I am so grateful for every comment and email I receive on this site and Instagram.  This positive and supportive community is something I never expected and I never want to take it for granted.  Motherhood can be lonely and overwhelming and if your personal choices are judged by others, that can just add to the isolation.  Sometimes I wonder if I will regret being so open about our life online, but then I get an email like the one below and I know that the late night writing and weekend photo staging are worth it.  The reader below kindly allowed me to share her email which meant so much to me and reminded me exactly why I share our joys and struggles to live small and with less things:

"My husband and I relocated from the mid-west to Seattle a few years ago and faced huge sticker shock (it's not as bad as Vancouver but real estate is out of our reach). We rented in the heart of Seattle then we had a baby. We followed the rules and moved to the suburbs: my commute is 1 hr 10 mins and his is about 1 hr 20 mins EACH WAY.

We were at a loss of what to do. I found your blog and after thinking about it for several days I suggested to my husband that we purchase a 1-bedroom condo. I showed him photos of your place. I showed him listings in Seattle (2-bedrooms are out of budget but some 1-bedrooms are within reach). He instantly agreed and now it's all he can talk about.

Your choice to share how you solved your housing problem changed our future! We are actively working on finding the right place that will meet our needs for commuting, community and schools. We are delighted by the idea of moving back to the city."

So again, thank you so much for reading, following and sharing your ideas with me.