Organize me!

I used to think I was very organized. That's until the amount of people I needed to organize doubled! Luckily the 5 kids don't have too many extra curricular activities, or I might completely lose my mind. Not only do we need to organize 7 people's activities and appointments (have I mentioned I'm the only one that can drive) but we also need some serious organization inside our house. We've already put in an additional wall of cupboards in the kitchen to help give everything a 'home'.
When I was in the process of moving in, we purged a lot of stuff! We were bringing together 2 homes, and 2 households worth of 'stuff'.  We donated bags and bags of things and made a couple trips to the dump. Now that we've been here, living for a few months we're noticing where more adjustments need to be made.

Our house is small cozy. We have 7 people and 3 dogs in a 3 bedroom semi. The first thing we purchased before my kids and I moved in were 3 sets of bunk beds! It's because of this small space that organization is so important. Just 1 thing out of place or not put away makes our place seem very messy and cluttered.
So, in an effort to make sure everything makes it back to it's 'home' we did some spring cleaning today and I got to use my label maker! The kids are quick to say "I don't know where it goes" when they are on dish duty but now they have no excuse. We labelled the wall of cupboards so everyone can see where to put things.
We're one step closer to have an organized kitchen!

If you need me, I'll be under the pile of laundry

In a house with 7 people, I find I'm doing laundry ALL THE TIME. Not a day has gone by since we become a big, blended family that we haven't done atleast 1 load of laundry. I'd have to say we average about 3 loads a day. I don't mind doing the laundry, it's the folding and sorting after that takes so much time!
These five kids make a lot of laundry! I've taken to stripping the toddler at meal time in an effort to keep her clothes clean. The tweens tend to wear something for an hour and then throw it in the laundry. And now that the summer weather is here, not much is passing the 'smell test' anymore. You know, when you give it a smell to see if it 'really' needs washed!
We have a laundry basket with 3 sections; whites, darks and colours. The kids are all really good at putting their dirty clothes in the appropriate basket to be washed. And everyone over the age of 2 puts their own laundry away so I guess it's not that bad...But I feel like all I do is sit and fold laundry!
So, I'm coming to you in search of suggestions to make this process faster or easier. Do you have any tips?

Pizza Night

Feeding 7 people for dinner is no easy feat. Kids are always hard to please, and our 5 are no different. Supper always seems to be a battle, one hates cheese, one hates pasta, one hates their food touching on his plate...you get the pictures.
This week we decided to try something different, make your own pizza. We picked up some pre made pizza dough, pizza sauce, cheese and all the toppings. Everyone got to spread out their dough, and top their pizza. What a hit! We had a blast and it was nice to have everyone in the kitchen chipping in. And the best part was their was no complaining because everyone made their own dinner. So, if you're looking for a fun activity and great way to get the kids involved in dinner give pizza a try. We loved it and will definitely be doing it again.
I'd love to hear your tips for dinners that the whole family will enjoy.

The Never Ending Grocery Shop

Being part of a family of 7 is a big adjustment for me. I was used to making dinner for just me and my 2 young kids, now it's 2 adults and 5 kids (3 of which eat as much as I do)!
I feel like we buy groceries everyday. I am working at making weekly meal plans and with better planning we're getting more efficient with our groceries. This is also great because it's expensive feeding 7 people!
This month we're keeping track of everything we spend on food. Honestly, I'm a little scared to see the final tally.
How much do you think we'll spend? The person with the closest guess (without going over) will win a prize!

How long is long enough?

Is there a 'right' amount of time to wait before you start dating after divorce?
I think most people would agree that it's a personal decision and there isn't a set rule. I admit that I entered a new relationship fairly soon after my marriage ended, but for us, it was right.
The first thing is that I wasn't looking for a relationship or even to start dating. It really just happened.
People made comments like "well that was fast" or "it didn't take you long to move on" and to those people I say..."Mind your own damn business!"
My marriage was over long before my ex and I chose to admit it. Because of that,  I'd already had a chance to come to terms with our separation and had a chance to start grieving the end of my marriage.
Another big factor is that we were already friends, which I want to discuss in detail another day. We weren't looking to 'meet' someone and go through the whole 'getting to know you process'.

That being said, it was still a big decision. Were we doing the right thing? Was it just a rebound relationship? And even though I was so happy I wanted to yell it from the rooftop, a  part of me was still worried about what others were going to say.
I am lucky to have some very supportive friends. I was also lucky to find out that some of my friends weren't that great after all!
So, do you think there's a certain amount of time to wait between relationships? Have you ever been in a similar situation? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Happy Family Day

Family Day has provided me with the boost I needed to get this blog rolling. In the past 6 months my life has gone through many big changes, through it all I have thought about creating a blog.
If there's one thing I've learned, it's that you never know what the future holds. I can't begin to predict what this blog will hold.
I am a mom of two young kids ages 4 and 1. I have fallen in love with a man and his kids ages 14,12 and 10. Together we are now getting used to life as one big family. Together we are raising our kids in a happy, loving house. Together we're dealing with everything life throws at us.
I hope you'll join me on the journey.

About us

This is a blog about two families becoming one and everything we learn along the way.
How two single parents fell in love and blended our lives and our kids.
How we adjust to a big life change for us and our kids and how we survive parenting 5 kids!