In lieu of consistent summer camp or childcare, I’ve had to cobble together a roster of activities for my 3yo to keep us both from going stir-crazy over the summer while school is out. I’ve found that our weekly schedule provides a good balance of structure and flexibility.

It never crossed my mind that I’d want to add a portable potty to my assortment of travel-sized kid gear, but it’s been super handy for my 3yo, so I stand (sit?) corrected!

After holding out for years, I’ve decided that the time was right to get my daughter a play kitchen for her third birthday. I am very specific about the things that I bring into my home, so this toy has to earn its keep, proportional to the square footage it takes up in our place (2.9 ft² to be exact).

Kids are accompanied by so much gear that traveling with them feels practically like a cross-country move, even for a self-proclaimed minimalist who tried to not acquire too many things to begin with. At least much of what we do own is lightweight and portable, even for items that we solely use at home.

Raising kids is difficult in so many ways, and ours certainly don’t make our lives easier with their picky eating. While I can blame nature (genetics) all I want, I still have to nurture (feed) the kids as best I can within a very limiting set of constraints.

We’ve made some changes to our fleet of kids’ wheels as our old strollers are getting rickety but the kids still aren’t ready to go everywhere on their own feet yet.

Our toddler abruptly decided one day that she’s done with her crib, and thankfully it’s been a smooth (if sudden) transition both routine-wise and furniture-wise.

In my mind, there is an ideal time of year to have a birthday, and I’m afraid I flubbed it with both of my kids. Flippancy follows, you have been forewarned!

Even though I’m no longer in a corporate role, I still keep a busy daily schedule, one that’s now tailored to my family’s needs. A full-time parent’s job can be exhausting and all-consuming, but for the time being, I’m letting it consume me and feeling grateful to have the option.

As unminimalist as duplicates are, sometimes I have to let my kids have one of each toy in the interest of simplifying my life, which is a different but also valid minimalist goal.

My kids (as toddlers) sure make full use of just a few sounds to mean many different words — they are the ultimate minimalists in this regard!

We are as careful and particular about toys as we are about any other item that takes up space in our small home. We only keep the kids’ favorites, which I’m happy to share, because it can be really hard to predict what kids will like!

We’ve had to drastically change the way we travel with babies/toddlers/young children in tow. Gone are the globetrotting vacations of our childfree years; now we take “micro trips” that are short in both time and distance while adhering to our “micro humans’” schedules and routines (and demands). Traveling is one facet of my life I don’t seek to minimize, but the kids have involuntarily forced minimalism on me in this regard too!

When we were expecting baby girl 1.5 years ago, I looked for a space in our home for her to sleep away from big brother in the bedroom so that she wouldn’t disturb him every two hours overnight with her crying. I went into maximal minimalist mode and transformed our tiny hallway closet into a nursery nook. Behold, the closery!

Breastfeeding comes at a cost, whether that is physical, mental, emotional, or financial. We should stop calling it “free.”