"I Don't Know How You Do It!"
My husband and I are often asked, "How do you two do it? How exactly do you manage to get everything done with such a large family?" We attempt to keep life simple and have found the following tips have worked for our family. 1. Empower the Kids- We really encourage the kids to be as independent as possible and allow them to meet their own needs whenever possible. If they can use a stool to get something to drink or grab a snack, that is exactly what we want. We have taught them to make a few kid-friendly food items such as peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or Ramen noodles. We also instill in them the importance of assisting each other as often as possible. Having this level of independence definitely helps when we are involved in other tasks that require our full attention. Josiah enjoys cleaning the tables. 2. Keep them Engaged- We expect the kids to help around the house. We tell them that we are a team and that we need to work together to keep the house