A wise woman I know said, "If you don't bake at least weekly, something's wrong in your life." My family lives by that credo.

Picture lazy mornings with two older children surprising mom and their little brother with a spread of yummy foods, good tea and a happy, "Surprise!"

This describes a common morning scene at my house.

The rest of the day can involve writing stories, reading, playing, meeting friends at parks, attending community dances, listening to mom's band playing old-timey bluegrass, or picking the brains of a city councilman while the kids reveal their ideas for transitional housing to help homeless people find their way off the streets.

Living on a very low income in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the average house price is a cool $616,000 this week, and landlords routinely refuse to rent to people with kids, I had to get creative when we suffered a bogus eviction.

We had built a good daily life, walking and riding bikes wherever we needed to go, and keeping our Geo Metro for longer treks. After the eviction, I reviewed our priorities, considered the terrible instabilities my children had suffered in the past, and accepted significant compromises to create a stable household. What we received in return is something which should be every child's birthright: time together as a family.

Now, four of us live comfortably in about 680 square feet of space with two bedrooms. We sleep together, as do families worldwide. We chucked beds and use futons and wool bedrolls which are rolled up for comfy seating while making more play and workspace during the day. A loft in the bedroom and shelving, rather than closets, has maximized usable space.

Living a simpler, but higher quality, lifestyle in a smaller space is a basic premise of sustainability in our lives and in the lives of growing numbers of Americans. Indeed, several successful communities, organizations and publications have formed around the ideal of saving resources by leaving a smaller "environmental footprint" by taking up less space on the planet.

Living in smaller spaces requires less energy, furniture, and other goods, and prevents the waste of heating, cooling, lighting, furnishing and maintaining rooms that aren't being used. It's one of the smartest and best ways to reduce one's environmental impact, while rediscovering some of the family closeness our society is rapidly losing.

Our ticket to small spaces and stability proved to be a good, old mobile home. These boxes are basic, and designed by people who have never given real thought to living spaces. Feng Shui is not a concept known to the mobile home industry, and neither is energy conservation. But when you get yourself one, you can work with it.

We made a bedroom smaller, adding two inner windows which bring in light and air, and allow a feeling of connection when wanted, with curtains to bring privacy when preferred. We created a wider hallway, which became an extension of our living room and a crucial sight and sound line from the front to the back of our home.

We rounded the corner between the living room and hallway, one of the best changes, and opened up the wall between the living room and kitchen. I felt the kitchen and living room division was designed to keep women "in our place," and when we all had a good ol' time sawing down that wall, I felt I was breaking out -- literally!

We live 15 miles from our former neighborhood -- the closest mobile home location possible -- and that was our big compromise. But we make life work -- as a family. And in the end, people are more important than bigger boxes.

Maxine Ventura is a mother disabled with chemical sensitivity due to pesticide poisoning in Sonoma wine country. She is founder of East Bay Pesticide Alert, a grassroots organization which helps people understand the dangers of, and alternatives to, everyday toxic chemicals. The author can be reached at: beneficialbug@netzero.net.

To find out more:

Small House Society
Wee Houses
Little House on a Small Planet by Shay Salomon:
The Last Straw magazine