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Original poster

A general, friendly, supportive larger family chit-chat thread, anyone?

182 replies

Misfitless · 20/02/2015 10:01

Does anyone on here fancy striking up a general thread, like the one that they have in the one-child families topic?

Preferably not with imaginary cakes and wine and butlers and virtual massages, etc though?

No need to post everyday unless you want to, just a chance to get to share the ups and downs with each other, as and when?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
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ZingNinjaRoll · 27/02/2015 10:52

ISay

which one is hardest to settle?

ZingNinjaRoll · 27/02/2015 10:55

I try to remember what I did when we had 3.

2 years between first 2, then 17 months.
I think that by the time DS3 had a proper bedtime routine I would put DS2 in bed first, then DS3, then DS1.
(but I can't remember)

ISaySteadyOn · 27/02/2015 11:05

Thank you, it's just nice to know that others have come through it as you clearly have.

We've come up with a solution, actually as both DD2 and DS are pretty difficult to settle when they are teething which is what is going on. Luckily, I can tandem feed them while DH settles DD1.

ZingNinjaRoll · 27/02/2015 11:56

oh it's far from over for us! Grin
BabyZing is only 7 months and started rolling,sitting &,crawling all within the last few weeks so his sleep pattern is a bit disturbed and ZingGirl (almost 3) is a nightmare to settle.

then we have ZingLad1 (13) and ZingLad2 (11) who are up till 10pm. no child free evenings anymore!Smile
(the other 3 are very good at going to bed)

mammaof4girls · 27/02/2015 12:07

fatswan great questions.

  1. I never thought about children. I got pregnant at 15 and had dd1 at 16. fell in love with being a mum. decided i wanted 3. had dd2 just over 2 years later. dd3 2 years 9 months after dd2. few hours after having her i knew i wanted another. dd4 arrived just short of 2 years after dd3. went on the pill (about the 15th they tried me on over the years) thought it was working i was actually pregnant. my body doesnt react well to hormones! had a mini break down and then 2 years after dd4, dd5 arrived our beautiful bonus baby. We couldn't be happier.

  2. Never had good pregnancies. always sick and terrible spd. dd4 was the worse i could barely walk had to have crutches.

  3. we live in a 3 bedroom at the moment. currently moving all the girls around. hoping to move to a bigger house soon!

  4. i drive a 7 seater grand Picasso but i would love a mini van like the vw one. although we can all fit in the 7 seater theres not much room for all the stuff that comes with them!

FiveHoursSleep · 27/02/2015 13:18

I can't remember much about trying to get them to bed when they were little either. I know I was doing bath/bedtime alone and hated it.

DontyouhaveaTV · 27/02/2015 18:02

Hi can i join in? I have been looking for a positive chat about large familes as mine is deffo bigger than the norm, i have 7 with num 8 due in april,
they are 17,15,13,(boys) 11(girl) 9,7 and 2( boys) and bump is a girl!
my hubby works full time and am a sthm but try and boost our income by selling stuff online, we live in a 3 bed but use one of the downstairs rooms as a bedroom for us.

Am i addicted to chaos? not really but i think i am to pregnancy and birth!

I love being pregnant and have had 6 natural births all intense but no major probs, num 7 was an emergency c section which was horrific and i am now VERY nervous about the same thing happening again as i going to try for a vbac....,

I dont drive but hubs does we have a megane he uses for work and a 806 8 seater for family trips...but Now the older ones are teenagers they tend to do there own thing now,
All the kids were planned but more so by me than hubs!

FatSwan · 27/02/2015 20:35

Thanks mamma! I can just hear how happy you are Smile

You too Dont! Congrats on #8! Wow...8. Hard to imagine!

FatSwan · 27/02/2015 20:38

Oh and Zing, I knew you had a big family but I didn't know 7! Again, congrats on BabyZing.

ZingNinjaRoll · 27/02/2015 21:00

Dont

Congrats! you go girl!Thanks

we are definitely done. would have loved 8, but for many reasons we are stopping.

my SIL2 is due with #10 in 2 weeks. that will be grandchild #26 for my PILs.
do I win the thread? Grin

ZingNinjaRoll · 27/02/2015 21:01

FatSwan

thank you! Smile

sosix · 27/02/2015 21:19

Wow 8 dcs!!

disneymum3 · 27/02/2015 22:15

DN is 5, 4month older than DS1. DH let her talk to her mum on the phone last night while I was at work. She seems a bit happier today but still misses her mum and wants to go home.

ISay I have 3. There is 15m between DS1 and DD, and 3y between DD and DS2. The older two go to bed at the same time. Then DS2 goes to bed when he starts drifting to sleep.

DontyouhaveaTV · 28/02/2015 18:55

Thanks Fatswan & Zing

And yes Zing i think you win the thread Smile

Bedtime is a nightmare for us a the mo as we have 2 teenage boys sharing with 2 younger one ( 9 & 7), the younger ones go up together but the teens want to still be in there room watching tv or playing games, so this always causes rows and normally ends with me screaming at them all like a banshee!
I really need to enforce a rota!

to try and solve the bedroom issue we are trying to save for a loft conversion but we still have a long way to go.

Buttwing · 28/02/2015 23:09

We have a 5 bed house and I'm very grateful for the space but we just seem to fill it with crap! I'm about to get a skip and do a massive de clutter/ eBay sell. I just can't cope with all the stuff every time I open a cupboard something hits me on the head. It doesn't help that dd2 is the worlds worst hoarder she told me off for putting a broken tiara and the bit of paper from the inside of a kinder egg in the bin today, " mummmmy they are my destructions!!" Hmmm think you mean instructions dear Grin
I'm a sahm and we have a 7 seater X5 and a Mercedes ml. I've just had a hire car while mine was fixed and it was a land rover discovery which was quite nice back seat was much wider and I could fit three car seats across it comfortably, I could also fasten dds without scraping my fingers everytime!

ZingNinjaRoll · 28/02/2015 23:54

dont

we must have very similar aged kids. my eldest is 13.

we are currently waiting for planning application to come back on our house extension design.
it's gonna be a big job but we need more space. Which is why we moved last May, now we have a really nice big garden and the space to extend!

5madthings · 01/03/2015 17:00

I posted earleir on is thread sbotu expecting number 6, sadly it wasnt a sticky bean :( despite it being early days i feel a bit heartbroken, not helped by getting the educational psychologists report on madthing2 on he same day i started to miscarry. He has high functioning aspergers, or asc as they now call it. That was not a shock, we knew that, reading the report was hard thoug, jusy seeing in black and white how much he is struggling really hurt. Onwards and upwards thouh a 'label' means access to support and help so he can be ok at his high school (he is 12, yr8) and lots of talking for myself and dp, haivng been done with 5 the suprise pregnancy and loss is making us reasses whether we want another.

sosix · 01/03/2015 17:47

Sorry for your loss 5madthingsFlowers

imip · 01/03/2015 18:21

Flowers five

TheFirstOfHerName · 01/03/2015 18:32

Sorry to hear about your loss, 5madthings

I have a son on the autistic spectrum, in Y8 at a mainstream school. It's certainly a rollercoaster. Please PM me if you have specific questions, or come over to the SN boards; I have found them to be friendly & supportive.

ZingNinjaRoll · 01/03/2015 18:38

sorry about your loss 5mad Thanks

I had a MC in 2008. it's heartbreaking Sad

ZingNinjaRoll · 01/03/2015 18:39

*to hear about

ISaySteadyOn · 01/03/2015 21:21

Sorry for your loss, 5madthingsFlowers.

FatSwan · 02/03/2015 00:52

So sorry madthings Flowers

FiveHoursSleep · 02/03/2015 08:54

Sorry to hear about your MC 5madthings :(
My second DD was diagnosed with ASD ( Autistic Spectrum Disorder) last year. She's in Y7, her first year of secondary, and is desperate to be normal. It wasn't a surprise and we are also having her assessed for AHDH. She probably has Dyspraxia and Sensory issues as well, so life can be tricky.
It does impact on family life too :(