Managing the Home…Practical Tips

I won’t even pretend to be an expert on home organization. My friends will start to chuckle if I try, because they know I’m as scatter-brained as the chaff in the wind.

This trait, however, causes me to look even harder for practical ways to keep things running more smoothly in our large family. I offer humble, simple ideas…this is where I hope all you moms who actually “have it together” jump in and help us!

At our house, we have implemented, off and/or on, some of the following:

• Routine. However rigid you need this to be, some sort of routine is important, especially for children . For some, this means a daily chart, broken into 30 minute intervals (whew…makes me tired.) For us, it means we have a basic order of the day… Breakfast/chores/Bible reading/school reading/lunch/older children school while younger ones nap/”free time”/afternoon chores/prepare for supper…

• Limit outings. Everyone is in a different season, but for us, going anywhere is a major act of Congress. We try to avoid it if at all possible, unless Dad goes along too.

• Chore Charts. These help take the burden off of mom needing to repeat orders each day. We have “daily” chores and “weekly” chores. On Friday, we do our dailys plus our weeklies. That way, at least the toilets get cleaned once a week

• Zones. Everyone has a “zone” or area of the house that they are to “keep a handle” on. The theory works better than reality, but it’s a good starting point.

• Give the youngest children a job. If they are walking, they can begin to pick up things and put them away. It certainly takes more time to “train” them, but in the long run, you are doing yourself a BIG favor. Coach the older ones to help train the younger ones in this area.

• Nipping bad attitudes. Of course we all (Mom included) have our less enthusiastic days. But as a general rule, Mom should not tolerate grumbling or bad attitudes about helping with the house. Establish that early. Solution? Add more chores. This cause and effect will finally sink in and they’ll decide to be cheerful to save themselves the trouble. Of course we’re after a “cheerful heart,” but sometimes the heart will follow the body *BTW, our attitude has a huge impact on theirs…don’t forget that!

• Encourage good attitudes. Sometimes, randomly in the day, even if the kids aren’t brimming over with joy, I’ll just say, “I am so thankful for such cheerful children.” It’s amazing what a simple word will accomplish.

• Universal closet. At least that’s what I call it. Not everyone has the layout for this, but we keep all our clothes in one big closet. Somehow it just seems easier to keep under control.

Kelly is a wife and homeschooling mom to seven children (with another on the way). Kelly and her husband are entrepreneurs and love to encourage other families to work together. Their journey has been one of faith, sometimes fear, but a glorious walk they wouldn’t trade for the world. You can visit Kelly at her blog,

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About The Author

Kelly Crawford has written 14 articles on this blog.

Kelly and her husband enjoy the busy life of home educating their 8 (almost 9) children and running a few home businesses. In her spare time, Kelly loves to write, encouraging other women alongside her in this fabulous and often difficult journey of motherhood, home-manager and helper to her husband. She shares a sliver of her life at Generation Cedar where you can find additional resources to inspire you along the way!

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