Bring Back Big Families

Our house is small, much smaller than most people would probably believe. I know people with half the kids I have who live in a house that’s literally 3.5 times the size of our house (not a joke or an exaggeration either) because they “outgrew” their previous house which was only twice the size of my house. I’m still perplexed as to how that’s even possible, but I digress.

I know the smallness contributes to it being a disaster area most days, a glorious battlefield of toys, blankets, books, and Legos strewn from the living room to the kitchen to the master bathroom.

The floor, you might ask? Oh, it stopped being a floor long ago. It’s now The Great Shelf, a collective landing zone for everything from half-built (or half-destroyed) Lego sets to board books with chewed corners, abandoned sippy cups, and the ever-increasing collection of stray socks. Every step across it is a negotiation with the chaos, a dance around dolls and balls and fire trucks, especially during a bleary-eyed 2:00 a.m. diaper change when you’re stumbling over a rogue puzzle piece or a crumpled dinosaur that roars underfoot with the slightest touch.

We’ve carved out small walking paths through the madness, narrow trails where the floor peeks through just enough to guide us from the kitchen to the couch to the bathroom without twisting an ankle. It’s not glamorous, and it’s rarely tidy, but it’s ours—this beautiful, messy evidence of six healthy, vibrant children filling our home with life.

Two Quick Tips for How We Manage the Chaos

1. Embrace the Basket System: We’ve scattered a few sturdy baskets (emphasis on sturdy here, as soft-sided bins just won’t cut it, not that I’m speaking to anyone in particular 😉) in our living room for quick cleanups. When the clutter feels overwhelming, we toss toys, blankets, books, whatever is around into a basket. It’s not a perfect solution by any means as the bins are disorganized messes themselves, but it clears the great shelf (ahem, floor) enough to restore some small semblance of sanity (alliteration unintended but welcomed).
2. Create a Nightly Path-Clearing Ritual: Before heading to bed, take a moment to have the kids clear a safe walkway for those inevitable midnight diaper runs. A quick sweep of the main routes can prevent a stubbed toe or a tumble over a rogue fire truck. It’s a small act from the kids that helps immensely with those groggy nighttime moments.

But here’s the real heart of it: as exhausting as the mess can be, it’s a fleeting gift. These toys underfoot, these blankets draped over chairs, these books scattered like confetti, they’re the fingerprints of our children’s childhoods. We’re so blessed to have six healthy kids to clean up after, to hear their laughter echoing through the chaos, to see their imaginations turn our home into a wonderland of their own making.

One day, the house will be quiet. The Great Shelf will become a floor again, polished, free from stains, and empty, and we’ll miss the madness. We’ll miss the Legos that always found their way under foot or into the couch cushions, the endless blankets that became forts and cuddle buddies, the books that sparked bedtime stories and more than a few imaginations.

So, for now, we try to embrace the clutter. We step carefully, we tidy when we can, and we hold tight to the gratitude that this beautiful mess means our home is full of love, full of life, and full of the six greatest blessings we could ever ask for. When the nest empties, we’ll look back, we’ll probably cry a little, but we’ll also smile, knowing these were the days that made our hearts, and our home, overflow with joy.

Feeling overwhelmed by your own family’s beautiful chaos? Share your favorite tips for managing the mess in the comments below, or join our community on X to connect with other big families embracing the clutter and the love! Let’s celebrate the joyful madness together.