1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,720 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,360 --> 00:00:14,000 Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:18,400 Speaker 1: Today's tip is about some organizing strategies you can borrow 4 00:00:18,480 --> 00:00:22,079 Speaker 1: from larger families. No matter the size of your household, 5 00:00:22,440 --> 00:00:26,840 Speaker 1: these strategies can help you keep chaos at bay. Like 6 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:29,600 Speaker 1: many people in this era of declining birth rates, I'm 7 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:35,280 Speaker 1: somewhat fascinated by larger families. Reality TV is full of them, 8 00:00:35,320 --> 00:00:38,440 Speaker 1: and though these families aren't always functional in the larger sense, 9 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:42,240 Speaker 1: they do tend to hone systems for day to day functionality. 10 00:00:43,280 --> 00:00:45,720 Speaker 1: Over the years, and as my own family has grown, 11 00:00:46,159 --> 00:00:50,400 Speaker 1: I've become a student of these systems. Today's episode talks 12 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:55,080 Speaker 1: about a few that I found most helpful. Paradoxically, one 13 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:59,000 Speaker 1: of the best big family hacks is to own less stuff. 14 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:04,240 Speaker 1: As the volume of family members increases, everybody's stuff gets 15 00:01:04,240 --> 00:01:07,720 Speaker 1: added to the pile. With two people that could be fine, 16 00:01:08,640 --> 00:01:11,959 Speaker 1: with seven, you've got trouble. So you learn to be 17 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:15,280 Speaker 1: careful about what comes in, always asking if something can 18 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:20,440 Speaker 1: be borrowed or repurposed before buying something new. It's also 19 00:01:20,520 --> 00:01:23,240 Speaker 1: smart to build in regular times for purging things that 20 00:01:23,280 --> 00:01:26,280 Speaker 1: are no longer serving a purpose. The start of each 21 00:01:26,280 --> 00:01:28,720 Speaker 1: new season is great for this, and since a lot 22 00:01:28,760 --> 00:01:31,319 Speaker 1: of charities will pick things up from your door, there's 23 00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:36,240 Speaker 1: really no reason not to. Another key point, objects need 24 00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:39,680 Speaker 1: a home. If you find a spoon somewhere in your house, 25 00:01:39,680 --> 00:01:42,560 Speaker 1: well you know where that goes. But many other things 26 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:47,320 Speaker 1: are more nebulous. They shouldn't be. Larger households solve this 27 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:50,840 Speaker 1: issue by giving every family member a bin or box 28 00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:54,280 Speaker 1: or other such spot where items that will be needed 29 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:58,000 Speaker 1: can go. We keep our family binds in the mudroom. 30 00:01:58,680 --> 00:02:01,520 Speaker 1: Kid mitten's library, books and things like that can all 31 00:02:01,560 --> 00:02:04,320 Speaker 1: be placed in these bins so people can find them 32 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:07,240 Speaker 1: on the way out the door. If an item is 33 00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:09,600 Speaker 1: found elsewhere in the house, it can be put in 34 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:12,040 Speaker 1: the bin, and people will know that that is the 35 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:16,640 Speaker 1: first place to look. If someone starts hollering where is 36 00:02:16,760 --> 00:02:20,880 Speaker 1: my X, the first response will always be, did you 37 00:02:20,960 --> 00:02:24,359 Speaker 1: check your bin? A set of car keys must always 38 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:27,760 Speaker 1: be in a designated little basket. Coats, shoes, umbrellas, and 39 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:30,840 Speaker 1: backpacks all go in the mud room too. Homework is 40 00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:34,840 Speaker 1: either actively being done or is in the backpack. Shoes 41 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:38,639 Speaker 1: found elsewhere are immediately returned to the mud room, there 42 00:02:38,680 --> 00:02:42,720 Speaker 1: are no other places these things can be. This gets 43 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:46,280 Speaker 1: particularly important in winter, though I was quite intrigued to 44 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:49,399 Speaker 1: hear the approach from one family with eight kids. They 45 00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:52,480 Speaker 1: moved to Florida precisely so they wouldn't have to worry 46 00:02:52,520 --> 00:02:56,360 Speaker 1: about coats and hats and mittens. Time spent hunting for 47 00:02:56,400 --> 00:03:00,000 Speaker 1: lost items is just wasted time, and while that might 48 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:02,919 Speaker 1: not be a huge deal with two family members, it's 49 00:03:02,919 --> 00:03:06,880 Speaker 1: a deal killer with six. So the systems become tighter, 50 00:03:07,600 --> 00:03:11,239 Speaker 1: which is probably a good thing in general. Another hack 51 00:03:11,320 --> 00:03:15,680 Speaker 1: I have come to appreciate always have a backup meal. 52 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:19,880 Speaker 1: Some people like meal planning and others don't, but even 53 00:03:19,919 --> 00:03:23,400 Speaker 1: people who like to plan encounter this reality. With more 54 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:27,680 Speaker 1: family members, more things can go wrong. You don't make 55 00:03:27,720 --> 00:03:30,200 Speaker 1: it home in time to get the oven gooing before 56 00:03:30,240 --> 00:03:34,280 Speaker 1: everyone is starving. If that's the case, it helps to 57 00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:37,600 Speaker 1: always have say, eggs, fruit and pancake mix in the house, 58 00:03:38,080 --> 00:03:41,640 Speaker 1: so you can have breakfast for dinner, or tortillas, cheese, 59 00:03:41,800 --> 00:03:44,880 Speaker 1: shredded chicken, and frozen veggies for casey d a nite. 60 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:50,600 Speaker 1: In big families, laundry becomes its own special torture. One 61 00:03:50,600 --> 00:03:52,680 Speaker 1: hack we learned early on was to give each of 62 00:03:52,680 --> 00:03:54,839 Speaker 1: our boys their own kind of sock and their own 63 00:03:54,920 --> 00:03:58,600 Speaker 1: kind of underwear. Yes, they may all be white athletic socks, 64 00:03:58,720 --> 00:04:00,800 Speaker 1: but the brand name might be in a different color, 65 00:04:01,360 --> 00:04:04,480 Speaker 1: or the toe is slightly different. This way, anyone can 66 00:04:04,480 --> 00:04:08,440 Speaker 1: tell at a glance whose stuff is who's. I recently 67 00:04:08,480 --> 00:04:11,480 Speaker 1: simplified my life this way by purging my old running 68 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:16,240 Speaker 1: socks and buying ten pairs that match. Now all my 69 00:04:16,320 --> 00:04:19,039 Speaker 1: socks match, and so I don't need to think about 70 00:04:19,040 --> 00:04:23,080 Speaker 1: pairing them. With bigger families, dishes can pile up two. 71 00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:26,840 Speaker 1: Some of this is inevitable we run the dishwasher every 72 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:30,719 Speaker 1: day and often more frequently, but things like water cups 73 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:34,520 Speaker 1: can be reused. A number of bigger families have one 74 00:04:34,600 --> 00:04:38,480 Speaker 1: color for each child, so a green cup can be 75 00:04:38,520 --> 00:04:43,040 Speaker 1: refilled without worrying about washing it for whoever always uses green. 76 00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:46,640 Speaker 1: When we have lots of house guests, we've learned to 77 00:04:46,680 --> 00:04:50,479 Speaker 1: buy sturdy, disposable cups and then write people's names in 78 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:53,839 Speaker 1: sharpie on there. Saves us from all kinds of waste 79 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:58,440 Speaker 1: and bother But as I've interviewed larger families over the years, 80 00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:02,200 Speaker 1: I've learned that one of the most important hacks is mindset. 81 00:05:03,240 --> 00:05:05,159 Speaker 1: If you have one or two kids, you might be 82 00:05:05,200 --> 00:05:08,200 Speaker 1: able to help intensely with homework or do all the 83 00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:11,960 Speaker 1: laundry and snack fetching, drive long distances to many activities. 84 00:05:12,640 --> 00:05:15,960 Speaker 1: With five kids or six kids or more, this becomes 85 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:19,440 Speaker 1: a lot less feasible, so people lean on their kids 86 00:05:19,520 --> 00:05:22,599 Speaker 1: to learn to do more for themselves. The good news 87 00:05:23,279 --> 00:05:26,479 Speaker 1: is that most people rise to the occasion. But you 88 00:05:26,520 --> 00:05:29,400 Speaker 1: don't need to be housing a small army to encourage this. 89 00:05:30,360 --> 00:05:33,880 Speaker 1: If you've been doing everyone's laundry in your household and 90 00:05:34,040 --> 00:05:37,440 Speaker 1: everyone else is over the age of ten, just start 91 00:05:37,480 --> 00:05:42,839 Speaker 1: doing your own. When people start complaining, offer a quick tutorial, 92 00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:47,200 Speaker 1: and then continue about your business. When people ask what's 93 00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:49,920 Speaker 1: for dinner, say that's a good question, ask what they'd 94 00:05:49,960 --> 00:05:53,799 Speaker 1: like to make. Teenage children can manage their own schedules 95 00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:56,000 Speaker 1: within the parameters that they need to ask you for 96 00:05:56,120 --> 00:05:59,400 Speaker 1: rides with say one day's notice or else figure out 97 00:05:59,400 --> 00:06:03,840 Speaker 1: a carpool. And as for homework, well, you already did 98 00:06:03,880 --> 00:06:08,000 Speaker 1: seventh grade. You're done with it. You will answer specific, 99 00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:12,000 Speaker 1: well thought through questions, but beyond that it is not 100 00:06:12,120 --> 00:06:16,119 Speaker 1: your problem. All this is easier said than done, of course, 101 00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:19,880 Speaker 1: but worth doing. Because while an organizational hat can save 102 00:06:19,960 --> 00:06:23,160 Speaker 1: a little bit of time, getting something completely off your 103 00:06:23,160 --> 00:06:28,240 Speaker 1: plate saves a ton of time again and again and again. 104 00:06:29,520 --> 00:06:33,800 Speaker 1: In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and 105 00:06:33,839 --> 00:06:42,680 Speaker 1: here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody, 106 00:06:42,880 --> 00:06:45,000 Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me 107 00:06:45,040 --> 00:06:48,680 Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with 108 00:06:48,720 --> 00:06:53,080 Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod. 109 00:06:53,800 --> 00:06:58,159 Speaker 1: That's b E the number four then breakfast p o D. 110 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:01,839 Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast 111 00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:05,799 Speaker 1: podcast at iHeartMedia dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled 112 00:07:05,839 --> 00:07:08,280 Speaker 1: out with all the letters. Thanks so much, should I 113 00:07:08,320 --> 00:07:16,400 Speaker 1: look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a 114 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:19,640 Speaker 1: production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from my 115 00:07:19,760 --> 00:07:23,600 Speaker 1: heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 116 00:07:23,840 --> 00:07:25,720 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.