Household - Organization Charts

I am a self-recognized control freak and with five kids running, crawling and laying around here things can get pretty hectic really fast! I have been living in a state of total turmoil for too long. Mentally I can't take the stress of going with the flow with 5 kids! I need order in order to function and stay sane! So I sat down and figured out what are our most challenging areas as a family of 7 and tackled the task of figuring out how to make those areas smoother. Charts seemed like the best solution, of course when I came up with this I forgot only 1 of my kids actually reads so we will be revamping some of the charts to help the big girls be more self-sufficient.

Our first area of concern is early mornings, the kids need to be at daycare by 6:30 so Owen and I can be to work by 7 am. This means we are usually up by 4:30, Owen and I try to get ready first then he gets Jahvar up and he gets himself dressed. Owen then dresses the big girls while I dress the littles. After they are dressed the kids are responsible for taking their lunchboxes out of the fridge and putting them in their backpacks and putting on their shoes and coats. Its a joint effort to get everyone's teeth brushed. So these are the charts we use for these tasks. (The chore charts are what I am going to revamp, I'm going to print and laminate pics of shoes, coats and lunchboxes for the girls to stick in the square once its completed.) Each older child is also responsible for helping a smaller child in some small way in the morning. Jahvar carries Livi's backpack to the car, Lillee helps Ari with her shoes and coat if she needs it, and Ari carries Kirstie's bottle bag down the stairs each morning. Each child is also reminded on this chart that they still need to brush their teeth if they haven't done so already.

This is an example of their Week Day Morning Chores: each child is responsible for their lunchbox, backpack, shoes and coat as well as one responsibility of helping a child that's smaller then them (Duggar style).

The early wake up time usually means grumpy kids who don't want to be up which starts lots of arguments. I realized that usually my first communication with the bigger kids each morning was usually breaking up a fight. I didn't want that to be what they remember from their childhood so the first chart I created was our "Good Morning" chart. Every night before I go to bed I write them each a note to tell them how much I love them or how proud I am of them for something they did that day. It is posted at the bottom of the stairs so when they come down the stairs each morning the first thing they see is positive. This also helps Jahvar with interacting with the girls because he reads theirs to them every morning.

I actually found this at the Dollar Tree in the teaching section and I love it!

 The chart below I found on google, I chose it because the kids mark off both their morning and evening brushing plus it has dark blue squares weekly to remind the child to floss. Which is how often our dentist suggested they floss.


I am using very tiny star stickers to mark this chart, once the month is completed I'm going to have them remove the sticker for the spot to mark its done for the following month. I figure this will save stickers and help them work on their fine motor skills at the same time!

 

The next area of concern is when we get home from our day. Usually the kids come into the house first dropping their bags, coats and shoes right in front of the door. So when Owen and I come in behind them carrying the babies and usually other bags of groceries or whatever we trip over everything that's been left on the floor. So I created another chart for After School. This chart also doubles as our bath schedule because with 5 kids you need to have a bath schedule just to make sure you don't forget anyone for a week!

This was in the package with the other poster I got from Dollar Tree. Both posters for just $1.

Another problem we faced was that each child is on medication, it is very easy to forget these important medicines when you have 5 kids and 2 parents who could be giving it to them. So I found these charts on google which are actually meant to be used when your child has a cold or something so you don't miss a dose but I modified it a bit. So now once Owen or myself give them the med for the day we initial the chart to ensure each child gets the correct medicine each day.

Medicine Charts
 

With a family of 7 our schedules can be hectic, I keep everything written down on a calendar in my purse which works for me but then Owen has no idea what's going on. So I am now doing monthly and weekly schedules for all of us that are posted by the door so he is able to see what's going on as well. These were also found at the Dollar Tree. Both in the same package for only $1.

Monthly/Weekly Schedules

We have not mastered this new chart process yet but it is definitely helping us become more organized and giving me peace of mind.

Feeling Overwhelmed, It's Time To Organize All The Stuff

April 2015 Meal Plan
Weekly School Breakfast & Lunch Box Plan

Now that I have had the baby and we are trying to adjust to the life of working parents of five small children I know now more then ever everything needs to be in it's place! I'm completely overwhelmed by the disorganized disaster that is my life, every morning I wake up and it's a struggle to get out of bed and begin the scavenger hunt that is my day. I must get my life in order, I am a creature that needs to be in control of everything and this is not working for me. I have sat down and tried to prioritize the things I need to organize but realized quickly I NEED TO ORGANIZE ALL THE THINGS!!!

We moved in to our new home in December in a rush with just my husband and I. I was also 7 months pregnant and to say the move was a disaster is an understatement. We still are living out of boxes in some rooms and our basement became a catch all for everything we didn't know what to do with. Our kitchen is an awkward space of too high and too shallow cabinets that I have yet to figure out a productive way to use even after rearranging 3 times. The office needs to be setup now that the baby shower is over and I need to get a routine down for the kids.

Earlier this month I put together a priority list, a meal plan being at the top! I hate making dinner on a whim, really I just hate making dinner but even more so when I don't know what to make or if I have what I need to make it. So what I did was searched google for what I thought would be the best meal plan printable for me and found this(monthly menu template) from No Ordinary Moments. I was tired of my kids living off Lunchables, Chef Boyardee, Tacos and Spaghetti. My kids are very picky eaters and I vowed to come up with a month of menus to force them out of their eating rut. I searched my hundreds of recipes on Pinterest and implemented variations of things I knew they would already eat and came up with a full month of non-repeat meals. You can find my April 2015 menu at the top of this post.

Also, at the top of this post you will find a copy of our master School Breakfast and Lunch Box meals. Our kids usually go to daycare by 7 so we send breakfast in with them and they eat a lunchbox lunch there so I pack lunch as well. This plan helps me keep track of what they are eating and what I need to have on hand to pack their breakfast and lunches. The plan is to use this weekly guide over and over again since most lunches are leftovers the variety will still be there.

Hope you can find these useful and I'll be back soon with more organization!!!!

Facing the Truth: I was THAT Person.

The past 9 months have been a whirlwind of events and emotion for all of us in the Green family. In June, my husband who was the only one working, lost his job unexpectedly. At the time we were living in NY in a very pricey home we could no longer afford without my husbands income. With the help of family and friends we abruptly uprooted everyone and moved back to CT. The apartment we moved into wasn't what we were expecting and that situation turned bad very quickly. We both were having a hard time finding work and before we knew it we were homeless, expecting another child and living in a hotel room with our 4 children. Never did I expect for us to be in that type of situation, but I now know that God allowed that situation to get us to where we are now and to humble me.

We lived in that hotel room for about a month, while waiting for our new place to be available. It was the longest month of my life, it taught me a lot about myself that I didn't want to see or saw but had no desire to fix till then. I was a very prideful person, to be honest I still am but God is working on me. At first, I was ashamed of our situation I didn't want anyone to know but as time went on I realized someday God is going to use this event in my life to help someone else. From that moment of realization, I didn't care who knew. I did care however how this was affecting my children, more specifically my son who was old enough to really understand what was going on. I began to let the stress of that worry overtake me and became bitter. I wanted more for my children, I was mad at God. Mad that He would allow us to be in that situation when I felt we had done so much for His kingdom and deserved better. I remember coming back to the hotel room after dropping Owen off at work and the kids off at school and sitting there thinking God owed us better. As soon as I had that thought I knew we were in that situation because God needed to work on me. My refusal to live my life truly FOR God was the reason we were there, I was the reason my kids were there. Jesus died for me and I was sitting their feeling like He owed ME something! I couldn't believe I was THAT person but deep inside I was THAT person. I knew I didn't want to be but I didn't know how to change it.

At that point we had went back to church at Lighthouse COG in Plainfield for just a few weeks after not going to church in about 6 months. Even though we were going and I felt loved there like no other church I've ever been to, I wasn't open. I was mad and bitter but putting on my church face and smiling when really I was dying inside. One Sunday, Pastor Lane began preaching and my mind went blank, I couldn't tell you in my mind a word he said it was like Charlie Brown and the "wah wah wah" to my ears but my spirit received every word. At the end of his sermon, He gave an alter call and normally I would be way too prideful and self-conscious to ever go up to the alter and admit my life wasn't perfect or I didn't have it all together, I'm a Pastors wife, people would talk. But at that moment, I didn't care, I needed Jesus and I knew He wanted me at that alter. I went up and several women came to pray for me. They touched on every fear I had, I knew God was speaking to me through them. From that day, I learned to truly trust in God, something I thought I had already mastered but fell far short when tested. I gave our living situation over to God, I gave our financial situation over to God, and the hardest part was giving my children, my son over to God. I knew he could protect them from any damage this experience might bring because I could not. I remembered when I was pregnant with Jahvar I was so scared of a miscarriage I would pray over and over again asking God to protect him and one night I had a dream and God showed me he was holding Jahvar in his hands. I knew then that dream was meant for the length of Jahvar's life God would protect him. That dream coming back to me reassured me that my son would be ok. Instantly, I felt the resentment and bitterness leave my heart and I wept for a very long time. I left church that day a different person, knowing I wasn't as strong as I thought I was and knowing God would be that strength when I couldn't be.

The next day, a week before Christmas, we got the call that our new home would be ready early, we would have a home in time for Christmas! We moved into our new home 2 days before Christmas, the kids were excited, they wanted a Christmas tree so badly and we couldn't have done that in the hotel. When we walked in the door, lying against a wall, was our first real Christmas tree! The family that had lost their loved one and were moving her stuff out had thought of our family and moved the stuff out early so we could be in for Christmas and they had left us a Christmas tree. I am sure their mom is looking down on them and is proud of them for being such thoughtful people. I wish I would have had a chance to thank them and tell them how much it meant to us. The family that owns this apartment has been such a blessing to us, they gave us a chance when no one else would. I am so thankful that God brought us here and touched their hearts. I can't wait to see how our friendship develops.

God has provided for us ever since, He's showed up in unexpected ways. For the first time in my life I can honestly say I am fully dependent on God to be Lord of my life. I don't want anything He doesn't have planned for me. I've let go of my desires and I'm open to wherever He leads us.



*If you would like more information on The Lighthouse COG, need prayer or want to know more about Jesus please connect with Pastor Lane at http://www.lighthousecog.com/

Campbell's Oven Sauces-Classic Roasted Chicken Review

First of all, let me apologize for the lack of pictures. I normally take prep, cooking and after pics but today was not that type of day! I'm currently 9 months pregnant, due any day and the other 4 kids were starving and driving me nuts!



I read the back of the package at the store and thought I would need double for my big family but now that its all said and done the one package would have been enough for my family of 2 adults and 4 small children. I used 6 large chicken breast, 5 medium potatoes, a 1lb bag of baby carrots and added a medium onion diced that wasn't called for on the package. I put all of this in a larger glass pan and covered with two packages of Campbell's Oven Sauce - Classic Roasted Chicken. I preheated the oven to 400 and on top of the 45 minutes the package called for added another 20 minutes of cook time.

The results were amazing, everyone loved it! Well, my picky 2 year old ate the chicken but wouldn't touch the vegetables but this is normal for her. The sauce coats the chicken and vegetables nicely causing them to be moist with a roasted flavor. I used 2 packages so I'm not sure how much sauce you would have leftover with the normal directions but we had a lot to put on top of rice with my doubled version.

Shoprite Trip - 7/15

Bought:

 

2 Lysol kitchen/bathroom cleaner sprays

2 Lysol No Mess Max Toilet Bowl Cleaners

1 Ajax Laundry Soap

16 cans Chef Boyardee Pasta

3 Old El Paso Taco Seasonings

8 Hormwel Complete Breakfast Bowls

4 boxes of Golden Graham's

2 boxes of Reese's Puffs

1 Rocky Mtn Chocolate Factory Cereal

2 Haribo Gummy Bears

2 Gusher/Roll Up Variety Packs

3 Nature Valley Granola Bars

2 Bakery On Main Trubars

6 Gerber Graduate Tray Meals

2 Powerade

6 bags of Chex Mix

2 boxes of Go-gurt

1 Dunkin Donuts Creamer

2 Pillsbury ToasterStrudel

1 Delizza Pastry

1 BanDeodorant 

4 Right Guard Deodorant

1 4pk Energizer Batteries

4 2pks of O-Cel-O Sponges

1 Pilsbury Frosting

Tax: $3.47

Shop at Home Fee: $5

Before Sales & Coupons: $222.10

After Sales, Before Coupons: $168.54

After Coupons:$35.31!!!!!!

Couldn't get everything in the picture!

 

Day 4: Oil Pulling

I'm currently swishing 2 teaspoons of coconut oil in my mouth. It's hard to believe its only been 8 minutes. I'm feverishly trying to find things to occupy my mind in hopes of reaching my 15 minutes goal. Look! Only 6 more minutes.  Although I don't mind the act of oil pulling the amount of time it needs to be done for is exhausting and I've never even done it for the full 20 minutes!

I have 4 little ones, a 20 minute morning routine doesn't exist in my world. Most days Im lucky to be dressed, teeth brushed and hair brushed before my husband walks in the door at 4 pm! But, I  really believe both my son and I could benefit from this practice so Im making an extra effort to find the time. Only 1 more minute! Hey. I might go for the full 20 minutes. This is much easier done while distracted. 

Today I am going to call the dentist to set up an appointment bc I haven't had a chance yet. Here's to hoping he doesn't think I'm a nut for wanting my 7 year old to oil pull! 

Day 3: Oil Pulling - Seeing Results!

I'm on day 3 of this oil pulling journey and I have to say I'm really liking it! Today I did 2 teaspoons for 10 minutes. I think this is the perfect amount for me so from now on I will just be increasing my time. I guess I'm lucky because so far I haven't experienced any of the "Rookie Headaches" I heard so much about and was dreading. I'm thinking these headaches people have experienced are do to either lock jaw from swishing too much for too long or they weren't properly breathing through their noses therefor not getting enough oxygen. I'm not a doctor but these two things would be my guess.

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am a very critical person. I don't normally jump on band wagons and would rather prove something wrong then right, it's just how I'm wired. But, I've got to be honest and say that today while brushing my teeth I noticed no blood! My gums always bleed when I brush and floss and today nothing! I haven't changed my routine except for the pulling so I have to believe that it is what is causing the difference.

Tomorrow I will be increasing my time to 15 minutes, wish me luck!