5 Tips to Slay Your Mountain of Laundry and Not Lose Your Mind

Are there piles of laundry on your bed waiting to folded and put away? Are there piles of clothes oozing out of the hamper, and spewing onto the floor of the laundry room?

You are not alone!

As a busy mom to 4 kids twelve and under two of them being boys I know oh ‘to well the daily maintenance that is required in order to not drown in “mount clothes”.

Get your kids to help! Yes, they are completely capable even our 5 year-old is expected to do his share, and help with the laundry monster.

Here’s how I get my kids to do laundry without whining or complaining.

Our boys (5 & 7) help separate laundry into the appropriate hampers, and help transfer wet clothes to the dryers. They have also been instructed on “how to” load dirty clothes into the washer, fill the soap dispenser, and hit “start”.

You would be amazed at how well they do, and how excited they get when they get to help mom. It may only be saving me a couple minutes (switching loads, etc. ) but, minutes add up to hours.

Our girls (9 and 12) are expected to do a bit more. I will also add, we do not give our children a weekly allowance.

But, we do have “chore cards”. When a child is asked to preform a specific task; usually for the girls it is folding and putting away a load of laundry – I,

1) Ask “said child” to perform the chores (once they have been properly instructed on how to do so)

2) If “said child” is available, willing, and able he/she will do the chore when asked without whining or complaining

3) Mom inspects the work of “said child”, and signs off on their “chore card”

4) After a child has filled their chore card they may redeem their card for a $10 “pay day

5) Everyone wins!

More Laundry Slaying Tips From One Busy Family to Another…

I wash ALL of my kids clothes together – I know, gasp? Take a deep breath – yes, I do not separate my kids clothes.

Most of their clothes have been washed countless times, and for the most part fall under the category of “lights/darks”. If there is a particular outfit that requires special care then, I will set it aside and treat appropriately. But, for the most part 99% of our kids’ clothes are washed together in one to two giant loads.

Our kids have a large community hamper located in their bathroom. At the end of the day all clothes are to make their way to the community hamper (and, not to be placed on the floor) or, mom is likely to get angry.

We also have a separated hamper system (lights, whites, and darks) located in our master bedroom. The separated system helps me recognize the clothes that may need to be pulled for stain treatment and/or special temperature care.

Fold clothes as they come out of the dryer. Handle once, not twice! There are few better things on a cold winter day then, folding warm clothes. Remember wanting to snuggle in the basket as a kid?

Over the years I have tried to limit the “amount” of clothes that come into the house as well. If there are only so many clothes to choose from then, the loads of laundry are that much more manageable. Think about it, if you have enough pants that you don’t need to do laundry, but once a month – what in the world would that laundry mountain look like – huge, right?

Fewer clothes, means a more manageable mountain.

And, lastly having a “family closet” is pretty much amazing! If you can figure out “how” or “where” to put one – do it! Gone are the days of running around, and putting clothes away in six different locations. Once our clothes are washed, dried, and folded – into the family closet they go. I will share more on this system soon, but for now if you don’t I have one already – I would start thinking of where you may put one.

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Family Vacation; Packing and Traveling Tips and Tricks

Organization, travel, vacation, kids, family
(The following post may contain affiliate links by which if a purchase should be made directly through that link this blog will benefit- you are under no obligation to do so, but if you should we greatly thank you.)

Family vacations mean different things to different people. To some it may mean boarding a cruise ship to others it may mean an at home stay cation. What does a vacation look like to you?


Growing up our family vacations never quite looked the same- some years our vacation was spent visiting grandparents “Up North” which to those who do not live in Michigan that is pretty much anything 2+ hours north of your home. Sometimes our family vacations meant cruises, beaches, Disney, or where ever my sister and I had a dance competition that particular year. 

What I have learned over the years is a family vacation basically is the same regardless of its location. It is time spent seeing and doing things we normally don’t have time to do. It is about being intentional and making memories with those we love most-our family. The busyness of life and the overwhelming responsibilities at the work place both steal our time- keeping us from doing the things we so deeply desire. 

Whether your able to take that vacation of your dreams or simply enjoy a few days off from the daily grind- I want to encourage you to rejuvenate your spirit, breathe deeply, and embrace the slowness that a vacation has to offer. 

Now, raising a family of my own our current form of vacation has taken on an entirely new form- one that consists of long weekends spent away on the lake. Just as raising my small tribe of gluten free kids has taught me a thing or two so has packing for a family of six week after week. 

Travel, vacation, packing, organization, boating, camping

Family Vacations; Packing and Traveling Tips and Tricks From A Mom of Four

Clothes
I pack 1 summer outfit per kid per day plus an additional 2-3 just in-case. I like to fold the shirts with the pants so that my kids know exactly what shirt and pant sets go together. I have also found rolling them up together works great and saves on packing space

I let my kids help pack their clothes but I will not leave the final decision solely in their hands.


Since the weather on the lake can be quite unpredictable at times I pack 1/2 the amount of warm clothes (pants, hoodies, and long-sleeve outfits) as I did short sleeve outfits.

I try to see that each of my kids has a minimum of 3 (4 is preferred) suits; one for wearing, one for drying, and one back up because that sand can get out of control.

When we are gone for a long weekend everyone gets one pair of summer shoes (flip flops, Crocs, Tevas, etc.) and one pair of tennis shoes. That is it.

When packing I pack one entire child at a time and promptly place his/her belongings into our extra large zipper duffel bag. We have a duffel bag for the girls, boys, and us depending on the length of stay I can sometimes pack all of the kids clothes together as they are still quite tiny.                            

If you are boating, camping, or packing food to take along on vacation always pack clothing items on a different day. I typically pack clothes 2 days before we leave, leaving one day for last minute shopping/errands, and a day for food prep.

Toiletries
Since we basically stay at the same place week after week we keep many of our necessity toiletries on the boat. Toilet paper, tooth brushes, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, first aid supplies, etc. it all stays there- so that is a huge time savor in itself. I pack it once at the beginning of the season and then refill as needed. 

Every family member has a travel toothbrush, toothpaste, and basically double of any necessity item. This just makes life a lot easier when it comes to packing. If we are going somewhere whether it is a day, night, or week everyone knows to grab their travel items (which  are usually already in small travel sized bag or simply on hand in a different color than the items typically kept at home).

I bring a pack of diapers, pull ups, and wipes and simply leave them aboard. The day-before we head home I do an inventory of necessary items to bring the next time we are out- I keep a running checklist on my phone for a quick reference. 

There are a few basics I always keep handy; tea tree oil for those pesky mosquitoes, plenty of band-aids because my kids think they are like stickers, Calendula cream, and a tiny tub of coconut oil


Food
Since we have so many food allergies and sensitivities in our home from gluten to nightshade intolerance eating out is most readily out of the question. Not to mention if we are on the lake our nearby restaurant and food options are quite limited. So planning food for my crew of six takes some serious planning. Even if your family doesn’t have countless food allergies like ours some of these tips might just save you a few bucks. 

First, off I really do use the simple savvy meal planning kit– when it comes to traveling there are a few sheets that come in especially handy; the week at a glance, the grocery store builder, and breakfast/lunch planning sheet just to name a few. 

Typically, I will plan an entire days worth of meals at a time (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks). I will fill out my week at a glance sheet and then transfer any necessary items to buy  onto my grocery list builder. Since we eat many of the same meals on the go (hamburgers, grilled pizza’s, pancakes, chicken salad) I do not need a recipe- I simply, know them by heart and the ingredients needed. 

We have fridge, freezer, microwave, toaster, grill, and oven access on the boat so it is hardly roughing it- therefore, I meal plan very similar as I would if I were home. However, our fridge, freezer, and oven space are on a much smaller scale- so, I typically do a bit of pre-prep work in advance; for example-

If we are going to have chicken salad- I will pre-chop cooked chicken and freeze it in a quart freezer ziplock bags until the day of its final assemble. 

If we are having shish-kabobs the day before we leave I will pre-cut and add my Greek dressing marinade to a gallon ziplock bag so that it is ready when we are. (be sure to double bag to prevent leaking)

Basically, I try to do as much of the “dirty” work in advance as possible. In my book that means handling raw meat. 

When it comes to kids snacks those are all accounted for on my planning sheets so I am never left ill prepared when my little ones are hungry for their normal 10:00AM snack. We reuse snack bowls- every child has a different color and that is theirs for the day.

There are a couple “on the go” cooking tools I truly could never live without- the slow cooker and electric griddle. The slow cooker has so many uses from cooking whole chickens in a hotel room while you are venturing about all day long to an easy chili dog dinner while out on the lake- a slow cooker is worth its weight in gold. An electric griddle is just plain handy, if you have never used one you are missing out. It is the easiest way to make fried eggs for a large crowd or in my case a large family. An electric griddle is also super convenient for grilled sandwiches, pancakes, and of coarse my favorite- it doesn’t take up a ton of storage space. 

Are your wheels turning- I hope so- yes, I’m telling you that you should bring your slow cooker on your next road trip it could save you a lot of time and money. 

Every child has a Sigg bottle that we use as their travel cup- we refill them as needed with gallons of distillers water. My kids drink a very limited amount of juice but for those special occasions we do bring along juice boxes. 
Keep.it.simple. Pinterest is great for a plethora of ideas but lets be real- when it comes to travel and road trips with small children it really is not the time to pull out all the stops with fancy fruit platters. Fruit is fruit and they will be just as happy that you brought some along so don’t stress yourself out.

Kid Entertainment

There is no doubt whether you are heading out on a long road trip, going to be sitting for hours at an airport, or like myself in constant search of that perfect quiet time activity- there are a few items I never leave home without;
coloring books and crayons
Paper-dolls
Playdoh
Audiobooks (borrow from the library)
Books (plenty of books)
Since, we travel to the same location week after week there are some items that never leave the lake;  
Games (Old Maid, Spot It, Tenzie, and Uno Attack just to name a few)
A few small trucks
Playmobile
Glow Sticks
Bubbles
Kites
Various Sensory Bin Supplies (a dish tub, mixed beans, rice, etc.) I store all sensory bin materials in a gallon ziplock bag for easy storage.

So, in a nut shell that is how I manage to pack for my crew of six- no matter if we are going to be gone for a long or short period of time- packing is packing. It takes a plan, motivation, and a lot of work but in the end the memories that are made make it all worth it. 

What are some of your best kept packing secrets?

50 Summer Fun Activities For Kids

Tired of Hearing - "I'm Bored" ? Here's 50 Summer Fun Activities For Kids To Help Keep Those Little Hands and Feet Busy

I don’t know about you but every summer seems to start off with a bang of activity, it fly’s by at lightening speed, and before I know it I’m reading teacher manuals-prepping lesson plans for the fall. 

 
Where did our summer go? What did we do?
 
I am a total advocate of letting kids be kids and fostering all things ‘creative’. I want my children to grow up as well rounded, giving, and selfless individuals.
 
Year after year I see–ha, who am I kidding? I’ve created ‘lists’ of things to do during the Summer months only to fall short and not follow through. This year, I am determined to complete our 50 summer time activities. Not because we need more to do but rather quite the opposite- my family is my focus.
 
So often we get caught up in the daily grind of life, sporting events, and travel plans- we forget to do life. We forget to be intentional, creative, and free. Free to “let it go” – the house work will be there- the laundry isn’t going anywhere as long as you choose to be clothed- and, the floors will be dirty as long as there is dirt outside. We are inside cooking and cleaning while, the kids run free. Unstructured creative play is so important for brain development – but, so is spending quality time with mom and dad.
 
Most of these activities are short in duration, require little to no prep, and guarantee some time with those who mean the most. A home is just that- it’s the people in it that really matter- so prepare to step off the ‘priority’ train and cut loose. 
 
Join us as we dive into summer – print your list and lets get started–we would love to hear all about your family summer adventures so be sure to leave us a comment here or on our facebook page– accountability will be the key to our success- let’s hold hands and see that our kids have the best summer ever. 
FREE Printable SUMMER BUCKET LIST PRINTABLE

50 Summer Activities For Kids

Grab Your FREE Bucket List Printable

  1. Have a picnic at a nearby park 
  2. Visit the local splash pad 
  3. Go to the zoo
  4. Deliver treats to the fire department 
  5. Visit the nature center
  6. Go on hike
  7. Visit a bee farm 
  8. Make our own Dairy Free Ice Cream
  9. Buried sandbox treasure hunt (pirate theme)
  10. DIY side walk paint
  11. Keep a Summer nature journal 
  12. Wash the cars
  13. Pick blueberries 
  14. Have a backyard camp out 
  15. Alphabet Adventure Scavenger Hunt 
  16. Attend vacation Bible school
  17. Take swim lessons 
  18. Have a lemonade sale 
  19. Join the local library reading program
  20. Have a tea party luncheon 
  21. Play water balloon toss
  22. Build a fort
  23. Family movie night
  24. Sponge Ball Toss
  25. Watercolor Ice Paint
  26. Have a Frozen party
  27. Family field day 
  28. Make play doh
  29. Tye-dye  night shirts 
  30. Glow stick dance party 
  31. Dinosaur dig 
  32. Make a fairy garden 
  33. DIY Chia Pet
  34. Painted Rock Tick-tack-toe 
  35. DIY stepping stones
  36. Make bubble snakes 
  37. Make your own snow cones 
  38. Write pen pals
  39. Painting with pudding 
  40. Make freezer banana pops 
  41. The Ultimate Cheetos Toss
  42. Painting with yarn 
  43. Go horse back riding 
  44. Milk a cow
  45. Host a book exchange 
  46. Paper plate ping pong tournament 
  47. Indoor hopscotch 
  48. Make paper 
  49. Playdoh animals 
  50. Passport Dinner Experience 

Did you remember to print your summer bucket list? Also don’t forget to visit often as we tackle our summer adventures together- everything is better with great friends.