Housecleaning with 8 Kids at Home

So I know I'm always posting my cleaning methods, chore charts, newly revealed housework inspiration and so forth, but that's because things always have a way of changing.

Cleaning house now is different than it was when I was pregnant with Baby Hippo, or exclusively breastfeeding infant twins, or homeschooling 6 kids. Some days it's harder and some days it's easier. Currently, with Baby Hippo still not getting around on his own, he prefers that I hold him constantly throughout the day. Thus, the only time I can really get any serious cleaning done is during his two naps.

This really does not allow me to accomplish what I need to, so I've discovered a way to break up the work throughout the day, and it has been surprisingly effective. Here is what I do...

Laundry...
As you can imagine, laundry is NEVER done at our house, or shall I say, it WAS never done. Things are different now. Every time I walk by the laundry room, I make a commitment to fold, hang up, or put away 30 things. This only takes from 2 to 5 minutes, and I have a little rug with some toys on it on which I sit Baby Hippo to play while I get this done. It feels so good to have finally come up with a system that doesn't completely overwhelm me.

The 4 Four and Under's bedroom...
This was a constant source of frustration for me in the past. Even the 15-year-old girl would stand in the doorway with her arms on her hips and say, "How do they get this room so messy, Mom?" I would throw my hands up in despair and disgustedly shake my head. Now, though, every time I go into their room, I pick up and put away only 5 things. You can't imagine what a change this has made. Their room is almost always clean now and I don't have to feel embarrassed when John goes in to put them to bed at night.

My bedroom...
I don't know about you, but my bedroom has been traditionally known as the catch-all. It's been the place where I throw stuff I just bought from the store, where my suitcases sit unpacked for weeks, and where clutter from other parts of the house is stored until I can think of a place to stuff it. But no more! The new system I use for my bedroom is the same system I use for the 4 Four and Under's room. I simply pick up only 5 items to put away every time I enter into my bedroom. And, if it just so happens that there is absolutely nothing to pick up because I've kept it so clean, which happens like all the time now, then I sometimes even find time to make my bed. See, look...

Looking at this picture, I think the next time I go in my room I will dust the railings on the top of my bed and the fans.... because John bought me a fan duster one time.

Anyways, that's my new system, and I'm sticking to it. Thanks for listening!

PSSST! To find great deals on fun stuff to do in your area, go HERE!

Setting a Goal to Not Get Finished

As you can imagine, it's totally insane having ten kids. Even though two of them have moved out, there are still eight, including a 3-year-old, 2 year-old twins and a 2-month-old.

To try to get anything accomplished during the day with the 4 under 4 is like moving Mt. Everest, literally. It is literally impossible to get done in a day all that I think I need to get done. If I focus on making my kitchen spotless...,

...then the laundry get neglected. If I focus on laundry, then the kitchen doesn't get done...

If I focus on making a spectacular breakfast...

...then no cleaning at all gets done, and the kitchen gets messier than it was before.

So this is what I've come up with. I've decided that if there is an area of my house that is driving me crazy, for instance, the island in the kitchen, which was cluttered with so much junk it made the whole kitchen look ridiculous, I am going to set the time for 5 minutes and work on decluttering that area.

Now I know this system has been tried before by people like The Fly Lady, but she uses 15-minute increments. Even that time-frame is not doable for me, because it seems like there is never a 15-minute span of time where at least one out of the four isn't either crying, making a mess, or creating some type of emergency situation, like the molasses disaster..

...that needs my attention.

So you might wonder what one can accomplish in 5 minutes. Let me tell you.... more than you think. Here's what happens. You work for 5 minutes, and you can see that you're making a dent. And it feels good to be getting something done. Your mind has a focal point and you aren't wandering around the house wondering what mountain to move next.

As minute 6 approaches, you realize that the baby is still happily kicking on his quilt, the twins are still playing upstairs in the toy room and the 3-year-old is still looking for some outlandish outfit to wear.

So you keep organizing. And the more you do, the better it feels, and it becomes a cycle of cleaning and organizing and ego-feeding, not a vicious cycle, but an I-might-actually-be-a-good-homemaker cycle!

This worked so well the other day when the twins got into the flour bin in the food storage room while I was blogging, breastfeeding, breastfeeding and blogging....and the rice bin...and the popcorn bin..... and then....

...they poured cups of water from the water fountains on top of all this and walked around in it a lot and then walked all over the kitchen.

I knew in my mind that there would be no way I could clean all of this up at once, so I simply closed the door to the food storage room, cleaned the flour/popcorn/rice trackings in the kitchen, and waited until I had 5 minutes to make a dent in the food storage room. And it worked! I didn't get it cleaned up all at once (it actually took 3 days of 5-minute increments), but by the time John came home from out of town, all he saw was organized shelves of our year's supply of food and 4 happy little boys.

I challenge you to try this and let me know how it goes!

Thanks for listening.

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Homemaker Monday: Don't Cry Over Spilled Molasses

Welcome to the 66th weekly edition of...


Thank you for joining us! If you're new to this carnival and would like to enter your post, please check HERE for the rules and regs.

YOURS: This week's "YOURS" goes to Alessandra over at Random Tips! Alessandra is one of my most faithful blog commentators and she always makes my day with her wit and charm. Therefore, I am honored to feature her for her recipe for Apple Puree. This is no ordinary puree, though. Her recipe has a secret ingredient, one you can only discover by visiting Alessandra's blog post, but here is the photo...


I am getting hungry just looking on this, but then again, I'm pregnant and always hungry.

Thank you, Alessandra, for your contribution to Homemaker Monday. I look forward to many more visits from you and more "random tips"! For Alessandra's recipe, click HERE. And Alessandra, please feel free to take the "I Was Featured" button from my left sidebar. Thank you!

MINE: Not all of my Homemaker Monday tips will be inspiring and instructive. Some tips will be inspiration of what NOT to do. The following is one of those tips.

Sometimes I like to answer nature's call all by myself...alone...without three little boys leaning on my thighs, unrolling the toilet paper roll, swinging the plunger around, or rubbing the toilet brush on my flip flops. Sometimes I sneak into the bathroom while the 3 three and under are distracted with making messes in some other part of the house, messes which usually only require a little bending over to clean up.

Thursday morning was different. Thursday morning I decided to sneak into the bathroom alone, while the 3 three and under were watching Finding Nemo. I guess Twin A had watched Finding Nemo one too many times, however, and was not distracted in the least. What did catch his attention was the child-proof cabinet lock that had not been replaced after the kids had opened it two hours earlier during the breakfast rush.

Twin A opened the cabinet, and was attracted to a clear, dark brown pail of the stickiest liquid on the face of the planet...a quart and a half of our year's supply of molasses. This is what I encountered after my pleasant stay in the bathroom alone...



The best part is that Twin A had not only poured out the entire pail of molasses, but had also walked through it...



Cleaning Twin A was the easy part...




Cleaning the molasses was not. Do you have any idea how one would clean up mess up such as this? Neither did I. I was out of paper towels, so I grabbed as many dishrags as I could and scooped up as much molasses as would fit into my rag-covered hands, then tried to squeeze this out into a bowl by my knees. Rags do not really absorb molasses. Nothing does. Even so, I rinsed the rags and did this over and over again, while trying to comfort crying Twin A, who was still disturbed about his sticky situation, and trying to discourage Twin B from walking through the molasses as well.

What was the silver lining of such an experience (for my father always taught me that every negative event has attached to it a blessing in disguise)? After the clean up, the grout between our slate tile pieces had a lovely rich brown hue to it.



And for the record, Twin A soon felt much better...



(He is depicted here eating roasted seaweed from the sushi I later prepared for lunch. Incidentally, I will show you how to do this tomorrow, or maybe Friday. We'll see.)

Thanks for listening.

OURS: All righty then, what inspiration (or lack thereof, such as my post above) do all of you wonderful homemakers have for us today? If this is your first time participating, feel free to dig through your archives and enter anything homemaking. Thank you so much for joining us today and I hope you have a great Homemaker Monday!



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My Current Much-Needed House-Keeping Inspiration

Every so often I will receive an email from some lovely lady who shares how much I have inspired her. She says because of me and my blog, she does more in her home, she keeps it cleaner, she does more with her children, she cooks more naturally. This is always entirely shocking to me. I shared one such email with my mother recently and she said, "I think you should tell them you don't spend all day cleaning your house." I agreed with her. She did feel bad about saying this and later apologized, but I told her there was no need to, as she was right. I don't spend all day cleaning my house and I think you need to know that. When I take photos for my blog, I try to veer away from photographing super messy areas and I often crop out random toys, crumbs, or other clutter which would make for an unseemly photo. When I take photos of food on what looks like a pristine granite island countertop, what you don't know is that I just push the dirty dishes, onion peels, and mis-matched measuring cups off to the side where you won't know they're there.

So there, I admit it. I'm not a good housekeeper. But I want to do better. I really, really do, so below is my current inspriration. I am going to print this quote out on cute cardstock and stick it on my fridge, just as soon as I put away the laundry that's been on my couch for three weeks, load the two dishwasher loads of dishes that are in the sink, and file the mail that has been sitting on my island for nigh unto 2 months now. Wish me luck.

The following quote is taken from a talk given by Julie B. Beck, the general president of Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the largest women's organization in the world. Enjoy...

"Mothers who know are nurturers. This is their special assignment and role under the plan of happiness. To nurture means to cultivate, care for, and make grow. Therefore, mothers who know create a climate for spiritual and temporal growth in their homes. Another word for nurturing is homemaking. Homemaking includes cooking, washing clothes and dishes, and keeping an orderly home. Home is where women have the most power and influence; therefore, Latter-day Saint women should be the best homemakers in the world. Working beside children in homemaking tasks creates opportunities to teach and model qualities children should emulate. Nurturing mothers are knowledgeable, but all the education women attain will avail them nothing if they do not have the skill to make a home that creates a climate for spiritual growth. Growth happens best in a “house of order,” and women should pattern their homes after the Lord’s house (see D&C 109). Nurturing requires organization, patience, love, and work. Helping growth occur through nurturing is truly a powerful and influential role bestowed on women. "

To read Sister Beck's entire talk, click HERE .

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Homemaker Monday: How to Have an Area Rug That Looks Clean

Welcome to the 59th weekly edition of...


Thank you for joining us! If you're new to this carnival and would like to enter your post, please check HERE for the rules and regs.

YOURS: This week's "YOURS" goes to Stephanie over at "Fun Foods on a Budget" ! Not only did I want to feature her post on delicious-looking granola bars, I wanted to introduce you to her blog as well. To me, there is almost nothing better in this world than fun foods on a budget! She says, "My husband and I cheerfully consider ourselves to be extreme tightwads, and try to spend as little money on food as possible. We enjoy the challenge of cooking for our little family using inexpensive ingredients. With this blog, I've set out to prove that you can prepare and eat delicious foods without spending a lot of money!" I love it! Here, take a look at her "tightwad" granola bars...


They look delicious. Go check out her blog! Just her header photo will make your mouth water! Thanks, Stephanie, for participating and we look forward to learning more from you! For Stephanie's granola bar recipe, click HERE.

MINE: My suggestion on how to keep your rug looking clean? Buy a multi-colored print, like this one in our entryway...



In the photo above, the area rug is actually clean, but said rug will be depicted further in a state of cluttered filth and chaos.

This angel...



...the 3-year-old boy, thought it might be entertaining (or perhaps thought the twins were hungry?) to dump out the entire jumbo-size bag of craisins...



...onto said rug...



In the above photo, there are miriad craisins strewn over the entirety of the rug, but you can't tell, can you?

There are even perhaps hundreds of craisins between the rug and the step that leads up to the formal living room...



...but you can hardly see them, unless you look closely, like this...



That being said, even though a rug like this can camoflage craisins or any number of other atrocities the dear children might commit, it still looks better after you vacuum...



Thanks for listening.

OURS: Okay, now it's your turn! I can't wait to see what all of you amazing homemakers can teach us today. Thank you for joining us today and I hope all of you have a wonderful Homemaker Monday!



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Please Join Us Today for The "Make It From Scratch" Carnival!

Welcome to this week's...


...blog carnival! Being the host, I got to be the first to see all of the wonderful things people are making from scratch in the blogosphere. Rather than tell you about them, here - let me show you!

Liss presents Ricotta hotcakes - *drool* posted at Frills in the Hills.


NtJS presents Seasonal Recipe: Sweet Cherries posted at not the jet set.


The Homemaking Helper presents Homemade Applesauce (No Sugar Added) posted at The Homemaking Helper.


Dora Renee' Wilkerson presents Y-2K Hippie: 07/23/09 posted at Y-2K Hippie.


Law Shay presents Fried Garlic Noodle and Pork Rib Soup posted at Law Shay - Lunch.


Grandmother Wren presents Maya's Birthday Pinata posted at Grandmother Wren.


Fee presents Decorating Cookies with Royal Icing posted at Icing Bliss.


Cmac presents Tofu from scratch posted at Cmac's Test Kitchen.


Abi presents Can Hedgehogs be cute? posted at lighter side.


Karen Bastille presents Make it from a washcloth - Ballet Slippers! posted at Thrifty Creativity - "A wise person should have money in their head, but not in their heart.".


Sarah Peppel presents VLOG: Coffee Filter Jellyfish Craft posted at Parenting Squad.


Rose from FineCraftGuild presents Starbucks Coffee Cup Cozy ~ Easy Craft For The Beach posted at Fine Craft Guild .com.


RecycleCindy presents Recycled Plastic Bag Shell Purse posted at My Recycled Bags.com.


Make it from Scratch presents Paula Deen's Peanut Butter Cake posted at Make It From Scratch.


Katie presents Sausage Zucchini Bake Recipe posted at Kitchen Stewardship.


Alex presents Head Lice Mayonnaise Treatment posted at Home Life Weekly.


ahuli presents Paper Plate Scarecrow Craft posted at Home Sweet Home.


Wise_Bread presents Back to School: Savings and DIY Projects for Craft Capable Cheapskates posted at Wisebread.com.


Annette Berlin presents Easy Pizza Dough posted at Craft Stew.

Mom2my9 presents Quickest Bread Sticks Ever! posted at 11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven.


So there you have it! Hope you have a great time perusing all of the awesome "Make It From Scratch" posts. Don't forget to leave comments to let our writers know they are appreciated! Next week's carnival will be hosted at It's Frugal Being Green. Make sure you don't miss it! Have a great day!


I am pleased to list this post at...
-Tip Junkie's "Talk to me Tuesday",
-5 Minutes for Mom's "Tackle It Tuesday",
-Tammy's Recipe's "Kitchen Tip Tuesday",
-Blessed With Grace's "Tempt My Tummy Tuesday",
-Mary's "Tightwad Tuesday", and
-Jen's "Tasty Tuesday"

If you liked this post and would like to join me here on a regular basis via email or other reader, please...
Subscribe

(You'll be helping to pay for at least one of the nine kid's college tuition.)
OR... bookmark or share this post by clicking the "Add This" button below... Thank you for your visit!