Crazy Blessed Adventures - Life with a butt load of kids
17 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 6 years ago - ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsJamin and Wendy had six children in seven years. Even though they are both former school teachers, their two personalities are very different, and here they explore the differences and compromises that make their happy home. Wendy is an encouraging, optimistic, d-i-y, artsy stereotype of a kindergarten teacher. Jamin is practical, cynical, and contrary. Listen as they both share their perspectives in ridiculously candid fashion on homeschooling, family culture, housekeeping, and your questions. Join them on this crazy blessed journey to help their kids become the best versions of themselves.
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Episodes
Day In The Life
February 26, 2018 17:33 - 26 minutes - 24.1 MBWendy’s homeschool day with an 8, 7, 5, 4, 2 year old, and 8 month old: I am not a get-up-before-the-children kind of mama. My husband and I are both night people, and since I don’t believe in being out of bed before 7:00, it’s been a goal of mine to train all my children to sleep in as late as possible. It’s still a work in progress. 5:00 – The 4-year-old climbs in my bed. He needs a minimum couple hours of cuddle time each day. We snuggle up and both fall back to sleep. 6:30 – The bab...
Behavior Charts with Free Printable Behavior Plan
December 20, 2017 21:32 - 23 minutes - 21.8 MBFROM WENDY: Less talking + more action = happier parent-child relationships It’s that moment when you realize that you’ve given the same kid the same instruction five times and he’s still immersed in his Lego construction. You’re trying to decide, “Is this spanking worthy? Or is it a time out? Maybe I’ll just confiscate his Legos for a week.” You hear yourself speak, and realize that you’re probably being over-the-top and are going to need to apologize for this later, but oh well. The co...
Large Family Christmas Traditions
December 20, 2017 07:53 - 10 minutes - 10 MBFROM WENDY We're pretty cliche in our love for family Christmas traditions around here Sorry, Thanksgiving. Basically the minute the kids take off their Halloween costumes, Jamin starts pulling out random Christmas decorations and strewing them around the house. I spend the next week or so rearranging until they're all where they actually belong, and begin haunting all the area garden centers for signs of who will have live trees first. And Christmas music has already been playing in our ...
Freezer Meals for a Large Family
December 20, 2017 01:42 - 30 minutes - 28 MBFreezer Meals Click here to download the Freezer Meals Planning Worksheet Freezer meals have been saving us for years Until recently, Jamin's music studio and business were located in our living room. This meant we had clients coming in and out of our front door all day every day, and the kitchen was more or less off limits during business hours...which included dinner hour. It was during this season that I discovered freezer cooking, mostly because I was tired of eating frozen pizzas f...
Christmas Countdown and Advent Calendar
December 10, 2017 08:30 - 15 minutes - 14.2 MBUsing a Countdown for Family Christmas Projects Click here to download the free Christmas Countdown Advent Calendar FROM WENDY: Our Christmas Countdown Tradition We have been doing a Christmas countdown in some form since the oldest kiddos were barely big enough to count all the way to 25. This is one of my favorite Christmas traditions with the kids because of the anticipation it creates, but also because of the ability to incorporate new ideas in with old favorites. There are endless...
Shopping for Your Kids - A Minimalist Christmas Shopping Guide
December 10, 2017 08:18 - 28 minutes - 26.3 MBChristmas Shopping for a Large Family FROM WENDY: This post should actually probably be called NOT shopping for a large family... We are pretty minimalist when it comes to Christmas, or even when it comes to toys in general. We have several bodies in our not-super-large home, and there is not a lot of room for stuff! At some point pretty early on, I made the "we will only have as many toys as will fit in these cubbies" rule, and established regular toy-purging times in our year to ensur...
BONUS - Puppy Search Episode 1
December 10, 2017 08:18 - 9 minutes - 8.56 MBThe Puppy Search Is On! We screwed up! Have you ever heard of the fog of war? Any good counselor will tell you that sometimes crazy decisions make more sense in the heat of the moment. In the pressure of trying to sell the idea of the last baby to our kids, we did what no good parents should ever do: we promised our kids a puppy. It's long overdue now and the pressure is only mounting. So the puppy search has begun. Sadly, we used to have a dog we loved. A dog like we used to have would be...
Should I Have Another Baby
December 07, 2017 09:01 - 24 minutes - 22 MBHow We Answered "Should I Have Another Baby?" FROM WENDY: I have actually asked Google this question more than once. I know, I know, we have a lot of kids. Why am I asking, right? But it never fails, baby fever hits one of the two of us when the smallest person in our house is somewhere between three and six months old. The "should we have another baby?" conversations start again, and the decision feels monumental. At this point, we don't agonize nearly as much as we used to. I fully ac...
Gift Guide for Him: What to Buy Your Husband
December 07, 2017 06:36 - 18 minutes - 17 MBChristmas Gifts and A Gift Guide for Him Click here to download the free Gift Guide for Him worksheet FROM WENDY: Full Disclosure: I Don't Buy My Husband Christmas Gifts Jamin is a super non-traditionalist (is that a word?) and does not like doing things that people do just because it's what we do. That includes gift-giving on particular days. This is why the kids and I are banned from making or buying any gifts for Papa for Christmas, Father's Day, his birthday...you get the idea. The ...
Great Books, Audiobooks and Podcasts
November 18, 2017 11:49 - 25 minutes - 17.6 MBAll Our Favorite Books, Podcasts and Audiobooks FROM WENDY: Much of my recent reading has been on the topic of homeschooling... ...as that has been my most recent endeavor. My top reads came highly recommended by multiple homeschooling friends and podcasts: Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler’s Guide to Unshakeable Peace This is an absolute must-read if you have been or are starting homeschooling. Sarah Mackenzie has six children and understands the stresses associated with raising an...
Taming Crazy Behavior and Reducing Chaos
November 18, 2017 11:35 - 14 minutes - 10.2 MBWhat We Do When Behavior Is Getting Out of Control FROM WENDY: Six kids can be crazy. Children in groups have this special way of amplifying one another’s attitudes or behaviors, and when one kid starts getting amped up, things can spiral fast. The key is to recognize the circumstances that lend to crazy and interrupt them as early as possible, before things get out of hand. As a former kindergarten teacher, I typically combat crazy with classroom management strategies. I recognize tha...
Great Family Bloggers
November 18, 2017 11:24 - 7 minutes - 5.46 MBFamily Blog Sites We Love to Read FROM WENDY: I have so many favorite homeschool and family bloggers, and the list is constantly evolving. Especially recently as we've plunged into the homeschool world, I have been extremely grateful for the wealth of information, ideas, and encouragement out there. In alphabetical order, since I love them all too much to rank them: Afterthoughts Brandy Vencel has great resources for people interested in a Charlotte Mason approach to homeschooling (if...
Fun Things To Do With A Large Family
November 18, 2017 11:14 - 16 minutes - 11.2 MBOur Favorite Fun, Memory-Creating Adventures and Family Outings Click here to download the Fun Family Day Cards FROM WENDY: It starts with an intentional investment in creating shared experiences. Years ago, a family we were close friends with had to be separated for several months due to a work situation. My friend and her kiddos stayed behind while her husband worked out of state Monday through Friday and flew home for the weekends. She and I had many conversations about the struggles...
Advantages and Disadvantages of Homeschooling
November 18, 2017 11:08 - 24 minutes - 16.7 MBHow We Weighed the Advantages of Homeschooling Click here to download the Advantages and Disadvantages checklist FROM WENDY: The advantages and disadvantages I planned for, and the ones I actually found. We did not set out to homeschool. In fact, once upon a time (not very long ago), I swore I would never ever homeschool. I’ve worked in classrooms for years, and I love teaching. I loved my job working at my kids’ private school. I worked with my best friends, my kids had teachers I resp...
10 Small Purchases We Couldn't Live Without
November 18, 2017 10:58 - 15 minutes - 10.9 MBThings Under $100 That Unexpectedly Changed Our Family Life Click here to download the Family Things Wish List FROM WENDY:: 5 Things Every Mom Should Own 1) A swing or seat that my baby loves and will sleep in Babies who nap in swings are just the best, especially when there are several other small children in the house. Toddlers are not understanding when you try to tell them, "I can't help you get your snack right now because I have to rock the baby to sleep." Don't get me wrong, rock...
Our Large Family
November 18, 2017 10:43 - 3 minutes - 3.24 MBOur Large Family Homeschool Mom Blog FROM WENDY: Who are we and what is our large family all about? We are Jamin and Wendy. We are two former elementary school teachers turned small-business owner (online piano lessons) and homeschooler. We are more famously known for having six children in seven years, four curly-haired girls with the two most awesome brothers. Yes, that means I’ve been pregnant for basically forever. And no, our house is never quiet. I like to think of it as managed c...
Large Family Laundry System
November 18, 2017 10:28 - 18 minutes - 16.7 MBHow We Tame Our Laundry Mountains Click here to download the Laundry System Dresser Labels FROM WENDY: Aside from cleaning the bathroom, laundry is my least favorite chore Maybe it’s over the top describing laundry as oppressive, but it’s hard to come up with a better word for a task that can so quickly and completely engulf multiple days of the week, and multiple rooms of the house. One of the most exasperating phrases is my six-year-old hollering, “I don’t have clean pants,” when we’r...