like calm. I don’t usually enjoy chaos. So remind me again why I had eight kids in thirteen years, five of whom were boys? Actually, I am very grateful to have had our eight kids! No matter how many children you have, there will be times of chaos. Our job isn’t necessarily to always keep a lid on the mayhem, but as moms, we are responsible for the tone in our homes. If there isn’t a certain amount of order, not much can be accomplished.

1. Is the root of the chaos that my children are out of control? In other words, am I setting and keeping healthy boundaries so that my kids have no doubts about what is acceptable and what is not? Am I being consistent in my discipline?

2. Is there an instigator? Is there one child who seems to be stirring the pot whose behavior needs to be dealt with?

3. Am I doing too much? Are my expectations for what we (or I) can accomplish more than what is realistic? Have I scheduled too many activities both at home and outside the home? Am I trying to teach too many kids at once? Do I need to simplify?

4. Do we need a break? Kids need brain breaks, and often boys need to get outside and burn off energy. I gave our boys the option to take ten to fifteen minutes on the trampoline, riding their bikes, or other physical activity in between each subject.

5. Do I need to break our concentrated learning into smaller blocks of time?

6. Are my kids eating too much sugar and simple carbs and not enough nutrient-dense food?

7. Is our learning environment promoting peace? There are certain types of music that are more conducive to this type of environment (usually classical or acoustic) that are available online. Are we encouraging a peaceful environment by our response to whatever is going on?