Busy Family Tips

It is no secret that the more people you add into a house, the busier things become - the activity, the amount of chores around the house, the transporting, it all picks up! While I don't have all the answers on making a home run smoothly when little ones enter the picture, there are some tips that I have found that have saved us time, money, and our sanity!

A Calendar - make it as fancy or simple as you please, but, being able to make note of who needs to be where and do what, when is a must. I personally like color coding for each member of the family (and setting alarms on my phone...even with the best of intentions, I will forget to be somewhere!) 

I found this adorable idea {to the left} on Pinterest the other day via Take Two They're Small of using Washi Tape in a regular day planner type calendar... Organization + color = love. 

Meals - Three big tips:

1. Pack lunches ahead of time whenever possible {as needed}. Earlier this summer, my oldest son had swim lessons and we wouldn't get home until after lunch time - making for 3 hungry kiddos (no matter how much snack they had). I finally (at the last lesson) had the brilliant idea to pack their lunch in the morning before we left and that way it was already made and ready to go when we got home. (I would have taken lunch with me to eat on the way home, but the lessons were only about 7 mins from home).
   
   Now that my oldest is in school, I've quickly learned that packing lunch for the younger two when I am packing lunch for my oldest in the morning helps the morning run a lot smoother. I probably won't do this everyday, but most days, definitely!
   
2. Meal Planning - this is such a pain {to me} but is such a huge help in the long run in terms of saving money and time in our days. And, it helps not to waste food as well. 
   
3. Freezer Meals - This has become a staple in our home. I try to make extra of a meal at least once a week (extra lasagna, cheese shells, taco meat, etc...) so on those nights when something crazy happens (sick kiddo, sick mama!, hubby has to work late...) I've got a meal on hand that is already made and can be fixed quickly without a lot of fuss.

Another meal tip - try to have a family meal once a day, where everyone is present - no tv, no phones, no distractions, just family. I realize this could be nearly impossible in many homes, but even aiming for once a week. We love this time, without any distractions (except 3 crazy kids!) and the chance to just sit and catch up from our days. Some nights are quicker than others thanks to praise band practice, or small group, or meetings, or what not, but having 20-30 minutes a day to just sit - love it.

Having a cleaning schedule has not worked for me at all, but I have many friends who have found great success {I laugh, because, as I sit here thinking about it, all these friends have girls...not 3 boys, lol} But in talking with them, having just a handful of chores to do each day helps them to 1) not feel so overwhelmed with all that needs to be done and 2) allows them to feel that their house stays cleaner.

I prefer to do my "deep cleaning" on the weekends when my husband is home to distract the boys. Daily cleaning is unavoidable (sweeping, wiping down the bathrooms, laundry) in our home!

How do you add some calm to the storm in the midst of a busy family?