Necessary indeed. I’m running three loads today alone. Probably about 10-12 a week thanks to sheets and whites, and clothes and cloth diapers 😜

I don’t do that as much. But I know there are plastic lids that can be used for this! Amazon, Alex!! 😂

Yes! It is motivating!

About every 6m or as needed for younger ones changing sizes, we do a mass purge of things that don’t fit for each kiddo. All of my older kids have ADHD so we assist but do offer the teens a compromise of “you can do it solo and if we still notice things that need donated, we’ll set a time to assist”. It’s a big endeavor but helps minimize the clutter. We also do this with misc items in their room if we’ve noticed they’re having a lot of issues keeping it moderately clean over a long period.

For our littles (2-8) they put away their socks/PJ’s/undies in the drawers and I don’t have them fold (except socks are pre-done for them). For their other clothes, I make outfits and hang a full outfit on the hanger so I can just pull one and choose shoes each day. I have four kids (three with executive function delays) so ANYTHING I can do to make choices easier for them and me makes our home a happier place. Our older kids (8+) do their own laundry and they have a designated day to help them learn responsibility and life skills. On their day, they need to have it all done (put away) on the same day. Less laundry makes me a more pleasant mama.

We use towels instead of paper towels. Costco or hardware stores sell them by the mass and we use them at the table, for cleaning up things, etc. I always wash on a bleach wash and it’s our 5YO’s chore to load the washer, move them to the dryer, and put away 1x/week or so (I do the buttons). He and our 2YO actually put them away under the sink together. 100% love it and it’s saved a ton on paper towels.

Portable/foldable totes. Costco sold these a few years ago and we bought four though they’re on Amazon as well. I keep them in the laundry but use them for SO much more. When we go on an outing, I load them up for the van and the kids know that’s where the things go so the van stays clean.

Robot vacuum! We have a Coredy robot and it gets plopped in various rooms almost daily. I’ll section off an area periodically and let it do all of the work for me. Our kids love picking up for it so they don’t have to sweep so it’s almost effortless for me and even has a mop option for our model. It’s not amazing but helps tremendously!

I use Chuck pads (~3x3 waterproof pads) on my kiddos beds until they’re accident free for a long time so, should they set the bed, I’m not having to remake their entire bed- just need to wash the pad and comforter (and my kiddo of course)!!! I keep a few extras for everyone so if we all get sick, they’re nearby for traveling. They saved our couch one year when we all had a terrible GI bug!

I created a cleaning list years ago. There are daily items, weekly items, and monthly items. I asked my husband for a few uninterrupted hours so I could create and used Pinterest lists from others. I then personalized it and made a four week cycle. It’s SO nice to just stop cleaning “all the things” because I look at my list and often decide “that’s tomorrow so I’ll wait till then”. It’s also awesome when older kids or my husband gripe about requests…. I just say, “it’s on the list and we all live here so I appreciate your support”.

My kiddos are impulsive and have severe ADHD however, we’re on a cul-de-sac and have a public trail in a SUPER safe area. Still…. I’m sticking with the oldest option 😬

Question game: I love asking random questions on road trips with our kiddos. Examples: what’s something that you would invent? Tell me about an animal you’d love to have as a pet? If you had one, what would it’s name be and what would you enjoy doing? What do you look for in a good friend? Tell me about a time you felt X(scared, excited, etc). We have a larger family with a wide range of kids so we offer the question to everyone and go around in the car.

LOVE this one!

I’m one of the odd ones that doesn’t love traditional s’mores 🤢. Instead, chocolate graham crackers and a strawberry for the win!

We still sing snuggle puppy to our littles and even Alexa knows the song. Clearly the best!!!