Laundry

No one wants to talk about this, I know.........but, it's a part of life and if we don't want to walk around smelling, then it's a must. I think this is one of the biggest problems for most large families, the piles just grow and there never seems to be an end to the laundry pile. I swear, we have a laundry monster and he comes in at night and makes the piles bigger. I just wish there was a laundry fairy to come in and clean up the mess. Oh yeah, that's right, we do! It's me!

The one thing I learned with a family of 9 is you HAVE to do laundry every day. Even if you skip just one day, you are in trouble. Especially if your closet is a bit limited and it seems to be, the less clothes you have, the more laundry there is.....Why is that you ask? Well, because no sooner does someone wear something and it's right in the pile, there's not much reserve so you have to get what you DO have clean and as soon as possible.

I do between two and four loads of laundry a day, I strive for 4 by 4pm if I'm lucky. Then there's one big laundry day on Monday which sets everyone ready for the week. Sunday's I make sure that the school uniforms are done as we only have a few uniforms per child. I used to think I'd be a fan of uni's, but I'm not. You have to buy play clothes AND uniforms....personally, if the school requires them then they should have to buy them. Some voucher to spend at a store of your choice, kinda like how WIC works. In this economy we're lucky if we have the money to buy underwear for our kids let alone uniforms.

Okay, I'm off my soap box about that.

Socks......we have one big sock basket. Everyone gets colored socks. I hate how dingy white socks get, even when you use bleach and everyone's underwear are colored, so it only makes sense to be able to wash all the socks with the other laundry. Besides, I don't have time to be adding a sock load to my ever growing pile of laundry.

Wednesday's and Friday's are towel days and I do the kids bedsheets and mine every other Friday.

I was asked by Gitty today how we get all the stains out of the clothes. I told her it was magic! But really, it's all in the detergent. I know buying cheap is the thing right now and for most of us a necessity, but unfortunately, there's some places this girl can't scrimp and laundry detergent is one of them. I only use Tide, Whisk or All. It depends which one is on sale and for how much in comparison to the others and if it's beneficial if I have a coupon (which I rarely do). With those detergents and the right water cycle, I've only ever had to pre-treat formula stains and only very lightly.

The laundry is done, washed, dried and folded, socks thrown into the sock basket for everyone to dig through for a match.....I guess this is why everyone usually has mismatched socks on, but eh, it's the fad anyway. But who puts it all away. NOT ME! That's up to who ever the clothes belong to. I put my own and Hubs away, but not the kids. The little kids get help from the older kids and I put the babies clothes away. As soon as they can follow directions, they'll learn how to put their own clothes away too!

Oh and don't forget, every Friday the bathroom carpets get done too! Did I mention, I really, really hate laundry! And dishes too!

Until next time.....
Becca

Management

I think a lot of what I learned about managing a large family can help many of the smaller families as well. We as parents are always looking for new ways to make our lives easier, aren't we? That said, if you walked through my house right now, you'd probably wonder if I was talking out my tush here. But the condition of my home is for another time :)

Having 1 child can seem like it would be an easy job, but in actuality it's no different then having several, especially if one or both of the parents work outside the home. Even if one works at home, there are still demands that must be met each day or soon you're home will fall apart and it will look like, well.....mine right now.

Let's take a look at some of the things I have used over the years and see if any of them may be useful for you.

I set up a weekly cleaning schedule. I like to use the one here: Justmommies.com

It helps me as the mom stay on track and when I'm working it can help Hubby to stay on track too.

I also implement everyones help! All my kids make messes and big ones! I often find at least one child who has left a trail of things behind them, creating a huge mess and they think someone else is going to clean it up. That doesn't happen. I refuse to clean up after anyone who isn't willing to clean up after me. Hubby has a bad habit of doing this. When he cleans, he cleans up for everyone. Not me, I wait until everyone is home and I make them all pitch in and help. If I did it myself, it would take me hours to get done what needs to be done. Instead, by having help, it doesn't take more than an hour to get things straightened up.

Have chores for the kids. I suggest printing out and making up your own chores. Not every chore is going to fit for your family. You can also make ones yourself using a spreadsheet already on your computer. These chores can be something as simple as personal hygiene for the younger kids all the way up to cleaning out the garage for the older kids.

We live in a time where most kids spend all their time either playing or doing school work. My kids have between 15 minutes to 2 hours worth of homework a night. We feel bad fitting chores into their schedules when they have no time to be kids. That's why during the week, I don't ask much from the kids. Hubs and I are both home, so it makes it a bit easier. But weekends are different. Saturday and Sunday mornings are mine. They need to use that time to help get the house in order for the next week. Weekdays are busy for us and it's easy for things to fall apart quickly.

Routines! When you and the kids can count on something happening predictably, it can be easier to fall back into that routine if a crisis should arise. With 7 kids, we end up with lots of colds, boo boos and other issues almost constantly. Knowing who has to do what, when, helps everyone else stay focused until things return to normal.

One of these days I'll give you an example of our routine. It's not really exciting, but hopefully it'll give you an idea of how best to help your own family.

Plan! What I mean is, keep a calender of events coming up for the next month. We have a calendar up on the fridge. I write in all the appointments coming up for the following month and anyone who has plans needs to put it on the calendar so we know what to expect.

Meal Plan! This will make your life a thousand times easier, especially if both parents do work. It let's you know what you're going to have for dinner, what you need to get out of the fridge or freezer and what you need to buy from the grocery store. Remember, use those coupons and buy only what's on sale! Plan your meals around your grocery store's sale flyer.

And lastly, don't stress! The laundry will get done, the dishes will get done, the cob-webs will probably go unnoticed if you happen to have company over. The one thing that you have to make sure you do, spend time with your kids. Parks are great places for kids and you to burn off energy. Cuddle with them and read to them often. Let kids be kids, not your own personal workers!