How do you do it?

Hello all!
I always get that question... I say "Oh I have 4 kids!" They give me this look 0_0 or something similar then they say "OMG How do you do it??!!
I always give the same answer.. I know.. its cute.. you can tell me that later.. but here it is.. "I'll let you know when I figure it out!" I get the obligatory laugh and then we move on.
The truth is.. that is not just a cute answer.. its the TRUTH! I honestly could not tell you other than some basics how I get through each day with 4 kids attached to me for basically 24/7. Any SAHM will tell you that this is a simple truth. It does not matter if you go out without them.. you usually talk about your kids. It does not matter if they are in the same room or not.. you are always surrounded by them, their stuff and their sounds. It gets to you sometimes.. some days you are like... about to pull your hair out and other days you revel in it. You sit there in the pile of laundry and cry.. or you sit back and watch them attempt to drive mario and his friends around a track and dread the day you have to help them to learn to drive! (but you do smile that that day is a VERY long ways away.. or is it 0_0)
There are 3 small things I do every day that help me survive.. with at least partial sanity.. they are:
1. Schedule!! Even if your schedule is to play for 8 hours.. throw them food occasionally and then put them to bed whenever they finally shut down.. YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WANT FROM YOUR DAY!!! That is the point! Even if you know it is going to be one of those endless summer days.. and you have no real plans.. YOU KNOW WHATS HAPPENING! My kids, especially during the school year are in bed at 8 (or they all were till my 10 yr old wrote a paper for her class and asked for an additional 30 to 60 mins before bedtime so she could have some "me time". So now she goes to bed at 9) and they get up at 630... all of them.. even the one not in school. They get up.. eat and get dressed.. and are out the door by 730. They get home at 230, do homework and then get to change into play clothes and, you guessed it, Play! Summer time means sleeping no later than 9.. everyone gets to pick 1 activity per day and meals are still at normal times but bedtime is backed up to 9 with a proviso for if they want to watch a movie or something. But.. there is always a plan.. there is always a schedule!
2. Give in once in a while. You know what I mean.. your kids are like "Please please please please" and you have held firm in your "NO!" up till now.. but now .. someone has done something awesome and you want to reward them. Of course you know what they want.. they have been begging for weeks.. so.. "SURPRISE!!" that thing I said no to 1000000000 times.. I am now saying YES to! Enjoy it while it lasts.. 'cause baby.. it is not going to last long!
3. Be FIRM, CONSISTENT.. but.. KIND!For me.. being firm keeps you in control. Yesterday at a party, my kids were attacking a friends brother (he was ok with it for a while.. but then he was done) and I walked up.. said "Ok guys, Thats ENOUGH! Lets get of him NOW and go play elsewhere!" All the kids (including about 5 that were not mine) all climbed off him and went and found something else to do. He was like.. "WOW.. you have GOT to teach me that one!" I told him.. "Stick around.. you may learn something!" He swears it's mind control.. I tell him.. Firm.. and consistent. It's a truth! If your kids know what you expect of them and you dont waver in that, they will go out of their way to make you happy. Kids want their parents to be happy because happy parents means more fun for them. A happy parent is more likely to pull a #2 than remind them of #1 where #2 is not in the plan! (reading back that last line didn't sound right in my internal monologue.. but we are all adults here right {bring on the giggles})
So.. if you follow these 3 steps.. you might.. just might.. make it through your kids childhood. I by no means guarantee that you are any closer to surviving teenagers.. but.. from birth to about 12ish (depending on your child) you MIGHT make it through!
There will always be things that work or don't work with your kids. There will always be trial and error with kids. Having kids is a learning process.. one that you both learn from and it can be scary and fun and awesome and awful. These are the things I have learned in nearly 11 years of being a mom and I'm sure that moms that have been at it longer can help you too. Never be afraid to ask another mom what works. You may get a load of garbage.. or you may get that gem of an idea that makes your life sooooo much easier!
Leave me your comments on what works/doesn't work for you and tell me what you would like me to talk about in the next blog. I will be posting a few times a week and really would love some feedback!
Take care, God bless and ttyl!
Katie