Preparation Day

Welcome to our practical Saturday post of large family living.  

This is where and when we will address some of the helpful things 

that have helped us along the way to raising a large family, things I wish I would have known years ago, when I was struggling to adjust to a bigger family, like around child # 5.

Today we are telling how we manage our home by using Saturdays to get ready for the Lord's Day 

and the rest of the week.

Our daddy works on Saturdays, 

so it has become a great day for mama and children to get a bunch of chores done,
and prepare ourselves and our house for a relaxing Sunday. 

One benefit of this plan, which I love, is that since I know it will get done Saturday,
I feel ok about leaving it all week.

After the traditional sister time on Saturday morning,
we usually start the day off with pancakes, which puts everyone in a good frame of mind. 

Then, mama makes a "to do" list, and children either volunteer 

or get chores assigned to them, 

and in about two hours, the entire house (ours is a big one)

gets thoroughly cleaned. 

Floors are swept, mopped, and vacuumed,

windows are washed, bathrooms are cleaned, bedrooms are tidied,
surfaces are dusted and all kinds of stuff goes back to where it belongs. 

The porch and the yard also get picked up, and possibly the van cleaned out.

Meanwhile, someone is baking or cooking something particularly yummy

and we all enjoy a sweet reward for our good efforts.

Next, we cook and bake lots of food so that Sunday is relaxing. 

The girls make bread, and I cook a roast or a few chickens,
and we may also make some desert, if we are planning company for Sunday.  

Then, we clean the kitchen.

The next project is getting everyone’s Sunday clothes ready,

including finding shoes. 

That part seems particularly necessary. 

And lastly, all the children get a good bath or shower, nails trimmed, 

and jammied before story time.

We all go to bed early, by 9pm. 

The children like to listen to Moody Radio’s “Unshackled” testimonies, 

so there is great motivation to be all set in bed by that time.
At last, we happily collapse into bed,
the house is clean, 

the fridge and pantry are full of delicious food for tomorrow, 

the children are clean and tucked,
and it is time for a good night’s sleep. 

We are all ready for Worshiping with the saints Sunday morning.

These practices help our Sunday morning go smoothly,

and we can all get to church in an easy going manner,

enjoy the day, the rest, and our loving Savior.