Laundry and the Large Family

Laundry has always been an issue. We are a family of 8 with a baby due this summer. Gone are the days when I could fit clothing for all of my small children in a few loads. Those small children have grown up to be teens and adults!

I do laundry every day. (3-4) loads depending on what is going on. My laundry room is the smallest I have ever had. I can hardly fit myself in the room with the two appliances! Therefore, as soon a load is don't it gets taken out of the room and folded. The basket then taken up by one of the younger kids to be sorted and put away.

Here are some things have done to make this task easier:

1. Do not wash sheets weekly- I only wash them when necessary.

2. Keep clothes to a minimum. The more you have the more laundry you will create. My kids have 2-3 pair of pants, 4-5 shirts and a few outfits for church. That is it! My daughter has a little more but for the most part she too is kept to a minimum.

3. If you have the room create a family closet. I didn't have the room to do this but I was able to turn a hall closet upstairs into a useful family closet. I bought a metal rack from Home Depot and then some sturdy bins from Wal Mart. The bottom two bins hold towels for bathing, middle bins hold socks for all male teens and adults, and moms sleep ware and some under garments. Top shelf holds underwear for male adult teens and boys, underwear for mom, and socks and stockings for mom. The very top shelf is to low for bins so I keep all of my husbands summer shorts and t- shirts on it.

Next to my metal rack is an Ikea piece of furniture that has 8 small drawers. This is where I keep the undergarments for the little boys along with belts, plastic bags, and soap.

I have the same system in my young boys room. Each one of them have 2 bins each and there are a few extra bins for sweat shirts and church clothes. This keeps clothes to a minimum. Summer items are kept on the very top rack (not in bins). or up in the crawl space.

Why am I talking about the family closet? Because part of doing laundry is getting it put away. This system works better than dressers that take up valuable floor space and do not hold as much as the bins.

4. Plan to wash clothes everyday. If you just accept it then it becomes second nature. In between schooling the kids I change loads over and fold. At night, before bed everyone helps put it away.

5. The best idea I have heard for socks is to train kids to put them in a mesh bad so that they stay together. I am looking for small mesh bags but haven't come up with any as of yet but I hope to implement this idea some day.








Carrie @ Our Full House

Elizabeth @ Yes They’re All Ours

Kathy @ Kathy Mom of Many

Kristy @ Homemaker's Cottage

Lori @ Happy Busy Mama

Monica @ Natural Mama

Renee @ Bakers Dozen













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Food shopping for a large family

I have tried many different things. Certain things work for a while and then our family dynamic changes and it seems like things have to be changed.

Right now, we are ordering a months worth of food from "Angel Food Ministries". I am not sure I will do this forever but for now it is filling our freezer and lasting us the month. I still have to get milk, bread, and cereal on a weekly basis. I also have to go out when we have people over for dinner or there is a special occasion.

I have 5 adult eaters in the house. It makes a big difference when you are feeding adults as opposed to toddlers or tweeners. And when all of those adult eaters are men that can really put a strain on your budget!

I try to only shop when I must. I have been known to go into a food store for one item and leave with a cart full! Stick to what you came in for and avoid going to the food store at all cost.

I have written menus and that works well. To save money I to not be brand loyal and look for the best deals. I don't usually do coupons. I find loss leaders to be the better way to save. If you have a coupon to go with a loss leader product then you are really doing great!


Carrie @ Our Full House

Elizabeth @ Yes They’re All Ours

Kathy @ Kathy Mom of Many

Kristy @ Homemaker's Cottage

Lori @ Happy Busy Mama

Monica @ Natural Mama

Renee @ Bakers Dozen




























- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Linking up with other large families.

Hi,

My name is Adrienne and I am the mother to six children with another due in August.

I have been married to my high school sweet heart for 22 years. My husband pastors a small church here in Freehold NJ.

Let me introduce you to my family:

Cristian is 20. He just got married in January to his home school sweet heart- Victoria. They are in the process of re-locating to North Carolina.

Joseph is 18. He is currently enrolled in College Plus and plans to study psychology and ministry. He plays guitar and leads our worship team.

Jeremy is 15. He is a home schooled freshman that loves to write music and direct his own movies He is learning how to play the piano.

Toby is 11. He is my sweet sensitive boy and loves a good mystery.

Mateo is 10. He was born 14 months after Toby. He loves to draw.

Isabella is 6. So far she is our only girl and a girly girl at that. She is really
Praying hard that mommy has a little sister for her.

A typical day for us starts off at 9 am with family bible study. We school until about 2:00. We use mostly BJU and Switched On School House.

Our afternoons are spent cooking, cleaning, and running errands. We are a camping family. A few years back we invested in a 33 ft. camper and love it. Making great memories it what we do best

I enjoy decorating, sewing and gardening. At 42 being pregnant has proven to be challenging but a real blessing. I hope to be transparent and not just give you a bunch of fluff. Raising children in this day and age is not easy no matter how many you have. Home schooling has never been something I have been very confident about (trying to keep it real). But with the Lord all things are possible. I hope to share some wisdom from all my years of being a stay at home- home schooling mom.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope to learn from other large families as we all share our lives with one another.




Carrie @ Our Full House

Elizabeth @ Yes They’re All Ours

Kathy @ Kathy Mom of many

Kristy @ Homemaker's Cottage

Lori @ Happy Busy Mama

Monica @ Natural Mama

Renee @ Bakers Dozen