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After having children, I've come to see that, 1 or 20 kids, child-rearing will take all your time.
I grew up in a large family, large being 7+ children, and I was the third oldest of 12.
Logistics in a large family are different than in a small family: in a large family, it often works to have an older child help out a younger child with dressing, being a buddy in the store, etc.
But I find many of the logistics principles work either way, large family or small, and most of it comes down to prep work and a house routine. What's coming next?
Lay out clothes, school/work bags the night before. Fill water bottles and pack lunches.
Do you eat dinner every day? Pull out the meat to thaw in the morning, or get the prep work done so it can be thrown together easily in the evening.
Look ahead at the schedule and make sure you have the gifts you need, the plans solidified.
Then on to the house:
Keep the housework on a regular routine. Baseline is doing the dishes and laundry. Dirty dishes and dirty clothes stop the wheels of the house faster than anything.
Next, move to making beds, sweeping floors, and cleaning the bathroom.
If you have regular pick-up-put-away times in the day, junk doesn't pile up too high. Have a place for everything, and everything in it's place.
Have chore charts for the kids, and make sure they're keeping up with them.
Okay, I have to stop now. I'm about rolling on the floor laughing. I'M TRYING ALL THIS SO HARD, and most days it feels like I'm spinning my wheels in the mud!
You realize the follow-through effort that is required for even 1 child? It takes all day to make sure everyone is doing what they are supposed to do, how they're supposed to do it, and when they're supposed to do it.
Anyway, I keep trying and trying and trying...
One last thought: when the world feels out of control, which is all the time lately, just go wash the dishes and sweep your floors. Your home is the one corner of the world you can control somewhat.
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