Category Archives: Large Family Living

Large Family Napkins

napkins

We’ve used cloth napkins for years, but they were always kept away in a drawer in the kitchen and had to be gotten out at each meal.  It just wasn’t convenient.

While visiting another large family, I found a solution that has solved even more meal time problems than I knew I had!

Our friends kept brown washcloths in two decorative planters at either end of their long farmhouse table.  I adapted this by putting extra rust and tan washcloths my mom had given us and we hardly ever used in 2 decorative containers I had been using for pencils. Because my containers were much smaller than their planters, I rolled each washcloth.

The problems this solved:

1.  Something quick to grab for spills.

2.  Washable and reusable napkins.

3.  Napkins that my child with sensory issues will use (she hates paper napkins).

4.  Napkins are always on the table.

5.  They even look pretty!

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Large Family Christmas Tree Ornaments {LFO Link Up!}

Have a tip you’d like to have featured? Email it to me!

Since we’re having a Raising Arrows Christmas, I thought I would share our ornaments with you and some things we do {and plan to do} with the ornaments!

First off, a little tour of the tree…

Amy's First Christmas

My first Christmas ornament. Old...very old.

Scarlett O'Hara

From my Gone With the Wind phase. I used to want to be Scarlett, now I'd much rather be Melanie!

Ty's popsicle stick sled

Little Ty's popsicle stick sled. Not quite as old as my ornament...but still VERY old.

sal angel

An angel made out of salt crystals. Garin's favorite. Hope she lasts the Season!

homemade fabric ornament

These were among our first ornaments as a couple. I made them because our tree was rather bare. I took a styrofoam ball, covered it in fabric strips and stuck a wire in the top as a hanger. 15 years of marriage and they still look great!

bear ornament

Each of the children have a bear ornament made by their Mimi from their first Christmas.

In memory

A few months after Emily passed away, a friend lost her 12 year old daughter in an accident. Rachael's favorite color was purple, so we put this bow on our tree that year in honor of Rachael. It remains.

scroll inside ornament

This ornament will be Megan's to open when she is 16. Shortly before I became pregnant with her, I experienced our first miscarriage. The letter on the scroll contains my message to her before she was even born.

Emily's star

When Emmy passed away, someone made a contribution in her name to AgapeCare Cradle. This ornament was given to us by AgapeCare Cradle to honor our daughter.

AgapeCare Cradle

When I mentioned in our post on tree decorating that each child gets to put up his or her own ornaments (we all take turns putting Emily’s ornaments up), Grateful for Grace mentioned how their children’s ornaments are already separated out so that each year it’s an easy grab.  I can’t believe that never occurred to me!  Guess what we’ll be doing this year?!

It is our plan that when each child leaves the home, they will take with them their stash of ornaments to start out their family Christmas tree.  These will also include the Family Ornament from their year of birth.

Each year, we buy a Family Ornament.  Sometimes they are a simple dated ornament, sometimes they are from our travels and sometimes they have our name on them.  If each child takes the ornament from the year of their birth, that will still leave us with a good many ornaments (it only seems like I’ve had a baby every single year. ;) )

So, that’s our tradition and plans for all these ornaments.  How about you?  And don’t forget to link up your organizational tips below!  I need them!

{linked to Orgjunkie’s 52 Weeks of Organizing}

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Now, it’s your turn! Your link doesn’t have to be about ornaments! And you don’t even need to have a large family!



Large Family Stocking Holder {LFO Link Up}

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Today, I’m sharing a large family tip of my own involving…

STOCKINGS!

Years ago, we hung our then-small family’s stockings from a brass NOEL sign I had purchased through Home Interiors.  When the load of stockings began to pull down the sign, I decided to move the stockings to the wooden (also Home Interiors) quilt rack/shelf that held our Willow Tree figurines.  However, in our new home, we had no wall space for the shelf and I wondered what I might be able to do with our stockings this year.

That’s when I saw this…

It’s a stocking tree! However, this particular stocking tree is $169 and only holds 6 stockings. NOT going to work.

Well, my bright idea was to hit up my welder-father-in-law and beg one of these custom made.  Great idea, except for the fact that he retired from teaching welding last year and no longer has access to any welding equipment.  But, me putting the bug in his ear about what I was wanting sent him dumpster diving and he brought me back this instead…

 I love it!  It’s just a simple coat rack/hall tree that he found sitting on the side of the road.  He repaired it and we are using it to hang all the stockings.  It’s such a fun conversational piece and there are plenty of hooks to grow on! ;)

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Now, it’s your turn! Your link doesn’t have to be about stockings! And you don’t even need to have a large family!



The Official Laundry Checker {LFO Link Up}

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Today’s Large Family Organization tip comes from Miranda, Air Force wife (to a deployed hubby) and mama to 4 kiddos, ages 7 and under.  Miranda can be found blogging at His Path ~ My Steps.

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Laundry day

Every morning I get all 5 of us up and ready for school. Pajamas get thrown everywhere! Same thing happens after bath time! Towels, clothes, socks, EVERYWHERE! So we started a random “laundry check.”

I pick a child and tell them to go do a laundry check. He/She goes to every room, including bathrooms, and grabs all the laundry and takes it to the laundry room.

I do this once or twice a day. It’s my 3½ year old’s favorite job. He feels like a big boy helping with laundry. (this also works for toys, books, etc. Anything they pull out)

 

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Now, it’s your turn! Your link doesn’t have to be about laundry! And you don’t even need to have a large family!

{RSS & Email Subscribers, click here to join the link up and see the entries!}


Socks! {LFO Link Up}

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Today’s Large Family Organization tip comes from Erin, mom of soon-to-be 5 and Stacey, mom of 7.  Erin blogs at Filling Quiver.

The reason I combined both these tips is because they were so similar, I thought they nicely complemented each other.

First, Erin:

I have all boys and one thing that helps streamline our laundry time is to buy all the same brand of socks (same color, same markings etc) but in the respective sizes for the kids.

Sock matching time then is just matching sizes (although sometimes daddy gets a little boy sock in with his mix). It makes it much easier for little hands to help match socks. They can lay one on top of the other and see if they “fit” together. My 2 year old helps match socks and loves that he can be helpful!

and Stacey:

I buy 6 bags of  unisex white socks for all the children to share and I put them in a plastic bin near their shoes near the door.

No time matching they just go from the washer into the bin.

Every six months or so I throw all of the old ones away and buy six more bags that way they always match and there is never an old sox with a new one.

I have 4 pairs of black dress socks the same kind that I put in a box with their church shoes that we get down on Sunday.

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Now, it’s your turn!  Your link doesn’t have to be about socks!  And you don’t even need to have a large family!

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A Place for Every Cup {LFO Link Up}

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Today’s Large Family Organization tip comes from Sharon, mom of 6.


My tip is for cutting down on the number of cups the children use each day. Instead of giving each child a certain color, they each have a spot for their cup.

The cups are lined up on the edge of one of the kitchen counters, and we’ve written their names in pencil (it does smudge, but cleans up easily with a magic eraser when we want to re-write them).

After meals, they return their cups to their spots. One of my more independent children was doing this on her own at the age of 2.

This really cuts down on the number of cups I have to wash each day, and cuts down on the number of times they climb on the counters to reach the cabinet to get out a clean cup!

Amy here…
Can I get an AMEN!  This is one of those things EVERY large household deals with.  I have a friend who uses different colored electrical tape to mark the glasses and the spot.  Since we rent, I’m not able to do this, but I wonder if there is a way to do something similar.  Suggestions?

Now, it’s your turn!

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