I'm Superwoman! Not! Part 4

3. Let it be.

Even with passing the baton and lowering the bar, in our situation we simply could not get everything done to which I had become accustomed growing up. I had to make some tough decisions.
I took a look at every single thing I did. Which tasks could I eliminate without any harm? Could they be assigned to someone else? Could they be made easier or quicker? I concluded that some things could be eliminated altogether:

*Giving baths every night

Once a week is sufficient unless they've gone swimming or found a mud puddle, etc. Cutting out nightly baths probably saves me at least six hours a week.

* Folding underwear and matching socks

No one but the wearer will know that his underwear and socks weren't folded. Sometimes entire baskets full of clean laundry are worn and find themselves back in the dirty laundry all without ever being folded. This works for us because we are home most of the time. Your brother or sister doesn't care if your shirt is a little wrinkled.

* Not changing the littlies' clothes every time they got a little dirty.

Sure, I change them if they get wet or soiled or dirty enough to make something else dirty. But most days they wear the same outfit all day long. If it's not too dirty they'll wear it the next day, too. Since they stay home most days this works fine for us.

* Sorting the silverware

The kids do this job now. But when I used to do it I would just dump the whole basketful into the silverware drawer without sorting. No, it's not nearly as neat and organized. But everything is contained. And it's still relatively easy to find a fork when you need one.

I keep looking for more things that I can just let go. If you can't do it all either, are you willing to let some things go for your sanity?

Thanks for stopping' by! Come visit again soon!

Momoften

I'm Superwoman? Not! Part 3

2. Pass the baton.



Even with the bar lowered there is plenty of work that needs to be done in a household of twelve! That's where the children step up to the plate to help. When they understand their help is needed (believe me, their help is needed!), and as they actually provide needed help, the children gain the understanding and sense of fulfillment that they can contribute meaningfully to the lives of others.


Everybody from the 2yo and older are have opportunites to contribute. The children who are 12 and older do the cooking and laundry. Our 9yo does the vacuuming. It doesn't mean he vacuums every time the carpet is dirty. But he's learning and improving as is the cleanliness of our floors. Our 5yo is our chief dishwasher unloader. She does a good job with a little help. She doesn't always get all the silverware in the right places in the drawer. Big deal. She's improving and that's what's important. Even the 2yo has jobs - regularly taking her disposable diaper to the trash as well as any other small task that comes up! It's important that everyone, including her, be contributing. Eventually, they'll all be great at their jobs and the house will be really clean. Until then I've learned to be happy with partially clean!

Thanks for dropping' by! Come visit again soon!

Momoften

I'm Superwoman? Not! Part 2

1. Lower the bar.

We do not live in House Beautiful. We have spots on the kitchen floor that sometimes don't get cleaned right away. Our socks and underwear are not folded. Sometimes entire loads of clean laundry are never even folded before the clothes get worn again and of course find their way right back into the laundry. Really, is it necessary that underwear be folded? Other than the wearer, who's going to know if it isn't?

We do not eat together at every meal. For breakfast and lunch many of the older kids fix their own food and eat it at their convenience. This is one practice that I have mixed feelings about. But it is reality in our household. Each of the older children has been assigned the task of fixing and feeding each of the "littlies" (the children under 8) thereby eliminating the need for me to fix breakfast or lunch. That right there saves me about four hours a day in the kitchen.

We eat very simple meals. Hamburgers, baked beans and carrots. Baked chicken, baked potatoes, lettuce. It's never a Ritz Carlton menu. This allows the oldest 5 including my 10yo to take turns making dinner relieving me of those duties.

There are almost always dirty dishes in the sink, more at some times than others. If I made it my goal to have a clean kitchen at all time I would be in the kitchen most of the day. If the dishes make it into the dishwasher by bedtime I'm happy.

The kids don't get to go to everything they want. I have to carefully pick and choose which errands I can combine including chauffeuring kids to activities. True, our children aren't as involved as those from a smaller family might be. But the advantages they gain far outweigh this minor disadvantage.

Stay tuned for more in this series...

Gotta run! Come back and visit soon!

Momoften

I'm Superwoman! Not!

Over the years I've learned to smile when people ask “So how many children do you have?” I know their reaction to my answer will probably be one of the following:

1. A look of horror crosses their face as they crassly declare, "Better you than me!"
Thankfully, this one doesn't happen too often. When it does, then I'm the one who gets the look of horror on my face. How can anyone think so poorly of the blessings of children?

2. They flash back a confused smile. "What? You're kidding!" Once I assure them that I am serious they react as in #3.

3. Their jaw hits the floor as they blurt out, "Ten?!?" Often the comment follows “You must be superwoman! How do you do it all?”

The answer is I don't! There's no possible way one woman could do all the laundry, cleaning, cooking, refereeing, hugging, chauffeuring, potty training, counselling, etc. involved in raising ten children. I gave up trying years ago.

So how do I manage? And thus begins my first series...

Momoften

Come on in - the coffee is brewing!

Hi. Welcome to my blog! I'm glad you've joined me for a little one-way chat! Come on in. Pull up a chair and have a nice, hot cup of coffee while I share with you some of the things I've learned through the years and what life is like for a mother of ten children. LOL. Yes, I really do have ten children. Nope. No twins or triplets. All one by one. No, no adoptions either. All with the same father. No, I'm not Roman Catholic. Uh-huh. Not Mormon either. Just a Bible-believing Christian who believes that children do not cease to be blessings past number two. So now you know a few things about my situation. What topics exactly will this blog explore?

First off ,all things baby! There's no getting around it – I am a baby lover! Just ask my kids - I always admire every baby I see. And having one in the house for the last 22 years has been such a tremendous blessing to me! Of course, I've learned quite a few things about them along the way - practical things like how to handle a total blow-out diaper when you forgot the diaper bag and other important babyhood emergencies, how to make your baby go back to sleep within 20 minutes when he wakes up with croup two hours after you've gone to bed, the fastest, surest way to cure diaper rash, how we avoided ear tubes. You know, stuff like that.

But I have lots of other avenues to explore with you: homeschooling a large family, home management tips and mistakes, my approach to health and sicknesses, surviving raising five boys, surviving raising five girls! Approaches to saving money, of course, has to come up. Nobody has ten children and doesn't know how to save money! Staying married to the same man for 25 years and still loving it – now that's a rarity in this day and age. My journey of getting healthier and thinner. Sign language. Raising a child with Down Syndrome. Depression. Home birth. Homeopathy. Organic gardening. Lots of paths to explore together.

My husband will be dropping by from time to time on my blog but he's a great guy and tells the funniest stories.

I'm sure I'll post about all kinds of things – recipes, reviews, funny stories, opinions - basically whatever suits my fancy. And I have lots of fancies!

Well, thanks for droppin' by! I gotta run now but come back and visit me again soon!

Momoften