Ages 3-5:

“Read-Aloud Bible Stories” by Ella K. Lindvall

Ages 5-8:

“Big Truths for Little Kids” by Susan Hunt

“The Ology” by Marty Machowski

“The Lightlings” and other children’s books by RC Sproul

“The Biggest Story” by Kevin DeYoung

“Reformation ABCs” by Stephen J. Nichols

“My ABC Bible Verses” by Susan Hunt

Ages 8-12:

“The Answers Books for Kids” by Ken Ham and Bodie Hodge

“The Ology” by Marty Machowski

“Christian Biographies for Young Readers” by Simonetta Carr

There’s no way around it – a big family means chaos! But there are simple ways to organize the chaos and create a peaceful home for your lively crew. Here are 10 of my favorite ways to organize my big family.

1. Travel. Whenever we travel, each kid gets his own backpack. It’s the exact same backpack in five different colors. Each boy knows which is his at a glance. No arguing, no, “Where’s my bag? That’s mine!” And look how they zip up small for storage. This makes me giddy.

2. Chores. I’ve tried multiple charts throughout the years and this one takes the cake. It’s simple, easy to rotate, and keeps the home running smoothly. We have one chart in the hall for morning chores (unload dishes, breakfast clean-up, living room pick-up, laundry, brother helper) and one in the dining room for evening chores (set table, clean table, sweep, take out trash, brother helper). I move the arrows each day. (Note: For a copy of our “Be a Gentleman” chart, click HERE!)

3. Weapons. I realize it might be strange to have a “weapons” category in an organization post, but when you have five boys, weapons are a big part of life. If you have any toy swords, these mop and broom holders are gold. Bonus: they have hooks that fold out for hanging super hero capes. Does it get any better?

4. Dishes. Lots of kids means lots of dishes. Kid cups used to overflow my sink. It took me several years of labeling cups or giving everyone a “cup spot” before it dawned on me: kid water bottles. Like the backpacks, everyone has their own color/style. They take them in the car, bring them to the table for dinner, and use them all over the house with no spills. Best part: they only dirty ONE drinking dish a day. Combine this with paper plates and you’ll only have to run the dishwasher once a day.

5. Legos. We have a huge bin for Lego pieces and shelves for finished projects. But what about the projects that are in progress? Enter: Lego trays. These trays allow the kids to clean up the floor without losing their work. They use them to sort, build, and protect projects from younger siblings.

6. School Work. It’s hard to decide what to save and what to toss. Start by asking yourself: What do I want to make space for? I decided I wanted to make space for ONE magazine holder per kid. The magazine holder represents their ENTIRE school career from k-8th grade. (I will probably do a second one for high school.) Each year I choose a couple samples from each subject and organize them into one labeled folder. The folders can double as scrapbooks because they also hold sports certificates, Awana certificates, birthday cards, and pen-pal letters. The kids love getting them out and looking through them.

7. Room Cleaning. Kids have trouble cleaning their rooms because they don’t know where to start. We hung this simple sign in our kids’ rooms to help them break a huge job into bite-sized pieces. First they find all the trash and throw it away. “Doesn’t belong” means toys from another brother’s room, cups and bowls, or living room pillows (for forts, of course). “Big” means pillows, blankets, clothes, and anything else that covers the most area. Then, all that’s left is “Small:” Legos, game pieces, crafts supplies, etc. This list also helps my kids stay focused. I hear them reading it out loud to see which step they are on.

8. Photos. Digital photos are great, but I wanted my kids to be able to actually pull an album off the shelf and look through it. I found these awesome space-saving albums. Each holds 100 pictures. I put two years of photos in each album. We still have thousands of photos in our dropbox, but this is a fun way to look at the highlights. (Picking 50 photos per year is NOT easy…..)

9. Clothes. Since most of my kids’ clothes are in drawers in their rooms, I only need one rack for all of their dress clothes. I made these closet separators using my handy dandy laminator. This helps the kids pick their own clothes and it also helps them put clean laundry away.

10. Holidays. In a big family it’s easy to lose things – especially during holidays. Every Christmas morning I set out one empty bin per child. After the gift-opening, the kids put their new items in their labeled bins. I let them keep the bins in their rooms for about a week before we find permanent homes for their gifts. I collapse these and take them to my mom’s house when we have Christmas there. (We don’t believe in Santa, but we definitely believe in bins.)

What are YOUR favorite big-family organizational tips? Share them in the comments!

For more practical tips on creating a peaceful home in the midst of busy motherhood, check out my books for moms:

I pull out Great Grandma’s quilted wall hanging of the nativity scene and smooth out the wrinkles.

I dig around for the pocket advent calendar and find Nerf darts stuffed where the wise men and camels should be. Every year we lose a few more pieces.

I pull out the wooden nativity set from Aunt Marilyn and glue Mary’s head back on. It’s tradition.

I take the Jesus Storybook Bible down from the shelf to prepare for our nightly advent readings. Chapter two always makes me cry. The kids know.

We put on the Getty’s Irish Christmas album and hang ornaments on the tree.

And as the Christmas carols ring through the house, another refrain rings in the back of my mind:

Is it enough? 

Every year Christian parents strive to make Jesus the center of the holidays. We fight against culture, crowds, materialism, and busyness. “Christmas is about Jesus. Christmas is about Jesus,” we remind ourselves as we boot Elf on the Shelf to make room for Mary on the Mantle.

While we strive for this worthy goal, a creeping guilt gnaws at our hearts. Are we making it about Jesus enough? Are we telling the right stories? Are we telling them in the right way?

Our zeal to get it “just right” can create stress where there should be joy. What can we do about it? How do we know if we’re doing enough? Here are three ways to have a stress-free, Christ-centered Christmas.

1. Remember

The pressure of a Christ-centered Christmas often comes from wanting to create an event so beautiful and so spectacular that our kids can’t possibly miss the point. But Christmas isn’t about creating an event. It’s about remembering an event.

When the Israelites crossed the Jordan River on dry ground they took some of the stones with them. When their children saw the stones they would ask, “What are these stones?” The parents would say, “Israel crossed this Jordan on dry ground so that you may fear the Lord your God forever.” (Joshua 4:19-24)

Every nativity piece, every Christmas hymn, every advent story is a stone. Our kids point to them and say, “What is that for?” And together we remember the story. 

You don’t need seventeen advent projects from Pinterest. You simply need stones of remembrance. They might be as exciting as tours through a living nativity, or as simple as Christmas bed time stories.

2. Rejoice

There is nothing more joyful than the birth of our Savior.

But in our attempt to have a Christ-centered Christmas, we can turn it into a somber occasion. We don’t want anything to steal attention away from Jesus so we strip away all the trimmings and glitter. But it’s the trimmings and glitter that speak joy to a child’s heart. It’s the Christmas tree, the anticipation of Christmas morning, and the presents that all work together to create a parable in our kids’ hearts – a parable of joy. What more tangible way to point to our heavenly joy? 

Not every piece of the puzzle is a complete picture by itself. Not every piece of Christmas will have Jesus’ name on it. But all the pieces work together to paint a bigger picture. There are times to sit together on the couch and read the Christmas story and there are times to run outside and build a snowman. Both help paint the picture of our joy in our Savior.   

3. Rest

A stressful Christ-centered Christmas is an oxymoron. If you are overwhelmed by all the things you think you should or shouldn’t be doing, ask yourself: What helps you remember? What helps you rejoice? Those are the things that will bring rest. It’s okay to fill every square inch of you home and calendar with Christmas. It’s also okay to keep it simple. Do it with joy. Do it with remembrance. There is rest in knowing that it is not our job to make Christ’s birth glorious. It is glorious already. Our job is to remember and rejoice. Will our kids “get it?” Maybe this year. Maybe next year. That’s in God’s hands.

It takes effort to point our kids to Christ, but it doesn’t have to be anxious effort. We can be purposeful without being stressed because of what His birth means to us: eternal rest for our souls. We rest in His perfect, sinless life. We rest in His constant intercession for us. This season might be noisy and our bodies might be pushed to the limit, but our hearts can be at rest.

Is it enough? There is no perfect balance. But there is a perfect Savior. A Christ-centered Christmas comes from replacing the refrain, “Is it enough?” with, “He is enough.” Glory to the newborn King!

Christmas Gift Ideas for Gospel-Centered Moms:

Created to Care: God’s Truth for Anxious Moms

“The gospel is the foundation for what it means to be a mother. It is always through this lens that Sara’s wisdom comes shining into our daily lives where joining all the dots can be tricky.” – Kristyn Getty, soloist; composer; hymnwriter; coauthor of Sing!

For the Love of Discipline: When the Gospel Meets Tantrums and Time-Outs

“The culmination of 30 years of evangelical thinking about parenting. Clear guidelines, great illustrations, and very practical.” – Pastor Steve, Atlanta

The Gospel-Centered Mom Bible Study

“The Gospel-Centered Mom is a huge gulp of refreshing air for moms who are in the thick of raising kids. It takes your eyes off of your performance and places them on the one who performed perfectly for us.” – Jessica Thompson, co-author of Give Them Grace

Okay, I’m not exactly an OLD homeschool mom. This will be my 7^th year homeschooling. I can’t speak to you from the finish line, but I can speak to you from the trenches. I’m right there with you. My five “students” range from too-young-for-school-but-old-enough-to-cause-trouble up to fifth grade. I have a little experience and a whole lot of sympathy. The number one comment I hear from first-time homeschooling moms is, “I don’t know where to begin.” I want to give you ten tips that will help you find your footing and enjoy your first year of homeschooling.

1. Identify Your Goals. You don’t have to do “all the things.” Homeschooling boils down to a few simple goals you set for your kids. Sit down with a piece of paper and ask yourself, “What do I want to accomplish with my kids this year?” Write down three or four big-picture goals. Hang them on the fridge or print them for your lesson plan binder. For example: This year I want my kids to grow in self-control. I want my little ones to become stronger readers. I want my big kids to grow in a love for God’s creation through studying biology. We can’t do seven subjects, five days a week, all year long, but we can do something to work on our goals every day. We can work on these goals on road trips, sick days, and errand days. When you feel overwhelmed, look at your goals. They will keep you grounded.
2. Start the Day Right. The first few minutes of the day are the most important. They set the tone for the rest of the day. Try to start at the same time and in the same way every day. I use a bell to get my kids’ attention and start with a fun read-aloud. I used to say, “Time for school!” – which was immediately met by groans. Now I say, “Time to find out what happens next in Narnia!” – and I hear feet racing to the living room. You have all day to do workbooks. You have just a couple minutes in the morning to capture their excitement for school. Make it fun.
3. Plan, Flex, Repeat. Are you super organized, or more go-with-the-flow? Homeschooling requires both. Life happens. With a plan in place, education can keep happening, too. I think of my homeschool structure like the skyscrapers in Los Angeles. When an earthquake hits, the buildings sway without crashing down. They are built to move but not break. When life hits our school schedule, the schedule doesn’t crumble. It moves. We can listen to an audio book in the car on the way to take a meal to a sick friend. We can bring school books to a dentist appointment. When you have a flexible plan, school doesn’t have to come to a screeching halt. (See sample schedule at the bottom.)
4. If it’s Not Working, Change it. I remember a homeschool mom once told me she felt like if she spent a bunch of money on the curriculum she HAD to finish it. She said it was so freeing the day she realized she didn’t have to do that. Just because you bought it doesn’t mean you have to use it. It might not work for you. It doesn’t mean you did something wrong. There is no perfect curriculum. Homeschooling is all about finding what works best for YOU. For me, it changes from year to year and from kid to kid.
5. Don’t Try to Replicate Public School. We put extra pressure on ourselves if we think homeschooling has to look like a typical public school classroom. Your home will never be exactly like school – but that’s a good thing. You get to tailor your school environment to your own children. Do your kids work best at desks, the kitchen table, or on their beds? Are your most productive hours in the morning or in the afternoon? If you are accomplishing school, consider it a success – no matter how different it might look from a typical school.  
6. Be Yourself. This will be a year of discovering who you are as a teacher. You are going to be different from every other homeschool mom out there. If you try to be Ms. Pinterest Perfect Homeschool Mom, you will burn out before Thanksgiving. Instead, choose topics and books and projects that make you excited. Maybe you’re a mom that can’t stand flashcards, but you’re great at putting facts to music. Go for it. If homeschooling is fun for you, it will be fun for your kids.
7. Model the Attitude You Want to See in Your Kids. School work will be half of your challenge this year. The other half will be attitude. You will have days where not a single worksheet gets done, but your kids are still learning. They are learning by watching you. How do you respond when the day falls apart? How do you respond when the math lesson hits a brick wall for the 17^th day in a row? Model patience. It’s better to put the books away and skip a day of math than respond in anger. You can say, “Guys, I think we could all use a break. Let’s take a nature walk.” Today might not be the day they get fractions, but it will be the day they learn how to respond to a frustrating situation.  
8. Choose a Mentor. You’ve probably already noticed that homeschool moms LOVE to talk about homeschooling. Find a homeschool mom and ask if you can shadow her for the year. Ask if you can sit in on a school day or tour her school room. She will gladly talk your ear off. Listen, take notes, and ask questions. Chances are next year you will be the one giving a new mom a tour of your school room.
9. Start Fresh Every Day. I’ve had days where my best laid plans melt into a puddle of tantrums and potty-training and burned dinners. Those are the days I gather the kids onto the couch with a pile of books and we read for half an hour. That’s it. Sometimes that’s school. Don’t evaluate your entire homeschool system based on a few difficult days. If the lesson doesn’t click today, don’t push it. Maybe it will click tomorrow. Or the next day. Or next week. There are no wasted days in homeschooling – only different opportunities to learn.
10. Enjoy Your Kids. It’s easy to lose sight of the biggest benefit to homeschooling: being with our kids. It’s a crazy time, but it’s a short time. Soak up their enthusiasm. Treasure the ways that each new assignment reveals another part of their growing personalities. As their teacher, you get a front row seat to all their special “ah ha!” moments. You get to watch them grow before your eyes.

Believe it or not, in just a few short weeks you will be bursting with your own tips to share. Please leave them in the comments for other mamas in search of hope.

Sample Schedule (Plan, flex, repeat.):

9:00am	Chores, reading
9:45	Grammar, spelling
10:15	Snack
10:30	Math
11:15	Lunch
12:00	Quiet play time, errands
1:00pm	Science, history
2:00pm	Unfinished assignments

Looking for more encouragement for moms? Check out these books by Sara Wallace:

For the thousands of moms out there who thought quarantine would be a great time to potty-train and sleep-train…you are not alone. I too shared in your naïve enthusiasm. Quarantine is over. The training is not.

Here’s what happened.

Books by Sara Wallace:

Created to Care: God’s Truth for Anxious Moms

“The gospel is the foundation for what it means to be a mother. It is always through this lens that Sara’s wisdom comes shining into our daily lives where joining all the dots can be tricky.” – Kristyn Getty, soloist; composer; hymnwriter; coauthor of Sing!

For the Love of Discipline: When the Gospel Meets Tantrums and Time-Outs

“The culmination of 30 years of evangelical thinking about parenting. Clear guidelines, great illustrations, and very practical.” – Pastor Steve, Atlanta

The Gospel-Centered Mom Bible Study

“The Gospel-Centered Mom is a huge gulp of refreshing air for moms who are in the thick of raising kids. It takes your eyes off of your performance and places them on the one who performed perfectly for us.” – Jessica Thompson, co-author of Give Them Grace