You know you've had too many children when...

[LynetteScavo]

You nearly have a heart attack paying for their new school uniform, then struggle to carry it all home.

I am only just 30 - but I have had dc in the last 3 decades! DD - 1998, DS1 - 2002, DS2 - 2003, DS3 - 2011!

Oh YYY to the ice creams - I went to buy my dc and their 3 friends cones from the van the other week - and it cost me almost £8 for 6 cones!

Just wanted to say how much I have enjoyed reading this. Your lives sound amazing, chaotic but lots of love in there. I have 1 DD and she will regrettably remain an only, I always dreamt of 6 children. However every day I count my blessings that I am mummy to this lovely child.
Good luck to you all. I am off to put my feet up because I can!

My aunt has 10. She would use the 'evening up' response to rude people who would ask if she was stopping now, or whatever. "6 boys and 4 girls" she'd say, "I've got to have at least a couple more to get the numbers right".

at some of the questions you've been asked. Somebody did say to me 'You'll be too old for more now, won't you?' - she is not wrong, but .

I now think I should have replied to the offer of condolences somthing along the lines of "Well, after 4 MCs and one critically ill preemie, a normal pregnancy ending in a lovely VBAC and with a healthy baby in my arms, I am quite happy with my lot, you douche you.

I have also often had to confirm that yes, we have television AND central heating - and I don't even consider 4 children that big a family (much as it enough for me).

babbi, enjoy your rest and thanks for your post . Sometimes I do need reminding how lucky I am to in the end have the family I hoped for. Enjoy your DD.

When rarely seen relatives just give piles of colouring books rather than buy individual presents for each child. While DD1 is thrilled, DS1 has perfected his smile and nod at this. DD2 keeps trying to eat them . This happened across several relatives we visited over the summer, it was almost relief when one gave them sweeties instead!

I haven't been asked if they have the same father, but my husband has been asked if they are all his...while I and the kids were standing right there...by someone asking for a charity donation. I was in shock - the man did not get a donation.

When you tell someone you're expecting, and their first response is "Why??" .

And I only have three! (though heavily pregnant with DC4). I did get a lot of 'perfect pair' comments after my second (eldest is boy, then girl) - had a post-natal midwife laugh at me when I said I nor my DH were getting 'fixed', but were happily open to having more!

the kids I teach often ask me if they all have the same dad on hearing i've 4 kids, they're only youngsters though so can be excused. No excuse for a mother I barely knew in the playground asking me when i was pg with DS4 if it was an accident!

''we were thrilled with each of our boys when they arrived and went into preg no 5 TOTALLY assuming we would get another boy, we werent going to find out the sex, but the sonographer said she had a clear view (i took that to mean boy) so when she said girl i nearly fainted and told her she must be wrong, poor woman, checked a hundred times and when i still insisted she was wrong she said 'i am not allowed to say i am 100% sure but i am 100% sure this baby is a girl' i still didnt believe her, paid for a private scan at 28wk and then when dd was born i said 'is it really a girl' ''

lol just put that in reverse for me. i didnt get rid of any girls stuff in case the scan was wrong about ds being a boy.

i have just been show shopping for the gils. only ended up kitting out 2 of them at over £100, so another 2 pairs of shoes and dd1 gym shoes to get. so no wine for me this week on the shopping

i took all the children and two of dd1's friends out with us for dd1's birthday earlier this year. so 7 in total. as i gathered them all up, i jokingly said to someone 'they arent all mine' she said' 'wouldnt matter if they were' so i replied 'ok only 2 arent mine, the rest are' oh the look on her face lol.

do you find that everyone looks on in amazement at your large family, yet to you it doesnt seem that many?

It is actually the opposite, here, its definitely an Irish thing, what more could any mother want but four fine sons! Especially the older generation my mil and older aunts just rave about that fact! Irish boys and their mammies and all that

people say thoughtless things after having ds after 4 wonderful dd's. winds me up something chronic.

"You will be their Queen forever" I often hear - if my boys don't worship the ground I walk on forever more and look after me in my dotage, I want my money back .

But I also get the opposite: "Oh, no girl to look after you when you are old" - Yeah, because any wish or desire for a particular gender depends on who you'd like to wipe your bum when you might need it?? WTveryF?
I never had children to ensure I'd be looked after later on, much as it would be very nice if they still wanted to talk to me .

You know you've had too many children when your friend with 1 DS visits and the poor child is totally overwhelmed by the level of madness noise in your house - as witnessed this afternoon.

I know I have too many children
because we are about to order a triple bunk bed for the girls.
I am pregnant with dc5 and the first thing most people have said is to ask if dh will get the snip now!
My maternity jeans were needed at 8 weeks pregnant ( sob)
When I take them out alone on the bus it is not uncommon for people to stare - getting worse now that I am pregnant.

i was this triple bunk

Misdee that's pretty much what we are ordering! . We are just hoping to free up some floor space in their room, they normal all sleep in one bed anyway (like puppies all piled up) but I would feel bad without them having even the option of their own bed!

we currently have a 'normal' triple with the double at the bottom. but maybe f we move house i'll get the one i linked to :)

misdee and pepsi, depsite having their own beds, mine have all camped in the one room all summer! They have 2 singles pushed together and they call it 'the ultimate bed'. I have to let dd in too and then take her out to put in the cot when she falls asleep!

misdde what ages are your girls, I might have husbands for them all if your stuck

lol mine have all been on a double airbed in dd1/ds room the last week.

dd's are 11, 9 this week, 6 and 2. ds is 8months old.

what about this bed or this would solve everyones problems

no one for the 11 year old. but have husbands for the 9, 6 and 2 year old. they come from good healthy stock

as long as you dont expect me to be all tradiontal and fork out for the weddings, then your on!

love the second bed lol.

I started calling them by birth order- ie Number 1, Number 2, Number 3, Baby. So much easier than trying to remember their actual names, which I always mix up along with the dog's and any visiting niece/nephew/friend.

When people say 'you're not having any more, now are you?'

I only have 3 but that is too many for us .

Socks - I have a bag. Each day clean and dry socks go in the bag and then every couple of days I sit and pair them up. After a good couple of weeks with the same odd ones left in the bag, I throw them away and then find the other one when I clean the kids rooms .

Names - DS2 gets DS1's name sometimes. All 3 get the wrong name, once I have called one of them by the cat's name but often I just say, Oh, whatever you are called!

Counting - I spend my life counting to three.

Behaviour - you know you have had too many when 2 are being nice and the other one is being a PITA.

But I wouldn't be without any of them, we just need a break.

I have had to iron name labels into some of the pants - 4 dds and me and we all own the same style boxer knicks

Also with school socks I buy them 9 or so pairs each all different to the other styles (although biggest and smallest could be the same) and I get them to do their own clothes sorting so they can argue out what belongs to whom between them

you refer to them by numbers instead of names

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