Simplifying Life With (Many) Kids

 

Okay, time for something not fire related, specifically.

 

I was reading over at The Complete Guide for Imperfect Homemaking and read took notes from this post – 99 Ways to Simplify Life with Kids.  The following list is complied from that blog post.  I have listed the things that apply to, or that I want to apply to our family.  Some of these items I added from our own life but, honestly, most of them came from the 99 Ways list.  Thank you, Kelly, for such a great resource!

 

1. Ditch the high chair covers.  I don’t know why I didn’t think of this sooner!  Since moving into our rental home I have two highchairs currently.  Both have covers and I don’t like them!  I will be removing, cleaning and storing the covers for future use (in case I give or sell the chairs).
2. Rotate toys.  I NEED to do this!  We have received an abundance of toys and almost daily they are strewn across the basement floor.  Are they played with or just emptied?  Your guess is as good as mine.  I need to find a method that will work for us, but I plan to implement the ROTATE TOYS suggestion soon!!
3. Have less clothing.  Well, this one has been taken care of, to a certain extent.  As donations came in, we were careful not to let too much stay in the house.   This was HARD!  So many good, usable, name brand items came through.  I will need to pare down some, but it won’t be a lot.
4. Have one color of sock per child.  When you have six children, this gets difficult.  Now, Kristyn and Cora are close to the same size and could technically share a color.  I’m considering it.  Marrissa and Rayna are close enough to the same size that we are having some issues; they should be in distinctly different colors.  The boys are very different in size at this point and could share a color, if needed.  I’m working on this one too.
5. Sing hymns together while we work together.  We do a lot of chores together, at the same time.  I think this will be a great thing to add to our daily activities.  Right now (music needs to be replaced) I could create playlists on YouTube, or play Live365 stations.
6. Read Grace Based Parenting.  It’s on my TBR list at GoodReads.com.
7. Smile at your children when you are speaking to them.  I need to do this more.  Kristyn is feeling especially vulnerable in this area and seems to need my acceptance and my approval a lot lately.
8. Don’t expect perfection from them or from yourself.
9. Great a daily family rhythm.  This is happening naturally.  I love it, though I want to tweak it some.
10. Provide healthy snacks that the children can get for themselves.  Anyone who knows my kids, knows they are pretty independent.  And since I’ve been trying to change our eating to fruits and vegetables, this item is getting even easier!
11. Read the Little House series.  Before the fire the older girls had listened to the audio version of the whole series.  They’ve mentioned wanting to start over again at the beginning.  I think I may purchase the set for them (both book and audio).
12. Encourage daily outdoor play.
13. Confiscate toys that they fight over.  This is something I’ve done off and on for years.  I believe that clutter comes in different forms.  One form is fighting and bickering.  If a toy is the cause, it can go out.  I think it’s a good way to teach them to find better ways to deal with disagreements.  Now, this isn’t something I’m going to be pushing right away.  Right now my kids need to have their things around.  I will however confiscate and keep for a length of time and have a discussion about proper ways of handling issues.
14. Allow kids to clean up their own spills.  Even Matthias knows how to do this!
15. Expect them to eat what you are serving and eating.  This one is a little tougher for me because I can’t eat everything they can eat right now.  What I do try for, though, is to have something in the meal that everyone will like.  I do not make a special meal for anyone usually.  Occasionally, if they really hate what is being served they are allowed to make a peanut butter and jam sandwich or grilled cheese.
16. Let them get dirty.
17. Have a place for everything.  We are getting there in this house and in the new house, I am going to be pretty picky about what gets moved in and where it gets put!
18. Have less toys!  Yep, need to do this.
19. Have more craft stuff.  I’m not big on this, but I feel I need to change.  I need to let my kids create.  My two biggest issues:  storage and clean up.
20. Encourage them to make up plays and act them out.  The older girls are getting to a place now where this is starting to happen more and more!
21. Use your local library.  We use our local library.  When our house burnt we had a large number books from our library system in the house.  Very sad!  But very good.  I love that my kids love to read.
22. Keep library books in one place.  I used to do this!  I got away from it when the kids really started reading more on their own.  They wanted the books in their rooms.  And I can understand that too.  This one needs some thought.
23. Create a meal plan.  This is another one I used to do.  I need to get back to it.  Life is up in the air still.  This will come with time.  I hate having to think about what to make for supper every single night.
24. Bake more.  I have little bakers.  I need to let them get back to it.
25. Garden.  This year it’s going to be tough to find the time, but we’ll sneak a little of it in.
26. BBQ more.  Jason is on the “summer fun” committee of the local fire department this year!  We are excited!
27. Make play dough.  I think I’ll do this soon.
28. Tell them about your childhood.  My kids love to hear about things J or I did growing up.  Or about Uncle John.  They find it fascinating.
29. Tell them the stories of their birth.  They love to hear about their births and earlier years.
30. “Don’t bang on the doors.”  This is something I want to teach.  When I’m in the bathroom, leave me alone.  I’ll do the same for you!  Knock nicely, once.  And then wait.  We have two toilets now, so this really should be easy to teach.
31. Teach “Come to me, don’t shout!”  This is going to become important again when the new baby arrives.  Babies sleep a lot and the house will need to be quieter.  I will be starting this one soon.  If you don’t know where I am and you need me, look for me, don’t shout!
32. Keep paper and crayons in your purse or in the vehicle.  There are lots of things to do with paper and writing instruments that can keep children busy while waiting.
33. Keep an extra set of clothing (and footwear) for each person in the vehicle.  When I had my school bus, I did this.  It was a life saver many times.  Right now it doesn’t work for us, but one day!!!
34. Watch documentaries together.  We used to do this and we will again.
35. Keep clutter to a minimum with a “one in, one out” rule.  For example, if you get a new toy, one toy needs to be donated or tossed.
36. Make planned-overs.  In other words, make extra food to serve the next day.
37. Make double the recipe and freeze the extra.
38. Be a little over the top sometimes, just to keep life interesting.
39. Buy a Swiffer Wet-Jet type mop to clean up after each meal.  Quick and easy.
40. Everyone helps set and clear the table.  Even the 2 year old can put stuff in the fridge or deliver dirty dishes to the sink.