Many of us have shared a living space with someone because renting or purchasing a house is expensive. But a friend duo of Holly and Herrin, both single moms took the house-sharing concept to a new level.
They came up with the best idea of cohabiting and invited 2 other ladies to join in on their adventure. The ingenious idea has caught our fancy, and thus, here is their story!
Some of us have friends that we joke about “spending our lives with.”
For some of us women, we have a few girlfriends that we joke are our soulmates. While we love our husbands or boyfriends, we do have those women in our lives who we can live with, grow with, and thrive with forever. I’m sure you have a friend in life who you have joked with about “buying a home and living together.”
As it turns out, two women made that joke their own reality.
Holly Harper and Herrin Hopper are two mom friends who are incredibly close. The two used to joke around about buying a home together and just living there with their kids, letting their spouses come to see them from time to time. But, when they got divorced, the joke became a bit more of their own reality.
As the Covid-19 pandemic hit, the women thought: why not?
Thinking it would be fun to live in a “mom commune” together, the two moms said—what’s stopping them? They found two other single moms who were interested in their plan and the four of them bought a home together with four separate living units.
For some of the women, it was just the right time to start over.
In an interview with TODAY, Harper shared that after turning 40, getting divorced, and losing her dad, she didn’t have much holding her back from living out their dream. She looked at her friend and said, “let’s just do this.”
The women say that it’s an absolute “safety net” to live in their shared mom space.
“There is almost a spiritual safety net every day here. I could be my worst self, I could be my best self, and they see me for who I am, and it’s OK,” Hopper said. They are able to lean on each other in good times and bad times. They each have their own problems but can look to one another for guidance.
There are also a ton of benefits of living with other women and children.
The moms share that there are so many benefits, logistically, of them living in this shared living space with friends and kids. For one, the moms always have this sense of “freedom” and help from the other ladies. If one mom wants to run out for groceries or go to the gym, they can leave knowing someone is there to look out for their kids.
It also helps that because of this, the kids are never bored.
The ages range from 9 to 14, and having so many kids living under one roof means that everyone always has a playmate. Sometimes, when you have one or two kids, they can easily be bored if the other is alone or if someone is preoccupied. Having so many kids in one space means it’s non-stop fun for many of them.
The move has been incredibly beneficial not only for them but for their children as well, as they call it “a kid’s paradise”.
The combination of multitudes of toys and gadgets to take advantage of is just the tip of the iceberg—they also have each other to lean on. Holly says that the children, aged 9 to 14, relate to each other like cousins that can share each new experience in their lives with one another.
Holly continues to say that the “kids—who can use the buddy system for a walk to get gelato, and who have playmates during the quarantine and homeschool months—are thriving.”
The women also have a way of getting everything done collectively.
The women often have “homeowners meetings” where they meet, sit down, and discuss logistical issues in the home—like if something breaks, who is going to fix what. Also, they share responsibilities in the house like yard work and other things that need shaping.
Of course, there is always some confusion.
As many moms of multiples can understand, things get messy when you have more than one kid in the house.
Hopper shared, “We don’t know whose socks are whose … socks everywhere. iPads, dishes, cups. There’s a lot of exchange that occurs. Usually not planned.”
But, overall, the women are “glad” they threw out the rulebook.
The house the women bought has been called the “Siren House,” after the mythical creatures who would lure sailors to their deaths with beautiful songs. And, the women love the “female empowerment” vibes they get from living and raising their children together.
“You can do whatever you want. Burn the rulebook of life and just look at it differently,” Harper shared.
We love it!
