When people see, hear, or realize that you have six children, many questions and comments follow. Here’s a list of the ones I most commonly hear, including a few of my favourite answers:
Question/comment: “Why did you have so many kids?”
My response: “I kept having them until I had one I liked.”
For the average MoFo (Mother of Four) or MoM (Mama of Many), summer presents unique challenges. This is mostly because we have SO MANY DARN KIDS hanging around. So while we get to celebrate not having to pack school lunches, this also means that our kiddos are no longer out of our house for six hours a day, compliments of our government.
There are some things that make living with many small people a heck of a lot easier. I’m pretty sure that every item I list as essentials are things I swore I’d never want at some point in time. Now, I wouldn’t be without them:
Raising a half a dozen children has made me a little more practical and a little less romantic at times. When Valentine’s Day rolls around, I do my fair share of cringing. I think I’m still traumatized from my childhood days. It seemed so odd that somehow Valentine’s Day romanticized children’s relationships.
There are certain family products that seem to irrationally irritate people. In fact, some of them have incited rage. What can these highly offensive items be?
The top three family products that bring out the haters are:
In our house, we don’t go too crazy over the Hallmark holidays. But seeing as the kids do loads of crafts for these occasions, there is some celebration. The thing is, with a big and busy family, it is difficult to have a “day off” even if it is YOUR day.
According to my calculations, six kids equal a ridiculous amount of Hallowe’en candy. Parents always wonder: do we let them gorge and be done with it or do we portion it out over an extended period of time? I checked in with nutritionist pal, Theresa Albert, who basically said it’s six of one, half a dozen of the other. Her advice? Get rid of it altogether—you really don’t want your kids consuming that much sugar.
So, apparently there has been a lot of “buzz” around this question, and I have been asked several times over the last week if I do, in fact, have a favourite child.
Are you a parent who thinks you have a favourite and feel guilty about it? I think the issue is confusing for a few reasons:
Back-To-School season is an expensive time for families. With five little ones heading off this September, I put all my own tips and tricks in high gear.
It’s Inventory Time!
Go Through Those Closets: Purge the stuff you no longer need, but keep an eye out for those little gems that are hand-me-down worthy. They are invaluable—we rely on hand-me-downs from older siblings, cousins, neighbours and pretty much anyone else who is willing to drop a bag off at our front door!
