housebunny's Profile

My hunch is your cat is bored. Most unwanted behaviors come from frustration. The quickest way I have found to nip a bad behavior in the bud is to play with my cat. Get him a new toy or pick out his favorite one and wear him out! Whenever you catch him heading for the toilet paper, distract him as quickly as you can with an alternative fun game. If you work outside the home and can't keep your eye on him, just plan on wearing him out before you leave or each night before bed. Pretty soon the toilet paper will be unexciting because he has better things to do and he isn't bored with pent up energy. (getting him a playful cat friend might do the trick too)
Good luck!

I was raised in a family of four in a 1400 sf Eichler house that seemed fine-a little noisy at times and lacking some privacy but all in all it felt spacious and good. The big thing was that outside we had 2+ acres with a barn, art studio and hay shed -so our world seemed big.
My man and I just bought our first home. I didn't want anything too big and after home shopping i really discovered that LAYOUT IS EVERYTHING! 1000 sf can seem smaller than 650 sf if the layout is wrong. For me, some of my top priorities in home shopping were layout, large outdoor space and plenty of storage. The home we bought is a 980 sf one bedroom, one bath. We will convert a large closet and breakfast nook into a small bedroom for our future child. It has a spacious layout and feels like a good sized home. We also have a light filled basement that could be finished in the future, an attic, two car garage, a large lot where we will build a little shed/guesthouse and a chicken coop. I really didn't want a large house-too much house just means more work( and too expensive in Los Angeles)! I wanted a small home where we could be close as a family with plenty of room to live and do the things that are important to us like gardening, entertaining, renovating/decorating etc.
Sometimes I cringe when I read about people living in "a small 2000sf house". I think is there something wrong with me that I don't want a 2500-3000sf house? :)

I want more pics too! I think this space is lovely and I want to see more of the kitchen and the kid's room too. Go ahead and throw the bathroom in also! :) I'm always amazed by people who raise children in such small spaces and still have a sane, beautiful home! We are thinking of starting our family but right now we only live in 650 sf.

I want more pictures too! I'm loving the whole thing. I wish I could rent it for a week and sleep in that cosy pink bed! I hope that's not too creepy :) I'm just way impressed at what a wonderful homey feeling you have created in such a small place. Very creative!

I think I am neither extremely neat or extremely messy...I'm somewhere in the middle.
My main problem is clothing-I have too much and I somehow always leave it on the floor. I'm not allowed to have a chair in the bedroom as it will become a mound of clothes. :)
More than anything I like things to be CLEAN. Sanitary if you will.
I'm more concerned with that than clutter. However I do try to be somewhat minimalist in order to avoid clutter from the start.
I was raised by a hoarder/pack rat mom who's kitchen makes me sick. So cleanliness is really important to me. As is organization.
My grandmother was a full time perfectionist housewife so although I don't want to be that way exactly, I often think of her and how she did things as inspiration for how I run my apartment.
I made a book-a housekeeping book-of daily chores, weekly tasks and monthly/seasonal tasks that need to be done. I know that sounds anal but I really enjoy housekeeping. Oh and I'm unemployed so I "keep house" so that my boyfriend can see i do something all day :)

As far as how my cleaning habits reflect my priorities, I guess I'd say that it shows I care for myself, I want to be comfortable in my home and my boyfriend to be comfortable-I want friends to feel relaxed in my home and not like they are in a sterile hotel or a roach filled motel. It is important that I feel at home, relaxed, serene and peaceful. It also shows that right now I have WAY too much time on my hands :)