Chores

The hardest part of running a home for me is to get the people pictured below to do their chores. I don't like to manage people. It is easier for me to just do the job instead of telling someone else to do it. For me the easiest way to handle this is to put one of my oldest in charge of chore time and assigning jobs. Each child also has a room that they are responsible for and they have to make sure it is picked up every day. This has solved a lot of our chore problems.


Mamatoto asked about age appropriate chores. I used to be much better at having the little ones help out. I do encourage the older children to have a younger one help them. We are training them to do dishes, cook, and clean the house.


Here is a quick list I came up with.

Under 18 months
~Dust
~Sort clean laundry as you fold
~Pick up
~Wipe table, walls, whatever
~Throw things away for you as you are working


18 months-3 years
~Send them on errands(Take this to my room and put it on the bed)
~Fold washcloths or just put items into piles of towels, washcloths, socks
~Help pick up toys
~Wipe table
~Put silverware away
~Make his bed
~Dust low things
~Help cook-stir, dump, cut with butter knife
~Wash dishes(really just playing)
~Empty little trash cans from around the house


3-5 years
~Change his sheets
~Put laundry into washer or dryer depending on what type you have
~Empty dishwasher
~Fold some laundry
~Help make mom's bed
~Sweep
~Mop
~Clean windows
~Feed animals
~Help cook
~Pull weeds/plant garden


5-7 years
~Do own laundry with help
~vacuum if strong enough
~Help clean bathroom
~Sweep/mop
~Pull weeds
~Mow with a push mower if strong enough
~Plant own garden spot
~Make a simple lunch


7-9 years
~Laundry on own
~Wash most dishes by self
~Vacuum and do a decent job
~Do a nice job sweeping and mopping
~Clean the bathroom
~Take care of own garden without help
~Make dinner with some help


The most important thing is to thank the child, tell them what a good job they did, and tell them how much they helped you. They need to know that you needed their help and that they made life easier for you. Give them something to be proud about. You can ask your little boy to flex his arm muscles and then brag on how strong he must be to carry the can of tomatoes or the milk jug. The littlest ones are not really doing much besides learning to work. It is mostly play and it should be fun. The children under five rarely do a job on their own, their chores are mostly helping someone else work.


My husband is really patient and will let any age help him do anything from cooking breakfast to changing the oil. I leave him alone and let him determine when a child is ready to do something. Sometimes I have to leave the room so I don't interfere!

Happy New Week

Welcome to another new week. I hope it's a great one for you!

My Shape Up Quick(I Hope) Plan

I will not be sharing a side view!

My goal is to look great in this dress on my birthday which is October 9Th.

Before you look at my pictures please remember that I have had 8 babies and my last one was born almost 1 year ago. I am still breastfeeding so the top part is a little bigger than usual, unfortunately. Oh, and I never knew how I scrunched up my mouth when I am concentrating.



Here is the plan I came up with which I have been doing for two weeks.

Monday-Friday

Morning
walk with children 15-20 minutes
shovelglovewith older children for 14 minutes(this is what the sledgehammer is for)

Afternoon
T-Tapp BWO+
or
Callanetics maintenance workout
or
15 minutes Chicometrics

Evening
Run(when toe is better)for 30 minutes
or
Ride bike 30 minutes



I am already seeing results from the shovelglove. My arms are more toned, also my hubby said my lower abs are looking smaller. My main concern is with my hips and tummy.

I also eat a low carb diet. I don't eat any grains or starchy vegetables. I try to eat some raw veggies with each meal. I don't eat more than a serving or two of dairy per day. And I am doing the tea part of the tea diet. So I drink 4-8 cups of tea. I've been reusing the leaves so only two cups have caffeine.

If you have any questions or helpful tips please leave a comment. Thanks!

Laundry-Least and Most Challenging Chores

Freckled Hen asked "As far as housework goes what part do find least challenging? Most challenging?"

My answer to both questions is laundry. I could run the laundry through the washer and dryer all day and be ready to wash some more the next day. I like washing laundry. It's easy and satisfying.



Now folding and putting away is another story. I have to make myself do these jobs. They are so boring to me. This is something I have always hated doing. I make myself fold some laundry every time I go into my bedroom. I fold on my bed so that I have to put it away that night. I used to fold on the dining table but it is too easy to just push it out of the way instead of putting it away.

My oldest four boys do their own laundry and I'm training the girls to do theirs. So I only have to do mine, hubby's, baby's and three year old's. We have two sets of laundry machines. The boys have a set upstairs and I have the fancy ones in the pic above. Since the boys have a top loader they have to wash the baby diapers and sometimes the kitchen towels. I really don't have anything to complain about.

Lefties- Thoughts On Raising and Teaching One

Did you know that one in ten people is left handed? We have ten people in our family and guess what? One is left handed. We live in a right handed world. Observe a left handed person and you will quickly come to this conclusion. Everything is backwards for them. Examples-the way most doors open, sewing machines, coffee mugs, and wristwatches.

Here are some things I have learned while teaching my left handed daughter how to write.


It is easier to use loose leaf paper. My daughter wants to use a notebook like everybody else so I turn it over and then open it so the binding is on the right hand side. Angle the page so that the left top corner is at the highest point with a steeper incline than a right hander would use. When the paper is positioned correctly the writer should be able to see what was already written. You also need to remind the student to keep his wrist straight. As he gets used to writing with the paper at the proper angle it will become natural to write with a straight wrist and hand.


When instructing my student to form a letter I tell her to write it backwards, for after all, it is the wrong way to her. If she writes on her own without a visual reference she will form the letters and words from right to left in a perfect mirror image.

If I need to demonstrate a letter for my little student I sit on her left with my arm around her so my hand is on her right or I stand behind her. Many times I will slowly form the letter while she copies me as I remind her to write it the wrong way. She also enjoys using a small white board to practice on.

I sometimes have to remind my daughter to use her left hand instead of her right to cut with scissors, throw a ball, etc. It has been a bit of a challenge for me to teach her. Whenever I get frustrated I remind myself of how much frustration she must feel living with a bunch of righties. I try to do some things the wrong(to me) way to make things a little easier for her.

Last Saturday and a Goofy Picture of Me

My husband was given tickets to a special charity event held by the company he works for. It is a dinner and entertainment night. We had a nice dinner and then went to the auditorium for the show. Our tickets were for the third row center. Oh, I forgot to mention that we took the baby with us.


So we are sitting in front and Sinbad comes out. He looks around and asks for the lights to be turned up because he likes to interact with the audience. I'm thinking, uh-oh. I also forgot to say that I'm an introvert and would have been more than happy to sit at the back and remain unnoticed.


Sinbad starts his routine and then watches my husband hand me the baby(he was hungry, the baby!) and jokes about how men always hand the baby off. Then he wants to know how many children we have. Hubby says eight, and everyone is like "Eight! Are you serious?" So then he starts joking about that. He finally moves onto something else but keeps coming back to us and our eight kids. It was embarrassing but funny. I kept wondering if he would be able to relate the current topic to us again and then he would. So finally the routine was over and we got to go backstage. Sinbad took a break before he came out but when he did he saw my husband holding our babe and said "It's the man with the eight babies!" Funny. Then we took a pic with him. It was a fun night.

I'm wearing the cool shades 'cause I can't keep my eyes open for a flash picture.

Breastfeeding and a Quick Look at How I Schedule My Time

Cara asked "I've got one, just because I'm feeling impatient right now. Do you feel like breastfeeding a little one every other year (or so) takes up a ton of time?"

I'll give you the quick answer first and then go into details of how I manage my time.

Breastfeeding does take a ton of time and I do get frustrated. I try to look ahead a few months to when the baby will be older and I will be able to accomplish more. I also try to put the proper weight on what I am accomplishing now. Sitting quietly, playing with my baby's fingers while he looks up at me with a smile in his eyes will be something that I miss desperately in a year or two so I make sure to soak it in at least once a day!


Now for the book length answer and how I get things done.

My baby is almost a year old and I have older children who can distract him if I'm in the middle of something and he needs to wait a bit to nurse. He is also on solids so, many times, he will sit happily in his high chair with a little snack while he watches me work.


I try not to have too many things on my to do list or in my schedule. What I am able to accomplish goes in cycles with the baby's age. If I have a newborn I'm happy to take a shower and make the bed each morning. The rest of my day is mostly spent on the couch with my baby and my younger ones hanging around. I can get lots of story time and personal reading time in. I read 'War and Peace' in a few months while my oldest daughter was a baby! As the baby gets older and starts napping in bed instead of on me I start keeping a to do list with projects that I can do quickly or in short sessions. After I had older children who were able to cook meals, clean house, and help with laundry life was much easier. I gave up time for personal projects when the baby was small but by the time he/she was 4-6 months of age I was almost back to a normal workload with the children taking on most of the cooking and household chores. As the baby nears 12 months I have started cooking a few nights a week and have time for sewing, gardening, and exercise.


When I had mostly little ones I would get very frustrated about not being able to clean the house. My husband and I finally came to the conclusion that it was better for us to clean the house together on the weekend in 1 hour instead of me taking over 4 hours to get it done with the interruptions of meals and breastfeeding. We fell back on this plan whenever a new baby was born, when we started school after summer break or whenever my schedule was too full of extra work.


A few times each year I become overwhelmed and depressed that I am not supermom and able to do everything. So I have to think about what, why, and how I'm doing things and cross non essentials off my list. Then I write up a loose schedule and try it out for a week or two. I usually have to take even more non essentials off my list after the trial period.


I do think it's important to leave at least one thing that makes you feel productive and one thing that is just for you and maybe even a "waste" of time. You need those things as a creative outlet and to just be yourself-not mom, homemaker, wife, just you. The things that make me feel productive are keeping my bedroom pretty, having the house picked up once per day and vacuuming. My creative "just me" time is usually spent sewing, gardening, writing, or sometimes reading.


One thing I have noticed is that when I'm frustrated with my lack of time I'm probably trying to do too much. It is hard to admit that and cut some things out of my day that I really want to do but we are all happier when I am able to admit it and change things around.


Another thing I do is to list all of the things I want to do and then assign one day of the week to work on certain items. For example, sewing on Mondays, extra kitchen work on Tuesdays and Thursdays, project time (baby book, photo album) on Wednesdays and then maybe a special play time with the children on Fridays.


I do need margin in my days or I will feel too stressed out. My basic schedule has a few things that can be and often are skipped. I keep a notebook with a running to do list. I accomplish what I can each day and then move the other items to the next day. After I have moved some things back a few times I will realize that they don't even need to be done or that I can put them off for a few months.


I keep my basic schedule in a plastic sleeve so I can mark things off with a dry erase marker as I do them. Then I can wipe it clean for the next day. ticking items off shows me that I am accomplishing something each day. I have a list for the younger students' school time also. The children have one with their chores. I can add extra jobs easily by just writing on the plastic. They like knowing exactly what needs to be done each day without having to wait for me to tell them.



If you have any questions or want more specifics leave me a comment and I'll do my best to give you a clear answer.

Lunch at the Pizza Place

All of our youngsters waiting for their pizza. Notice some of the looks I get for taking pictures of them in public.

Our two youngest children.

Give a hug and pretend you like each other.

We're too cool for pictures.

Are you done yet?

I think I'll have to do this more often. I was going to take pics of our trip to the grocery store but it was crowded and chaotic. I'll try again next time.

Upcoming Posts And Broken Toe Update

Thanks for the ideas.

*I will be posting about the event we went to last Saturday night. I might be posting a pic of hubby, baby, and me if I can get up the nerve. My eyes are closed so I may have to photo shop it, if I can figure that out.

*A series on how we homeschool including resources(some free) that I like.

*Housework and the challenges it can present for a large family. What my favorite(Ha!) chores are and aren't.

*Breastfeeding a baby with lots of littles and lots of work to do and how I have handled it at as my family grew(If I can remember that far back).

*Maybe I'll do a q&a with some of the common questions we get about our large family and some that I will make up.

*Possibly a post about my plan to look great in a certain dress by my b-day(10/9) and what I'm doing to get to that goal. This plan involves a sledgehammer. I might or might not show before pics.

*Cold season gardening



And now for the oh so exciting update on my foot. I know you were anxiously waiting for me to get to it! I finally started running again last week. I ran Monday and Wednesday. My toe started to swell up again so I decided to take another week off. I've been taking a 15 minute walk with the little ones each morning before school and it starts hurting halfway through. It's not too bad, just annoying. I'm trying to ice it 3X a day to help it heal faster.

Questions, anyone?

Is there anything you want to know about a family of 10? Like, are we sane? How many loads of laundry do we do each week? Am I an old lady who lives in a shoe?


O.k. really, I need some ideas on what to blog about. So if you have any questions or ideas please leave me a comment.


Thanks!

One thing about me

I've wanted an old John Deere tractor since I was a little girl. I grew up in the city so I'm not a country girl. We would travel to Arkansas from California every year or so to visit my grandparents. We passed many old tractors along the way.

They always gave me a feeling of peace. I don't know why. Maybe they symbolize a simple but full life. A life full of hard work but strength and health also. Sunshine on the face, working your own land, owning your life. Old fashioned values, honesty, gumption. That's what a tractor means to me.

The monster sunflower

It hasn't grown much taller.


But look at all the flowers!


Have a lovely Sunday!

One dozen pillowcases

Sounds impressive, doesn't look like much.

Greens. My mom is a quilter and all of these fabrics are from her stash. Thanks, Mom!

Patriotic. She cleared out her stash and gave me all the fabrics she was not going to use. I'll have to take a few pics sometime to show you. Now the boys want some pillowcases in red, white, and blue.

Reds, I like the one with the dog print.

Purples. These don't look like sleepy pillowcases. Maybe they'll add some excitement to the weekly linen changing and washing.

And all of them spread out on the side of my compost bin. The chicken coop is in the background.


I hope you have enjoyed these pictures. An ant bit me on the toe and the chickens were begging for weeds while I was taking them. There is a happy ending though, I grabbed some fresh mint on the way back to the house and it's brewing a nice cup of tea for me.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

What did I do?

We needed some new pillowcases. I thought I'd use my stash and sew some. So far, so good. I get bored cutting fabric so I put a dog training movie in the laptop to watch while I worked. Oh, did I mention I needed to make about 5 pillowcases?

Well, I was somewhat distracted by the dvd so I just kept cutting and cutting. When I finally stopped to count I had cut out 12 pillowcases. Whoops! So I'll be off sewing for awhile. I ended up using some patriotic prints, greens, reds, and purples. I'll show you my stack of pc's when I finish.

Above is how I salvaged my Hubby's b-day cake one year.