Well most of my posts are, well, kinda deep. I am going to try some down to earth, real life stuff. The real life of this newly working mom of many. So often I am asked how I do it, the answer is easy, I don’t. I have so many people who support me and help me every day in all kinds of ways. And I am so grateful. So here is a post of how our life runs, what our day looks like and how we all work together.
I have 6 kids at home, 18 d, 16 d, 15 1/2 (foster)s, 13 s, 7 s, 5 s, and 2 adult children 25, 23 who are married, one granddaughter who live out of province. I have been married for 26 years to a traditional husband, who owns his own company, and whose dream would be to hunt everyday of his life. (ok maybe not every but most days) We live on the land he grew up on, we have gardens, and a few animals, some are pets, some I tolerate LOL. When the wind blows we have to sit under blankets, and our driveway blows shut in the winter. Our two story house is too hot in the summer, our basement can have a puddle when it rains to hard and there is always some kind of project. The spring is muddy, the fall is busy. Seasons come and go, and life is lived the best we can, but perfection is not the goal.
We try live simple, we watch old movies in the evening, go to bed early and our children like to stay at home. We have never bought into the idea that our children need to be so busy they don’t have time to get into trouble. They have time to play, to explore different ideas and interest. We homeschool and its a life style we all enjoy. I use to cook most of our food from scratch, I still try, but sometimes I know I have to be realistic and buy spaghetti sauce. Raising this many children, for this long has so many rewards, but money is not one of them. However there is never a shortage of someone who is willing to give a helping had, hugs are abundant and love is given beyond what we deserve. We have no secrets to give after being married 26 years. A marriage has seasons just like everything else, enough said.
Our routine is the same and yet with 8 people, in a country home one must be prepared for anything. In the morning we wake up anytime from 4am (my man is an early riser) to 9am . The children who are school age are asked to be up around 8 so that we have time to get book work done before I leave for work at 11:30. As they are getting ready, I start supper, throw a load of laundry in, and clean up the kitchen. I try and do 15 min on the treadmill (new find, best $40 we spent at the second hand store), 150 bounces on the rebonder, and a few minutes of yoga. That is my ideal morning but it doesn’t always happen. There are days the dog pees in the house, milk spills on the floor or the washer breaks down. Life is rarely something that is predictable.
The afternoons are not always as productive as I would like while I am at work.
The older ones will have a to do list, the littles would play outside for hours if they could convince one of the teens to play with them but often they watch TV or play with their toys. 2 days a week the little boys go to my parents, its a blessing, a privileged I dare not take for granted. So before you feel too sorry for my teens they really only watch the little ones twice a week, and often their dad is around. Our older kids lives are not void of all fun, they have Army Cadets once, sometimes twice a week, and they choose to go to a local youth group on Fri nights. Sometimes I have tried to get them more involved, sometimes I know they wish they has more friends to hang out with, but over all they are happy. There is no pressure from peers to look or be a certain way, they are free to develop and be who they want to be.
In the evenings we have supper, watch TV, kids will play cards or a game. The summer evenings are spent on the deck, or puttering on the yard. In the winter we watch the kids skate on the ice we make on the yard, or playing on snow hills in the dark. Activities that seem as predictable as the seasons themselves. At 9 dad and the littles go upstairs to bed, you can hear them playing and laughing together. Really our littles are more then old enough to sleep in their own room, but Glenn and I know this time is short and they love making shadows on the wall, laughing a google jokes, and just spending time with their dad. The teens go to bed around 10 (later on the weekends) and I shortly after. I love sitting in the house when its all quiet, its a small moment in time.
Well this is our simple and yet complicated life. Oh there are all kinds of organizing tips that may come later, pre made supper ideas, chore list, and lessons learned after 25 years of parenting. But really I want to share with you the joy of watching your son skate for the first time, hugging your daughter when a friend has stood her up again, or making a big pot of soup that smells so good you can’t help but smile. Family is a magical thing when you take the time to see it. I hope you take a minute out of your busy life and find the magic of simple pleasures.
Sparrows Lane 