Getting To Church (or Anywhere!) On Time as a Big Family


With almost 11 kids in our family it is an impressive feat to get out the door on time to go anywhere. Personally, I prefer to be on time.  I find being late embarrassing and stressful. This is only worse when our whole family arrives late for church because it's hard to just slip in unnoticed with so many bodies in our crew. Several of them quickly approaching my 6'0!

Every Sunday morning I have the opportunity to practice my organizational and time management skills to get us to church on time, with all our stuff, in a calm and orderly fashion so we arrive in a good mood ready to worship God as a congregation.

Getting this right's taken trial & error and heaps of grace. Sometimes we still mess up and that's ok. Overall I have a few tips and tricks that make it easier to get us out the door on time whether it's church, an appointment or simply meeting up with some friends at a park.

1)  Night Before Prep - I’m more of a night person so I do more preparation on that front end than in the morning.  I find my focus better at that time of day so that is when I prepare breakfast ingredients or an oven ready dish.  I also check the diaper bag and add water & snacks for the littles.  The same principal would work with extra uninterrupted time in the morning if that's you.

2) Pre Select Clothes - In our family we choose to dress up a bit for church.  To make this easier on Sunday morning we have special colour coded hangers for our 7 boys with their weather appropriate Sunday clothes.  After laundry is done earlier in the week it gets put back on the hanger for the next week. For more about how we do big family chores without stress click here.

3) Set alarms - I calculate backwards from the time I prefer to arrive. Our service starts at 9:30 so we are driving by 9:15 in order to arrive by 9:20. With that reference point I keep working backwards for all the time points for breakfast, getting dressed, etc.

4) Buddy System: We assign one older child to assist one younger child to help them keep on track and help if necessary. This way the 6 boys stay up in their shared attic room getting ready while the 3 girls are preparing in their shared room until I call for breakfast at 8:30. Dad will check in with the boys around 8:15 to do an inspection.

5) Go Time: Through years of testing we have learned that we must have 10 minutes to fill the van IF I have everything else ready (see #1).  In the winter months we double that time. At 9:00 it's go time. Go get your Bible, go to the bathroom, go put on your shoes, and go get in the van. Buddies help buckle up littles. Dad oversees while I do last minute things. By 9:15 I’m last in the van for the 5 minute drive to church. By 9:25 we are sitting in the church building readying our hearts & minds for the service. Ta-da!

This is the simple system that works for us. If you need more or less time that’s ok!  Especially with newborns or special needs to factor in.  I give myself even more time when I have a newborn or little baby because explosive diapers tend to happen just as you are about to leave the house. You can get to church on time with some planning, trial & error and a big heap of grace!

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If this blog blessed you feel free to join my Big Family Moms community where I have lots more resources and encouragement for moms like you overcoming struggles and growing in grace. Here's the LINK if you like.

 

 

 

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