“Just blog about tiny homes”

I have been told to stay in my lane and stick to tiny houses on here before. It was a while ago but I still remember it well because it felt extra mean. I pay money to keep this blog alive and well. It’s not something I have to do for anyone but me, ever. I’ve intentionally kept it that way by staying clear of any partnerships etc. So being told where my voice belongs was a bit extra. However, it successfully took some of the magic out of this website for me. I believe that last year in total, I wrote three posts. At that point I put my thoughts more on social media where my audience was curated to friends and family, it was a lot nicer. That’s gone now so I am reclaiming this outlet! I have written more than three post this week! Even more shocking is that each post has been read hundreds of times still. Thank you for caring enough to lend me your eyes, it makes me feel like a million bucks to know I still hold a little space in your life! Thanks for caring.

Here’s the thing about this blog, it was never intended to be about tiny homes and only about tiny homes. My friend (at the time) challenged me to ‘blog consistently about life’. It was an arbitrary goal because I was in kind of a rough patch. We developed some bucket lists together and I needed something to dedicate some of my energy to, so I blogged my life. At that point my life was largely about building this little house. That was mostly what I was consistent about.

Then it went viral

I had no idea what to do. I was linked on Yahoo, TIME Magazine, Dwell Magazine, people came and recorder my house. Did you know, there was a single day in history where this blog saw 1.3 million unique viewers? In a single day. Several other days saw over a million guests, too. That’s insane, I certainly didn’t start this place with that many eyeballs in mind. It was terrifying to me and it put a whole bunch of pressure on me. To this day I get loads of ‘business partnership’ opportunities which I mostly turn down because this has only ever been a personal blog, not a business.

When the internet decided tiny homes were cool it got way too serious. I became known as ‘a tiny house blogger’. It’s weird though because tiny homes are interesting but there is only so much to say. It’s just a small house. Not a whole lot different than what you probably live in, cheaper maybe, maybe not these days. I want to do them right . But also, tiny houses aren’t my only trick, I have a greater purpose. I may even go so far to say that our house is the least interesting thing about us. I mean I built it and I live in it. I find it beyond helpful but it’s only ever been the avenue that enables the life. Not the other way around.

What do you call a website?

When I came up with the name for this website, it was both a play on the smallness of my current project (a ‘mini’ house – because when I registered the domain I didn’t know they were actually called tiny homes ;)) as well as being a play on the word ‘many’. In fact, I went back and forth for a week on whether to call it ‘ManyMotives’ or ‘MiniMotives’ because the real goal was to share all of my motivations, in all of life really… like you do in a personal blog. At the time it had to do a lot with building a miniature house. When tiny homes became a big deal I realized I kind of tied my whole site to that miniature side of things and felt a bit trapped. I started to try to branch out and it was suggested that ‘I stay in my lane’. Honestly though, our life has always been more interesting than an object, even if that object is a small house. I do think our lives might be tied to our houses and just how much they tend to take from us though… but maybe that’s just the architectural designer in me.

I certainly recognize the role this house has played in allowing us to live a great big life. I have felt the obligation to tie whatever I have to say here on this site back to tiny homes. Sometimes it just feels forced. So I am going to stop insisting that I do that now. This is back to being about my many motives in life (a lot of which have been heavily influenced or allowed for by this mini house of ours, which WAS a part of the plan).

So what then

Y’all… life! It’s amazing. A big part of me cannot believe what it would even look like right now had I not built this home. How could we even survive in this world right now!? We certainly wouldn’t have been able to take the risks into self employment, that’s for sure. That took some time to become lucrative enough to afford groceries. We definitely wouldn’t have as well developed family bonds, either. Or these beautiful six acres to call home, which I own outright and so no bank can ever kick me out.

Times are getting scary, even more scary than the 2008 economic crash that brought me to my tiny house. I fear for my kids (who are now tall enough to reach the ceiling fan and) who are only a few short years from finding their own place to rent and trying to make it in the world. Will they even be able to?

If I had ‘many motives’ 14 years ago when I started this site, I have many, MANY more now! I like to talk about those, too. Things like how to build family traditions and family bonds in times of uncertainty. What retirement may look like when we’re not even sure what the country will be like in four years. How do we become more self-reliant and why do I feel like it might be the most important thing we can do right now.

We’re going to just keep doing the best we can, and I’m going to write about it here

I get to be a part of my kids’ life in a deep and meaningful way! I’m grateful for the way I am able to show up in their life, the way both James and I are able to. We’ve homeschooled joyfully for years while these kids build out the fluff on their wings. We have accountability and safety nets being stitched between the four of us, I’m so glad for that. Our life feels very different than the time I grew up in. We are not islands floating about the same house, we’re all accountable to each other. We all respect what each of us brings to the table. I fully support their independence if that is what they want but they also know they will ALWAYS be welcome in our home and that I have a sweet spot for generational living. Life will never be a free ride but we can all help out in our own ways. The whole family is worth more than the sum of all our parts. We’re not aiming to make waves, we’re actually working pretty hard to make peaceful waters for each of us.

Hazel has been flapping her wings but still comes home to roost in the comfort of her families loving words and actions. Miles, he takes advantage of how easy our life tends to be, I’m grateful he gets to do that. I think life should be easy for young kids so they can do the important work of childhood. I think he would be sinking so hard if not for the flexibility we’ve built into our lifestyle. I think we all would be sinking right now without these choices we continue to make.

It’s not always easy but it’s always been worth it!

(P.S. I had largely removed commenting from this site when people got a little pushy, I think I got the comments back up and operational. If someone wants to be brave and leave a comment it would help me know that they are working again!?)