Tips for keeping on top of larger families?

[TinyTeachr]

Anyone got any great ideas they'd like to share? Any top tips for big families?

I have 4DC (oldest 9, youngest coming up for 2). Life is fairly hectic, I work 3 days a week and on my 2 days off i have school run for the middle two and the youngest is at home with me. I do just about keep on top of things but the house is certainly not as tidy as I'd like, and I think things might get more hectic - my eldest now plays an instrument, sings in a choir, does gymnastics...... you get the idea. These are all things she has asked to do and is keen on. I wonder how we will cope if any of the younger ones are similarly keen on hobbies.

Anyone got any amazing tips for staying on top of things? What do you prioritise and what do you let slide?

My children are a very similar ages to yours. I have 2 at school, 2 at nursery and I work 4 days a week. Things I do that help: I meal plan on a Sunday afternoon and do an online supermarket shop to arrive on Monday lunchtime (I work from home 3 days). Each child has a coloured box where I put their clean laundry - the older two put their own clothes away each day. Robot Hoover cleans the kitchen floor every night. Our lives are very routine- driven which means the children know what to expect. Following this thread as I’m interested to hear others’ tips. I asked in another thread about a digital calendar as I’m wondering if that would help keep track once there are more extra-curriculars in the diary.

Hoping to pick up some tips. 4dc between 2-12. Also very routine driven. Work 4 days as a teacher so have lots of evening work too..but don’t have to worry about holiday child care.
1.online shop and meal plan once a week.

1. reset every night and also every morning. So empty dishwasher and put a wash on every morning and night.
2. I get my older kids (10 and 12) to put a wash out or in and empty diswasher.
3. we only do clubs that a few can do: so swimming and karate. I just can’t ferry 4 kids to 4 different clubs.
4. try and do a deep clean once a week. Either my day off or at the weekend
5. my mum is in the early stages of dementia and lives an hour and a half away so that is adding stress as I go down once a fortnight.

I think I cry about the washing a couple of times a month. I hate it but try and delegate it to the older kids. Like the idea of different coloured boxes. please let me know how to make my life easier

I have 3 dc and 1 on rhe way.
i do the same kind of routines as @Walkthelakes
a few extra things that help me:

• I have a Homepod in the kitchen linked to my iPhone etc. I have a shopping list set up on so any time I run out of something I add it to that list. Then when I do my online shopping I check that list which means I can do my shopping from bed!
• I have a cleaning routine that’s “little bit often”. One evening (or day time if I can find 15 mins) I might clean the bathrooms, then another change bed sheets etc. rather than doing everything all at once.
• in the evenings I put my clean laundry all folded up at the top of the stairs. Then the next day any time I go upstairs I put a little bit of clothes away at a time, by the end (or sooner) of the day it’s all done.
• I empty the dishwasher while I’m waiting for the kettle to boil.
• I empty the bathroom bin when I go to the loo.

all these little routines add up in the day which means I can relax a bit more in the evenings when the kids are in bed.

I still have 8 children at home ranging from 18yrs to 21months. We have a chore chart that they have to look at after school every afternoon and every morning on weekends. Every morning I make sure at minimal the kitchen is tidy and iv picked everything up off the floor and swept and this usually makes the place look fresh and tidy. We do one massive clean up on saturdays and yard work saturday afternoons. We have set washing days for each room which is a bit hit and miss but we try to stay on a schedule that works for our family and this usually keeps things on track and the house decently up to standards. We are also in the middle of renovating so nothing is perfect.

When I had my 5th, oldest was 11 and obv I had a newborn and three in between.

My tip tip is not to cook every day. Make enough food for two days, or batch cook at weekends. Get them used to leftovers. One evening meal every week should be assorted leftovers. My mum often used to bung leftovers into a pie.to make a scant meal.more filling.

Start training them to pick up after themselves.from a young age. Make the picking up sessions brief and fun.

Spend time every evening doing a quick blitz of your kitchen and picking up your sitting room.

Go through clothes twice a year and put away past season clothes.

They should wear hand me downs as much as possible. Don't keep buying new clothes or your house will burst at the seams.

Make a point of having family meals.
Put their art on the walls.

keep a notice board in your kitchen and a big famimy calendar. Write doen outages of food and drinks as they happen.
keep track of everyone's activities.

Prioritise spending time with each child one on one. Be careful that your oldest child gets plenty of attention even though you're up to your tonsils with smaller kids and toddler.

Have a ring fenced time for yourself every week.