✨13 TIPS, HACKS + HABITS that make life EASIER as a Mom of 8 Kids!

The two things I'd add to your great list -- (1) laundry is never "done." It's just not. Never. Ever. Ever. Every basket may be empty, but unless your family is walking around in their birthday suit, you're just a few hours away from a full basket again. I'm still working on accepting this. (2) just like laundry, the sooner you come to accept that people are going to be hungry again in just a couple hours, the better you'll feel about life. I know they just ate. But, they will need to eat again. Every day. Forever. Which means dishes are also never "done".

I am #7 out of 8 girls and growing up my mom bought a little drinking fountain from the school she attended before they tore it down. My dad installed it in the kitchen. She was tired of washing cups, getting kids cups of water, kids arguing about whose cup is whose and yelling "she drank out of my cup!" It was awesome having that fountain and my friends thought it was so cool! Now all of her 25+ grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren use it too! 😍

I inherited an antique table and chairs. It was a wedding gift to my grandpa's parents. Before my grandma died she specifically told me to use it everyday and let the kids play at it and do their arts and crafts etc at it BC that's what a family table is for. She told me it's ok to refinish it etc as needed. I think it was good that she gave that permission to me. I don't regret the paint marks that have been stuck there for 18 years or the scratches and dings. I never felt I had to go overboard to protect it. It saved me a lot of stress not having to be concerned about what my grandma would think because that permission to just enjoy was already there. I ultimately ended up with most of the old furniture and it's all been used and loved. Some have met it's demise while other things are still going strong. Having the mindset that the things are supposed to serve me and my family and not us serving the things has really helped me be ok with dings and scratches and glass rings etc. We are just leaving our marks and memories in the furniture too!

Yep, Systems make it all work. Mama of 6 here and people always gush about how "organized" we are. But they forget that when there are 8 people using simple, well established systems it makes a big difference. My biggest tip is that each kid has a color. My oldest is blue. She has a blue cup, blue pencils, blue towel. When something blue is left laying, we know it's hers.

SOOOO much excellent advice here, Angela! One of my favorite videos yet. As a homeschooling mom of 6 (soon to be 7), having the kids simply rinse their dishes between meals and reuse the same set for all meals throughout the day has DRASTICALLY cut down on the amount of dishwashing in this house! Instead of washing literally 120 dishes each day (6 kids x 5 dishes per meal [plate, bowl, cup, spoon, fork] x 4 meals), we simply run the dishwasher once after dinner each night, and everything fits! I have designated a shelf in our island where each child puts his rinsed dishes in his designated spot, that way there are no mix-ups between whose germs are on which dishes, and the sink is almost always empty!!! The other life-saver we implemented years ago is having a "leader for the day." It rotates through each of the older kids (oldest is leader one day, next oldest is leader the next, etc.), and any squabble defers to the leader. The leader also gets to pick the video watched at the end of the day and get the baby up from her nap (they all love that!). The caveat is that the Bible teaches that a good leader is a true servant, so anytime mom needs a quick favor, the baby's cup needs a refill, etc. the leader is called upon to serve. There is no arguing about decisions that defer to the leader because they all know that they will get their turn in the coming few days.

Raising my 7 kids, 2 things, especially when they were young, that helped tremendously were 1. ROUTINE IS KING! and 2. NAPTIME IS SACRED!

Loved these honestly. One thing I have started with my kiddos is also making sure that once a day or so I’m sitting down with them and engaging be it with play or crafts or anything. It can become easy to say you have to do all this housework or work and don’t have time to stop and sit for an hour then miss that time with your kids. Taking the time to just be with your kids can help you feel happier with your role as a parent.

I love everything you said. It is true...and I "only" 😉 have 5 kids. I always remind myself "I get to" when the mundane feels overwhelming: laundry, cooking, driving, teaching, cleaning, toys, anything... I have this family, we are blessed with house, clothes, car, food, toys whatever... We get to...

My advice for those with younger children who are prone to tantrums is to give them options as much as possible. It gives them a sense of control and usually stops the tantrum in its tracks because they’re so focused on making their choice.

More videos like this, please! Especially more advice for the “rigid” type moms who God chose to bless with a large family.

I used to feel so guilty for not buying everything! Now I'm very intentional with my purchases and my children can actually see what they have ! It also brings me joy to walk into a room and its actually just a few things to put back in place.I have 6 kids from 1-12 and with toys less is more🥰 You're amazing Angela and your family 🥰🥰🥰

I literally got outdoor waterproof cushion covers for my couch so I could wipe up spills easily and it was the best decision I’ve ever made hahaha

I needed this today. I wanted to share that a few years back, you planted a seed in us. We've been discussing adoption since the first time I watched your videos. We've had 4 biological children since, and have slowly worked up to adoption standards. We've now learned that a foster child that has grown up with us in her circle in the last 2 years may need an adoptive family, and we are opening our doors and hearts to her. Know that, in a way, you have assisted in this little girl joining our family! And now we'll have 5 that are 6 and under 😂. So this video is helping me prepare mentally to that haha

Our homeschool room has a snack drawer and a water station with a refillable drink dispensers, it's a lifesaver.

Almost died laughing because of the Telephone calls!!! Soo true my dear! Lots of Love from Switzerland Jenny

Something my parents always did for us was the reward system unstead of punishment. Implementing it as early as you can (for us it started when we were babies) will make a huge difference. For example, instead of saying "if someone doesn't do their homework they will not get dessert" you can say "those who do their homework on time can eat ice cream before bed" (once in a while, don't make that a habit😂). It can be a treat, a present, planning a family getaway etc. Show your children that they earn what they want by working and putting in effort. But without taking away things.

Love all your thoughts and ideas! One thing we do to reduce the cup situation is get every family their own insulated cup for the day. During school, or running errands, practice they have their cup of water ready to go.

One thing even I as a new mom looking at other older mothers with 4, 5 and even 12 kids that I didn't realize at the time is that "Rome wasn't built in a day". My family of 7 wasn't made immediately. The kids in my house have come in progressively. Every day we have worked on systems. And taught skills. And given more responsibilities. And they have gotten older over time. They weren't babies at the same time. Those with babies can't imagine having 8 year Olds who can load the dishwasher. But it becomes a reality and it's amazingly helpful when you are feeding the new baby or doing something else they can't help with.

We used to have a giant playroom. The more kids we had the more we realized they needed less toys. The play with each other, they use their imaginations and they conquer boredom on their own with less toys. They and I also feel more at peace when things are easy to tidy.

The French art teacher hiding in the corner…😂😂😂😂 So true! We’ve scaled back the play room quite a bit and it feels so much better for me and the kids. Not so overwhelming to pick up and not so much clutter that they just lose interest. Love all of your tips. Thanks so much for sharing.