Having a large family is a bit of an anomaly these days. I understand that with that can come some questions and scratching of heads. I got plenty of that when we had three kids close in age. Even more so when we had our fourth, and now with five we get a lot of “bless your hearts”. This transitioning to a family of seven post is in collaboration with DockATot. Although I was gifted product all opinions are completely my own. Newborn photography provided by Shelby Mousley Photography where indicated.
It really hasn’t been a struggle yet, although I fully expect that’s going to come once baby girl starts moving around on her own. I thought I would answer some questions that we routinely get about having a large family. Especially one with little ones that are so young and close in age.
questions about being a family of seven
how do you do it all?
I’m sharing this one first because this is probably the question I get asked the most. The honest answer is that I don’t do it all! I have good days where I’m rocking it and I’m super productive. Then I have other days where I struggle and feel like I’m just treading water all day trying to stay afloat.
Pretty much every day I feel like I’m letting something slip through the cracks. Sometimes it’s housework, sometimes it’s dinner. Occasionally it’s homeschool (oops), and sometimes it’s blogging that takes a hit. I try to give myself grace when I feel like I’ve fallen short and focus on completed tasks.
how are you making a family of seven fit in your home?
We have about 1700 square feet and three bedrooms to fit our family in. Although it’s more space than some people have, we’ve had to get creative sometimes. Luckily, our children have learned early to adjust to noise, chaos, and an ever-changing sleeping situation. I have been loving out DockATot Deluxe+ because it keeps baby girl safe and cozy no matter where I have to move her to. Sometimes that’s on the family room floor while I work on a project nearby. Other times it’s outside while we watch her siblings play, in other instances it’s in our master bedroom while I’m folding laundry. It’s been the perfect addition to our household during this season of our lives.
when do you ever have a minute alone?
I don’t. Just kidding! Kind of.
Honestly, I don’t have a lot of “me” time. Especially since my husband and I have chosen to homeschool our kids during this season of our lives. Occasionally I get a girls’ night out and more often date night with the hubby. Generally speaking, my alone time starts when my kids go to bed around 7:30 p.m. and ends when we wake up the next morning. Does sleeping count as me time?? However, when I had one kid and now that I have five two things have remained constant–I can never eat a meal in peace if my kids are awake, and I’ve never missed my daily shower (unless we’re camping or something).
you must be so patient!
Full transparency here–I always say that I was so patient… until I had kids. I got sent some stubborn and high-spirited children who try my patience daily. Just like with being productive, I have good patience days and not-so-good patience days. This is another one of those situations where I just have to do the best I can and accept that all I can do is try to be better tomorrow than I was today.
Yes, being a family of seven can be challenging, not to mention expensive. However, so far I almost feel like once you have four kids it’s really all the same after that and five kids is a piece of cake.
At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.
Nobody burst my bubble, okay?
Newborn photography by Shelby Mousley Photography.
Website | Instagram | Facebook
9 Responses to transitioning to a family of seven
Great post. We are expecting my fourth and funny enough I get almost all the same questions. The dock a tot is high on my wish list. Being it’s my fourth I get no more baby showers lol so I’m hoping we can fit it in our budget tonpurchase one.
Such a beautiful family!! Thank you for being a candid Momma! I love your vulnerability! Also, I love that you point out any number after five is a piece of cake! That made me chuckle!
Great Post! I wish we had a dock a tot with our second, it looks easier than moving a bouncy seat around the house. My Moby Wrap was my friend with the little ones!
I love your honesty! I think your doing a great job! I have one child and a full time job and I can’t keep up with it all! You have beautiful children and I love your DocATot! It looks so handy to have!
Congratulations! You’re kids & baby are adorable!!! I love big families and commend those that have one! I would’ve loved to have sisters or more siblings that were close to my age. I only have one brother and he’s 9 years older than I am. My mom had 8 siblings growing up and my grandmother had 11 if I’m remembering correctly and if I were able to have had one myself, I would’ve been so on board with it.
Out if curiosity have you used/are you using washable diapers?
No, we use disposable. 🙂
Holy heck! And you homeschool!!!! I was thinking to myself lately that I can hardly keep up with my blog….maybe posting once a week now that I have two kids and yet here you are churning out high quality posts multiple times a week with FIVE young kids! You are a super hero!
Trackbacks/Pingbacks
[…] picked a planked wood print from photography.com to show off this sweet capture of my girls by Shelby Mousley Photography. I liked the look of the planks and knew that it would work great with our home décor, but I was a […]