Balancing Hormones Naturally {for Moms}

Photo Source

When I was a youngin', pregnant with our first child, I remember teasing my husband one day, quipping that 'wasn't he glad that I didn't cry at the drop of a hat like those other pregnant women?'

I didn't experience hormonal issues back then. In fact, I didn't until my sixth pregnancy.  Near the end of that pregnancy, I began feeling angry for no apparent reason.  I realized then that I was experiencing the dreaded hormonal shifts that I had only heard other women talk about.  Even still, it wasn't too bad, and it was usually short lived.

Each pregnancy following, I would experience those irritable and angry feelings a little sooner in the pregnancy than the one before.  It was getting worse.  Those shifts were so unpredictable in my third trimesters that I knew I needed to do something about them or else my poor family would suffer.  Or tie me up and throw me in the closet.

Read the full article at The Marathon Mom.

Managing All These Socks

One of the best perks about spring and summer is.....NO socks!  I love that time of year when we can rely on sandals and crocs most of the time.  It just makes life easier!

Yet, we do have to manage all the socks in this house, and this is the method I came up with years ago.  I figured out that the Hanes socks came in different colored toes for the varying sizes.  So, I chose a color for each kid....or for my some of my girls, bought the same color/size because they share a room and wear close sizes. 

The little girls wear pink or purple.  The boys wear gray or solid white.  My older girls have different socks, but they take care of their laundry, so their socks don't matter in terms of managing them.

The best part of this system is that the kids pull their own colored socks out of the whites pile and throw them in the drawer.  They don't even have to fold them together.  They're all the same, so they just grab two and go.

How do you manage socks in your home?  Please share!


Photo Credit

Feeding a Large Family Healthy Meals on a Budget

So what exactly constitutes healthy eating?  I realize that we will all define healthy eating a bit differently.  Some may define it as homemade meals rather than fast food or convenience meals, and some may define eating healthy as an all raw and organic diet.  Whatever your definition is, there are always ways to squeeze more healthful foods into your budget.

For our family, eating healthy is fairly simple, and perhaps a little old-school.  It includes homemade meals, lots of fruits and veggies, whole grains, and watching our sugar intake.  We stick to the natural fats (BUTTER, Olive Oil, and Coconut Oil) and believe that red meat, dairy, and pasta are good for you when eaten in moderation. 

So how do we feed our large family healthy meals on a budget?  Here's some of how we do it.....

Read the full article here.

Quick Tip: Large Family Kitchen Supplies

As your family has grown, have your pots and pans shrunk?  Are you running out of dishes, or find that your baking sheets just don't hold enough?

Check out your local Restaurant Supply store!

With all things restaurant sized, you're sure to find the perfect stock pot, or inexpensive stacks of plates and cups.  If you don't have a Restaurant Supply store in your area, check out the restaurant section at Sams (if you're near one).  We've purchased inexpensive food storage containers, huge cookie sheets, large carafes, our huge bread making bowl, table cloths, and a few other fun things from Sams.  However, our local Restaurant Supply has a LOT more to offer....and it's just fun!  :)

Where have you found large family-friendly supplies?  Please share!


Photo Credit

Getting Meals on the Table with Ease

Let's face it!  There is no snapping our fingers and food will magically appear on the table.  Feeding our family involves work.  Sure, we can hit the drive thru, eat out at restaurants often, or even live on convenience foods, but we all know that this would be both costly and unhealthy in the long run.

The good news is, there are things we can do to ease the work when it's time to whip up a meal. 

If you're not already, applying these tips will make an incredible difference in meal time efficiency, which results in a less stressed mommy.....which equals happier family!  :)

Have a plan!  I can't stress this enough...if you're struggling to get meals on the table, plan a menu and coordinating grocery list.  This principle alone will make such a difference, especially at dinner time.  When you know what you're making and have ALL the ingredients on hand, you've won half the battle.  There's nothing more frustrating than standing in front of an open fridge, trying to decide what to make.  If the thought of making menus and grocery lists overwhelm you, try a meal planning site to get you started.

Prep your way to success!  Once you have a plan, you then know what things you can prep in advance.  As soon as you get home from the store, process your veggies, and chop and freeze what you can.  You may remember my quick tip on freezing bell pepper.  Chopped carrots and celery keep well in the fridge for several days.  When it's time to start a meal, it's a lot more fun when you just simply pull your prepped ingredients right out of the fridge or freezer and drop.

Get an early start!  I often find it easier to start my dinner in the morning...if it's a meal conducive to that.  We are huge crock pot fans, and most crock pot recipes need to get going early.  When I know what I am making, I look at any element that can possibly be done early in the day...and I do it.  My girls do the same on their cooking days.  If we're having some sort of casserole, they prepare it early and put it in the fridge. 

Have a few go-to ingredients on hand.  Whether it's cooked, shredded chicken, homemade refried beans, or browned meat, having these prepared in advance will save you in a pinch.  If we've been exceptionally busy, I can pull out my beans and grated cheese and throw together burritos or quesadillas in minutes!  Or, whip up quick chicken tacos.  Or a quick spaghetti sauce.

Double, triple, or quadruple your meal.  Whether you're making chili, spaghetti sauce, or a casserole that freezes well, make extra and freeze the rest.  It's always a good idea to have a couple of freezer meals on hand.  They also come in handy for those spur-of-the-moment service needs....like a sick neighbor or a mommy who just gave birth.

Let the kids help!  I think one of the biggest detriments to parents is keeping your kids out of the kitchen.  I realize there are just those days when it's easier to get it done yourself, but if you have age appropriate children, give them a job and let them help.  Before you know it, those kids will have become capable contributors in the kitchen!

Meal time is always mostly a well oiled machine in our home because we put these tips into practice....a must for this crowd of eleven!

Do you have a tip to share?  What do you do to get meals on the table with ease?


Photo Credit

Meal Planning and Organization

If you struggle with getting meals on the table, or you wish it was easier and took less time, this may be for you!  I've posted this before and have received positive feedback.  The only downside I've heard is that there aren't a wide variety of Gluten Free recipes.  But perhaps that will get better as they increase fan base. 

Though it's a "service", you can plan up to three meals a week for FREE.  Not bad for minimal planning, or simply trying it out for a while.  But if you want the planning works, $5 a month is not bad at all.  Planning includes the meals, recipes, grocery lists, AND options to base your meals on your local grocery sales!  How cool is that!

Give it a try...and as always, please come back and tell me what you think.  Click on the image above to get started.

For other ideas in meal planning, check out how we keep our crew fed with little effort! :)




Another great find is this online organizer for getting your home in order.  As busy moms, having an organized home cuts down on stress and makes life easier.  However, finding the time and motivation can sometimes get the best of us.

Organize Yourself  takes you step by step, room by room, to get you organized.  There is even special tips for procrastination....which is so easy to do when you're feeling overwhelmed with clutter, right?  ;) 

If you've tried this, please tell me what you think?  If you'd like to check it out, click on image above to get started.

Happy organizing!

Very Cool Meal Planning Help

Okay, friends...you know that I am pretty fanatical about menu planning. But this takes even my system a step further by incorporating your local grocery store sales into the planning....and does it for you!!!  How cool is that?

Here's how it works:  Food on the Table is an easy meal planning service that is based on sales at local grocery stores. With Food on the Table, users will be able to:  find thousands of easy, healthy recipes - save money by knowing the items that are on sale - and simplify your shopping experience with a well organized grocery list.

If you struggle at all with meal planning, then this may be your solution.  If you've got a great system already, this may help streamline your sale shopping. 

Okay ladies.....I'm very interested in your opinion on this!  Click on the banner above, sign up for the free trial, and tell me what you think! 


*Contains an affiliate link.

Quick Fix: No-Sew Hem

What do you do with your kids' hole-y pants? Do you toss them, patch them, use them as dust rags?

Here's an easy way to salvage pants with holes in the knees. All you need is an iron, a little Liquid Stitch, and of course, the poor, abused, hole-y pants! No sewing required for this quick fix!

Once you've cut off the legs just above the holes, neatly roll up pants one time, creating an even edge, and press with hot iron (below). Try not to be distracted by my dirty ironing board. 

You're distracted aren't you...

Once you've got a good crease, place a thin line of Liquid Stitch under the fold.  (Tried to get a pic of this step, but the battery died....shucks!)  Press firmly with fingers to adhere.  Repeat on second leg. 

Next, roll up one more time, creating a thicker, more secure hem.  Press with iron again.  Place another thin line of Liquid Stitch under second fold and press firmly to adhere.

And here you have it...a nice pair of shorts, frugally salvaged from a hole-y pair of capris!  And I didn't have to lug out the sewing machine! 

Here's my sweet seven year old modeling her new shorts!  She loves them!

What are your favorite quick fixes?  Please share!

Menu Planning

Pin It




One of the most rewarding aspects of motherhood is feeding my family. Putting meals on the table that will nourish and satisfy my husband and children bring a sense of joy and fulfillment to my heart. But it can also be challenging and overwhelming keeping a family fed three times a day, every day!

Growing up, my mom would write down meals for the week, and then compose a coordinating grocery list. So, when I got married, I did the same. Each week, for years, I would sit down and think about what we were going to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. As my big girls got older, they too would help in this area.

But it was still a big job! Especially as our family grew. Often times, just sitting there thinking of what to eat was mentally exhausting.

One day it occurred to me....why not put this menu into a database, with the coordinating shopping list, and hit "SAVE"!!   And, each time we write a new menu, we'll do the same and eventually accumulate many menus from which we will rotate. Then, all we have to do is print off a menu and coordinating list and shop! 

So that's what we have done for the last seven to eight years. We now have about ten menus that rotate every two weeks. If we get tired of a particular meal, or want to incorporate a new recipe, we simply change it out on the database and adjust the ingredients on the list.  Done!  So much easier than starting from scratch each time.

For us, two week menus work best since my husband gets paid every two weeks.  In addition, I only have to 'big' shop twice a month instead of four.  But plan your menu according to what works best for your family schedule.  Whether weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly, having an organized menu plan will save time and money in the end.

Here is the menu we are currently using.  Click on image to enlarge.

And here is the coordinating grocery list.  (click on image to enlarge)

As you can see, this list contains only food items that we need for every recipe on the menu. If we need to restock other items such as cleaning supplies, paper products, or toiletries, we simply add them to the end of the list where it says "Other Items Needed".

The night before we shop, we print off our list and go through the freezer, fridge, and pantry and cross off anything we do not need.  For instance, we have yeast on the list because we bake breads, rolls, etc.  But since we buy yeast in bulk, we don't always need to restock it.  Same goes for Chicken Stock.  I almost always make my own, so I rarely have to buy it.  But, I have it on the list just in case I don't have any in the freezer.  It's always best to include all ingredients on your list, and simply cross off what you don't need.  The key is ensuring you have all the ingredients you need to prepare your meals so that you're not running to the to the store in a pinch.

What if I don't want to prepare or eat what is planned on that particular day?

Because we've shopped for everything on the list, we're free to swap dishes as we please.  If we've had a hectic day and there is a more labor intensive meal planned that day, we just switch out for something faster or easier to prepare.  Or, if another meal sounds better that day, we switch.  The important element here is that you have everything on hand, and you don't have to think about what to eat.  This also helps us to look ahead and get meat out of the freezer and into the fridge for thawing.

We try to balance our meals.  Some require a little more prep time or cooking time.  Some are quick and easy.  Some are cheap and some require more costly ingredients.  We like variety in the meals themselves, as well as the work involved.

What is FFY? 

FFY is Fend For Yourself.  Since we usually eat a big lunch on Sunday, dinner is usually clearing out leftovers, or making a sandwich, or snacking on fruit and crackers.  Greg and I tend to the little ones, but the older, capable kids fend for themselves!

In our family, life is so busy and there's much work to be done.  This menu system has saved a lot of time.....and gas.  Since we've shopped for everything we'll need, I'm not running back and forth to the store.  If we need milk or fresh produce, we make a stop while we're out running other errands.  The best part is...I never have to stare into the fridge, ominously trying to decide what to make for dinner. 

So how about you?  What are your favorite tips for feeding your family with efficiency?  Do you have any questions about my system?  Please leave a comment...I'd love to hear from you!

Photo Credit

Quick Tip: Tackle Toothbrush Germs

Did you know that the average toothbrush contains bacteria from blood, saliva, oral debris, and even the toilet?  Every time you flush the toilet, bacteria fly up from the bowl and can travel up to five feet away.

Tackle those germs by pouring a little bit of Peroxide on your toothbrush every few days....or after any illness.  Hydrogen Peroxide has natural oxidizing properties that will aid in sanitizing hard surfaces and objects, including toothbrushes.  It's what we do in our home.

*You can use vinegar as well, but I'd prefer not to taste vinegar first thing in the morning.  It would clash with my coffee.

Photo Credit

Tackling Chores

Pin It




I've learned over the years that there are as many chore systems as there are families. This is a wonderful thing as it means families are creating methods that work for their unique family dynamics. 

But like most moms, I think it's fun to see how others are doing it.   Whether you want to fine-tune your own system, or you're just starting out trying to create one, find what works for your family. 

In my last post, I shared about our wonderful school day messes. Messes that reveal life in our home. And though we love those kinds of messes, we do enjoy a clean and tidy home. And in a family of our size, it requires everyone pitching in to keep things in order and running smoothly.

Here's how we do it. My system of chores involves everyone, covers all areas, and even includes those monthly deep cleans.  This is a standard sized poster board that hangs on our refrigerator so that it can be easily seen.  Click on image for larger view.

As you can see, each child is color-coded so that they can quickly recognize their name. Most chores are Monday thru Saturday, with only the essentials on Sunday. Each child finds their name and can quickly scroll down the left column of chores to find out what they're doing on a particular day.

Our daily chores are usually done three times a day.  If that sounds like a lot, you should see how quickly things go awry around here.  After breakfast, we run though chores for the first time in the day.  Then again after lunch.  And again, after dinner.  Doing this throughout the day helps keep on top of things and makes the work quick and less painful.

Beneath the Daily Chores, we have Weekly and Monthly.  The weekly chores are done every Saturday.  The Monthly chores rotate weekdays.  For example, every 1st Tuesday of the month, Sophia and Seth wipe the downstairs baseboards.  This allows everything to be covered, but spreads out the work over the month.

We begin training our children to pitch in as soon as they understand commands.  However, the youngest age that I actually have on the chart is our three year old, Genevieve.  She has chores such as dish helper, meal helper, feeding the dog, etc.  The "helper" chores are for the little ones in training.  When the little ones are working along side an older one, they're learning that job.  It was very rewarding to graduate Seth (10) and Sophia (8) to their own dish and laundry day, knowing they were capable of doing the task because they spent time learning as "helpers".  

If you only have little ones, allow your children to be your helpers.  I know some days it's just easier to get things done yourself, but teaching your little one early will be such a blessing later on.  If the thought of training little ones to do chores is overwhelming, just start with one...a chore that would be most helpful to you if your little ones could do it on their own.  Train them in that one job until they've mastered it, and then move onto another chore.  And remember, try not to have high expectations at first.  My five year old won't sweep as well as I do, but they'll get better as they grow.  Give them lots of praise for a job well done!

As our children grow, the chart gets revamped to either include new children who are big enough to accomplish chores or "upgrade" jobs as kids become more capable.  (Click here to see two of our older charts.) 

As a matter of fact, I'll be revamping again soon since my oldest daughter is getting married in January.  I'll need to remove her from the chart and divvy up her chores between the rest of us.  Doesn't that sound so sad?  Removing her from the chart?  I don't know..maybe she'll consider popping on over a few times a day to help out?!

Okay, probably not.  She'll be a bit busy managing her own home.

So, what are your favorite tips for keeping your home clean?  What are some of the chores your little ones do?  And at what age do they begin?

Quick Tip: Children's Puzzles

Keeping all those puzzle pieces to the correct puzzle is made easier by simply numbering the puzzle itself.......

And then numbering each individual puzzle piece to match.

What are your favorite tips for keeping puzzles organized?

A Handy Link

While reading another blog, I came across a very cool site and thought it would be a good idea to post it here.

It's called Fixya.com.

If you're experiencing any type of "fix it" problem, simply enter in a description of the problem and it will give you the solution to fix it. Their tag line is: 3,068,299 Solutions to Everyday Product Problems

So, if you're washing machine won't drain or your calculator is not working, go to Fixya.com and find out how to fix it yourself....and save a bundle!

ht: Smockity

Revamping the Chore Chart

As our family continues to grow, it's been necessary to revamp the chore chart every so often. Whether due to a new home or kids getting older and more capable, it seems like I am revisiting this subject often.

This is a chart I made about three years ago. At the time, the youngest child on the chart was Sophia, who was three. As you can see, she only had the job of Toy Pick Up. I'm sure there were odd jobs we would ask her to do here and there, but this was the only official job she had. As our younger ones have gotten older, we've added them to the chart, but usually still beginning with one or two jobs at the age of three.

Our goal is to teach our children team work, service, and responsibility. Little ones love to be given jobs and their little faces just light up when you've encouraged them in their job. And I think the earlier we instill these attributes into our children, working together as a family becomes "the norm".

Here are their current ages: Chey 16, Celeste 14, Seth 7 (almost 8), Sophia 6, Chloe 4, Ethan 3. (Genevieve is 17 mos, so not officially on the chart yet. And of course, baby Jonathan is a newborn.) The most recent Chore Chart:

As you can see, due to number of "helpers" in the house, we all have very little to do day to day. I also have a separate Saturday chart with jobs like mowing, cleaning bathrooms, dusting, etc.

So what are some of the jobs your little ones are doing? And at what age do you begin actively training your little ones to do specific chores?

Too Cute

One of Seth's chores is to sweep the kitchen floor. He is only five, so initially, we spent some time sweeping together so that I could train him to do it properly. Well, while I was nursing Ethan, I just watched him sweep away and was so blessed to see what a great job he was doing.



He swept underneath the table (sorry for the underwear shot, I was trying to take the pic without him knowing). He even moved the highchair over and swept behind it. I know this is small, but it still excites me! Notice how intently Chloe is watching her big brother. I just know she's thinking, "I can't wait until I'm big like Seth so I can sweep the kitchen floor!" (Yeah, right!)

Well, while I'm on here, I'll just a add a quick update on my wisdom saga. Monday, the day Greg went back to work, I lasted until about 10am. I had still been feeling sick and dizzy at times. Just after Cheyenne told me to go lay down, our sweet friend, Cindy, called to say that she wanted to help out and that she wouldn't take no for an answer! Halleluiah!

We welcomed her help and she stayed most of the day taking care of the kids, which freed up Cheyenne to prepare lunch and dinner. As soon as she left, several of the kids had a meltdown and I and prayed that I would make it until their bedtime. In the middle of the chaos, Greg called home and could hear all that was going on, as well as the hopeless sound in my voice. To our wonderful surprise, about 45 mins later, there was Greg, popping out from behind the wall. I could have just burst into tears at that moment! God was so good to provide the help I needed, and just in time. I tell you, Greg is truly my hero! He was able to stay home the rest of the night! God knows our needs and meets them!

Today, Greg is at work again, but I'm finally feeling much better. It's funny to think that all of this drama is due to two wisdom teeth being pulled, but I tell ya, this kicked me in the rear! If it had just been the pain, I can handle that....it's been all the other side effects that have slowed me down....the nausea, the numbness, the dizzines, etc. Anyway, I'm so thankful to feel better today since I have many preThanksgiving things to do. I still have all of the numbness, but I'm realizing that it's going to stick around for a long time so I just need to accept it!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!!!

MISSION: ORGANIZATION

Well, it's that time of year......the weather is FINALLY changing, so I think it's safe to pack away all of the spring/summer clothes and pull out the fall/winter clothes. I'm slowly collecting big bins and sorting clothes by gender and sizes. So far, I've got clothes somewhat sorted by sizes, but have boys and girls clothes in the same bins. My goal is to have MANY bins, one for each size and gender. This way I can grab just one bin as a child creeps into the next size without sorting through numerous sizes like I'm doing now. I'd just like to save any time and effort where I can. I'm keeping an eye out for good sales on those bins....as they can be expensive otherwise. I love to be organized and with an always growing family it seems to be an ongoing process, one that never comes to completion. I enjoy the challenge, though!

Another area in which we are doing some revamping is our homeschool schedule.  I have already created a schedule being that we are well underway with our school year. But, with the addition of our sweet little baby boy, I am seeing a lack of continuity in our school day. Now, some of that is to be expected with having a new, nursing baby in our home, but I definitely feel like there are some changes in which we can incorporate into our day to make things run more smoothly.

Part of my difficulty is that Ethan is not yet on a good napping schedule. I'm quite sure the other babies were on fairly reliable nap schedules by this age. However, sweet Ethan has not settled into one yet, and when he does nap, they're much shorter and sporatic. I know in time, though, he will settle into a regular pattern and we'll be able to accomplsh more in our school day.

Aside from a non-existant nap schedule, just the mere addition of one more baby requires some changes. I don't like to have some kids wandering while others are schooling. And I don't like the TV to be the babysitter for the little ones while I'm working with the big ones. So, this will require much thinking and creativity as to how I will come up with my grand schedule so that there will be peace and continuity in our home. I am rereading Managers of Their Homes and will attempt to create a schedule that will work and make us feel like we're accomplishing something each day and not just wandering in the wilderness. This schedule will look MUCH differently than our last few, so I'm looking forward to a smoother and more efficient home in the days to come.

The one area where I have accomplished organization and efficiency is our meal planning. For the most part, I have always planned our meals and and shopped according to our menu. But now, I have completed four master menus with a master shopping list to go with each menu. Each menu covers a two-week peroid, so with four menus, this gives us two months worth of meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). Once we go through all four, we just start over. I LOVE not having to think about what to eat or what we need at the store. If we want to incorporate a new recipe, I just make the change to the master list and it's done! Hurray!!! One area that has been conquered!! In addition, with two older girls who have been well-trained in the culinary department, mealtime has become the least of my worries, and something to enjoy!

Update:  We now have eight menus along with their master grocery lists.