T
TarAshly
Guest
Ok I give up. Who’s Martha and what is she showing us how to do?
- Status
P
Princess_Abby
Guest
Martha is Rob’s Wife and she has EIGHT kids. Yes, eight. She knows what she’s doing!Ok I give up. Who’s Martha and what is she showing us how to do?
Martha,
Thank you very much for your reply. So much good advice. It really makes me feel better to see how you guys have managed with only each other (and God, of course).
How did you go about picking guardians for your kiddos if something should happen? We only have one kidlet so far but since most of our friends are so young, they were very taken aback to be asked. The one we picked have since reneged so we have to re-think. All family is out. Most of our friends are still so young and unsettled in life (not quite married, etc.) that its too big of a responsibility for them to fathom. Plus we hesitate to pick someone who has not yet chosen their spouse.
T
TarAshly
Guest
OH COOL! any idea how to deal with a two year old who hates hates HATES to be told no, when you tell HER no she wags her little finger at you and says “NO MAAM” and then you start laughing? this is my niece of course whom i ABSOLUTELY adore. No kiddos of my own yet, but hopefully before too long I will need Marthas help too. 
R
Rob_s_Wife
Guest
Martha is Rob’s Wife and she has EIGHT kids. Yes, eight. She knows what she’s doing!
LOL I’m sure glad it seems that way to everyone else! Where were you when ds #4 was screaming like a tortured, raving lunatic over being sent to his room this afternoon?
How did you go about picking guardians for your kiddos if something should happen?
**We used to say it would be another large family we know, but that lives on the east coast. Now however, it’s probably no one. Nothing against that family though, I’m still great friends with her and guardian of her kids. **
**Danged if we won’t just have to manage to stay alive until at least the older ones can take on the younger ones.**
Both sides of the families are out (mine b/c my kids might actually be better off in foster care than with them - his because they’ve refused) and friends just could not handle taking on 8 more at once for many valid reasons - although they might step up if they see them being divided up. I know at least 2 godmothers would have a desperately hard time seeing that happen or them being raised without the Faith.
R
Rob_s_Wife
Guest
OH COOL! any idea how to deal with a two year old who hates hates HATES to be told no, when you tell HER no she wags her little finger at you and says “NO MAAM” and then you start laughing? this is my niece of course whom i ABSOLUTELY adore. No kiddos of my own yet, but hopefully before too long I will need Marthas help too.
**Why nothing of course! You’re the auntie! You get to let lean back and let mama handle it! **
T
TarAshly
Guest
Hahaha! thats the best advice I have heard yet!
R
Rob_s_Wife
Guest
I’ve started a blog and there are many possible uses I may put it to:
kids pages to showcase their education
family life
tips of the ‘trade’ of a mom of many
random rants and ramblings and reflections
I’m having serious writer’s block. I do not want to use it like a daily diary.:yawn: My dh says if I enjoy it and can keep it updated or it seems to support a need in other families then we might consider getting a better service to support it next year.
What, if anything, would you like me to write or showcase on my blog?
kids pages to showcase their education
family life
tips of the ‘trade’ of a mom of many
random rants and ramblings and reflections
I’m having serious writer’s block. I do not want to use it like a daily diary.:yawn: My dh says if I enjoy it and can keep it updated or it seems to support a need in other families then we might consider getting a better service to support it next year.
What, if anything, would you like me to write or showcase on my blog?
P
Princess_Abby
Guest
Okay I will just admit to a complete and total fascination about your life, so…honestly anything you write about would be worth reading to me.
I would love to hear about:
How do you function with Hyper G when all the kids need you for schooling, meals, mom-time, etc?
I read on your blog that you only shop for groceries every 2-3 weeks. How in the world do you do that!!! How do you store all the food? Do you have a well-organized pantry? A separate freezer?
Do you have any tips for saving money on groceries, or stretching money in general?
Do you have super-sized recipes to feed the whole brood or are they little enough that it’s not a major issue?
As a mom of eight, I’m sure you are an expert at home remedies and treating kidlets for a variety of aches or pains. Are there any you can share?
Do you and DH feel like your time together is mostly family time or do you make time for the two of you after bedtime?
Do the kids have routine or rotating chore lists? What do they do?
…and I’m sure I’ll come up with more questions later.
I would love to hear about:
How do you function with Hyper G when all the kids need you for schooling, meals, mom-time, etc?
I read on your blog that you only shop for groceries every 2-3 weeks. How in the world do you do that!!! How do you store all the food? Do you have a well-organized pantry? A separate freezer?
Do you have any tips for saving money on groceries, or stretching money in general?
Do you have super-sized recipes to feed the whole brood or are they little enough that it’s not a major issue?
As a mom of eight, I’m sure you are an expert at home remedies and treating kidlets for a variety of aches or pains. Are there any you can share?
Do you and DH feel like your time together is mostly family time or do you make time for the two of you after bedtime?
Do the kids have routine or rotating chore lists? What do they do?
…and I’m sure I’ll come up with more questions later.
R
Rob_s_Wife
Guest
Okay I will just admit to a complete and total fascination about your life, so…honestly anything you write about would be worth reading to me.
I would love to hear about:
How do you function with Hyper G when all the kids need you for schooling, meals, mom-time, etc?
I read on your blog that you only shop for groceries every 2-3 weeks. How in the world do you do that!!! How do you store all the food? Do you have a well-organized pantry? A separate freezer?
Do you have any tips for saving money on groceries, or stretching money in general?
Do you have super-sized recipes to feed the whole brood or are they little enough that it’s not a major issue?
As a mom of eight, I’m sure you are an expert at home remedies and treating kidlets for a variety of aches or pains. Are there any you can share?
Do you and DH feel like your time together is mostly family time or do you make time for the two of you after bedtime?
Do the kids have routine or rotating chore lists? What do they do?
…and I’m sure I’ll come up with more questions later.
**Well I did ask for it, didn’t I? Thank you, I will take all of this into consideration when adding to my blog! **
S
Suse
Guest
Hi, Martha, I’ve been a reader but I have to ask (after viewing your kitchen pics on your blog).
How do you (or do you) keep your bookshelves in tact without the youngest ones pulling everything off of the shelves as soon as your back is turned? My 3 yr old and 18month old can’t seem to keep the books on the shelves, they’d prefer them all over the floor in FRONT of the shelves, then proceed to walk all over them. I manage to have them help me pick them up, but as soon as I turn around, the books are down again. I don’t want to restrict them from looking at their books, but whew, it’s a chore.
God Bless, you are very helpful!
How do you (or do you) keep your bookshelves in tact without the youngest ones pulling everything off of the shelves as soon as your back is turned? My 3 yr old and 18month old can’t seem to keep the books on the shelves, they’d prefer them all over the floor in FRONT of the shelves, then proceed to walk all over them. I manage to have them help me pick them up, but as soon as I turn around, the books are down again. I don’t want to restrict them from looking at their books, but whew, it’s a chore.
God Bless, you are very helpful!
A
aurora77
Guest
I just have to tell you, Martha, your kids are adorable! I was looking at your blog and that baptism pic says it all–everyone looks so happy!
S
stayathomemom
Guest
Hi Martha!
My two girls (ages 6 & 4) seem like they can’t get along and it’s driving me insane. Sometimes they can be so loving to each other, and other times it’s constant bickering. Everyone tells me they seem like they are so close (they walk around holding hands while grocery shopping etc.), which on the most part they are. But lately it seems to be getting out of hand.
Having eight children, how do you deal with your children’s petty arguments and sibling rivalry. I try to spend individual time with each child to make them feel special, but sometimes it comes back to bite me in the rear because then they compare what each other got to do and the arguing starts all over again. AHHHHHHHH! I am at my wits end, and feel so frustrated.
HELP!!! I would like to know WWMD?
My two girls (ages 6 & 4) seem like they can’t get along and it’s driving me insane. Sometimes they can be so loving to each other, and other times it’s constant bickering. Everyone tells me they seem like they are so close (they walk around holding hands while grocery shopping etc.), which on the most part they are. But lately it seems to be getting out of hand.
Having eight children, how do you deal with your children’s petty arguments and sibling rivalry. I try to spend individual time with each child to make them feel special, but sometimes it comes back to bite me in the rear because then they compare what each other got to do and the arguing starts all over again. AHHHHHHHH! I am at my wits end, and feel so frustrated.
HELP!!! I would like to know WWMD?
R
Rob_s_Wife
Guest
How do you function with Hyper G when all the kids need you for schooling, meals, mom-time, etc?
It’s a blur now. I can say it’s possible to grade math between puking bouts, anything that you can either put in the oven and walk away from or a kid can put between bread slices works for food, mom-time?? what’s mom-time? I can say it’s amazing how quick everyone is to leave you alone when you’re puking. Well, except for the littlest one who imitates mom by pretend puking in an imaginary bucket. Does that count? Maybe someone should refresh my memory of this subject if I get pregnant again.
I read on your blog that you only shop for groceries every 2-3 weeks. How in the world do you do that!!! How do you store all the food? Do you have a well-organized pantry? A separate freezer?
It’s not as glorified as it sounds. Really it isn’t. We can’t buy enough milk for the entire time, but most of it is cabinet foods. We have a seperate freezer, but can’t really afford to stock it as we’d like yet.
Do you have any tips for saving money on groceries, or stretching money in general?
No, not really. Sorry.
Do you have super-sized recipes to feed the whole brood or are they little enough that it’s not a major issue?
Yes, all receipes are super-sized.
As a mom of eight, I’m sure you are an expert at home remedies and treating kidlets for a variety of aches or pains. Are there any you can share?
The #1 off the top best… 90% of the time is simply “Let them be.” The body is a great creation. Most of the time rest and water will cure. The 2nd place runner up would be fresh air and sunshine as a preventative. 3rd place… treat the problem, not the symptom.
Do you and DH feel like your time together is mostly family time or do you make time for the two of you after bedtime?
Yes to both.
Do the kids have routine or rotating chore lists? What do they do?
routine and just about anything they can. the rule of thumb here is 1 week to teach them the chore, 1 week to do the chore w/ supervision, and 50 weeks of practice. EXCEPT take care of the baby. Parents do the feeding, diapering, clothing, bathing, ect… They might get the priviledge of helping mom, but it is not their job. They are siblings, not an extra set of parents.
My two girls (ages 6 & 4) seem like they can’t get along and it’s driving me insane. .
Having eight children, how do you deal with your children’s petty arguments and sibling rivalry.
HELP!!! I would like to know WWMD?
They sound fine to me. This is an on-going thing in any home with more than 1 person in it. Our family motto helps much of the time. Each child also gets “their day”, so it’s not a bother when one gets a treat because they know their time will come around. I think I’ve written about this before, but if you don’t know what I mean I’ll post it again. No problem.This is usually not about petty arguments. It’s about being young and needing to learn communication and negotiation skills. No yelling, hitting, mean behavior allowed. No matter what the issue - this gets them seperated. Try not to intervene too much. (I know that’s a tough one b/c they are driving you insane and you just want some PEACE, don’t beat yourself up over it.) If you do intervene, do so at the very beginning before it escalates by giving them incentive to work together. "Quit fighting over the toys or you will both have to come sit on the sofa until you can play without arguing."
"If you can’t play without fighting, then you can’t play."
**You say it is recently getting worse? Did the 6 yr old start school this year by any chance? **
Sorry if I haven’t been responding. For some reason my posts thingy didn’t show any new posts to the thread.
S
stayathomemom
Guest
**You say it is recently getting worse? Did the 6 yr old start school this year by any chance? **
Thanks for the advice. That’s my whole problem…I DO beat myself up over it. I feel like I must not be doing something right.
The 6 year old did start 1st grade in August. She does AWESOME in school, behavior wise and academically. She even won an honor given rarely by the principal for being a good role model.
I guess she is just starting to need some independence.Recently, the arguments have been over our newest family member - a 10 wk old maltese named Zoe. It’s either “she held her longer than me”, “she is not holding her like you said”, “put her down”, “I had her first”, and the best one so far “Zoe is licking K’s ear and not mine” (like I can make the dog lick her ear
).Ahhh, finding patience as a parent is so hard sometimes. Does the arguing ever get better?
R
Rob_s_Wife
Guest
The 6 year old did start 1st grade in August. She does AWESOME in school, behavior wise and academically. She even won an honor given rarely by the principal for being a good role model.
No, I don’t think so. I’m not knocking your educational choice. It’s just a very typical problem when they go to schools. (My kids did it then and I’ve heard teachers complain about family dynamics changing this way too.) They start to value individualism and peers over siblings. They start to view siblings as inferior or a nuisance. You solve it by basicly having a zero tolorance policy for treating family that way.
Recently, the arguments have been over our newest family member - a 10 wk old maltese named Zoe. It’s either “she held her longer than me”, “she is not holding her like you said”, “put her down”, “I had her first”, and the best one so far “Zoe is licking K’s ear and not mine” (like I can make the dog lick her ear
Sounds familiar. My kids do the same thing with Bridget! lol Same rule applies. If they can’t do it nicely, they can’t do it at all. Make sure this applies to BOTH of them, not just the older one. Otherwise you will have an older child that resents the younger and a younger child that takes advantage to manipulate.
Ahhh, finding patience as a parent is so hard sometimes. Does the arguing ever get better?
**Yes, they do get better at arguing.
F
Feanaro_s_Wife
Guest
EXCEPT take care of the baby. Parents do the feeding, diapering, clothing, bathing, ect… They might get the priviledge of helping mom, but it is not their job. They are siblings, not an extra set of parents.
This really stood out to me. I agree 100% but wasn’t sure it was possible in the real world (I only have one baby for now so don’t know anything yet, lol). I think it is wonderful of you and your hubby to accept so many of God’s little gifts AND treat them as such (instead of worker bees).
Malia
This really stood out to me. I agree 100% but wasn’t sure it was possible in the real world (I only have one baby for now so don’t know anything yet, lol). I think it is wonderful of you and your hubby to accept so many of God’s little gifts AND treat them as such (instead of worker bees).
Malia
A
aboverubies
Guest
:
“broadband…broadband…broad-baaaaaaannnnnd!”
Well - we need you Martha! We need you to ditch that dial up and get blogging and pass on all your wisdom and experience in being a homeschooling mama to 6 boys and 2 girls so far…( I love the ‘so far’ bit.)
I reckon it’s the dial up that’s causing the writers block, it’s so frustrating…you need broadband! Once that’s set up, it’ll all just flow.
You **need **a creative outlet. You need a way to connnect with family, friends and cyberspace. You need to help the mama’s following in your footsteps.
Are you getting this Rob? Martha needs broadband!
In the infamous words of Animal from The Muppet Show
“broadband…broadband…broad-baaaaaaannnnnd!”
aaahhhh! I get it…if your lovely DH sees that your blog is meeting a need in other families (like all of us) you get to ditch dial up and zoom off into the wonderful world of broadband?! Am I right? :ehh:
Well - we need you Martha! We need you to ditch that dial up and get blogging and pass on all your wisdom and experience in being a homeschooling mama to 6 boys and 2 girls so far…( I love the ‘so far’ bit.)
I reckon it’s the dial up that’s causing the writers block, it’s so frustrating…you need broadband! Once that’s set up, it’ll all just flow.
You **need **a creative outlet. You need a way to connnect with family, friends and cyberspace. You need to help the mama’s following in your footsteps.
Are you getting this Rob? Martha needs broadband!
In the infamous words of Animal from The Muppet Show
A
aboverubies
Guest
A
aboverubies
Guest
I’m with Princess Abby on this one in admitting to a complete and total fascination to know how a homeschooling mama of 8 (so far) operates on a daily basis 'cos I want to be one too!
I’d love it if you could write about the everyday stuff that you’d never find in a parenting or homeschooling book…as you mentioned, the tips, rants and raves that come to mind as you are going about your day that make you think “I wish someone had told me that years ago…it would have been so helpful”…you know that kind of thing.
Remember in the previous thread before the crash when some tips on budgeting were posted? Well they were all great ideas but it was interesting to see that many did not actually apply to a really big family. And you shared why they did not apply. These kinds of tips are invaluable because you only learn this through experience…or through someone passing on their aquired knowledge. That’s you Martha!
I also find websites extremely helpful. It can be a bit tricky to just stumble across them in cyberspace so if you can pass on any you’ve found helpful that would be great.
And pictures! Pictures are just plain fun and enjoyable.
Of course broadband is essential for loading up pictures.
R
Rob_s_Wife
Guest
Well they are little worker bees, but with all the other worker bees and the mom/dad to help it’s not that big a deal. BTW, my children tearfully plea to take care of the babies. I have been accused of not sharing. This is a habit we formed years ago because for our first 5 children, the oldest wouldn’t have been able to do much at the ripe age of 7 effectively anyhow.:
aaahhhh! I get it…if your lovely DH sees that your blog is meeting a need in other families (like all of us) you get to ditch dial up and zoom off into the wonderful world of broadband?! Am I right?
We hope to a bit better off financially next year and dial-up is an area we would both like to improve. However, if the blog thing goes well, dh says he has no issue with paying the small yearly fee for a better blogging service if we can fit it in the budget.
I also find websites extremely helpful. It can be a bit tricky to just stumble across them in cyberspace so if you can pass on any you’ve found helpful that would be great.
**Ug. I’m with you on that. I never do net surfing, but I love a good lead.
- Status