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May 16, 2021 by: ljbenning

Ninja Warrior Basement

Our kids are big fans of the popular show, America Ninja Warrior. They like to test out their skills at the local park but since we live in the Chicago suburbs, there are multiple months that aren’t quite the best for playing outside on cold metal playgrounds. Our boys never seem to run out of energy so we decided to build a space in our basement that would hopefully tire them out a little bit (and keep them from constantly jumping on the couch)!

Our contractor knew our plans for having a ninja warrior area throughout our basement build and they were great to brainstorm ideas with and help us bring the vision to life. One of their suggestions that we followed was to use 2x4s underneath the plywood boards. This would allow for the plywood to be taken down easily to move rock wall holds and also keep the drywall underneath in good shape for if we ever wanted to turn the space into something else. During another brainstorming session, we came up with the idea to run 2x4s the length of the ceiling for the hanging rings and bars. A bonus feature that we didn’t plan on but that worked out really well for us was that the framers covered our steel support beam in plywood before placing the drywall on top of it. What this did was give us a lot more freedom in where we could hang our pegboard, rock wall training board, and ultimate cliffhanger piece.

I included the links to the items we used below, since that tends to be the most frequently asked question. Let me know if you have any other questions. Happy to answer them the best I can.

Warning: Don’t show your kids the images below unless you’re okay with them asking you to build a ninja warrior course nonstop until you do. lol

Materials we used:

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Mats
They are firm but provide some cushion for when the kids drop or fall. These can be purchased in different sizes. We measured our area and then purchased what would work best for the space.
https://amzn.to/2XDHDoM

Eye Hooks
All the pieces were attached to the ceiling using these eye hooks. We had to make sure they were safe for the biggest kids (AKA my husband).
https://amzn.to/39xCOTu

Rock Wall Holds
We got these a few years ago as a Christmas present. We thought we might mount them in a bedroom and use them as a bunk bed ladder but instead decided to put them in the basement. I like the natural color. We have two sets.
https://amzn.to/2XyG0Zw

There was a deal a while back for a doorway mounted pull up bar that had various attachments like a swing, rope, and trapeze bar. Before the ninja warrior area was completed, we had it in a doorway and our kids used it constantly. Now that we have the ninja warrior area, we switch out the attachments in the new space. It’s a nice way to give the kids some variety.
https://amzn.to/3qmn90h

Pod Swing & Cargo Net
Our kids like to swing and read in this comfy seat.
Pod Swing https://amzn.to/3ye8WHg
Cargo Net https://amzn.to/3flxYM5
**Note:** Please be careful if you get a cargo net. Since it’s not attached to the ground,
it can be very dangerous. We only have ours up when an adult is downstairs supervising.

Monkey Bars
These aren’t cheap but they were exactly what we were looking for. The kids spend a lot of time on them so we think they’re worth it.
https://shopstyle.it/l/buwuc

Ninja Rings and Trapeze Wheels
This is a fun multi-pack of hanging items to add variety to hanging ceiling pieces.
https://amzn.to/38CaUGJ

Ultimate Cliffhanger
This is actually a leftover piece of decking that meets the specifications of the authentic ninja warrior ones.
You could probably find a similar piece at your local hardware store.

Rock Wall Training Board
This is a great training piece for grip strength.
https://amzn.to/39tlSxx

Pegboard
This is another training piece that both kids and adults can use. It can be mounted horizontally or vertically. We bought two so we hung one each way. This set comes with everything you need to hang it.
https://amzn.to/39xS7fb

Another view of the pegboard.
https://amzn.to/39xS7fb

November 18, 2019 by: ljbenning

We’re Moving!

For the last 3 and a half years, our family of 5 have lived in what we call our tiny house. We’ve honestly loved it but we’ve decided it’s time for a change so we’re building a house!

Before I go into more details about the house, I want to explain how we got to this point so here’s a little backstory.

*Our first Christmas in our condo in the city.*

Chris and I lived in Chicago in a one bedroom condo when we first got married. Then came baby #1. We stayed for a little while, but eventually moved to the suburbs to have more space and to be closer to family (aka babysitters). We had a decently spacious house (4 bed, 3 bath). Shortly after having our third son, Chris felt like we should move so we could save more money. Two weeks after that conversation, we had a full price offer and bought a 4-unit house. It looks like a raised ranch from the outside but actually has 4 units in it. We’ve been living in one of the units (2 bed, 1 bath) ever since. Most people thought (and probably still think) we were totally crazy but we were happy and content with our decision. We were able to make money on our house that we sold and having tenants has basically allowed us to live mortgage free since their rent pays for most of our expenses. It was a smart move for us financially and I think our family has gotten closer because of it.

So why move?

Good question. We’ve had many conversations about what the future will look like for us, Lord-willing. Chris and I (and the kids) have all agreed we could live in our tiny house forever and be perfectly content. The extra money we would save would also us to spend that money on traveling which is one of our favorite things to do together. And who wouldn’t want to get out of Chicago during the cold winter months?!

*Our “tiny house”. We live in 1/4 of it and we have tenants in the other three quarters.*

I’ll ask again. Why move?

I’ll actually get around to answering the question this time….We’ve decided to move into a bigger space for two reasons:

Reason #1: We love to host. Having a tiny house has made that challenging and we miss it. We’re excited to have friends and family over again and do more playdates. Thinking further ahead, one day I want to have space for our kids and grandkids to stay with us.

Reason 2: It’s been on our hearts for the last 5ish years to be foster parents. We had started the process but then we moved and child services wouldn’t approve us to get a license because we didn’t have enough space. Moving into a bigger space means we can get licensed and will get to care for a child so deserving unconditional love. We really can’t wait!

Where are you moving?

We’re actually only moving about 5 minutes away from our tiny house. Our kids will be able to go to the same school. We’re also keeping our tiny house as a rental property. Chris is a nurse and I’m a teacher, so the extra income will be nice.

House details

We’re building what we call our “modest farmhouse”. It’s the style of a farmhouse but set in the Chicago suburbs on a small lot. LOL. The building process has already been quite the learning curve but so far we’re enjoying it. I plan to update you on here and on Instagram so feel free to follow along.
https://www.instagram.com/dealsformomsblog/

July 3, 2019 by: ljbenning

How We Ended Up in a Tiny House

As I shared earlier, my husband and I live in a tiny house. Quite a few of you seemed interested in how we do that with three kids so I plan to write more posts with some tips but I thought I’d start with explaining how we got here in the first place.

My husband likes to call this his ⅓ life crisis. I’d say it wasn’t so much a crisis but more of a reset and refresh. We bought our “forever” house in the fall of 2011. My husband loved the space it had. Coming from a condo in Chicago, it felt humongous! The house had 4 bedrooms, 3 full baths, and a large basement where our kids could play baseball and ride bikes in the winter. And even though the house wasn’t exactly my style, we worked together to make it into a home that felt like us. Chris was always willing to take on my newest Pinterest idea because he wanted to make me love the house as much as he did.

Before
After

Before
After

Much more functional than a closet
Playroom
Easy closet upgrade

Everything changed on a dime one evening while we were out to dinner. I won’t forget the night. It was the Saturday before Easter, 2016. Chris and I had a date night because his aunt was in town and willing to watch the boys. If you’re a parent you know you never turn down a free babysitter.

We started talking about the future a bit. Chris mentioned his concerns about wanting to be able to save more money and that he had been looking into buying a 4-unit building, a couple towns over. At first I assumed he wanted to buy the building as an income property but his plan was different. He wanted us to sell our house and live in one of the units while we rented out the other three units. My initial reaction was “no way, not going to happen” but he explained that our tenants could basically pay our mortgage so it didn’t take long for him to convince me to go see it.

After viewing the house twice, we decided to put in an offer and it was accepted. Now we were on the clock to sell our current house. While we had done a lot of work previously, we still had projects that were on the 2-year plan that now had to be done in the next 10 days so we could get it on the market!

Before
After

My husband and I worked hard freshening things up – We updated bathrooms, did some painting, and got rid of a lot of stuff. We got our house listed on a Tuesday and had a full-price offer by Friday. This was really happening!

Before
After

We’ve been in our new home for three years. We call it our “tiny house” but it’s not your typical tiny house. It’s a 4-unit building that looks like a raised ranch from the street. We live in one of the units and rent out the other three. Our portion of the tiny house is a 2 bed,1 bath unit. It’s small, that’s for sure but we actually like living here.

Here’s our tiny house. People have a hard time believing that it has 4 units.

Before we moved in, I assumed I’d feel almost depressed leaving our “big” house and moving into such a modest space but I actually had completely different feelings.

From the very first night in our new house, I felt completely at peace and content. I think it’s partly because when every room is filled (with people and things), your home feels instantly homey.

People are always shocked when I tell them that moving into our tiny house has in no way taken away any joy in my life but it’s true. How could that be? It’s because stuff doesn’t bring joy, at least not lasting joy. It’s just things. Really, who cares if you have a 6 bedroom mansion or a one bedroom apartment? Life’s about so much more than the stuff we own.