What helped my family the most is the principle of "Five more steps.". No more piles of stuff!! Go the distance to put things away instead of leaving piles everywhere! So your tired, but a few more steps won't kill you! Good life lesson, too!
Erica, you are an amazing wife and mother. You pour your whole self into being the best you can be. You have SO much going on! You are a wife, mother, you homeschool, garden, do laundry, cooking, housekeeping, not to mention taking the kids to all their activities. You have also worked so hard to simplify your home. The thing is... if you will reduce the inventory in your home by another 40-50%, it will make things so much easier for you to manage. Coats, clothes, books, homeschool materials, shoes, kitchen items, toys.... just everything. You are doing great! I hope you have a wonderful summer!!!
I wish for you creators to not stress your posting schedule. I never can remember when it’s supposed to be. I’m just happy to see a video whenever one pops up.
It was so good to see you and know you’re taking care of yourself! You’ve got great ideas for organizing the room for homeschooling. It’ll be nice to have your dining table back for eating. Always enjoy watching your videos.❤Patti
You are a a grace-filled and beautiful person, Erica. It was nice to have an update on how you’ve been doing. I was wondering if you were doing OK, so glad you had such a good RV trip. I love your plans to create a dedicated school room, as personally I think to separate the children’s homeschooling into its own identifiable space will help your children as they grow older and into more advanced work, and it will allow a natural separation between home and school life. I think if you don’t set that boundary then their schooling will overwhelm your lives and space; and not just be a part of it. Plus, to eat together as a family is a wonderful thing. Good luck with getting everyone’s help with that, if they all are part of it then they’ll all be involved and invested in its success. Maybe try reinstalling the tidy up at the end of the day routines from the start too in a sort of new year new system kinda way. Give your self grace in the packet soups too, if they are a little salty then just water them down a little or microwave an extra packet of root veggies or use some from your garden, blitz them in a blender and add them in with the packet soup to help absorb the excess salt. Congratulations and well done to your children for their sporting achievements, you and Andy must be so proud.
💚 💚 💚 I'm only at 1:50 into the video and I'm sniffling. With chronic illness plus being a sometimes round-the-clock caregiver to my husband, I'm usually exhausted mentally, physically, and emotionally, and I've been slowly trading Absolute Perfectionism for this style of giving myself grace. But I'm not always so great at silencing the guilt and condemnation that still try to plague me, haunt me, for doing so. I still hope to get better. Thank you. ~ Cristina in Texas
Erica, you are keeping it simple. Posting as you can and making your rooms productive is fine. Summer is for relaxing. All the best to you and your family.
I completely understand that I need a homeschool space conundrum. Our house is small and I have three kids two that are being homeschooled at the moment. We have two small desks but finding a space is always so difficult. You have to be functional over aesthetics which can be hard sometimes. You have to be realistic. But I think the desks in front of the window would be wonderful. Putting her gymnastics in her room if she has the space is a great idea. I drive myself crazy trying to make the house functional for everybody because we have grown out of it but we work with what we have! You're going to make it happen 🙌🏼
Homeschool evolves so much as our children age. You are such a great practical problem solver, mom, teacher. A wall in front of their desks with pertinent memory work was less distracting than a window for one of my boys. You've got this!
Just a thought, Erica...is there room in the kitchen for the larger table? If so, the smaller one in the dining room would probably leave room for a couple of desks. Also, many homeschoolers have rolling carts for each kid's work to keep it all organized. It might save you from having to figure out new homes for all of the items in your family room.
I love the idea of you reclaiming your dining room and turning your living room into the homeschool room! I was thinking you could put a table against the wall where the broken couch is for ongoing projects or when you work with all of your kiddos for joint instruction. That way you don’t have the look of two rooms with a table in the middle of them and you are not tempted to go back into the dining room for home school because you need a table.
What a great idea to try to pinpoint one stressor and then work to resolve that particular issue. It should help alleviate the feeling of "overwhelm". Thank you for sharing your videos!
Erica, I have been following for a very long time. Since you had hardly any subscribers and you started your decluttering journey. You are such an inspiration and find your videos very motivating for my own journey of life.
Life is a series of trade offs- don’t feel bad about the short cuts. It frees you up to do the things that matter. Silencing my inner critic while making trade offs is hard.
Great idea for school room relocation. Also, bookcases could be used against wall, separating desks. But, the room should take shape well. Congratulations on your harvest. You're doing an amazing job on all fronts!
If the visual clutter bothers you, you might like to use shelves or cabinets with doors to hide the books and papers. I homeschooled my 2 kids in my dining room and had closed cabinets. Each day after school, the table was cleared by each child. We had a clean table to eat at. We didn't have another option.
I think having the desks looking out windows with a bookcase in the middle of the windows would be nice. Also, taking shortcuts for summer meals is the best!
Congratulations Brandon on your Bronze Award. Erica, I will watch any video you make. You might want to go back and view previous videos (a couple of years ago) on how you previously had the "library/home school" room laid out. I would take everything out of the room, including the broken couch and the items that are homeschool related, from the dining room. Then assess what you want in that room. Perhaps, some of Andy's books could be in bookcases in the dining room or your bedroom? An ottoman/storage container to put games in could go in front of the broken couch? This could provide another place to play board games. All just suggestions.
As someone who ended up in detention for being tardy for school often(later learned it was an anxiety issue lol) I had to sit in a desk that faced a wall often it was incredibly depressing....I love the idea of desks in front the windows...but also your kids are old enough to give feedback to you on what they think would work for them or at least factor in their opinion....and yes we want all the videos Erica we love being there with you if you want to share!
Your garden could easily be a farm…. So impressive. I hope you do film all the things you discussed, especially the changes for the home school spaces. Thanks for the pesto idea, I’m going to try it. The kid’s accomplishments are a real tribute to you and your husband’s parenting. Kudos to both of you. You also mentioned giving yourself grace to relax when you need it. Be sure to do that for yourself, and ultimately for your family…… soup is good…. You are a good mom! …. Now relax! 🌻
So glad to see you! Chicken and cheese quesadillas are quick and easy that most kids like. Kudos for taking the summer off of homeschooling. I homeschooled for 11 years and they actually did better with the next school year if they had a real break.
Im so happy you posted this video today!!! I was really excited to watch it. I cant imagine losing a parent (my worst nightmate). Take all the time you need, we are more then willing to wait.
I’ve missed you!! I was so excited when I saw you had a new video up! Great video! I love how you explain Mess and Stress and how to combat it. Love you and wishing you the best. ❤
Hi Erica it’s so good to see you again. You have come a long ,long way in decluttering.I think you would find simplifying even easier if you reduced kid stuff by another 50%. I had 4 children 2 dogs 2 cats and 2 birds and hubby and I both worked full time .the only person who had too much stuff was hubby. All the kids stuff was kept in their rooms and if they wanted a toy they brought it to the family rm but when finished with it they toy went back to their rm. I think the key is to not let kids stuff take over every rm in the house.I think if you put all the kids stuff in one rm . You would be shocked at the over whelming amount of stuff the children have.I am not referring to home schooling that is a totally different category.
My granddaughter made team as well. She is 5. The schedule is crazy but boys did baseball and football and they were pretty intense as well. Deciding what the end goal and how much motivation it pushed in them as well as how much crazy I wanted to be in, were part of the weighing process. You are doing a great job adjusting. I am still praying for you through the grief when I see a post from you. ❤
@@EricaLucasLoves it will come in time. The missing part doesn't fade but the smiles do return. You know your smile brought joy to your family as it has done to those that follow you! Big hugs!
Ha! I used to ask for a "yes mom id love to" day, as a present (like my birthday or mothers day). No whining, complaining or "what's my sibling gonna do?" Everything I ask of them they'd have to answer with "yes mom, I'd love to" .......
@@voiceojane yes, but my kids are in their forties now. Today, kids can report their parents to their teachers or other "authority figures", for some supposed sort of abuse that they are "feeling"...... so there's that. But you know my kids still talk about it. They tell me that it was a "gangsta" move because it was free but then again they had to trust me....they didn't like that part. Ha ha. I, on the other hand, loved the dichotomy of it all....
Hi Erica, long-time viewer here 😊love your videos! I know you already have desks at home but hear me out.. I LOVE the Ikea Norden table and have used it for several years interchangeably as a dinning-table for 6, a work desk, a remote-teaching station, a board-game table and a sewing table. It is quite durable, folds up small, it has storage and I think it could help you have a more flexible school room🎉
BONE BROTH!!! I am a huge fan of that and I would LOVE to see how you do that. Kids are getting SO big! Becca's hair is so long and the boys look so grown up to me! You're doing great. My heart is still with you. Grace and space, sister! I LOVE that mantra and I'm stealing it. Xo ❤
I would enjoy seeing the transformation of the library back into a school room. We just moved to a bigger place and I am so grateful to have dedicated spaces! No more office -bedroom. If you need two tables and you are fortunate enough to have two rooms for them, go for it! It will feel so good to have a serene dining area. I might even add a curtain so you don't have to see all the school stuff while you eat! (I've really embraced closed storage for more peaceful spaces too.)
Great video. Congratulations on your son’s karate. I think it’s a great idea that you’re turning your living room into a homeschool room. I would move the sofa and bar out. And I think it would be fine to have a table as well as the desks in the room. Good luck it will be a great project. I would be interested in seeing you make a bone broth. Thanks a lot!!
I think it’s a great idea for the homeschool room - I find you have su many books probably would be better in a closed bookcase or like an ikea bookcase that have backs and sides easier to care for I feel those bookcase you have are more for decor or knickknacks
You look so good in this video. Thank you for sharing your pesto recipe. I would love to see you make spaghetti sauce when the Roma tomatoes ripen. Look forward to seeing the rooms switched! Wonderful video. Take care, Linda 🦋
I would love to see you recreate a homeschool space! Our homeschool space is in our dining room, as well, but we don't have any other rooms. However, the idea of a desk where my daughter could do independent work is intriguing as she moves into 3rd grade. I love getting ideas from other homeschool moms, especially because you share your thought processes, which helps me know if we have some of the same challenges!
I haven't read the comments, so I'm not sure if someone has already shared it - but I make bone broth in the instant pot!! It's done soooo fast compared to 48 hours! But yes, interested in the homeschool room makeover!
I was also going to say maybe add brewers yeast for a dairy free cheese flavor in the pesto, but I'm not sure if freezing defeats the nutritional benefits or not
Love the idea of turning the library into the homeschool room - all the books & puzzles & games are already there. And i know your boys share a room, but would one of them like his desk in there?
I enjoyed this video so much this morning! It was like visiting with a friend, while I drank my morning coffee. I do think you should move Rebecca’s gymnastic equipment upstairs, since she has a large bedroom. I say this with love-I think you still have too much inventory to manage with food, homeschool & toys. I also think you should limit what you keep on your bookcases to books & boxed puzzles only. Otherwise, there’s too much visual clutter, which attracts more clutter. I also suggest a chest, cabinet or a bench with storage to store all the photo albums. They need a real home. Finally, have you thought about getting a larger kitchen table? If you don’t want to sit their for family meals, a larger table could be a good swing space for homeschool. Good luck! I hope this helps. I am looking forward to seeing the homeschool renovation!
I think this is as close to an overview of a real life sample of a simple living OPUS that I’ve seen you do👏🏻IMO this is a pinnable introduction to what you are trying to accomplish with your channel! You are so inspiring to me and I am so proud of how you have navigated your life in the last 3-5 years since you started in the basement piled with boxes. I have been desiring the slow, simple living you are teaching but you ACTUALLY did it!! I am not a minimalist and the extreme nature never suited me. Thank you for bringing me along in your life and sharing the ups and downs; I feel privileged. May you feel the continuing returned blessings of your sharing!!💞💝 Leah Fischer
Hi Erica! Have you thought abot using the basement? The first part of the room down there, ust by the steps could host a large table for school projects. Perhaps your two older kids are old enough to have their desks there to, and get a calm environment to sit and work. The pink bar might be able to go outside in the summer and stay in the basement at winter. About pesto... you can substitute pine nuts with sunflower seeds.
I remember back when you talked to your therapist girl when you were working hard on your clothes and closet spaces. I think you are doing the best you can this summer. < - I wish I could make that bold. ❤ Maybe you could run your home school curriculum ideas by her (or us too) when you are ready. You have a month until that begins. If you run out of time or you eat pizza every day, who cares. As I say that, you talked about soups haha. If you run out of lunch ideas, look at an old lunch menu maybe?
Perhaps because you have couches in your lounge room. If the broken couch doesn't get used very much it could be removed and the smaller table could be put against the wall for projects. That way it isn't in the middle of the room and makes the space more open.
You’re doing amazingly well considering what you’ve been going through and all the things you do. I love the grace and space idea. Many blessings to you all. Can you seperate the books, keep school books in the school room and put all other books and family photo albums in the living or dining room?
have the kids make their own guess who characters. ie a kid draws a card twice for each board or print favorite characters on paper about the size of the cards. could have spider man, princesses etc. then it keeps the game fresh! also I use a bag of cream of veggie soup that you showed w a can of cream of chicken to make a pot pie sauce or soup base. add chicken and potatoes plus a bag of frozen veggies and you have a hearty base for pot pie or a soup version of it ready to eat. I pull rotisary chicken and make a pie from premade crust. just glaze the crust w sweetened butter as it could be salty for sweet pies.
What if you put one kids desk in the corner and the other one on the other side of the wall in the dining room corner? They would have more privacy. Sometimes always seeing what the other is doing is as distracting as hearing it.
Hi there sweetie pie hope you are well just take one day at time love your garden it looks great simple living is wonderful for your beautiful family but declutter and tidy will make a difference with everyone love from Eugenie your friend xxx 🌻💞🌞🦋🏡
i use shallow lightweight trays to transport interrupted projekts, i have shelfs deep enough to hold the trays. the projects are mainly flat (paper) so the trays stack
Just thinking, put the shelves side by side and a desk on either side and the shelves beside their desk is for their stuff. I would like to see a video on making a school room.
We have an older version of guess who that has 6 diff cards like monsters, silly faces, house products, ect and its the most amazing thing my kids play it for hrs. Wish they still made kt
Ugh, yes. Dairy free can be such a pain. My youngest has to be for now. He vomits or gets hives if he eats any Dairy products. Don't worry about inconsistently posting. those of us who watch you regularly just want you to be happy and healthy during this time.
I base rooms on whst my family needs not what some builder labeled it. Plus nobody visits me so i can make any room how i want, not gnna set my house up certain ways on the off chance i get a visitor once a year
So glad to see you are taking things slow and taking care of your spirit, Erica. When you revamp the homeschool room, that will be a fun video I look forward to. So nice to see you again! ❤
What helped my family the most is the principle of "Five more steps.". No more piles of stuff!! Go the distance to put things away instead of leaving piles everywhere! So your tired, but a few more steps won't kill you! Good life lesson, too!
Erica, you are an amazing wife and mother. You pour your whole self into being the best you can be. You have SO much going on! You are a wife, mother, you homeschool, garden, do laundry, cooking, housekeeping, not to mention taking the kids to all their activities. You have also worked so hard to simplify your home. The thing is... if you will reduce the inventory in your home by another 40-50%, it will make things so much easier for you to manage. Coats, clothes, books, homeschool materials, shoes, kitchen items, toys.... just everything. You are doing great! I hope you have a wonderful summer!!!
I would like to see a video where you set up your new home school room and also one where you reclaim your dining room.
I wish for you creators to not stress your posting schedule. I never can remember when it’s supposed to be. I’m just happy to see a video whenever one pops up.
"... and they don´t know it yet." Oh, love that smile so much!! 😂
I think a home school room with desks & an art table sounds like a great idea.
My husband does chicken stock in the instant pot. It is finished in about 90 min and the pressure intensifies the flavour.
It was so good to see you and know you’re taking care of yourself! You’ve got great ideas for organizing the room for homeschooling. It’ll be nice to have your dining table back for eating. Always enjoy watching your videos.❤Patti
Thank you so much!
You are a a grace-filled and beautiful person, Erica. It was nice to have an update on how you’ve been doing. I was wondering if you were doing OK, so glad you had such a good RV trip. I love your plans to create a dedicated school room, as personally I think to separate the children’s homeschooling into its own identifiable space will help your children as they grow older and into more advanced work, and it will allow a natural separation between home and school life. I think if you don’t set that boundary then their schooling will overwhelm your lives and space; and not just be a part of it. Plus, to eat together as a family is a wonderful thing. Good luck with getting everyone’s help with that, if they all are part of it then they’ll all be involved and invested in its success. Maybe try reinstalling the tidy up at the end of the day routines from the start too in a sort of new year new system kinda way. Give your self grace in the packet soups too, if they are a little salty then just water them down a little or microwave an extra packet of root veggies or use some from your garden, blitz them in a blender and add them in with the packet soup to help absorb the excess salt. Congratulations and well done to your children for their sporting achievements, you and Andy must be so proud.
If you add a potato it will absorb the salt
@@fbz2415 Yes that works too.
💚 💚 💚 I'm only at 1:50 into the video and I'm sniffling. With chronic illness plus being a sometimes round-the-clock caregiver to my husband, I'm usually exhausted mentally, physically, and emotionally, and I've been slowly trading Absolute Perfectionism for this style of giving myself grace. But I'm not always so great at silencing the guilt and condemnation that still try to plague me, haunt me, for doing so. I still hope to get better. Thank you. ~ Cristina in Texas
Grace! You need it. I’m sorry you have an illness to navigate.
Yes to remaking a homeschool room!
Erica, you are keeping it simple. Posting as you can and making your rooms productive is fine. Summer is for relaxing. All the best to you and your family.
I completely understand that I need a homeschool space conundrum. Our house is small and I have three kids two that are being homeschooled at the moment. We have two small desks but finding a space is always so difficult. You have to be functional over aesthetics which can be hard sometimes. You have to be realistic. But I think the desks in front of the window would be wonderful. Putting her gymnastics in her room if she has the space is a great idea. I drive myself crazy trying to make the house functional for everybody because we have grown out of it but we work with what we have! You're going to make it happen 🙌🏼
I love the grace and space idea.
Homeschool evolves so much as our children age. You are such a great practical problem solver, mom, teacher. A wall in front of their desks with pertinent memory work was less distracting than a window for one of my boys. You've got this!
Good thinking!
Just a thought, Erica...is there room in the kitchen for the larger table? If so, the smaller one in the dining room would probably leave room for a couple of desks. Also, many homeschoolers have rolling carts for each kid's work to keep it all organized. It might save you from having to figure out new homes for all of the items in your family room.
It’s quite big in the kitchen but maybe I could try it!
Don't worry about how often you post. We're living simply and minimally. We don't need a lot of vids. Love the guess who idea.
I love the idea of you reclaiming your dining room and turning your living room into the homeschool room! I was thinking you could put a table against the wall where the broken couch is for ongoing projects or when you work with all of your kiddos for joint instruction. That way you don’t have the look of two rooms with a table in the middle of them and you are not tempted to go back into the dining room for home school because you need a table.
Lovely video! YES to grace and space. What a wonderful example for your children! 💛☀️
That sneaky little grin when talking of involving family in the school room set up. I'm still laughing.
That is the most adorable family selfie - thank you for sharing it with us, Erica. 🙂
What a great idea to try to pinpoint one stressor and then work to resolve that particular issue. It should help alleviate the feeling of "overwhelm". Thank you for sharing your videos!
I think I should share more of that. That’s how I’ve been going through this year. Name the stress, name what I want instead, then solution
Yes!! I’d love to see the new homeschool room set up as you prepare it!!
Erica, I have been following for a very long time. Since you had hardly any subscribers and you started your decluttering journey. You are such an inspiration and find your videos very motivating for my own journey of life.
I can't wait to see the organization of the new office for homeschooling and think the desks in front of the windows would be awesome!
Give yourself some grace🙏🏻you and your family have been through a lot this year. God bless you ❤
Glad you’re doing well! And I hope you record the homeschool transformation. You’ve been so helpful for me these past few years!
Life is a series of trade offs- don’t feel bad about the short cuts. It frees you up to do the things that matter. Silencing my inner critic while making trade offs is hard.
Great to have you back!
Enjoy the rest of your summer! Xxx😊
Love your goals! Looking forward to seeing the new school room
Great idea for school room relocation. Also, bookcases could be used against wall, separating desks. But, the room should take shape well. Congratulations on your harvest. You're doing an amazing job on all fronts!
If the visual clutter bothers you, you might like to use shelves or cabinets with doors to hide the books and papers. I homeschooled my 2 kids in my dining room and had closed cabinets. Each day after school, the table was cleared by each child. We had a clean table to eat at. We didn't have another option.
Erica!! Love all your ideas!!! Enjoy your "Yes" days!!
I think having the desks looking out windows with a bookcase in the middle of the windows would be nice.
Also, taking shortcuts for summer meals is the best!
Congratulations Brandon on your Bronze Award. Erica, I will watch any video you make. You might want to go back and view previous videos (a couple of years ago) on how you previously had the "library/home school" room laid out.
I would take everything out of the room, including the broken couch and the items that are homeschool related, from the dining room. Then assess what you want in that room. Perhaps, some of Andy's books could be in bookcases in the dining room or your bedroom? An ottoman/storage container to put games in could go in front of the broken couch? This could provide another place to play board games.
All just suggestions.
As someone who ended up in detention for being tardy for school often(later learned it was an anxiety issue lol) I had to sit in a desk that faced a wall often it was incredibly depressing....I love the idea of desks in front the windows...but also your kids are old enough to give feedback to you on what they think would work for them or at least factor in their opinion....and yes we want all the videos Erica we love being there with you if you want to share!
Your garden could easily be a farm…. So impressive. I hope you do film all the things you discussed, especially the changes for the home school spaces. Thanks for the pesto idea, I’m going to try it. The kid’s accomplishments are a real tribute to you and your husband’s parenting. Kudos to both of you.
You also mentioned giving yourself grace to relax when you need it. Be sure to do that for yourself, and ultimately for your family…… soup is good…. You are a good mom! …. Now relax! 🌻
Thanks for the chat... it's always so nice visiting with you.
Your basil looks fantastic... my grandbunny would love it!
So glad to see you!
Chicken and cheese quesadillas are quick and easy that most kids like.
Kudos for taking the summer off of homeschooling. I homeschooled for 11 years and they actually did better with the next school year if they had a real break.
Your advice on identifying and handling stress is awesome!
I like the idea of the videos you mentioned! Give yourself grace with things . Your life is in a busy season.
Im so happy you posted this video today!!! I was really excited to watch it. I cant imagine losing a parent (my worst nightmate). Take all the time you need, we are more then willing to wait.
I’ve missed you!! I was so excited when I saw you had a new video up! Great video! I love how you explain Mess and Stress and how to combat it. Love you and wishing you the best. ❤
Hi Erica it’s so good to see you again. You have come a long ,long way in decluttering.I think you would find simplifying even easier if you reduced kid stuff by another 50%. I had 4 children 2 dogs 2 cats and 2 birds and hubby and I both worked full time .the only person who had too much stuff was hubby. All the kids stuff was kept in their rooms and if they wanted a toy they brought it to the family rm but when finished with it they toy went back to their rm. I think the key is to not let kids stuff take over every rm in the house.I think if you put all the kids stuff in one rm . You would be shocked at the over whelming amount of stuff the children have.I am not referring to home schooling that is a totally different category.
Fantastic job! Fantastic inspiration! 👏👏👏👍💞 📚
My granddaughter made team as well. She is 5. The schedule is crazy but boys did baseball and football and they were pretty intense as well. Deciding what the end goal and how much motivation it pushed in them as well as how much crazy I wanted to be in, were part of the weighing process. You are doing a great job adjusting. I am still praying for you through the grief when I see a post from you. ❤
Thank you! I have been trying hard to smile. ❤
One day at a time, Erica. Grief goes at its own pace and your own pace. I'm so glad you are giving yourself and your kids a summer break.
@@EricaLucasLoves it will come in time. The missing part doesn't fade but the smiles do return. You know your smile brought joy to your family as it has done to those that follow you! Big hugs!
Thank you for labeling the plants
Ha! I used to ask for a "yes mom id love to" day, as a present (like my birthday or mothers day). No whining, complaining or "what's my sibling gonna do?" Everything I ask of them they'd have to answer with "yes mom, I'd love to" .......
Oh my gosh, did it work?? You may be a genius!! 😂
That such a great idea!
@@voiceojane yes, but my kids are in their forties now. Today, kids can report their parents to their teachers or other "authority figures", for some supposed sort of abuse that they are "feeling"...... so there's that. But you know my kids still talk about it. They tell me that it was a "gangsta" move because it was free but then again they had to trust me....they didn't like that part. Ha ha. I, on the other hand, loved the dichotomy of it all....
Mine is 31, still tempted to try it-maybe for my birthday 😁😉
Hi Erica, long-time viewer here 😊love your videos! I know you already have desks at home but hear me out.. I LOVE the Ikea Norden table and have used it for several years interchangeably as a dinning-table for 6, a work desk, a remote-teaching station, a board-game table and a sewing table. It is quite durable, folds up small, it has storage and I think it could help you have a more flexible school room🎉
I will check it out!!
Glad to see you post, I was just thinking of you yesterday. You are awesome.
Good to see you, Erica!
we love having yes day in our house. It's so much fun. I agree I wouldn't drive with my windows down in a car wash. Have fun enjoy the day 😊
Love you! And love anything you do!
It's great that you home school. It looks very safe and nurturing.
BONE BROTH!!! I am a huge fan of that and I would LOVE to see how you do that. Kids are getting SO big! Becca's hair is so long and the boys look so grown up to me! You're doing great. My heart is still with you. Grace and space, sister! I LOVE that mantra and I'm stealing it. Xo ❤
I would enjoy seeing the transformation of the library back into a school room. We just moved to a bigger place and I am so grateful to have dedicated spaces! No more office -bedroom. If you need two tables and you are fortunate enough to have two rooms for them, go for it! It will feel so good to have a serene dining area. I might even add a curtain so you don't have to see all the school stuff while you eat! (I've really embraced closed storage for more peaceful spaces too.)
Great video. Congratulations on your son’s karate. I think it’s a great idea that you’re turning your living room into a homeschool room. I would move the sofa and bar out. And I think it would be fine to have a table as well as the desks in the room. Good luck it will be a great project.
I would be interested in seeing you make a bone broth. Thanks a lot!!
Hi Erica! Aww... you made me smile today!!😊 you're getting g so much goodies out of your garden!🙌
I'm starting to map out my school year 🤗
I love the planning parts!!
I think it’s a great idea for the homeschool room - I find you have su many books probably would be better in a closed bookcase or like an ikea bookcase that have backs and sides easier to care for I feel those bookcase you have are more for decor or knickknacks
You look so good in this video. Thank you for sharing your pesto recipe. I would love to see you make spaghetti sauce when the Roma tomatoes ripen. Look forward to seeing the rooms switched! Wonderful video. Take care, Linda 🦋
Erica, I hope you enjoy your summer too. Thanks for sharing.😊
Glad you are back! Are those your old glasses ? Enjoy your summer!
I would love to see you recreate a homeschool space! Our homeschool space is in our dining room, as well, but we don't have any other rooms. However, the idea of a desk where my daughter could do independent work is intriguing as she moves into 3rd grade. I love getting ideas from other homeschool moms, especially because you share your thought processes, which helps me know if we have some of the same challenges!
I haven't read the comments, so I'm not sure if someone has already shared it - but I make bone broth in the instant pot!! It's done soooo fast compared to 48 hours! But yes, interested in the homeschool room makeover!
I was also going to say maybe add brewers yeast for a dairy free cheese flavor in the pesto, but I'm not sure if freezing defeats the nutritional benefits or not
Love the idea of turning the library into the homeschool room - all the books & puzzles & games are already there. And i know your boys share a room, but would one of them like his desk in there?
My oldest has a desk in his room… I think we will keep it as an option.
I enjoyed this video so much this morning! It was like visiting with a friend, while I drank my morning coffee. I do think you should move Rebecca’s gymnastic equipment upstairs, since she has a large bedroom. I say this with love-I think you still have too much inventory to manage with food, homeschool & toys. I also think you should limit what you keep on your bookcases to books & boxed puzzles only. Otherwise, there’s too much visual clutter, which attracts more clutter. I also suggest a chest, cabinet or a bench with storage to store all the photo albums. They need a real home. Finally, have you thought about getting a larger kitchen table? If you don’t want to sit their for family meals, a larger table could be a good swing space for homeschool. Good luck! I hope this helps. I am looking forward to seeing the homeschool renovation!
Congratulations to your kids!
We do waffle sandwiches with a nut butter and fruit or choc chips for a dairy and gluten free energy snack to go.
Oh good ones!!
all those videos ideas sound great!
I do a ”swedish” pesto with hazelnuts and västerbottenost and homegrown basil. I use the whole plant, stems and all.
Yum!
Maybe a room divider to go between the dining and homeschool room? Something to just block the view of the homeschool space when eating dinner.
I think this is as close to an overview of a real life sample of a simple living OPUS that I’ve seen you do👏🏻IMO this is a pinnable introduction to what you are trying to accomplish with your channel! You are so inspiring to me and I am so proud of how you have navigated your life in the last 3-5 years since you started in the basement piled with boxes. I have been desiring the slow, simple living you are teaching but you ACTUALLY did it!! I am not a minimalist and the extreme nature never suited me. Thank you for bringing me along in your life and sharing the ups and downs; I feel privileged. May you feel the continuing returned blessings of your sharing!!💞💝
Leah Fischer
Thank you ❤❤❤
I’ve cooked bone broth in my pressure cooker! It’s just like cooking it all day on the stove but way quicker! I also make soup from it :)
Hi Erica!
Have you thought abot using the basement? The first part of the room down there, ust by the steps could host a large table for school projects. Perhaps your two older kids are old enough to have their desks there to, and get a calm environment to sit and work.
The pink bar might be able to go outside in the summer and stay in the basement at winter.
About pesto... you can substitute pine nuts with sunflower seeds.
I can't wait for homeschool room change videos.
Wonderful!
I remember back when you talked to your therapist girl when you were working hard on your clothes and closet spaces. I think you are doing the best you can this summer. < - I wish I could make that bold. ❤
Maybe you could run your home school curriculum ideas by her (or us too) when you are ready. You have a month until that begins.
If you run out of time or you eat pizza every day, who cares. As I say that, you talked about soups haha. If you run out of lunch ideas, look at an old lunch menu maybe?
I would love to see you do the homeschool room.
Perhaps because you have couches in your lounge room. If the broken couch doesn't get used very much it could be removed and the smaller table could be put against the wall for projects. That way it isn't in the middle of the room and makes the space more open.
We used HONEY CRISP(found at Walmart in sports sectiin) when we went camping. Full of protein
You’re doing amazingly well considering what you’ve been going through and all the things you do. I love the grace and space idea. Many blessings to you all.
Can you seperate the books, keep school books in the school room and put all other books and family photo albums in the living or dining room?
have the kids make their own guess who characters. ie a kid draws a card twice for each board or print favorite characters on paper about the size of the cards. could have spider man, princesses etc. then it keeps the game fresh!
also I use a bag of cream of veggie soup that you showed w a can of cream of chicken to make a pot pie sauce or soup base. add chicken and potatoes plus a bag of frozen veggies and you have a hearty base for pot pie or a soup version of it ready to eat. I pull rotisary chicken and make a pie from premade crust. just glaze the crust w sweetened butter as it could be salty for sweet pies.
What if you put one kids desk in the corner and the other one on the other side of the wall in the dining room corner? They would have more privacy. Sometimes always seeing what the other is doing is as distracting as hearing it.
Hi there sweetie pie hope you are well just take one day at time love your garden it looks great simple living is wonderful for your beautiful family but declutter and tidy will make a difference with everyone love from Eugenie your friend xxx 🌻💞🌞🦋🏡
i use shallow lightweight trays to transport interrupted projekts, i have shelfs deep enough to hold the trays. the projects are mainly flat (paper) so the trays stack
When you’re making soup and it’s too salty, cut up a potato and cook it with the soup, then scoop it out before serving. The potato absorbs the salt.
Great video!
Just thinking, put the shelves side by side and a desk on either side and the shelves beside their desk is for their stuff. I would like to see a video on making a school room.
Please video your homeschool remodels. Also looking forward to your making bone broth.
try walnuts in the pesto. Less expensive.
We have an older version of guess who that has 6 diff cards like monsters, silly faces, house products, ect and its the most amazing thing my kids play it for hrs. Wish they still made kt
Ugh, yes. Dairy free can be such a pain. My youngest has to be for now. He vomits or gets hives if he eats any Dairy products.
Don't worry about inconsistently posting. those of us who watch you regularly just want you to be happy and healthy during this time.
Crazy idea but what if you moved your Dining room table into the area next to the kitchen where the small table is? Didn’t know if it would fit.
And home schooling in the basement? Is That an option?
I base rooms on whst my family needs not what some builder labeled it. Plus nobody visits me so i can make any room how i want, not gnna set my house up certain ways on the off chance i get a visitor once a year
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
I usually use walnuts or almonds in my pesto..
So glad to see you are taking things slow and taking care of your spirit, Erica.
When you revamp the homeschool room, that will be a fun video I look forward to.
So nice to see you again! ❤
Why dont you get those gym floor foam tiles to put under her tumbling mat...
Any Vegan treats are dairy free, I’m sure they have tons of dairy free recipes on line too.
I, also, am a soup all year long person, as well.