Minimalism: how much stuff?

I just read a post about minimalism....how little or how much. The phrase was made to the effect of "the things that are needed in each room to live"

It got me to thinking.....what do we require to live? The kids and I have read the Little House series, and whoa. They had very little. And they survived. They thrived. They didn't keel over because they didn't have an xbox, a big screen tv, 40 outfits and a microwave.

I'm drowning in stuff. My kids are pack rats.

Confession? Sotto voce......

They come by it honestly. Mama and Daddy are pack rats too. Hoarders if we aren't careful. Not out of compulsion, just out of laziness and future speculation. We might NEED those spurs one day, right?

So, I'm on a quest. How much is too much? How much is too little? Where do you draw the line and say the hobbies(like spinning, knitting,reading, crocheting , quilting, and so on) are too much?

I'm curious. What do you need to live?

The journey of mothers

All mothers have a unique journey. Some seem to have it all together. Some are an obvious wreck. Some have it a little easier, some have it a lot harder. Where are you in your journey?

I am in a lonely place. I feel very lost as a parent, as I watch my oldest struggle with mental illness, and try to support her without enabling her, all the while protecting her son and her siblings without causing her to go into a tailspin. Then there are all the people who hear her diagnosis and roll their eyes in disbelief. My own inability to truly understand all that she deals with, can't deal with, won't deal with.

Where are you in your journey as a mother? Do you have a support group, or do you feel lost in the adventure?

A simple Mercer Meyer book....
Sometimes they forget. Forget they are too big to play gently. Or that the little princess is too little to dance a tango. Or that Mom's pet peeve is dirty laundry that no one picks up.
But sometimes Mom forgets that they simply......forget.