WFMW

I get really frustrated with myself for not sticking with things lots of times. It's really hard for me to stick with something if it doesn't seem to be working or if something better comes along. I'm not talking about the big important things like marriage :) but little things like a laundry system, school schedule, ...

but I thought I'd share some of the things that have worked for us

salads in a jar- we started making these during our whole 30 month and have continued. They're great for quick lunch- home or away. just add some protein and dressing and lunch! yes, we could make a huge salad but you can put different veggies in for different days and it feels like something different for lunch.

individual laundry- we just switched to the boys use their laundry basket for just their own dirty clothes; then they take that laundry basket to the washing machine. they wash, dry, fold, and put away their clothes.  I do sometimes put the white socks in with our whites load but other than that- no sorting.

kids cleaning the bathroom daily- loving this. Yes, we are giving them a "commission" for this daily job but definitely worth it. Bathrooms look much better and they have some money to practice spending, saving, and giving.

Bible verse memory system- we have used this for a long time now and really like it. We have daily, every other day, weekly, and monthly verses depending on how well we know them. We add verses from Royal Rangers, Community Bible Study, our family devotions, or just ones we want to hide in our hearts.

15 minutes with Daddy- what a blessing for James and for the kids. For a while, we struggled with how to fit this in. We are really blessed to live only a mile from James' work but there's still not much time once he gets home before bedtime. Now almost every night right after dinner, James takes one child for "15ish minutes" of uninterrupted time while the others and I clean up after dinner. Circuits (from Uncle Steven), drawing and cards are the favorite activities right now. A short time but great chance for one on one time with Daddy.

Momschool- similar to 15 minutes but the kids don't get to pick out what they do. Some days I help them with math one on one- math card games are fun way to practice math facts. We play math crazy eights, math war- where they add, subtract, multiply, or divide depending on what they're working on in math. C and I are reading Langston Hughes right now. T is working on 100 EZ lessons. K and I have been writing some poems. The other kids read, have alone playing time, work on spanish or handwriting, or play with one buddy. Nice for all!

Managers of their chores- this is pretty new to us but I'm glad we got it. It's been great to read about how good chores are for kids and how important it is to inspect what you expect. It's also helped me not to try to add a ton of new things at once but still feel like we have a system in place. Their chores are in the computer- I can easily add, change as needed.

Cloth diapers- we've been doing this for a long time now. But Baby C was the first one to use prefolds. They always seemed to hard. But now maybe it's not having several toddlers :) or just realizing that they're not all that different- they work. It's great because I added tons more diapers for not a lot of money but sometimes I run out of covers before diapers. In a pinch, I've used a disposable diaper for a cover which worked well.

Nightly sweeping- one area i've always had a hard time with was sweeping/ wiping the table. I want the kids to do it but I also want the crumbs up. It's hard for me not to go right behind them to get what they missed. But what does that say to them? you can't do it well enough. If they're able to do it better, I should have them redo it. If not, let it be. Now, they do it after breakfast and lunch and I do it after dinner. I sleep much better with the crumbs up :)

Daily Bible reading- we've done lots of different things over the years but I like this the best so far. Before breakfast, K and C sit down and we read through a chapter in the New Testament while T and KG play quietly on their blankets. Then we switch and I read a storybook Bible to T and KG while K and C play. We've really loved the Jesus Storybook Bible for this. Everyone listens to all of it without quite the crowd on the couch!

I don't know if anyone is reading this but it's been good for me just to see on paper :) that there are things that we're doing well. Sometimes it feels like we're sowing and sowing and don't always see the return. But I do know changes don't happen overnight.