My daily routine with 4 little kids

Happy late Thanksgiving and Merry early Christmas! Turns out I have one fussy baby.  I spent a week trying to figure out if he has colic or gas, if he is hungry or tired, or if he just likes to cry.  He is a great breastfeeder. Little porker is getting chubby and is hungry all the time! I think he does get gas too, but I've found that, if he gets overtired....forget it.  He won't go to sleep and nothing helps. Not even nursing.  So I am really working to make sure he takes a nap before he gets too tired. 

I tried gas drops, probiotics, cut out caffeine, and even formula.  Non of it helped, and he wouldn't even take the bottle at all. It was just making him mad and he gagged when he tasted the formula :(

But he does really really well when he takes nice long naps.  He's like a happy calm baby when he nurses, has wake time, then takes a long nap.  I'm working on getting him in this routine better. 

So you know me....I NEED a routine.  Thank God we are finally falling back into a good routine with a baby in the house.  Honestly a routine makes me feel happy, calm, and thankful.  Here is what I am aiming for.  I am 4 weeks postpartum now and want to start doing C25K next week.  This isn't listing times, or every single time I nurse the baby, because I nurse him often :) as he gets older, scheduling becomes easier and more predictable. Also on days I have errands to run, schedules go out the window. No biggie.  Church nights/days are a bit different too.  

Mom's daily routine with 4 little kids 

MORNING

5:45am
Wake up
Brush teeth
Get dressed
Get coffee
Pray/Read bible
Nurse baby
Start breakfast/lunches
Empty dishwasher (I always want an empty sink!)
Get 5yo ready for school
See husband and 5yo off
Throw in load of laundry
Get 2 & 4yo situated & fed
Nurse baby
Put dinner in the crock pot 
Home school 4yo preschool, 2yo color (T/Thurs)


MID-MORNING/AFTERNOON

11am
Go on walk/run w 3 little ones, 2 in stroller 1 on bike (Couch to 5K, M/W. Saturday daddy watches boys while I run.)  
Pick up 5yo from school
Make/serve lunch (leftovers, already made stew, or frozen burritos I made earlier in week or sandwich and fruit) 
Nurse baby
Put 2yo & baby down for nap
Big boys quiet time while mommy works 1-1.5 hours (boys watch movie or color/read) 
Nurse baby
1 Chore (bathroom, dust, iron ect)
Big boys outside time, baby back down for a nap 
Switch loads, fold clothes RIGHT away at the dryer (do daily smaller loads so this is easier), damp a rag & wipe down washer and dryer, let whites soak in bleach overnight/soak cloth diapers/or do a regular load
2yo wakes up, give boys a snack
Put laundry away, boys play time 
Clean up time! Boys and mommy clean up (all toys, boys room), light a candle, put on music
Vacuum (put Arm & Hammer baking soda carpet cleaner on carpet first...smells amazing!)
Fold blankets
Tidy up

EVENING

Set table
Any dinner prep needed
Fill sink with hot soapy water, put any pans or crock pot in it
Dad's home!
Serve dinner, give everyone vitamins
Clean up dinner table, wash w soapy rag
Put all dishes in soapy water
Wipe counters
Sweep floor
Prep coffee, set timer on coffee pot for morning

Soak beans in crock pot or stew bones for bone broth over night (a couple nights a week) 
Rinse dishes, load dishwasher & start it
Boys play time (usually playing with daddy)

BEDTIME
Bathe all 4 boys
Brush teeth, comb hair
PJ's 
Story time
Read boys bible
Pray
Lights out for boys
Mom & Dad read, watch a movie or show on Netflix with hot apple cider or tea :) (well I drink a hot drink!!) 

Feeew. Sounds tiring.  But this is my life right now! And it can change and will change as we add in sports next season and as they get older!! Also want to sign up for another half marathon so training will really throw in a change! Not everyday goes according to plan...obviously :) 

 I am still adjusting to four boys, and some nights the baby is up a lot and I sleep in and let daddy do breakfast and lunches and get Shane ready.  It happens.  But this is my goal :) otherwise I get so behind on everything in life. Ehum....Like right now there is a huge pile of laundry waiting to be folded...wish I would have folded all 3 loads right when they were out of the dryer! LOL ;-)



"Let all things be done decently and in order." 1 Corinthians 14:40
Something I've been learning since I got married 7+ years ago and realized I was far from orderly! :)

 

The Mom I want to be

Since having Will, I really have been thinking a lot about the great (and awesome) responsibility it is to be the Mommy of 4 boys.  I am so thankful and blessed!!!! God is so good!
 There are a lot of things I want/need to improve on.  Some I've talked about in past posts about creating habits.   The rest I need to get on and do already. 

My grandma was here for 3 days, and what a blessing that was.  I am so thankful for her help!!!! She did tons of laundry, cleaned our bathrooms, always kept the kitchen clean, cooked, cleaned out my fridge and freezer,  took care of the 3 older boys, bathed, fed, changed them, mopped, bought us stuff at Target, let me and the baby sleep in, ect.  It was so nice.  I am so bummed she's gone :( but also ready to get into a routine with our family of 6 :)

Do you ever just watch some ladies that are always helping, cleaning, serving and think sheesh I want to be like that?  I do want to be like that!! My grandma had to do so much more work when she had her kids.  She had 4 kids 5 and under just like me.  She had no dryer, so she had to hang out all the clothes, then iron them all.  She had to hand wash all the dishes, and didn't have convenient things like a baby swing or a Moby wrap ;) And when she was a girl it was even harder! No wonder she is a hard worker, and no wonder most ladies in their generation are.

When we first got married I really didn't know how to cook, keep house, do laundry, ect.  I did have to do chores as a girl/teen but I was so busy with cheer-leading, and my social life that honestly I wasn't home much.  My mom kept the house clean and food in the cupboards and cooked. 

There are some a lot of things I still struggle with.  Like how to keep the flow of laundry going! I always ALWAYS get way behind on laundry.  It's awful....
Also, keeping an organized kitchen (fridge, cupboards, counters ect).  They always seem to get so messy, and I'm the queen of mail piling up....No bueno.
 A while ago I heard The Fly Lady on a podcast.  I had never heard of her.  But that was right when I was starting to implement new habit goals in my life, like going to bed with an empty sink. 

Ovbiously with a newborn all that has gone out the window... lol.  I am still all hormonal, and I think starting a routine again will help me feel back to normal again.

I bought the book "Large Family Logistics" off Amazon, and it's good so far.  It talks about so many things, schedules, cleaning, organize, food, ect.  I want to make yummy healthy food for my family.  I want to be healthy and active myself so they have a healthy outlook on food and fitness. 

There are other things I really want to do for my boys, like keep up on scrapbooking so when they are older they can look back at every year and have memories.  I also want to start saving money for them, and work on making some extra money so they can do more sports, piano, ect.  I want to be the hospitable Mom and friend that always has cookies and coffee.  I want people to be able to stop by with out being embarrassed about the house ;) I want to have my house beautifully decorated so my boys and husband always feel warm and cozy at home.  I want my house to be organized not frustrating...which it is sometimes, I admit.  I also really want to show my boys how to be a blessing to others.  And most important, I want my boys to know Jesus, and I want to teach them more about Him, instead of them learning the most about Him at church and school. 

I know, and accept that I may never have a girl.  I'm okay with that.  But I want to be the Mom/Mother in law that my kids want to help and be around.  I pray my daughter in laws will like me haha. ;) Long time away I know. 

Life goes by so fast..  I mean, Will is already 10 days old! It's time to "Redeem the Time" because before I know it my boys will be grown and all the things I wanted to do with and for them will either be undone, or I can get on it and do it.  :)

I know this post is ramblings ha.  Sorry :) Just on my heart a lot. 

Homemade Dishwasher Soap

FINALLY!!!!!!!! 

I've been searching for a homemade dishwasher soap forever.  I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner!!!

I'm sure people already do this. If so I missed it somehow!  I had this light bulb moment. My Grandma mentioned to me that I can add vinegar to my dishwasher to help with soap residue.  I randomly remembered that while loading my dishwasher, and wanted to try it. But I wanted to try it instead of my normal dishwasher soap {which is full of things dangerous to little ones, and says on there, contact poison control if child ingests}.
I added a tsp of dish soap to help with the tough stuck on food.  I love it! It works amazing! My dishes were much cleaner than normal.  It also cleaned my dishwasher, which may be why it worked so well too.

Here it is:

1/2 Cup white vinegar
1 TSP dish soap

I pour in as much of the 1/2 c vinegar into the soap container {not sure what you call it} and close the lid.  Then the tsp of soap with the rest of the vinegar in the open soap spot.  And wash!

SO easy!
Cheap!
NATURAL!
I'm excited! Can you tell!? ;)

**NOTE: It's important not to add more than a tsp of dish soap or you will get a bubbly mess...today I tried it with a tablespoon to see, and my floor got a little wash too :) 

Love, The Curvy Housewife

Homemaking

I just made this as a "Page" but wanted it to be a post as well.

"That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children. To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed." TITUS 2:4-5

I have been asked several times recently, "How do you find the time to train with the boys!?" or "How do you work out so often and for so long? I just don't have time for that."

Let me start by saying, God has called me FIRST to be a Wife and a Mother. I thank God everyday I am able to stay home with my children and that Homemaking is my full time job. My husband and boys come first. Always. Lucky for me, they support me and want me to achieve my goals.

I am in no way a perfect [or anything even close!!!] homemaker. God is always working on me in this area. Right now, as I type this, there are gold fish crackers all over my living room floor. Yes, I have to vacuum usually twice a day.


I am so far from where God wants me to be as a homemaker, but my heart is to strive to make my home a place of peace and rest for my family, and I love to do it.

Here are a few things that helps me:


Devotions
I really can't get anything done until I pray and read my bible. God is the one to give me patients and wisdom with my boys and decisions to make when I need to. He blesses our day when I start it right. I really try to get up before the boys to do this. Doesn't always happen, but I love it when it does.

Schedule
Being scheduled. No, I am not an organized person. But anyone can learn to be. I have my training plan written on two calendars in pencil. I erase and re-write, A LOT.

Cleaning
I deep clean my house on Friday. This is suppose to be my day off from training, so I don't have to worry about leaving the house at all.
Laundry, dishes, tidying up and vacuuming is everyday.
I also like things very SIMPLE. Simple cleaning. Warm soap and water clean most of my house.

Cooking
I have planned out our weekly meals, therefore I know what I am going to cook and don't waste time deciding and contemplating all the ingredients I need. I never did this before, but this training season I have to do it to be successful, and I really enjoy it.

Decorating
I love to find great deals on home decor and spend time creating a beautiful and cute home.
I usually have a delicious candle lit as well to make our home smell inviting and peaceful.

Teaching
Even though life is busy, I try to take time out everyday to teach the boys something. Sometimes it's new animals, or shapes, or numbers. I also let them help me cook. Taking time to color with them, or build blocks with them is also teaching them. It's a special time everyday. I read them a story before nap time and bed time.

Discipline
I often have to stop what I am doing and correct the boys. Very often. My boys are very different from each other. Cody obeys pretty well and doesn't need a lot of discipline, a firm "No" works with him. Shane on the other hand requires A LOT of correcting. I really try to correct him and discipline him, then hug him and make sure I explain why he got into trouble. Point is, in the long run it saves time and frustration to take time at home to really discipline properly. After all if I am not going to do it, who will?
I am a softy I have to admit it... so this is a huge challenge for me.The Lord is always working on me in this area. An example is, about 6 months to a year ago Shane hated going to the gym daycare. He was very disobedient there, and it made it impossible for me to bring them. We spent months working with Shane (Davey gets a lot of the credit!) and teaching him to behave in nursery at church (times we would check on him during the service and make sure he was behaving. If not we would take him out and discipline him and make sure he listened to his teacher) and that helped him tremendously. Now he loves the gym daycare and is a very good boy in nursery at church ( of course..there's always exceptions!!).


If you plan something and want it bad enough, it can and will be done! I take advantage of the weekends when Davey is here and I work out early in the morning so I am free to spend time with him during the day. Hope this post helped someone! If not it helped me, and reminded me of what God's will for me is.

With Love,
The Curvy Housewife