Crazy Blessed Adventures - Life With A Butt Load Of Kids

Wendy’s homeschool day with an 8, 7, 5, 4, 2 year old, and 8 month old: I am not a get-up-before-the-children kind of mama. My husband and I are both night people, and since I don’t believe in being out of bed before 7:00, it’s been a goal of mine to train all my children to sleep in as late as possible. It’s still a work in progress. 5:00 – The 4-year-old climbs in my bed. He needs a minimum couple hours of cuddle time each day. We snuggle up and both fall back to sleep. 6:30 – The baby wakes up. She’s not quite as easy. But I get her a bottle and eventually coax her back to sleep also. 7:30 – The 2-year-old wakes up loudly, waking up most of the house with her, which means I guess it’s time to give up the charade and head to the playroom. I make some coffee and bowls of Cheerios, and try to get in some reading. My current goal is to read some Scripture and at least ten minutes of another book each morning. The 4-year-old wants me to play Apples to Apples with him though, so I don’t quite make it to ten minu

FROM WENDY: Less talking + more action = happier parent-child relationships It’s that moment when you realize that you’ve given the same kid the same instruction five times and he’s still immersed in his Lego construction. You’re trying to decide, “Is this spanking worthy? Or is it a time out? Maybe I’ll just confiscate his Legos for a week.” You hear yourself speak, and realize that you’re probably being over-the-top and are going to need to apologize for this later, but oh well. The constant decision-making of disciplining children can be so exhausting, not to mention the escalating level of frustration with the child who’s ignoring you. This is not what I want for my relationships with my kiddos. A couple of years ago, we decided we needed some form of discipline that wasn’t spanking, time out, or me just yelling the same instructions repeatedly. Experience has taught me that kids need clear expectations and consistent responses to their behavior.This system is very similar to the one that I used for clas

FROM WENDY We're pretty cliche in our love for family Christmas traditions around here Sorry, Thanksgiving. Basically the minute the kids take off their Halloween costumes, Jamin starts pulling out random Christmas decorations and strewing them around the house. I spend the next week or so rearranging until they're all where they actually belong, and begin haunting all the area garden centers for signs of who will have live trees first. And Christmas music has already been playing in our house since August. Since our kids are still pretty young, we don't yet have a ton of long-term family Christmas traditions, but there are a few things that we've really enjoyed doing the last several years. The weekend before Thanksgiving is pretty much always devoted to setting up any decorations that haven't already made their way out of the closet, and to getting our tree. It has to be live. We get one as early as they sell them, usually early enough that the poor seasonal Lowe's employee in the garden center hasn't yet

 Freezer Meals Click here to download the Freezer Meals Planning Worksheet Freezer meals have been saving us for years Until recently, Jamin's music studio and business were located in our living room. This meant we had clients coming in and out of our front door all day every day, and the kitchen was more or less off limits during business hours...which included dinner hour. It was during this season that I discovered freezer cooking, mostly because I was tired of eating frozen pizzas for dinner every night at 10:00 pm. We are so grateful these days to have a different studio setup. But I still love freezer meals! I'm totally sold on how batch cooking makes meal prep faster and cheaper; I'd much rather make a whole lot of something one time than make that same thing over and over again every time we eat it. And the best part is, having a stash of freezer meals means that I have a planned menu for each day, which eliminates the daily "what's for dinner?" decision. Resources are everywhere; find what works f

Using a Countdown for Family Christmas Projects Click here to download the free Christmas Countdown Advent Calendar FROM WENDY: Our Christmas Countdown Tradition We have been doing a Christmas countdown in some form since the oldest kiddos were barely big enough to count all the way to 25. This is one of my favorite Christmas traditions with the kids because of the anticipation it creates, but also because of the ability to incorporate new ideas in with old favorites. There are endless genius, adorable advent calendar creations on Pinterest. Years ago I bought a set of small white favor boxes that I labeled with numbers 1 to 25. I fill each box with Hershey Kisses for each member of the family, and use clothespins to clip to a heavy duty clothesline or strong strand of garland. We used to hang the garland across the mantel of the fireplace, but since we don't have a mantel these days, we currently stack the boxes on a counter in the playroom. Before the 1st of December each year, I plot out the activities th

Christmas Shopping for a Large Family FROM WENDY: This post should actually probably be called NOT shopping for a large family... We are pretty minimalist when it comes to Christmas, or even when it comes to toys in general. We have several bodies in our not-super-large home, and there is not a lot of room for stuff! At some point pretty early on, I made the "we will only have as many toys as will fit in these cubbies" rule, and established regular toy-purging times in our year to ensure that things stay pared down to non-crazy levels. A few years ago, we came home from Christmas with an overwhelming van-full of gifts from generous friends and family. A friend gave us this great idea to only let the kids unpackage one new item a day so that they would actually spend time playing with and getting to appreciate each one. This was an awesome solution to  the kids having so many toys that they didn't actually have any idea what all they got. The kids each opened one new thing each day...for nearly a full month!

The Puppy Search Is On! We screwed up! Have you ever heard of the fog of war? Any good counselor will tell you that sometimes crazy decisions make more sense in the heat of the moment. In the pressure of trying to sell the idea of the last baby to our kids, we did what no good parents should ever do: we promised our kids a puppy. It's long overdue now and the pressure is only mounting. So the puppy search has begun. Sadly, we used to have a dog we loved. A dog like we used to have would be perfect in our home. His name was Bentley and he was the most gentle, fun-loving puppy ever! I know you think yours is, but you're wrong. Bentley was...is! He's still alive. We gave him away when we realized he was going to live out a happier life where he got more attention.  He now has a puppy friend he lives with and we are probably just a sad, neglectful, boring memory to him. Wendy's not looking forward to the potty training. I'm not looking forward to the poop on the floor. We're both hoping for a Morkie, but the pri

How We Answered "Should I Have Another Baby?" FROM WENDY: I have actually asked Google this question more than once. I know, I know, we have a lot of kids. Why am I asking, right? But it never fails, baby fever hits one of the two of us when the smallest person in our house is somewhere between three and six months old. The "should we have another baby?" conversations start again, and the decision feels monumental. At this point, we don't agonize nearly as much as we used to. I fully acknowledge that this could be because we've lost our minds. However, I like to think it's because we've realized some really awesome effects of having a lot of kids...or even just one more. So if you're asking the question, "Should I have another baby?", here's why I think the answer should (almost always) be yes. Multiple kids entertain and teach each other If you currently have one kiddo and are wondering how you'll keep up with another, go ahead and put that fear to rest. Siblings are by far the best form of entertainment in

Christmas Gifts and A Gift Guide for Him Click here to download the free Gift Guide for Him worksheet FROM WENDY: Full Disclosure: I Don't Buy My Husband Christmas Gifts Jamin is a super non-traditionalist (is that a word?) and does not like doing things that people do just because it's what we do. That includes gift-giving on particular days. This is why the kids and I are banned from making or buying any gifts for Papa for Christmas, Father's Day, his birthday...you get the idea. The kids are still figuring this out, and are more than a little confused as to why he wouldn't want something special for Christmas. They'll get there. Maybe. What is allowed are random "just because I love you and was thinking about you" surprises. (Don't tell Jamin, but I have had a kid get a present for Papa around his birthday because they really really wanted to, and then just save it for a different day. Some kids are just really into giving birthday gifts.) So I guess you could call this a Random I Love You Day Gift Guide.

All Our Favorite Books, Podcasts and Audiobooks FROM WENDY: Much of my recent reading has been on the topic of homeschooling... ...as that has been my most recent endeavor. My top reads came highly recommended by multiple homeschooling friends and podcasts: Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler’s Guide to Unshakeable Peace This is an absolute must-read if you have been or are starting homeschooling. Sarah Mackenzie has six children and understands the stresses associated with raising and educating kids! She offers so much wisdom and practical insight into bringing peace into your homeschool. Mere Motherhood This one’s by Cindy Rollins, another mom of many. Cindy has nine grown children whom she homeschooled. Her book is more of a memoir than a how-to, but it so encouraging to hear the ups and downs they experienced together and the wisdom she gained along the way. Educating the Whole-Hearted Child I must say that I have had really mixed feelings about this book. The authors, Clay and Sally Clarkson, are far m

What We Do When Behavior Is Getting Out of Control FROM WENDY: Six kids can be crazy. Children in groups have this special way of amplifying one another’s attitudes or behaviors, and when one kid starts getting amped up, things can spiral fast. The key is to recognize the circumstances that lend to crazy and interrupt them as early as possible, before things get out of hand. As a former kindergarten teacher, I typically combat crazy with classroom management strategies. I recognize that this does sometimes make us look more like a freak show than we already do, but fortunately the kids haven't seemed to catch on yet. I'm hoping that I have a few more years before they realize that none of their friends' moms say, "1, 2, 3, eyes on me" to their kids when they're loading up the car. For now, the classroom strategies in my back pocket from years of classroom experience are serving us well. Here are some of my favorite tactics: Clear Directions A lot of times things can get crazy when we're in the middle of a tr

Family Blog Sites We Love to Read FROM WENDY: I have so many favorite homeschool and family bloggers, and the list is constantly evolving. Especially recently as we've plunged into the homeschool world, I have been extremely grateful for the wealth of information, ideas, and encouragement out there. In alphabetical order, since I love them all too much to rank them: Afterthoughts Brandy Vencel has great resources for people interested in a Charlotte Mason approach to homeschooling (if you don't know what that is, she is for sure the person to ask!). Whether you follow that approach or not, Brandy's weekly newsletters are always packed full of thought-provoking content. Farmhouse Schoolhouse Elsie Ludicello is one of the most encouraging voices in the homeschool community. Her Instagram posts are beautiful and uplifting, and her homeschool is an inspiration; definitely one to follow. Kara S. Anderson – Supporting you in real-life homeschooling I love Kara Anderson for her sense of humor and approachable styl

Our Favorite Fun, Memory-Creating Adventures and Family Outings Click here to download the Fun Family Day Cards FROM WENDY: It starts with an intentional investment in creating shared experiences. Years ago, a family we were close friends with had to be separated for several months due to a work situation. My friend and her kiddos stayed behind while her husband worked out of state Monday through Friday and flew home for the weekends. She and I had many conversations about the struggles of that season, but one thing that highly impacted Jamin and me was the way they spent their family time. The days that they had all together were few during that season, and they protected that time for adventures together as a family. Rather than letting Saturday be housekeeping and homework day, they took day trips together and made their short time count. Watching our friends was what laid the foundations for Family Day in our household, a tradition we’ve held since our oldest kids can remember. We reserve one day a week

How We Weighed the Advantages of Homeschooling Click here to download the Advantages and Disadvantages checklist FROM WENDY: The advantages and disadvantages I planned for, and the ones I actually found. We did not set out to homeschool. In fact, once upon a time (not very long ago), I swore I would never ever homeschool. I’ve worked in classrooms for years, and I love teaching. I loved my job working at my kids’ private school. I worked with my best friends, my kids had teachers I respected and who loved them, and I loved being part of their school. But at some point, it stopped working. More specifically, it stopped working for me to be working. We have a lot of kids, and just running our household with all the small bodies in it made a full-time job in and of itself. I knew deep down, before I wanted to admit it, that something needed to change. Staying home was an advantage, but also meant something would need to change for the kids’ schooling since we can’t exactly afford to put six kids through private

Things Under $100 That Unexpectedly Changed Our Family Life Click here to download the Family Things Wish List FROM WENDY:: 5 Things Every Mom Should Own 1) A swing or seat that my baby loves and will sleep in Babies who nap in swings are just the best, especially when there are several other small children in the house. Toddlers are not understanding when you try to tell them, "I can't help you get your snack right now because I have to rock the baby to sleep." Don't get me wrong, rocking babies to sleep is absolutely my idea of heaven, but there are moments in the day when rocking or entertainment is needed for baby so other kiddos' needs can be met. I have lots of favorite baby seats and swings that I've used for my babies either for naptime or playtime, the difference really being the individual baby's preference. If baby is happy, the whole house is happy. A couple of important notes here: First, swings MUST plug in. Battery operated swings were most definitely created in collaboration with Energizer

Our Large Family Homeschool Mom Blog FROM WENDY: Who are we and what is our large family all about? We are Jamin and Wendy. We are two former elementary school teachers turned small-business owner (online piano lessons) and homeschooler. We are more famously known for having six children in seven years, four curly-haired girls with the two most awesome brothers. Yes, that means I’ve been pregnant for basically forever. And no, our house is never quiet. I like to think of it as managed chaos; dramatic concerts, nerf gun wars, and toddler tornadoes are the norm. We bring two very different personalities to the table. Jamin is a musician and business owner, and has been dubbed The Fixer Papa. He’s most often the mastermind behind the streamlined systems that help lower our chaos. He’s also known to daily remark on how much he likes all these kids that live in our house, and to attempt to cram into each week as many memory-creating adventures as the schedule will allow. I am a teacher at heart, and my favorite

How We Tame Our Laundry Mountains Click here to download the Laundry System Dresser Labels FROM WENDY: Aside from cleaning the bathroom, laundry is my least favorite chore Maybe it’s over the top describing laundry as oppressive, but it’s hard to come up with a better word for a task that can so quickly and completely engulf multiple days of the week, and multiple rooms of the house. One of the most exasperating phrases is my six-year-old hollering, “I don’t have clean pants,” when we’re already late for church. And then there’s that sinking feeling when you open the lid of the washer for the first time in three days just to discover a smelly, moldy load of washed clothes that never made it to the dryer. Plus, it never, ever, ever stops. Never. Ever. A couple years ago, tired of feeling like I was drowning each time I faced a daunting dozen loads of laundry, I scoured Pinterest for the best laundry system ideas. Our first system was completely liberating, mostly because it was when we started involving the