managing mothering, homeschooling, and writing

 I have had many people ask me how I manage with our 7 children ( one more due in April, 2019), homeschooling them,  keeping up the house, feeding my large crew, and even still manage to have time for writing. So I have decided to write a post here to let you know how I do it.
It is no magic, no quick recipe, and no special super mothering either. I get the feeling sometimes that people think I must have to be this super mother with a ton of patience and that I have it all together.
 Well here is a few quick confessions. I am no super mom. I quite often lose my patience. And I certainly don’t have it all together. My house is usually very loud and noisy.  I go through all the children’s names until I get to the one I want. The children are not always perfectly behaved. And the floors are not always swept. But I do manage. And I am not going insane or pulling out my hair either!
I have compiled here some things that I do that help me to manage!
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 How we home-school
 Though I have always been very committed to homeschooling my children it has never been an area of mine I really excel in. I’ve known there are super moms who have it all together, have various grades and ages all going at the same time, and everyone is learning what they should.  Well, it doesn’t go so smoothly at my house.
 This is what is working this school year for us though. Sam is doing 8th grade and works on his own up in his room. Nathan, 18, who graduated last year from our home-school correct Sam’s quizzes and tests.
 Nathan is also helping Ben in grade 2 with his school. Both Ben and Anna who is in grade 3, need one on one help for nearly all their school work. And I know there are super homeschooling moms who seem to manage just fine with 2 students needing her full-time help. But I confess I don’t know how I could ever do it without my son’s help. I feel like I would go crazy for sure.
 Sarah in grade 6 works on her own with me correcting most of her lessons. I work with Anna and when she is on a break I get a break, but if I was helping Ben as well I would have to alternate working with them and wouldn’t get a break till school day was done! I guess I would get a lunch break but that is it.
 Thankfully this is working for us for now. Glad that my oldest son has put off getting a job for this winter.

 How housecleaning gets done
The children are assigned the dishes so I am not responsible for any dishes. They are my dish washer! I do almost all the cooking but I do include their help a lot. I get my oldest son and the girls to do or at least help with the baking. The children set the table and clean up after meals. I oversee all this though.
Besides these task mentioned above, I have the children do 3 at least other chores each. More if I needed it, but that usually gets it, for the day to day work anyway.
Weekly cleaning is done on Fridays and generally, there is more chores to do, but again when each of the children does 3 each that about covers my whole list. Fridays is when the mopping is done, the toilets, and bathroom cleaned.

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  How I find time to write
My writing is squeezed in here and there in any free minute I get. Here are a few things that give me time to write. I don’t watch T.V., and only about one movie a week. I don’t have a lot of people I call. I only spend about 30 minutes a day on face book which is the only social media I am on. I check email periodically throughout the day on my phone which I feel is less time to consume for me than getting on my laptop.

 What I do to make a simpler and more manageable life
 Actually, this is a list of things we don’t do that makes life simpler and more manageable for me. This is how I am able to stay sane with a big busy family and not running the roads to this and that.

• We don’t keep any of the holidays except for Thanksgiving
  
• We don’t have our kids in any sports, music lessons, or out of the house activities except for AWANAs on Tuesday evenings and Nathan drives them since he is a volunteer
  
• We don’t have a T.V.
  
• We try to keep things as simple as possible
  
  Well, that is about it. That is what I do and don’t do. That is how I keep doing what I do.
  

 But  God is the one keeps me going. I couldn’t do it without Him! He’s my driving force, my director and guide. He gets me going and keeps me going! And He gives me the reason and purpose for my life and mothering!
 So really when it comes down to it how I manage with my busy family of 7 is spelled in out in one word, GOD.
May you too rely on Him for your every day in everything! He is sufficient!

In Him, Mae

 You also may like to read:
​ My Top 10 Mothering Tips
Talking Over the Day