One of the many (fair) questions we get asked about having a big family is if and how we’re able to spend quality time with each of our kids. (I would much rather this question than “Do you know what causes all these kids? đ ) It’s super important to make ample time for kids- no matter how many you have! I’m with mine all day every day (minus about 5 hours on Mondays) since we homeschool, but “teacher mom time” and “mom mom time” are not the same.
We’ve come up with some creative ways to be sure we’re getting time with each of them independently. It takes time and effort, but the times we get are so rewarding!
How We Make Time for Kids (all of them!)
1.) We make use of time before/after appointments
My oldest son Landon has had to have labs drawn since the day he was born and ultrasounds from about 3 days old. Ever since he was about 4 years old, we’ve always taken him to get donuts after his blood draws and/or ultrasounds. Â This time is special for us and makes the actual event not so bad.
Clearly he’s traumatized by his ultrasounds đ
When any of the kids have to go to the doctor or dentist, I try to take them alone and then we’ll do something simple afterward (if they’re not super sick of course!)- just grabbing a soda or something where we can sit and talk for a few minutes.
2.) We serve others with them
This time may not end up being completely alone with them, but it’s vital to show our kids that life is not all about ourselves. Last week, I took my 9-year old daughter Allie to help me babysit our friends’ babies. These friends are going through a terrible time right now- imagine everything going wrong all at the same time- and Allie LOVED helping them. In fact, before we left, she told me that she wanted to go help the family once a week on her own. Wow. I was blown away by her perceptiveness of the situation. That time was SO worth it.
3.) We spend time with them on “their night”
I actually got part of this idea from one of my favorite bloggers. On the night of the date on which their birthday falls, they get to stay up a little later with us and then sleep in our bed. So for example, one of my kids’ birthdays is November 12. So the 12th of each month is “her” night with us. (You’d think they’d hit the jack pot on their night!) We’ll have an extra snack with them, maybe watch an episode of a show together, play a game, and/or read books with them. My husband and I really enjoy this- and it actually makes us go to bed early 4 times a month!
One the nights our littlest one sleeps with us, Huggies are a super important part of the routine. Even though he’s completely potty trained during the day (yahooo!) there are still occasional accidents at night and nobody likes being awakened in middle of the night for that reason! The GentleabsorbÂŽ liner is sure to absorb everything, and I love how soft they are for my baby. (Who’s not so much a baby anymore. Sniff sniff.) I also love that Huggies Little Snugglers are available up to size 4!
Be sure to check out Huggies at Kroger! Click here to save $2 on Huggies Little Snugglers at Kroger now through 5/30, while supplies last!
This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media GroupŽ and Huggies, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #KrogerLittleSnugglers  http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV
About Kelli Hays
