The morning rush involved in getting a family up, fed, dressed and off to school or work resumes for many households this week.

For one household, it will resume to the power of 10.

Kim Waiter from Nowra Hill has 10 children, aged from four to 18, all of whom will this year attend Nowra Christian School.

To outsiders it might look like anarchy, but Ms Waiter described the routine as “organised chaos”.

“It’s full-on at breakfast, but I do get a cup of tea in bed,” she said.

Once it’s over and the kids are gone, Ms Waiter is confronted by sudden silence.

“Yes, it looks like a bomb has hit the place after they leave but it’s a small price to pay,” she said.

“I try to teach them life skills and get them to do as much for themselves as possible.

“It’s pretty much a military operation in the morning, everyone is responsible for themselves with the big ones looking after the young ones.

“But someone will be saying they can’t find their shoes.”

Ms Waiter who had 10 children in 13, years worked full-time shiftwork with the police while serving in the Army Reserve and completing a degree through Monash University.

At times she calls on her military experience to keep things running smoothly.

“I do from a logistics point of view, making sure everyone’s fed and with the day-to-day running of the place. It’s not that dissimilar to running a section in the defence force.

“I don’t think twice about it, it’s one of those things we just roll out and do,” she said.

Ms Waiter admitted it was unusual to have so many children at the same school at once.

“People get a shock when they find out. They do the double-take – even more so when they realise their ages are all so close.”

For most families the resumption of the school year usually coincides with a shopping session in readiness for the year ahead.