We recently just got back from a trip to visit my family in Dallas. It was nice to get away from home for a week and spend it with family. Once we got back home, however, we made a huge realization. We are drowning! Drowning in too much!! Too much laundry, too much disorganization, too much stuff! My DH and I woke up and made the realization that something has to change.
This has been a tough year overall. Pregnancy was a bit rougher than usual, my mind seems to have gone on vacation, and there is so much MORE now that the baby is here (think baby swings, bouncy seats, more clothes, etc.). With all this MORE in our lives, there is one thing that we definitely have less of...time.
How can we do it all? DH works so much that I'm left alone to tackle the runnings of the house. I don't complain about it...it is, after all, my job. But while I understand that the most important thing is to raise our kids to be healthy and happy, I still have a million other things to accomplish along with that. Mainly: the kids education and a safe household.
So we have made a pact to simplify our lives. This will be a slow process, but we are determined to get back to the basics. With 5 children running around, we can't afford to let things slide. First we plan to get rid of everything we don't use. This includes household items, clothing, and toys.
Sticking to our chore list for the kids, our homeschool schedule, and menu planning have been difficult lately, and now we realize just how important they are. But sickness and traveling have made it harder than we thought.
Perhaps I'll post about our progress, but in the mean time...if you want to get started on your own life, here are some sites that you can visit for ideas.
Large Family Logistics
Life in a Shoe
Organized Home
Love @ Home
Household Organizing Tips for Large Families
Time to get to work!
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5 comments:
Liz
thanks for the links.Wishing you encouragement in your goal, it is hard but worth it.
I've been reading your blog faithfully for a few months now, and I really enjoy it. Thanks for such an honest post. I have four boys 9, 7, 5, 3, and we are homeschooling and in the process of becoming Catholic, so you've been an inspiration to me. We are currently building a house, and we decided to do family closet to simplify (everyone's clothes stored in one room where the washer and dryer are). We'll see how it goes! Thank you for the links, off I go to explore. Blessings!
Thanks for visiting!! Erin, thanks for the encouragement...I definitely need it. Luckily, we are slowly getting rid of things.
Christina...congratulations on your journey! I will be praying for you and your family. As for your family closet, that is what we are planning on doing when we move in a year! Washing, drying, ironing, folding, and putting away...all in one room. Awesome!!
Liz,
I can totally, totally relate to your experience about disorganization. I've been married for seven years now and have 4 kids ranging from 2 to 5 which includes a set of twins. Homeschooling is difficult at this stage because they are not totally independent. If you map out the tasks and duties, even after distributing chores to the young one, it is literally impossible to keep up. After alotting the time required include some much needed rest and contingencies, I've outsourced the cleaning to a reliable helper who also ocassionally helps me out in organizing. She comes once a week. It is a big deep in the pocket for a single income household, but I figured with the money I saved from private schooling, I might as well save my sanity by putting the money there until the children are able to fully pitch in somewhere down the road when they're older (about two more years).
Our Lady help you and grant you graces in your efforts!
Jin, I'm glad you understand my situation. I'm lucky enough to have help twice a week with the kids (she comes here and watches the kids while I do school with older kids or go on errands). I also call in for a housecleaner occasionally. The problem lies in having too much stuff! I really think that if we were to have less, I wouldn't feel so cluttered...even when things are put away. I'm continuing to pray for a simpler way of life!
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