Does anyone have any tips of organizing with a household of 7 (almost 8)?

[mdblake6]

I am a homeschooling mom of 5 children, number 6 will be here in October. My house is running away without us, I need help in organizing laundry and clothes, school supplies and just space saving in general. Thank you!!!

 

[hutmamma2004]

for the school supplies , buy a shoe holder that is clear and hangs behind a door . it works great, also do 2or 3kids clothes on a certain day. i know you will be doing laundry ever day for all. but at least you wont be doing it all day. if the kids are old enough color coordinate everything.give them a colored laundry basket for each of their clothes. if 11 or older let them do their own wash.

 

[captbryguy]

Give each child 3 drawers and a plastic cubbie.If they do not put their items n toys n clothes back - then you hide said items for one month or untill they have proven their tidiness..

 

[ksaroch5]

First of all, you are some kind of woman! Everyone needs to pitch in. If a child can throw it down he can pick it up. My children were doing laundry at 6. As soon as they can reach, teach. Use baskets, barrels, boxes, etc. assigned to each child and they are responsible for getting their things in and out of it. Have different colored laundry baskets for whites, lights, darks and teach the children how to sort it as they bring it to the laundry room. Have the older ones load and unload the dishwasher or wash by hand. The key is for everything to have a place and for everyone to help to put everything in that place. Good luck to you and God bless.

 

[voiceofreason]

get laundry baskets for each child that is old enough and teach them to put their dirty clothes in their own basket,you can color code them too, either by duck tape on the handles or just buying cheap different and brightly colored baskets at the dollar store. anyway, designate one day a week where they do their own laundry and they can also help with doing the younger kids laundry too. i used to homeschool although it was only three kids and so far as organizing, well it was nearly impossible but another thing i did get each one their own 'personal box' a large plastic box with a lid (you can also use the under the bed types for saving space too) anyway you have them label their names on the outside and anything that they don't share with the others goes into the box. it helps some but as you know sometimes the best intentions don't often work and they forget to put things away. also you might want to just do websearches onthe internet for tips on organization in the home...i know diynet.com has some ideas and i am sure some of the other home type shows do to.. i just want to say good luck to you, homeschooling is one of the most difficult things to do as you are not only the mother, wife, psychologist, etc. you have to be the teacher too...its a tough job but hang in there and do what you can and don't worry about the house being 'untidy' or getting everything done...it all comes together at the end. my children are grown now..all sucessful, normal and happy despite all my mistakes. hang in there and enjoy them while they are young as they grow up so fast !

 

[Car Hop]

Start by using a condom.

 

[pppig30]

I can sooooooooooooo understand what you are going through.I to am homeschooling and have six children ages 6m-8y. some things i found helpfull are lockers or cubbys I prefer lockers because they close and I don't have to see the mess that can occur. I picked up a stacked set of 6 lockers at the state surplus for $20 new they cost way to much to even imagine. each child has their own decorated whith whatever stickers the aquire. in thes they keep shoes, coats, sweaters and other little things. another thing you can get at the surplus is a file cabnit, in this I keep all of the paper in hanging folders diffrent colors in each lined, unlined ect. now for toys my children sleep in bunk beds and each has a tote at the end of there bed for those, and anything else they don't want the other kids to get into. Laundry laundry laundry unless you have a great friend to help you with this you will always have laundry. I bought some small waist bins for each child. the ones who are older and able to do most of the work on there own, I help. when there bucket is full I instruct them as to how much soap they will need in the washer and when to add it. My washing machine has little stickers by the knobs so they know what load size, water temp, and cycle to use. My 2 oldest can now do this by themselves. I also have the stickers on my dryer for them. they wash, dry, fold, and put away there own laundry with lots of smiles! (mind you this did take a lot of patience and consistancy on my part to teach this to them. but you probably already know this as you do homeschool.)all school supplies are kept in a closet that I am fortunate to have. I have placed a small book shelf in the bottom for books and whatnot, also there are small tubs for glue,crayons, and the likes of that stuff. I hope this can be of some use to you as I am just now starting to get hold of my home again after the birth of my daughter in Feb.