nobody has been shot since we’ve been here. The same is probably not true for most major cities in the US. But question: is there a way to remove the second amendment without eroding confidence that the remaining items in the Bill of Rights are sacrosanct?
TTC #1 January 2016
BFP April 18 2016 | EDD December 29, 2016
Welcome baby A! January 9, 2017
TTC#2 March 2018
BFP March 30, 2018 | EDD December 12, 2018
And (getting waaaaaaay unpopular here) I'm not sure that redrafting the Bill of Rights would actually be a bad thing. I think we could use some tweaks to the First Amendment (particularly as it relates to free speech, and with additional clarification on the establishment clause). I don't think anybody gives a lick about the 3rd, I think the 4th should be reworked and strengthened, and the 5th and 6th and maybe even the 7th given serious thought in light of the current benefits and drawbacks of our criminal justice system. The 8th could be more explicit, I don't see anybody going after the 9th, and the 10th... well, I think that's a good topic for a spirited debate. And lord knows there are some extraordinarily important rights (or things that should be rights) that should absolutely be enumerated that currently aren't nearly explicit enough (thinking along the lines of a right to privacy, or even the right to vote). Certainly nobody's going to get everything on their wishlist in a redraft, but we don't live in 1789 anymore, and I think there are ways to make good compromises that reflect the fact that we no longer live in a pre-industrial revolution society dominated exclusively by white men.
@maureenmce I am glad I am not the only one with a super high energy kiddo. People always comment about DS and how he will crash later and I’m always like “nope, he is always like this.”
@kadeephd I feel like cleaning our 1600 sq ft House is too much work. I cannot imagine cleaning some of these gigantic homes!
My in-laws just retired at the beginning of this year and bought a brand new McMansion. It’s nicely designed, but for the life of me I don’t know why two retirees (one with bad knees who literally avoids going up stairs) need four bedrooms and six bathrooms. (That said, it is very nice to have our own space when we visit, and our not-so-secret plan for the nearish future when H loses all his AF salary to become a priest is to get a parish in KC and move in with them. Ha!)
TTC #1 January 2016
BFP April 18 2016 | EDD December 29, 2016
Welcome baby A! January 9, 2017
TTC#2 March 2018
BFP March 30, 2018 | EDD December 12, 2018
Our current house is about 2200 sqft, and I'd love something with a bit more space. Specifically, I'd love it if the kids had a dedicated room to play in, so that I didn't have to deal with their crap all the time. Having larger bedrooms for them would be nice, too, because they could really use a little more closet space.We're generally pretty good at just purging things when we're done with them/don't use them anymore, so it's not like we have a ton of crap. But ... this baby, for instance. I have no idea where we're going to put the crib in DS's room. It just... isn't going to fit well. It's going to be so awkward until the kid can move to the bottom bunk.
Our house is about 1400 sqft and it's pretty much perfect for us. I wouldn't be mad if one of the spare bedrooms was a little bit bigger, or if we had a second bathroom, but it's really not that big of a deal. I'm sure it'll be crowded with kids, but that's OK - I don't think each should have their own bedrooms anyway. I shared a room growing up and the whole family shared one bathroom for most of my childhood and I think I'm better for it. We didn't have a "playroom" either. We just played in our bedrooms or outside. If we wanted to bring toys downstairs it was just expected that we put them away at the end of the day / when we were done.
The house I grew up in was huge. There were a lot of us (I have four siblings, so 7 people living in the house), but it was just so nice to have some space when you needed it. This coming from someone who's arguably weirdly close with her family now. Like, my parents basically lived with us part-time before my mom got sick, my dad may move in with us full time if/when my mom passes. I'm a huge fan of large community spaces for everyone to hang out, but personal space is important to us, too.
DH & I are still trying to nail down our ideal size & amenities. Our last house was 3,500sq’ and was *too damn big* but now that we’re in a much smaller house I am dealing with little storage. Luckily we have about 10 years to live in more temporary homes before we decide on retirement city and build.
Right now we’re thinking 4/2 (bedroom, kid room, office, guest), with an attached garage, big fat pantry, mostly open concept, no stairs, big yard for big puppers.
We’re trying to be minimalists with my art & closet maximalism
Dx: Unspecified IF
BFP#1 Nov 2017 • Blighted Ovum + MMC • D&C at nine weeks
BFP#2 Apr 2018 • It's a boy! • Born 13 Dec 2018
Our house is currently 1150 SF (3 beds, 1 bath), which is as close as it gets to the perfect size for us. We'd love a second bathroom on the main floor, and it would be nice if the kitchen had any cabinet space at all, and when #3 comes along and the kids get a little older, we may feel compelled to build a little addition or move (no objections to kids sharing a bedroom, but the kids' bedrooms are 8x8 and 8x10 with giant radiators and inconveniently placed doors and windows, so fitting two beds might not be feasible), but for now it's awesome. Especially in the summer, we spend most of our time out in the yard anyway; extra space just isn't a need.
I grew up in Ukraine, so our family of 4 lived in a bachelor pad. Yes, we survived just fine, but it just makes me appreciate my 3 bedroom house so much more! I will do my best not to accumulate too much stuff, even though it will be hard with having the first grandchild on both sides of our family.
Some amusing stories from living in the bachelor pad:
@hkom Psh there’s a team of housekeepers who come to clean the house. #luxury Plus the three bathrooms upstairs are untouched when there are no guests, and I’m pretty sure the basement bathroom is also generally untouched.
As for our current space, it’s mostly perfect. I would add a play room and dedicated pantry if I could, and maybe one more bedroom for planned baby #3, but like @echo-charlietango, we currently live the transient life and should be out of AL in two years.
TTC #1 January 2016
BFP April 18 2016 | EDD December 29, 2016
Welcome baby A! January 9, 2017
TTC#2 March 2018
BFP March 30, 2018 | EDD December 12, 2018
We bough a 2 story with fully development basement so 1800 square feet with 3 beds and 4 baths 2 years ago and we are BUSTING at the seams. Our plan is to stick here for about 4-5 years then build or buy or forever home which is going to have to be at least double the size. I need bigger bedrooms, bigger bathrooms, more storage, bigger laundry, bigger kitchen.. Maybe I'm high maintenance