How can I organize a house with 5 kids?
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I am a single mother of 5 children. I am having a hard time with my younger children ages 5 (girl), 7 (girl), 9 (boy) and 10 (boy), my teenager is 14 (boy) and I have no problem with his room. My 2 girls share a room and my 2 younger boys share a room. I have cubbies in the rooms but it doesn't seem to be working for us. Please if you have any DYI's or suggestions that I could try, I would greatly appreciate it.
Also I am trying to renovate my bathroom. I need suggestions for tiling and how to.
Thank you,
Shauntelle Tomisa
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I made a chore list of the daily things each child was expected to do and put it in their room on a small dry erase board. Things like: clean the bathroom sink, get backpack/clothes/shoes ready for tomorrow, dishes in sink/dishwasher, Can you see your floor?, empty dishwasher
Then I offered small incentives when they went over & above. They could cash them in for treats or money or extra screen time.
We did clothes prep on Saturday night for the week so there was no reason to be digging around in drawers & closets. That cuts down the mess.
I wasn't a single mom until they were older but it was worse when my ex was there. I spent more time & effort behind him than any bunch of kids!
As for the tile, here's my advice:
Use a wet saw to cut the tile
Buy the pre-mixed mastik
Here's a hometalk project:
https://www.hometalk.com/diy/tile/floor/carpeted-bathroom-gets-a-new-tile-floor-9720237
Carpeted Bathroom Gets a New Tile Floor
Shauntelle, kalei, you have a full plate! For the kids, you need to make it simple and meaningful. Your circumstances will be different, of course, but when my boys were your boys’ ages, we started the rule: “You can’t go out and play with your friends until the room is cleaned up and dirty clothes in the hamper.” As they got older, the rule still applied, with higher expectations, and it included Saturday night dates. If your children don’t go outside to play, then it should be No Electronics until the room is cleaned up. Be a little less particular with the younger girls, a little more particular with the boys. Congratulations on your teen, for now. And don’t expect it always—just on a couple of weekdays and on Saturday mornings or Sunday after lunch. Best wishes on getting your household in order. And on getting your house in order! ☺️
Baskets- from dollar tree. Everyone could pick own colors out. They can hang on walls etc..Maybe a jar with things the kids want to do ( skating,movies etc) and who ever gets their chores done for month or week whatever can pick something from jar. You definitely have your hands full
If space permits, get them each their own bulletin board. You can paint and embellish with stuff out of the dollar store. Make them daily and or weekly chore lists. Give them a privilege or treat if they help you with extra credit items. Pinterest has tons of ideas. Here are a few links to give you some ideas. See what you can glean from them and diy some of the ideas.
https://www.extraspace.com/blog/home-organization/shared-room-ideas/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/259801472237380086/
https://justagirlandherblog.com/5-ways-to-maximize-space-in-a-shared-kids-room/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/85638830390686452/
This may be a stretch, but try and teach them mise en place. I use it for everything in my life to keep things orderly.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mise_en_place
You have a bunch of excellent suggestions here. You certainly have a full plate.
Hi Shauntelle - This is a really good article on organization and different ways to look at it. Hope it helps and blessings to you my friend. Hugs, Holly
https://pinkfortitude.com/organize-your-life/