Saturday, October 10, 2020

Jana and the Grandkids

Over the past couple years, Jessa Seewald has embraced the minimalist lifestyle. She has worked to de-clutter her home and simplify her storage and organization systems. With a family of five, including three active children under the age of five, living in a two-bedroom house, efficient use of space is key. 

All that to say, you'll notice in this photo that the Seewalds' living room doubles as their toy and book room. A while ago, Jessa moved the coffee table out to provide a bigger space to play. 

Do you consider yourself to be a minimalist?

Henry Seewald, Jana Duggar, Spurgeon Seewald

Photo courtesy theseewaldfamily.com

67 comments:

  1. In this photo you can see how much Henry looks like aunt Jana so he did take after the Duggars as well as his dad,are those prenatal vitamins behind Jana, obviously they would belong to Jessa, announcement coming up?

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    1. It's kombucha, that fermented drink. You can see the label in this picture posted elsewhere.

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    2. Why would Jana have prenatal vitamins tucked behind her?

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    3. That is not prenatals behind Jana. It is kombucha- a fermented probiotic drink.

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    4. That’s a type of kombucha it’s called kevita

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    5. Relax.....If you look closely, it's only a Kevita drink.

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    6. Where do you see prenatal vitamins?? I can't see anything along those lines anywhere in the picture...

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    7. Henry looks a lot like Josiah when he was younger from that angle.

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    8. Calm your quills....its a kombucha.

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    9. If you’re breastfeeding then it’s recommended that you continue to take your prenatal vitamins.

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    10. Uh, if you just look at it it's a drink, not vitamins

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  2. My parents and in-laws all lived through the Great Depression and WWII. Because they had to deal with shortages, rationing, poverty, etc., they learned to never throw anything away. Their thoughts were that it might come in handy- old car parts, empty bottles, newspaper, you name it. My dear MIL had neatly folded and placed in a huge cardboard box just about every plastic bread bag that came through the door, along with the twist ties. Anyway, my goal is not to burden any of my kids or grandkids with having to deal with our stuff, so I've been implementing the Swedish Death Cleaning method. We've pared things down quite a bit- whatever no one can use and doesn't give joy, it goes. It's a very freeing feeling!

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    1. Oh this is exactly like my family!

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    2. Congrats on finding a method that works for you!!!!!!!

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  3. Did I miss something? The content of this story seems "off". I guess the picture and the written content don't match. . .

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    1. I totally agree!!!! The title and content don’t go together at all ...!!!

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    2. Jana and Duggar grandkids are there. It is clear as crystal.

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  4. OK, I understand now. Jessa's house but a picture of Jana and her nephews.

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  5. The kids of Jessa and Ben are adorable! Its nice there is room to play!

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  6. "Minimalist" does not include shoving everything to the back of your cabinets and into your shed outside. We've seen her stuff, and we saw how she invited 1000 people to her wedding and her wedding gift registry. I don't believe she's a real "minimalist." There's more to that than moving a coffee table.

    They need to move out of that house and into something with room for their growing family. If they did, any "minimalist" ways they had would soon be over.

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    1. How do you know what her cupboards look like now? How do you know she hasn't been minimizing? That's right, you don't.

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    2. @7:27 you didn't see her pandemic footage?

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    3. A friend of mine lives in a small two-bedroom apartment with their four children who all share a room with double bunk beds. Very happy family.

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  7. YES! I don't have knickknacks. I don't have keep things we have outgrown. I don't buy movies/cds/books. I use the library and get items online. My cupboards only contain things I actually use. Not the one use every 2 year items.

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    1. Knickknacks are not my jam, either! They're just dust collectors.

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  8. It should really be titled Jana and the nieces and nephews. She is not a grandmother. She is their aunt.

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  9. I noticed in some of Jessa's videos that they have a large storage shed on their property. That must be where all the "stuff" is!

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  10. She's wearing pants, maybe that means she has some freedom and is now dating/courting??

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    1. Yes I thought it looked like pants too and yes I also think the title does not fit the post.

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    2. I noticed too. First time in a picture.

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    3. Why would you associate pants with courting?? People need to stop looking endlessly for signs that Jana is courting. She’ll tell us if and when she wants to 🙄

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    4. Yes @5:49 the title definitely does not fit with the rest of the post

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    5. I’ve seen this post a couple of times and I didn’t notice the pants til I read about it. Chill people. They’re just clothes. They are allowed to change their minds(coming from a non-pants wearer).

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  11. I know I need to be! I can get rid of a few toys (not many) but I keep almost all the torn books in the hope that I will repair them and it's hard to get rid of the kids' drawings too. I do take pictures of the drawings sometimes but it's hard to stay on top of that.

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  12. Nope I am not a minimalist... I seem to collect trinkets and keep sentimental stuff.

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    1. I used to do that, until I had to sort through all my parents' stuff after they passed away. I don't want my kids or grandkids to have to do the same for me. Just because something may be special for me, they very well may not share the sentiments. In my old age, I've become quite ruthless about getting rid of stuff that no one else wants and is just taking up space.

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    2. My sister and I are both in our sixties and are kids all grown with homes of their own. She recently told me when they did their last will the lawyer said if it only has garage sale value it is considered refuse....disposable. That had me cleaning out the junk....nobody wants my refuse.

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  13. Maybe you can afford to be minimalists when you have parents with warehouses full of extra stuff that you can borrow the minute you realize you got rid of your X, Y, or Z, and now need them. I don't think Jessa realizes how life is about to amp up now that she has kids. She'll get that bigger house, start entertaining...and suddenly need dishes for 20 and all the other equipment that comes along with life in a big family. She'll see. Those kids aren't going to want minimal rooms with minimal toys and minimal clothes all their lives.

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    1. You can continue to purge even when you get a bigger house. Don't be so pessimistic.

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    2. Dishes for 20? She was raised to use paper plates all the time.

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    3. Bigger houses = more stuff. Nobody with multiple kids and more always on the way rattles around in a big empty house.

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    4. As a teen, I was the one cleaning the house annually to get rid of clothes in each closet that were rarely worn and paring down the toys and organizing the kitchen. Teens are not necessarily materialistic.

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  14. Definitely not a minimalist!!! I prefer a warm, traditional home. We had toys and brought oks in our family room as our kids were growing. Books went to a basket or book shelves when done; tours went into an antique blanket chest which doubled as our coffee table.

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    1. I"m with you, though I do love getting rid of things we no longer use and love.

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  15. I love it that she is reading the Mr. Putter and Tabby series to the kids! As a children’s librarian, I can attest to the quality of the writing. They are by far my favorite early readers! (A close second would be the Elephant and Piggie series.) The Mr. Putter books are heart warming and laugh out loud funny!!

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    1. Wait, the kids are allowed to read a book that doesn't contain a Bible lesson?

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  16. Let's not forget the Henry and Mudge series that was written by the same author as the Mr. Putter and Tabby series. Although Mr. Putter and Tabby were my favorite. I remember reading those to my daughter when she was younger. She was reading them by the time she was four, but she still liked me to read them to her too.

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  17. I am attempting to be somewhat minimalist. I keep sentimental items but try not to collect too much stuff

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  18. If you want to see a really creepy example of minimalism, check out the YouTube channel The Minimal Mom. She's made their home to literally look like a hotel room.

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    1. Oh no, her house literally echos with emptiness. Too sterile. How did she make it through the TP shortage with only that many rolls? Her pantry wouldn't feed 5 people for a week, should she get snowed in. Where are the adult books? Where are the things for adult hobbies? Where are the pet supplies? Where are the summer clothes/winter clothes and coats? And so on and so on. Not practical. She's not living a full life, she's playing a weird game with herself and her family, for profit if she's running a website and a YouTube channel. Gets rid of all their stuff but has to buy a plaque to remind her to "Simplify"?

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    2. @7:26 While I don't take minimalism to her extreme, I do think she has some good advice on how to organize and pare things down. It's way to easy to become overburdened with stuff that's just taking up space. I simply enjoy better mental health if I'm not dealing with relentless clutter and overflowing cupboards and closets. To each his/her own.

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    3. Not sure I'm looking at the right video, but first she seems to be in one place with hardly anything and then in another bigger place with more stuff, including a very messy shed or garage or outbuilding with all her husbands tools and car stuff. ???

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    4. anon@11:01; I agree that the MM is a bit over the top. However, she has explained that they grocery shop more frequently, rather than stock up on things and crowd it into a pantry or freezer where it may get forgotten about and expire. I can see that reasoning, because it's happened to us more than I care to admit. As far as getting snowed in, Minnesota (where she lives and I do, too) has snowstorms for sure, but it's unusual to be homebound more than a day or two. Anyone watching a weather forecast knows to hit the grocery store ahead of time if a blizzard is approaching and your cupboards are bare. I believe the entire family has a limited number of clothes. Seasonal stuff is kept in totes in the basement, if I remember correctly. Not sure about the books- maybe they all prefer Kindle.

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    5. 11:01 -- HAHA -- good point about the plaque.

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    6. It doesn't seem to simplify life when you have to go to the grocery store more often. That wastes time, money, and gas. I guess they've never heard of the Mormon food storage principle either (keeping up to a year's supply on hand).

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    7. How do Mormons corner the market on a food storage principle? That's way older than Mormonism.

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    8. Nobody said the Mormons cornered that market. But their faith and church teaches that principle, for good reasons, while other churches don't.

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  19. I see Jana is wearing pants. Wish people would stop accusing her of breaking the family rules of the non-married girls still living at home being forbidden to wear any type of pants or leggings without a skirt or dress. For all we know she might just wear them at home and in the homes of her siblings when she baby sits and hangs out with them and not in public when shopping etc. Can't believe Jessa and Ben still live in their 2 bedroom honeymoon home they have lived in since they were first married. I would think with 3 kids now,that they would of moved to a bigger home with more rooms and bathrooms by now. But you never know. Ben and Jessa might be saving to buy another house soon in the future.

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  20. They are reading a “Mr. Putter and Tabby” book! I love those books! Teaches kids to be nice to seniors (older people) and older pets.

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  21. Aunt Jana is obviously a special aunt to her nieces and nephews. Jana seems to take a great interest in the children. God Bless.
    Joan,Marion and Marilyn

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  22. Looks like it should be called Jana and her nephews. While I don't like clutter, I think that getting rid of the coffee table means they need a larger house to accommodate their growing family.

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    1. Getting rid of a coffee table is impractical. Where do you sit with your glass or your hot cup of anything? You'd end up putting it on the floor where it could be kicked over or inspected by a curious toddler.

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  23. I for one would love to see more posts of Jana doing her own hobbies and not just babysitting.

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    1. Where's that home business Jana was supposed to be starting?! It's going on a year since that was filmed.

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  24. I remember when I sold my coffee table because my room was small and I would always bang my leg into it. I love my sentimental items and what nots. Especially now since I'm home more. Jane

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  25. I must be missing something. I don't see putting your stuff in a storage area as very helpful. You're going to be constantly going there to get things you want to use. As for the pantry. Is she nuts? After that business with the melons, why would she WANT to make more frequently trips to the grocery with 3 small children in tow (to say nothing of having Ben along on that expedition)?

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