September 23, 2022

Night Routine with Seven Kids | From Chaos to Calm

Want to know what a night in a house with nine people looks like? … then keep reading!

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Just imagine for a second…

A handful of school kids running around the house on a busy morning in search of a pair of CLEAN socks, a misplaced homework folder, and a hairbrush.

Not to mention, cold toast sits in the toaster, waiting to land on a crying toddler’s plate because someone forgets to put it on there (points finger at myself), and a timer for the bus that went off six minutes ago. Also, the smell of someone’s funky breath because one kid forgets to brush their teeth.

That’s our family. The same family that is late to everything.

Thankfully, that’s not us anymore. Phew! I know.

Why am I talking about a busy morning when this post is supposed to be about a nighttime routine? Because every mom should know that a good nighttime routine is a key to a smooth morning.

Earlier this week I posted a home management system that works like a charm for our large family and a part of that included our nighttime routine. I didn’t spend too much time talking about it on there because I wanted to save the fun, chaotic, and busy post for later- and later is – now.

(Hi ya’ll! Thanks for stopping by again. I took the time to link my latest posts in case you missed it)

NIGHT TIME ROUTINE WITH SEVEN KIDS

We have about a 4.5-hour block from the time the kids get from school to bedtime- to get everything done in our nighttime routine.

Here is what our routine looks like:

  • Afterschool snack
  • shower time
  • dinner
  • chores
  • prep time
  • homework/read
  • a little free time
  • prayer and then bedtime

How we get everything done in less than 5 hours

A house with nine people can get pretty crazy the minute our school kids walk through our front door. It’s like the calm before the storm. That’s why it’s I need to stay ahead of the schedule.

Here’s how I get ahead:

HAVE DINNER READY BEFORE KIDS GET HOME

I have a list of ‘set it and forget it meals that I’ve been meaning to post on here (stay tuned for that). These meals are a fantastic way to stay one step ahead of your schedule. I make sure to get dinner started before the kids get home- typically, a few hours before and then I keep it nice and warm until it’s ready to be eaten.

HAVE AFTERSCHOOL SNACKS OUT AND READY

If I have a little time on my hands (which I usually don’t) I like to take some time to prepare a nice warm snack for my school kids. I have super fun, easy, and cheap recipe’s that I’ll post soon.

But most of the time, I have things like bars or fruit out and ready for the kiddos. Something easy to get down and easy to clean.

SHOWER BEFORE DINNER

Shower time used to be right before bedtime, but that didn’t work out for us. So, we switched it up! Now, we have shower time before dinner time.

Since dinner is ready before the kids get home, I take that time to give the little ones a bath/shower, and the older ones are old enough to wash themselves. It also takes up a lot less time to shower before dinner and leaves more time available to get everything done before bedtime.

Plus, you get to wash all those school germs off right away!

DINNER

We’re usually on a time schedule immediately after school but dinner time is where I like to slow things down a bit and spend time catching up with the kiddos. They have a lot to say- so dinner for us can last up to an hour.

CHORES/CLEAN-UP

Clean-up is pretty easy and swift. I usually let the older kids help out with loading the dishwasher, cleaning floors, and wiping down counters/table.

We put our leftovers away (sometimes there’s enough for the next day’s dinner, which is a total bonus!), and we have our assigned laundry day room bring their laundry to the laundry room to get it ready for the next day’s wash.

PREP TIME

It might make more sense to clean up after prep time as this means we have to bring everything out of the fridge and clean up afterward. But, no one wants to prep their sandwich on a dirty counter with bbq sauce or soy sauce and rice splattered all around the counter.

We keep prep time down to a minimum time and we try to keep it as simple as possible. The snacks are usually in little baggies already and sandwich items are organized together in the fridge. Other things we prep the night before include:

  • Next day’s outfit on top of their dressers
  • Clean pair of socks inside their shoes
  • Fill water bottles

Simple tasks like placing a clean pair of socks inside their shoes for the next day, and placing shoes next to their backpacks- really can make a huge change in our morning routine. It’s a total game changer! No one has to run around looking for socks or backpacks. We try to keep it as simple as possible for our busy mornings, so everything is set up to grab-and-go.

HOMEWORK/READ

It is rare for my elementary kids to have homework. Our ISD likes to keep work at school instead of home (totally has my vote with that) however, our older kids will take this time to do theirs or catch up with any work they need to catch up on. And I’ll usually take this time to read with the little ones.

FREE TIME

We try to keep a good balance in our home. We don’t want to only focus on what needs to get done but rather, allow time for our kids to be kids. Since our nighttime routine begins immediately after school, we set some time away at night for our kiddos to relax and have some time to themselves before bedtime. If you’re wondering about electronics, yes, that includes electronics.

The rule we keep in our home- is no electronics 30 minutes before bedtime.

FAMILY PRAYER/BEDTIME

This is the time for us to gather in our living room, in our jammies, and before bedtime, and say our prayer together as a family. From there, we give hugs and kisses, and then we send the kids off to bed. Usually, the kids are in bed by 8:30-9:00

Depending on which day of the week it is and what activity we have going on that day, we continue with the schedule for the kids at home and prep for the kids who are gone, and then we set aside dinner for the kids who are at their activities on that day. So that all they have to do when they get home is eat, shower, and then off to bed they go.

When the kids are in bed, I like having that quiet time to sign papers in their folders that need signing, sign off their homework, and make sure to place their folders in their bags so that no one forgets them the next morning.

There you have it, folks. Our nighttime routine with seven kids.

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