Why More Kids Is Easier

Why More Kids Is Easier

When I was pregnant with my first child, I sat down with a client that had 4 kids, with the youngest just a toddler. She told me that the first couple kids is such a huge adjustment but by the time the 4th rolls around you’ll barely notice the adjustment. That same week I sat down with another client who had a newborn in her arms, their fifth. She told me the exact same thing! 


I didnt believe them. I figured the more kids you have, the more work you have. More laundry, meals, emotional needs, etc. That makes logical sense right? 

Why more kids is easier large family mom


Umm nope!


One child is the biggest adjustment from a life built around yourself to one that now revolves around this little person who is 100% reliant on you. Baby number 2 often comes at a time when you’re still fumbling to find your footing as a mom. If you have a bit more time between kids then 3 can mean the older 2 play while you tend to baby so some find it easier. If you have 3 really little ones then it can feel like you’re pulled in too many directions. 


But I think by the time the 4th child rolls along, most moms seem to find their mom groove. You start recognizing things that you thought were problems to solve are not actually problems and just the next phase of baby or toddlerhood. It takes a lot of pressure off of you when you realize that almost everything is normal. And after several babies, you recognize that, while personalities may vary, almost everything is normal and just a phase that will pass.


Mothering is a lot easier when we aren’t as hard on ourselves. When we recognize that our baby isn’t crying because we are doing something wrong, they are crying because babies cry sometimes. When we accept that babies will walk and talk eventually so you don’t need to track everything or be concerned that your baby isnt keeping up to your friends’ baby. When you stop fussing about the fact that your baby spit up in her shirt (or yours) and just roll with it. 


Also, the nature of larger families is that kids need to become more independent and helpful. For me, this means that my kids all help out with housework, which takes a huge load off of me. They also help with childcare. For example, this morning my nine-year-old took the baby outside so I could sort laundry and get the washing machine running. Much easier to do that when I don’t have a baby at my ankles! My eldest also loves to sit the baby in her high chair and have breakfast with her which gives me time to drink my morning coffee and do devotions. 


We have such a family-team atmosphere in our home and I think it really binds us together. Me with the kids but also between siblings. The olders recognize that the youngers have more intense physical needs but they also know that mom will sit to nurse the baby, or hold her while she naps, and then I can have a good conversation with her about minecraft or tanks or which caliber of gun is best for hunting which animal. 

10 Indoor Activities for Kids

10 Indoor Activities for Kids

My small farmhouse basically consists of a living room, kitchen, and a weird long room that houses bookshelves, a piano, computers and a small play area for the kids (and a bathroom and bedrooms of course but we don’t play in those rooms). We also live in Alberta where it can be miserable winter weather for 6+ months of the year. And to top that off, I have 5 children, from a baby up to a 12 year old. So I try to prepare by finding indoor activities for the kids.

indoor activities for kids (1)

*Disclaimer: Some of these are affiliate links which means, if you purchase an item, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

1. Stock up on art supplies:

Paint, crayons, blank paper, paper plates, glue, scissors, fuzzy pom poms etc. Buy them individually or just get a mish-mash kit that’s simple and covers all the bases.

I’m not a crafty mom so I just set  random supplies out and let the kids decide what they want to do with them.

I love these for when my kids want to paint. They’re great for older kids who want to be more precise and for younger kids when I don’t want to deal with cleaning up a painting mess. We bought this dragon kit a couple years ago and the boys loved it. This terrarium kit looks like a lot of fun and I’m thinking I should add them to my Christmas wish list for the boys. A friend’s kids are really into diamond painting so that is on my list of boredom busters too.

2. Have simple recipes on hand: 

A couple of my favorite kid friendly recipes are 5 ingredient chocolate chip cookiespeasant bread, or homemade mozzarella. A great idea is to take a child under your wing in the evening and teach them how to make a simple dinner. They get a great life lesson and get to feel important while your begin to work yourself out of a job (in the best possible way). (I have them make one of the meals in my Easy Meal Plan and then they can make it regularly to get lots of practice.)

3. Print coloring/activity pages:

What interests your child?

I’m sure that you can search the internet and find some coloring pages to go with that interest. Popular pictures in my household of (mostly) boys are tanks, Transformers, and farm equipment. But it is as simple as typing “tank coloring page” into the search bar. Mazes are often a huge hit and some days see my boys asking to do hundreds of mazes in one sitting. Krazy Dad is a favorite site for that.

4. Play a card or board game:

Get a regular deck of cards to play Go Fish, Solitaire, War, Crazy 8s etc. Or get fancy and play Canasta or Spoons.

Get a specialized deck of cards like Uno, Phase 10, Skip-Bo, Sparkle Kitty. One that I often forget about (maybe because my kids always beat me!) is Swish by ThinkFun. We have a few products from Think Fun and… we think they are a lot of fun!

A favorite board game of our family (and many other farm families that I know) is The Farming Game. And we have played it with farmers and non farmers and it’s always a hit. My husband and I played it nightly when we first got married and I’m so excited that a couple of the kids are now old enough to play. 

A favorite that even the younger kids can play is Labyrinth (though the toddler mostly just likes sliding the board) and a little more complicated but another family favorite is Scotland Yard

5. Movies and popcorn:

Break out the Netflix or Disney+ or Amazon Prime Video. Find something family friendly to watch. Maybe a blast from the past. A regular routine at my house is to watch a BBC documentary on YouTube for 30-40 minutes at snack time a few times a week. It’s a great down time for me plus the screen time doesn’t mess with their bedtimes (we really guard our sleep in our family!). 

You could even get fancy and make kettle corn popcorn the old fashioned way, in a pot on the stove.

6. Thrift Store Books:

I’m pretty frugal so I love the local thrift store that has books for a quarter. I swing by a few times a year to check their selection and pick up a bunch that I think the kids might enjoy. Then I leave them lying around the house where I know they’ll see them. Or I wrap them and give them as gifts for birthdays. Or sometimes it is fun to just gift them even when no one has a birthday.

Not all of them are winners but that’s okay because it only cost me a quarter! Sometimes I re-thrift them but most of the time they sit on our bookshelves or in our book bins for a few years and one of the kids eventually takes an interest in them. If you want more information on what kind of books I buy my book-loving boys, check out my post on Books List for Boys. 

indoor activities for kids (1)

7. Science Experiments:

Maybe it is the homeschooler in me, maybe it is my own insatiable curiosity, but science experiments are a winner in my house. I often love to do them with the kids but, when I’m busy with the baby, the older boys will do experiments on their own and I get to just enjoy the results. They don’t really know that it could technically be counted as “school” because it’s just so much fun! Kitchen Science Experiments are a big hit and so are Lego physics activities. One of my favorites was a subscription to a Young Scientist Club and the would send a Magic School Bus Science Kit to our house every month. 

8. Act out a play:

Write your own or act out a favorite book.

It could be as simple as each person can read a line while sitting around the table or you could make costumes and sets and record the whole thing.

Or put on a puppet show if you don’t want to act.

Sometimes I read aloud from one of their favorite book with lots of expression and voices to get the kids rolling and then they take it. I’ll be honest, the younger ones are more extroverted and dramatic so they’re easier to get into this. Often the older ones, who are more serious and introverted, roll their eyes at me and wander off but I’ll catch them bringing elements of the story into their Lego play. 

9. Bookmark funny or interesting or beautiful videos on YouTube

Watch them on a cranky day. Here’s one to get you started about how kids react to an old computer. My husband has also gotten the kids into fainting goats. Yes, that’s a really thing. And they’re hilarious! They make my family laugh almost as much as when my 9 year old pretends he is a fainting goat!  

indoor activities for kids (1)

10. Plan a camping trip:

Build a fort and camp out in the living room.

Be sure to include hot chocolate, story telling, and even roasting marshmallows over a candle.

So now I need to ask you, what is your favorite family indoor winter activity?

Dealing with Worries as a Mother

Dealing with Worries as a Mother

Dealing with Worries as a Mother

Fevers and illness, daring activities that lead to injuries, potential kidnappings, government interference… there are so many things that we worry about as mothers. It’s so easy to spiral down into those worries and start to panic.

Dealing with most worries of a mother can be as simple as making a worst case plan and then releasing it to God. 

Deal With Worries of a Mother by Making a Plan

I am an INTJ, according to Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator.  One of the nicknames for this type is “Visionary” or “Mastermind”. This means that I spend a lot of time looking toward and planning for the future. I have done this I was very young and, as a kid, never knew it was unusual to have a fully laid out life plan, complete with a variety of options and contingencies.


I’m talking about an 8 year old knowing what she wanted to be doing 40 years down the road and mapping out a plan to get there.


Keeping this “future oriented” personality quirk in mind, it may come as no surprise that my typical response to worries is that I make a plan to deal with a variety of possible issues.


I like to plan out the alternative paths the particular concern could take and my potential responses to it. Usually that helps bring me some peace about the situation and puts things into perspective to remind myself that it isn’t the end of the world and that, no matter what, we’ll make it through to the other side (even if the interim is unpleasant, to say the least).


Having a plan to deal with the potential worst case scenarios helps me to imagine myself coming through the other end of the situation. It shows me that something may knock me down right now but I am capable of overcoming it.

As much as we love our children, God loves them more.

Conquor Worries as a Mother by Giving Your Children to God

After plotting out all my potential conclusions, I remind myself that my kids are not my own. They belong body and soul to God the Creator. And as much as I love my children, God loves them more. I give them, and all of my worries surrounding them, back to Him and to His master plan for them.

It is not easy, I’m certainly not going to say that. I have seens friends go through heartbreaking times and have had a few heartbreaking moments myself. But moments like that are a good reminder that we aren’t in control.

Which can be scary because we are often taught that controlling all the outcomes is the ultimate measure of success. But, if you really analyze it, giving up the unrealistic need for control is actually a good thing.

You and I don’t know everything that is happening or how everything in this world intertwines to affect each other. It’s a good thing that God does. All knowing and all powerful. It doesn’t mean that things will always make sense to us. It just means that we can trust that He really does know best and have our ultimate best interests at heart.
Worrying is a sin. It shows that we lack trust in God’s power and love.

I read a great quote a while back: “We just think we are in the land of the living and that we are going to die, but when we believe in God the opposite is true. We’re in the land of the dying and because of Jesus we’re going to the land of the living. The land where there is no more pain, no more tears, and where we’ll be with Christ for eternity.” (The Kissing Bridge by Tricia Goyer)

As Christians, we can find comfort in the fact that this isn’t our world. It’s easier said than done, especially when our worries seem very big and legitimate, but it’s the plain and simple truth.

Don’t Let Worry for Your Children Consume You

We act like worrying is a natural part of mothering but worrying is a sin. It shows a lack of trust in God’s love for us and His ultimate power over this world.

I need to give my kids back to God every morning and every evening.

I had been daily giving my pregnancy and my birth plans to God. A few weeks ago I had a scary incident that resulted in an ambulance ride (for myself, at 35 weeks pregnant) and a couple nights in the hospital. With no answers as to what happened, that’s one I give to God anytime it crosses my mind. I have some chronic health problems that made me worried I wouldn’t be able to hold my baby properly to nurse and cuddle when he arrived (which was 4 days ago, St Patrick’s Day, by the way. Stay tuned as I plan to share his birth story in the next month). So many things I could dwell on!

So today, and every day, give your worries to God and trust that He’s got this. I know it’s easier said than done and this is a sin that many of us struggle with on a regular basis.’m learning to trust Him more every day and I truly believe you can as well.

What worries have you been holding on to lately? Feel free to share them in the comments so we can pray for you. Or just say a prayer right now to give them to God. And give it back to Him every time you find yourself spiraling. Regular prayer time is critical to our walk as Christian mothers.

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4 Tips for How to Enjoy Your Children More

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4 Tips for How to Enjoy Your Children More

Not every aspect of motherhood is enjoyable but it shouldn’t all be difficult and overwhelming either. Unfortunately, it can quickly become that way so I wanted to find out, how can I enjoy my children more?

Being a mom is no joke and takes a lot out of a person. But there is no reason why we shouldn’t enjoy ourselves too. The best way to enjoy motherhood is by learning to enjoy our children. We can get into their world or invite them into ours. We can also just observe them playing or we can take specific moments to pray over them. All of these won’t take away the work of motherhood but it will certainly help us to enjoy our children more.
4 tips for how to enjoy your children more. Because not every day is butterflies and roses

Baby yawns are adorable. I remember spending hours watching them sleep. And hiccup. And sneeze. Even pooping was entertaining! It is so easy to enjoy your children when they’re fresh and soft and adorable.

Now they are older and those once-nibblicious toes have toenails that need to be trimmed, attached to dirty, stinky feet that have been run hard all day. Reminders to wash his hands after he “drops a bomb” in the bathroom (my husband’s words) are met with a smell I never thought I would associate with that adorable tushie. And those mid-day nap times of blissful baby-gazing have been replaced by preparing healthy snacks that cover as many food groups as possible yet are simple, and fun, enough that they aren’t rejected.
Mothering is an amazing gift, yet it is so easy to get lost in the day-to-day details. It is so easy to forget how to enjoy your children. Our children are a heritage from the Lord but they can sometimes (often?) feel like a burden. I’ve mentioned before about how the basics of motherhood is to develop a positive attitude and to call on the Lord for the strength to continue forward. But how do you get back to a place where you can truly say you enjoy your role as a mother?
It isn’t always easy to enjoy every moment. And I’m not saying you need to (does anyone actually enjoy wiping snotty noses?). It is, however, possible to enjoy them more.

Mothering is an amazing gift, yet it is so easy to get lost in the day-to-day details. It is so easy to forget how to enjoy your children. Our children are a heritage from the Lord but they can sometimes (often?) feel like a burden.

1. Get into their world

Find out what they enjoy and join them in it. Does your child enjoy painting? Paint with him instead of setting him up to do it on his own. What about stories? Make it a goal to read at least one story of their choice out loud every day (and don’t complain if it’s always the same one). What about physical activity? Go for a walk together or kick a ball around.

2. Allow them into your world and hobbies

Bring them into the kitchen when you are baking or cooking dinner, even if it does take longer and make more of a mess. Let them wash dishes, sweep floors, vacuum, or fold laundry. Ask for their ideas when you are writing. Teach them to scrapbook or crochet or play piano or take photographs.

3. Observe

Sometimes all it takes is a pig puppet and a handful of craft sticks to get kids giggling. Or a couple of sleeping bags to scootch around the floor in while pretending to be snakes. Give yourself permission to laugh with them. Enjoy their antics and imaginations. Their silly jokes and games. Kids laugh so much easier than adults. Harness their joy and appreciate them in a whole new way.

4. Pray over them as they sleep

Soak in their innocence and fall in love all over again.
Our children deserve the best of us but we also have the privilege of enjoying the best of them. This week I’m going to bring my kids more into my world. They love to help in the kitchen so I’m committing to allowing them to help with dinner preparations.
Which of these ideas are you going to pursue over this next week?

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How to Catch Up On Housework When You’re Overwhelmed

How to Catch Up On Housework When You’re Overwhelmed

How to Catch Up On Housework When You’re Overwhelmed

Illness, depression, poor planning, whatever the reason, it if far to easy to get behind on housework. Getting behind is the easy part. But how can we catch up on housework when we’re so overwhelmed that we can’t even manage to start?

Homemaking is not for the faint of heart. It is often a lonely endeavor with very little reward. It is no wonder that we so often become overwhelmed with it. But the formula to overcome overwhelm and catch up on housework is truly simple: know you are not alone, know that God’s grace is sufficient, and just do the next right thing. 

Some days are full of rain. Literary and figuratively. The house is chilly and dark and it feels like the most appropriate response is to ignore the schedule and to do list and cuddle under a fuzzy blanket with a mug of hot cocoa and a good book

So you do.

Then one gloomy day turns into two and, while you feel guilty when you look at the dishes and laundry, it is far to easy to ignore it all. Gloomy day 3 rolls around and it’s already becoming a habit to turn the other way when walking past the laundry.

Don’t misunderstand, the guilt is still there, but we tuck it into our mental storage closet and figure we will deal with it later.

There is no one to motivate or encourage us to do the work and routines in spite of the gloom. The kids certainly aren’t clamoring to do their chores. Our spouses can come home and see the mess but, even if well-intentioned, are often better at adding more guilt to the situation rather than encouraging and motivating us.

The blatant truth: homemaking is not for the faint of heart.

Yet so often we are faint of heart.

Some of the more challenging aspects of homemaking are not stain removal or washing walls (though I must confess I’m pretty terrible at both of those. (Do people regularly wash walls? Is that actually a thing?)

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Galatians 6:9 NIV

It is no surprise that we become weary of doing this good. Our mental storage closet gets filled with so much guilt from day after day of seeing all the we “should” have done (I despise that word, “should”) and eventually it all tumbles out and we are overwhelmed. I kind of liken it to trying to shove one more dodge ball into the school equipment locker but, when you open the door, all the other balls come tumbling on top of you and knock you onto your butt and they roll all over the place so you can’t grab them let alone try to shove them back into the closet.

So now all the guilt we’ve been trying to ignore is out in the open and we don’t know which piece to pick up to deal with first. There’s the guilt about the floors, the laundry, the bathroom, dishes, meal plans, dusting, fingerprints on walls, grunge in window sills, something stinky in the fridge etc etc etc.

Because we don’t know where to start, we often don’t start. Which we know doesn’t help the situation but it feels like all we can do at that moment is sit in the middle of those guilt balls and accept that there is no solution.

Except there is a solution. Truly. And it isn’t an overwhelming one either. It isn’t one that is just going to add more guilt because you weren’t able to complete the 30 day cleaning challenge someone says will cure you of this problem.

Step 1: You are Not Alone

Let go of the little voice telling you that you’re not good enough. That voice telling you “why can’t you do this? Your mother did it an your friends seem to have figured it out, there must be something wrong with you!” It’s just not true. Your mother (probably) wasn’t a natural housekeeper either. You just don’t remember her learning days or the days she struggled. Your friends experience hard days just like you do. If you don’t believe me, ask them. If they’re honest friends, they’ll admit to their moments of overwhelm too.

Step 2: God’s Grace is Sufficient

Remember that God put you in this home, in this family, in this role. He didn’t make a mistake. That was intentional. There is no one on earth who is more right for this than you. That doesn’t mean it isn’t challenging or that you’re going to be perfect at it. God doesn’t choose perfect people to work with. Nope. He chooses the imperfect, the overwhelmed, the lost, and the sinner. He doesn’t expect you to do this perfectly. He expects you to rely on Him.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV

Cry out to Him in the midst of the overwhelm and be reminded that He never expected you to do it all alone. He wanted you to move forward in His power.

“Oh Lord, I can’t do this. I am broken and overwhelmed and don’t know where to start. I tried to do it all myself but I can’t. I’m sorry for thinking I needed to do this alone. Help me stand up and show me where to start. Give me the strength to do just one small thing.”

Step 3: Just do the next right thing

Then do one small thing. Maybe that one small thing is to switch over laundry (or run the washer again if the load has gotten that musty smell). Maybe it is to make your bed. Maybe you want to just fill the dishwasher. A small task, no more than 5 minutes. Then count yourself successful. You did it! You deflated one of those balls of guilt.

If you want to keep going then go ahead. But if that’s all you can do right now, congratulations! You’ve taken the first step toward freedom.

Moms of littles: What about how to catch up on housework when your hands are continually full of a baby?

I hear ya Mama! Babywearing is often the only way I get things done these days. So, after I have nursed her, I’ll put my baby on my back (after 5 kids I’ve learned that a soft structured carrier like this one is the easiest thing for back carries!) and get it done. So, with my baby on my back, I’ll scrub my crockpot. If I’m up to it maybe I’ll switch over the laundry too. And because she is on my back and wants me to keep moving, I may force myself to find other small tasks that I can do to keep her content. I won’t catch up on housework today but I’ll be one step closer. 

So let me know in the comments, what is your next right thing?

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