Five

How do I do it? Which I get ALL the time. Well let's go through an average day for myself. 

Wake up at 645 get the girls ready for school, baby fed and changed, start the car and leave out the door for 8am school. Get back home and put Parks down for a nap (usually in the swing but we don't judge right?) Then I re clean the tornado everyone left in the house. Shower or just get myself and Laken ready. Do a couple loads of laundry and fold them. Call my sister in the states some days because both of us have the busiest lives ever. Feed Laken and I lunch somewhere in there. Tend to Parks if he's fussy, feed him, change him... You get the idea. Then at 215 we leave to get the girls. On gymnastics/dance days which is is 2 and 3 times a week we come home and all 3 older girls get their dance/gym stuff on, scarf down a snack and we run downtown to drop Kyla off to gym. Then up back to dance, drop the twins off, then go home for about 15 mins then pick the twins back up again. Then home and eat supper which usually I have to have cooking or in the slow cooker or it's something quick to throw together. Try and fit homework in there somewhere... Then we go get Kyla for 7 and come home. Bedtime snack for the younger ones and supper for Kyla, then pjs, brush teeth and bed for 8. Then Kyla bed because she likes to take her sweet time. Then Parks bed... 

I get to clean up the tornado once again and then my now new routine includes a workout even a quick one matters and then I watch a show or two and then bed! LOVE my show time. I've been watching Greys on netflix and it's my happy time. I have lots I pvr as well so I'm always good to go.

That's an average day for us. 

These are a few key things for myself to stay sane. 

1. Constantly tidy. If you leave it it becomes a huge job later and that really sucks. 

2. Make your kids help with the tidying! This one is huge. We live in a smaller place so it gets messy FAST. Also they need to appreciate how to take care of a home and respect it. 

3. Plan meals and prep. Ok I slack on this one sometimes and I always regret it but it helps so much when I do this! 

4. Get yourself ready everyday, even if it's throw on some simple makeup and freshen up that hair. I've been experimenting with my makeup these days and I'm loving it. Simple shadow, blush, mascara, brows (a must!), and lipgloss. You'd be surprised how quick it can be and it makes you feel so much better! 

5. Have a good husband. ;) I could NOT do it without Dustin. Plus he has an amazing new shift that let's him be home a lot more and it's a life saver. 

6. On down days where they aren't busy with activities, get the bigger chores done. Bathrooms etc. 

7. When you do a load of laundry FOLD IT and PUT IT AWAY! This one took me a long time to actually get in the habit of and since I've done it it's made a world of a difference!! And it's not even that hard. Who knew!?

8. Take time for yourself!! Everyone is different in what works and I still sometimes don't always know what I need to get that me time but it's very important.

9. Make your kids afraid of you. Just kidding. Well kind of. Discipline is THE most important thing when being and parent and it's probably the hardest! You're kids need to respect you as the parent and it may come across as mean but you are the PARENT first not their friend. Too many kids these days have no respect for adults and mine will not be those kids. I think this has been a main reason why I have well behaved kids. I LOVE the book written by Michelle Borba called the Big Book of Parenting. It's awesome. Any problem you're having with your child is in there and it tells you exactly how to deal with it. I can't suggest it enough. 

So those would be my main points on "how I do it". It's chaos some days and I the first 3 months of Parks life are kind of a blur but we made it through and are back into a normal life routine. 

I got married young and had kids young and pretty much had to learn as I went. I had to figure what worked and what didn't. I try not to let the little things get to me. I said "try" Dustin, so stop looking at me with those judgey eyes! 

My kids are amazing. I couldn't have 5 kids without them being so well behaved and I'm forever grateful for that. Don't get me wrong there are days where I'd pay someone to take them. Kyla and Laken will be the ones to give me grey hairs I'm sure of it! I rarely sit here and make my kids crafts or bake with them. Ain't nobody got time for that. I teach my kids to be creative on their own and not depend on me for keeping them entertained. My kids could be in an empty room and still keep themselves happy. 

I'm definitely not "super mom" as I hear all the time. I fail. I wanna give up. I threaten to run away at least once month and you'd be entertained by the texts I send my husband some days. But. I love my life, I LOVE having a big family! It's the best decision we've ever made and I'm so lucky to have this family. It's constantly changing and we are growing together and we have one amazing future to look forward too! But if one more person asks me if I'm having another baby I may punch them. The answer is HELL. NO. This body is done. It's maxed out. It's stretched out. And my sanity is hanging in there, so let's not push it. K? K.