I like taking care of my family

I have a husband, 5 kids, 2 cats, 1 dog, and I have lost track of how many fish we currently have. And let's not forget, I also have a SMALL house. My kids are still at that younger age of making messes: a 1 year old who pulls every book off the shelf just for fun, a 5 year old who loves to draw & therefore has about 50 sheets of paper strung out everywhere, an 8 year old who is sadly just kind of messy, and 10 & 12 year old boys who bring in dirt, leaves, sticks, wood, nails, bird feathers, rocks, etc. We do not do a lot of tv, video games, computer time in our house, which, let's face it, is time NOT making messes, except for the popcorn during movies. I am TRYING to teach my children responsibility by making them do chores, helping with laundry, doing dishes (no dishwasher!), just picking up. We have times when it runs smoothly. We have times when it does not. In all honesty, I actually have found that I LIKE doing the dishes and the laundry. The problem is: a) we are busy, I am busy so it does help if the kids can help. and b) it isn't fair if kids 1 & 2 do dishes and then I do dishes for kid 3. So I do struggle to find that schedule that is fair & doable. However, I realized something last night. It was one of those good nights: no activities, everyone just hanging out, no tv on, no one sick. In between playing with the kids, I got up & did the dishes (gasp, it was someone else's turn!), did some of the laundry, picked up SOME of the clutter. All while paying attention to the kids, listening to peaceful playing, drawing, etc. And I felt content. I felt like I was doing what a mom should do: taking care of my family. I thought about what I want my kids to remember when they grow up. Do I want them to remember me nagging them all the time about doing the dishes? Or do I want them to think about me doing the dishes & nurturing their environment? I know, I know, it's a balance. The kids DO need to do some chores. it's good for them. But I did come to a realization last night that I am going to change my strategy. I want them to do some of the dishes because it is good for them, but I want them to know that I am taking care of them & therefore, I am doing most of them. I want them to help with laundry because they need to know how to do it, but I want them to know that mom makes sure there are clean jeans, underwear, and socks (fyi, when i am having them do it, there are times that there are no clean jeans, underwear, or socks). So I am re-evaluating. I am going to change how we do things around here. It means that more of the every day chores (dishes and laundry) will fall on me. But I am hopeful that they will continue to learn & help in many ways and that our house will be more peaceful. I will update later when we see how it goes!