Since becoming a wife, then a mother a few years later, I’ve felt as if caring for a home and raising little kids can be constant balancing of healthy habits and rhythms.
Number 7 made me laugh. I’ve had to back off on this because my eldest daughter’s eldest daughter energy overwhelms her in this category. I ask her to fill the tub so I can bathe her little brother and next thing I know he’s washed and in his jammies! If I ask her to get out the ingredients for grilled cheese - she cooks dinner. She mothers every child in her vicinity just because she can so it’s a difficult balance.
That’s amazing! My oldest can rise to the occasion and go above and beyond at times as well. Asking them to help is such a good way to equip them to take care of others in a selfless kind of way.
One thing that we did for cleanup is I'd say something like 'pick up all the red things', then blue, yellow, whatever. Till all the toys were gathered into the toy box. Made it a fun game especially for Legos!
These are great! I would love to move toward weekend screen time. I can only imagine how different our routine would be with this change alone. And the Saturday breakfast! So smart!
Yes less screen time, especially when it’s warmer outside, is always better for everyone! And our Saturday morning breakfasts are just a special time for us : )
just found your page and finding all your tips so helpful!!! I have an 8,7,4 and 1 year old and it feels like constant chaos. You’re inspiring me seeing you use some online teaching resources. This was the permission I needed to get that started! Thank you 🙏🏼🥹
This is very helpful for me as a newish mom! (My oldest is almost 6.) At what age do you recommend children learn to do laundry? My oldest can wash dishes and load the dishwasher pretty independently but I haven’t really considered the laundry thing. I guess one thing that has held me back is the fact that our washer/dryer are complicated with a lot of buttons, and he can’t read yet so I’ve assumed that he wouldn’t be able to use the machines correctly.
Sounds like you already have a great start with some really helpful chores! My kids don’t actually complete the laundry cycle but are in charge of all the folding afterwards. I think it’s doable but our laundry is in the basement which means I wouldn’t be supervising, as I am with other chores, so I’d recommend waiting until your oldest is a little older in my opinion!
Ours is also in the basement! The folding makes sense. I’m also thinking even just putting the laundry into the washer or transferring to the dryer would be something he can do on his own!
Laundry age depends on a lot of different things. My oldest started doing his own laundry around 7, but he was very confident in carrying stuff to the basement (where our laundry is located). I found a laundry detergent that dispensed the correct amount in one squeeze and away he went. It was great!
I'm going to try some of these-- thanks for the tips! I have 7 kids (11 and under) and I'm always looking for more ideas on how to simplify our homeschool weeks. Hot breakfasts on Saturdays, but simple the other days...maybe I'll try this! And I like the idea of my big kids taking on more with their younger siblings.
Yes any small or big changes can carry a large effect! I'm always looking for ways to simplify our homeschool rhythms too, so I'll keep sharing the ones that work for us! I hope some of these changes work well for your family : )
I like routines a lot, we've incorporated many of our own and I think I will definitely steal the shoe bin idea (right now we have a rack that, realistically, never has shoes on it). However we have a small kitchen and kids making breakfasts (ages 5, 8, and 9) seems like it would be chaos and the meal would just never end. How do you manage it?
And the weekday screen time. I hate it but after school all morning, lunch, then library/extracurriculars, I need a break before going into the dinner/bedtime fray. We live in an apartment and don't have a backyard I can send them out to. Any ideas for low-Mom-involvement afternoons that aren't TV?
Yes our shoe bin has been a big game changer for us! For weekday screen time, don’t feel bad about it…we’ve definitely gone through seasons where I felt that it was more helpful. My kids also love listening to audio books and doing art work which keeps them busy if I’m trying to get dinner ready.
I love this. Especially number 8. My sister is a stepmom to 3 and she says lotion, deodorant, spray before school. Reminded me of your PJs, potty, teeth lol
Your routines and expectations are similar to mine! Instead of magic numbers, we use a cleanup song that blasts while they do a quick cleanup. (William Tell Overture - Lone Ranger!) the goal is to finish before the song ends :)
Thanks! That’s great that you’re already thinking of ways to put rhythms into your day! I wish I would have began when my youngest was a baby so it’s never too soon!
I just stumbled upon your substack as a mom of two who is about to start homeschooling my 4 year old. Mostly for similar reasons and with similar intentions as you! I’ve been reading through your posts and they’re such a blessing!
I smiled at the "PJs, potty, teeth" one--we had a similar routine (potty, jammies, teeth, drink, pill (vitamin)) growing up that we would happily chant with Mom when starting the bedtime routine. :)
Also, my husband grew up with something similar to the "magic number" but instead of a single number, every kid put away "their age" (i.e. a 10 year old puts away 10 things while a 3 year old just puts away 3). It might not be as effective on the messier days, but for quick tidying I love the idea!
Also a mother of four (10, 8, 6, 3) and we also say “PJs, potty, teeth” haha. I thought I made up that phrase!
This was a fun read - we are similar in many ways but I have been holding out on them making their own breakfasts. You have given me the push I need to start this!
Thats so funny, our bedtime mantra must be a good one! I’ve felt that given them more responsibility, like making their own breakfast, allows them to gain in independence in small ways…my daughter (10) has grown tremendously in this area and I really think it’s because we push them in small ways and it just builds. I hope it’s a good rhythm for you too! Thanks for reading!
I love this! My kids now fold their own laundry and put it away and my daughter (almost 7) folds all the communal laundry (towels, napkins, etc) and it has been SUCH a help around the house!!!
Number 7 made me laugh. I’ve had to back off on this because my eldest daughter’s eldest daughter energy overwhelms her in this category. I ask her to fill the tub so I can bathe her little brother and next thing I know he’s washed and in his jammies! If I ask her to get out the ingredients for grilled cheese - she cooks dinner. She mothers every child in her vicinity just because she can so it’s a difficult balance.
That’s amazing! My oldest can rise to the occasion and go above and beyond at times as well. Asking them to help is such a good way to equip them to take care of others in a selfless kind of way.
These are great! Homeschool needs a lot of routines and structure to control the chaos of 4 kids for sure 🙌
It really does, otherwise the kids just do their own thing (usually not productive) and we don’t get things accomplished!
The magic cleanup number game is genius 🙌 I’m trying that tonight!
One thing that we did for cleanup is I'd say something like 'pick up all the red things', then blue, yellow, whatever. Till all the toys were gathered into the toy box. Made it a fun game especially for Legos!
Adding more layers to the game ;) thanks for sharing
Oh I like that! That makes it especially more doable for toddlers and preschoolers. Thanks for sharing that idea!
Yes give it a try! I hope it works well for your kiddos!
These are great! I would love to move toward weekend screen time. I can only imagine how different our routine would be with this change alone. And the Saturday breakfast! So smart!
Yes less screen time, especially when it’s warmer outside, is always better for everyone! And our Saturday morning breakfasts are just a special time for us : )
The magic number cleaning game is brilliant!!!🤩
Yes it makes such a difference in their speed to get it done!
just found your page and finding all your tips so helpful!!! I have an 8,7,4 and 1 year old and it feels like constant chaos. You’re inspiring me seeing you use some online teaching resources. This was the permission I needed to get that started! Thank you 🙏🏼🥹
So glad to hear! Yes constant chaos is a correct way to sum up life sometimes ; ) Thanks for following along!
😂😂😂
This is very helpful for me as a newish mom! (My oldest is almost 6.) At what age do you recommend children learn to do laundry? My oldest can wash dishes and load the dishwasher pretty independently but I haven’t really considered the laundry thing. I guess one thing that has held me back is the fact that our washer/dryer are complicated with a lot of buttons, and he can’t read yet so I’ve assumed that he wouldn’t be able to use the machines correctly.
Sounds like you already have a great start with some really helpful chores! My kids don’t actually complete the laundry cycle but are in charge of all the folding afterwards. I think it’s doable but our laundry is in the basement which means I wouldn’t be supervising, as I am with other chores, so I’d recommend waiting until your oldest is a little older in my opinion!
Ours is also in the basement! The folding makes sense. I’m also thinking even just putting the laundry into the washer or transferring to the dryer would be something he can do on his own!
Yeah definitely a good piece of the process is transferring and folding!
Laundry age depends on a lot of different things. My oldest started doing his own laundry around 7, but he was very confident in carrying stuff to the basement (where our laundry is located). I found a laundry detergent that dispensed the correct amount in one squeeze and away he went. It was great!
I'm going to try some of these-- thanks for the tips! I have 7 kids (11 and under) and I'm always looking for more ideas on how to simplify our homeschool weeks. Hot breakfasts on Saturdays, but simple the other days...maybe I'll try this! And I like the idea of my big kids taking on more with their younger siblings.
Yes any small or big changes can carry a large effect! I'm always looking for ways to simplify our homeschool rhythms too, so I'll keep sharing the ones that work for us! I hope some of these changes work well for your family : )
I like routines a lot, we've incorporated many of our own and I think I will definitely steal the shoe bin idea (right now we have a rack that, realistically, never has shoes on it). However we have a small kitchen and kids making breakfasts (ages 5, 8, and 9) seems like it would be chaos and the meal would just never end. How do you manage it?
And the weekday screen time. I hate it but after school all morning, lunch, then library/extracurriculars, I need a break before going into the dinner/bedtime fray. We live in an apartment and don't have a backyard I can send them out to. Any ideas for low-Mom-involvement afternoons that aren't TV?
Yes our shoe bin has been a big game changer for us! For weekday screen time, don’t feel bad about it…we’ve definitely gone through seasons where I felt that it was more helpful. My kids also love listening to audio books and doing art work which keeps them busy if I’m trying to get dinner ready.
I love this. Especially number 8. My sister is a stepmom to 3 and she says lotion, deodorant, spray before school. Reminded me of your PJs, potty, teeth lol
Your routines and expectations are similar to mine! Instead of magic numbers, we use a cleanup song that blasts while they do a quick cleanup. (William Tell Overture - Lone Ranger!) the goal is to finish before the song ends :)
Yes that’s a great simple routine for cleanup!
I love all of these routines! I just have a nine month old but I look forward to putting them in practice!!
Thanks! That’s great that you’re already thinking of ways to put rhythms into your day! I wish I would have began when my youngest was a baby so it’s never too soon!
I just stumbled upon your substack as a mom of two who is about to start homeschooling my 4 year old. Mostly for similar reasons and with similar intentions as you! I’ve been reading through your posts and they’re such a blessing!
So glad to hear, Alex! That’s my goal on here, to be a source of encouragement for mamas : ) What an exciting journey to begin homeschooling soon!
I smiled at the "PJs, potty, teeth" one--we had a similar routine (potty, jammies, teeth, drink, pill (vitamin)) growing up that we would happily chant with Mom when starting the bedtime routine. :)
Also, my husband grew up with something similar to the "magic number" but instead of a single number, every kid put away "their age" (i.e. a 10 year old puts away 10 things while a 3 year old just puts away 3). It might not be as effective on the messier days, but for quick tidying I love the idea!
Yes bedtime and clean up routines can look and sound differently but still be super effective!
Also a mother of four (10, 8, 6, 3) and we also say “PJs, potty, teeth” haha. I thought I made up that phrase!
This was a fun read - we are similar in many ways but I have been holding out on them making their own breakfasts. You have given me the push I need to start this!
Thats so funny, our bedtime mantra must be a good one! I’ve felt that given them more responsibility, like making their own breakfast, allows them to gain in independence in small ways…my daughter (10) has grown tremendously in this area and I really think it’s because we push them in small ways and it just builds. I hope it’s a good rhythm for you too! Thanks for reading!
I love this! My kids now fold their own laundry and put it away and my daughter (almost 7) folds all the communal laundry (towels, napkins, etc) and it has been SUCH a help around the house!!!
Yes laundry folding is such a good job for kids to learn! Saves me so much time too!