Mums of Many it's August!

[baltic_ballet]

Welcome




2010 Mums of Many Threads:
Mums of Many - July
http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1239712
Mums of Many - June
http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1229724
Mums of Many - May
http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1220205
Mums of Many – April
http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1210515
Mums of Many – March
http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1200838
Mums of Many - February
http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1190429
Mom’s of Many – January
http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1177896

[Kidzaplenty]

[onyxravnos]

not quite a mum of many but slowly and surely adding to the brood - hope to be a MOM someday

[wendybird]

[SashaBreeze]

I saw this thread today and thought "oh, I'm one of those!"

Looking forward to getting to know you all better.

[phathui5]

4 children here: 9yo, 6yo, 4yo & 3yo.

I'm starting to miss my little people. I'm a doula (which I love) and I've been with this couple on and off since Friday and it looks like I'll be spending today at the hospital too.

[DreamsInDigital]

Subbing, though I probably won't be posting much. Baby is coming very soon!

[homeschoolingmama]

I have a 7, 6, 4, 2 and 1 yo's. I think that classifies me as a mom of many. We would like one more.

[mariaz]

Every month I think I'm going to actually post more than once in The MOM's thread--and then I don't. Maybe this month.

I currently have 6 kids (one foster child). They are 6, 4, 4, 2, 17months, and 3 months.

[~Demeter~]

Originally Posted by mariaz

Every month I think I'm going to actually post more than once in The MOM's thread--and then I don't. Maybe this month.

This is sooooo me.

I have a 15, 11, 8, almost 3 year old (wednesday is her birthday!) and I'm currently incubating #5.

Today is my birthday! So far I've spent it on the couch...

[zjande]

Originally Posted by mariaz

Every month I think I'm going to actually post more than once in The MOM's thread--and then I don't. Maybe this month.

.

Yep, me too!

My shorties are 19, 12, 4, 2, & 9 months.

DiD! OMG you are having a baby! I thought you were divorcing! Babies come when babies want to come I guess! I hope things are going well for you & yours.


I want to ask you guys how you do bedtime stories. Like, what are your rules if any? Where do the kids sit, who picks out the books, what if a child is yelling or talking or jumping on the bed during the book? Is it strictly "lie down, be quiet while mom reads" or a more chaotic affair? And does your baby just climb all over you while you read? Do you read in sessions? Like for the littles & then for the olders?


I'd love to hear the bedtime story routine at your house.

And secondly, do any of you MoMs keep a blog? HERE is mine. Do share yours!

[wendybird]

Zjande, I read your blog! Lol, I didn't put two and two together. I love it!

[Marisgirl]

Joining in, as with the birth of the twins I will be a mom of four soon. I can't believe that our family is going from four to six literally overnight!

[zjande]

Originally Posted by wendybird

Zjande, I read your blog! Lol, I didn't put two and two together. I love it!

I read yours, too. I'm the one that nags you to post more pictures! I do like your new header picture.

[mariaz]

I have a blog here--http://maria-zanti.blogspot.com/

I used to post much more frequently but I haven't had much to say lately.

As for bedtime stories--it's totally chaotic. I have two very good listeners and one terrible listener. My two (almost 3) year old is up and down but listen when she wants. So I read and stop if it get way too loud but otherwise I just keep going over the noise.

[DreamsInDigital]

Originally Posted by zjande

DiD! OMG you are having a baby! I thought you were divorcing! Babies come when babies want to come I guess! I hope things are going well for you & yours.

I am divorced, have been for almost a year. I met the absolute joy of my life at the absolute worst time of my life but somehow we've managed to make lemonade out of dogpoop and now I'm this guy all day long with my giant gaggle of wonderful small people.

Baby girl is due the 26th but having some issues so she's gonna be another scheduled induction a bit early like the last one, rather than the homebirth I wanted yet again. Sigh. My body is obviously telling me no more babies, and so I'm listening and getting a tubal after she comes. Honestly, I wanted a dozen babies, but not at the expense of my health and the well-being of any potential future babies. I'm a little sad about it, but how many people on this earth are lucky enough to have 6 children? Plus I have a fantastic not-exactly-step-daughter at the magical age of 13 and she rocks.

I could write a novel about how much they've all grown and how amazing and hilarious and awesome they all are. I should blog, especially now that I work from home, and mostly on the computer.

Okay, bedtime stories. I LOVE bedtime stories. We stagger bedtime a smidge so everyone gets some devoted time with mom. I sit with baby boy and read him a board book before bed at 8, then at 8:30 the two middlers get a slightly older but still more pictures than words kind of book, then around 9:00 (though it's often later during summer) the two olders either read to each other by themselves or I'll sit with them and read them something from a chapter book (we recently revisited the Lemony Snicket series and they loved it) but it's really the only way everyone's happy because they're all at different levels of interest and attention span. Of course, there are times when they all want attention at the same time and that's when I just tell them a story about my childhood or one of my made up on the fly crazy stories that sends them all into fits of giggles. Fun times.

[SashaBreeze]

No blog here....yet. My dh has just about convinced me to start one once the twins arrive. I have had a weight problem for several years but have not really done anything about it because I was soooo busy, or at least in my mind I was. I have either been breastfeeding or pregnant (or both ) for the past 7 years so I never really fretted much about it. Just before getting pregnant this time around ,oops , I had suddenly realized how much my energy has went down hill and what little physical strength I have anymore so had decided to actually attempt to do something about it. Once pregnant I decided to put the thought up on a shelf and then something really amazing happened a couple of weeks ago. Turns out a good friend from highschool has recently started teaching women's fitness and that her husband is a personal trainer. I have been e-mailing back and forth with her about my fitness issues and she has decided to take me on as a personal growth type of project. She really is a gem of a woman and a very like minded mommy. She also suffered from a birth injury in the past so knows how to work around that. Soooo long story short she and I have been working on a personal fitness program for me for once the twins are born and she and dh think I should do a blog during all of it to give other mom's motivations. So who knows... maybe in a few months I will be joining the blogging ranks.

********************************************
We group bedtime stories by age. The younger ones crawl around and such and no big deal but when I read to the older ones they either pay attention or I figure they are not really into the story and close up for the night and talk about maybe selecting a different book for the next session.


Zjande I have been reading around on your blog after you posted a link. LOVED the looks of your herbal shampoo recipe. Got a question about it though. You use Rosemary Oil is it only for the scent or is there a hair health reason you use that? Would a different scented oil work just as well in place of it? You have a GREAT blog by the way.

DiD congratulations on your new little one and on the induction. Looks like I will be facing one down here in a few months myself and my heart goes out to you.

[crittersmom]

Hanging out looking for baby news to coo about.I know someone was due around this time?
My 5 year old starts K this week and DD is almost potty trained ( she needs help wiping).I am in between hoping this baby comes early because at 32 weeks I feel like I am 36 weeks and the hyperemesis has lasted the whole time and I am sooo hungry.But if baby stays until her due date then the two older ones will be on a month long break so I'll have that time to adjust to 5 little ones without having to worry about drop offs and homework and a newborn.
At least the weathers nice and I live where muumuus are fashionable since I am at the land whale stage of pregnancy.
Happy birthday Demeter!
I hope your birth works out perfectly DiD! I too have realized this has to be my last baby.
I don't really read at bedtime its usually throughout the day to help calm them down.My herd are mostly the same age so they get the same kind of books.The baby does usually end up crawling all over and I keep reading and let them wander off.Sometimes we have our oldest read to the youner ones or to us and about once a month everyone has to read to the household even the littles, they "read" the pictures.It makes for a fun night.

[fairymom]

Stories- Right now it's kinda easy for me since I've only got 3 that could/want to be read to. LO gets boardbooks though out the day so at bedtime he just ready to sleep. DS5 gets a story- we take turns picking out the book. And DD8 sometimes listens in, or will ask for me to read one to her (her choice) but she's actually content to read to herself for a while at bedtime. I know in a few years time this will all change!

Blog- I blog and am afraid to share my link with you all! But here goes: http://fairymomsjournal.blogspot.com/ Please be kind- I'm in denial that ppl (other than friends) read it!

[wendybird]

Ok, I have added the new blogs( I Love reading blogs)to my blog folder and will faithfully check for updates. Fairymom, no extra kindness needed, your blog is great .
I put a couple pictures on mine now. I guess I didn't realize it was only a click a button kinda thing and just never tried to before, but I will make an effort to keep pictures coming. I love pictures more than I love blogs.
http://arrowsinourfist.blogspot.com Here is my pathetic blog. I am trying to do better by it, but it is what it is.
I don't do bedtime stories here. We do a family devotional with a bible story at the table( I give the kids a coloring page to accompany it if they want to draw or color), we talk about it, then they brush teeth and go to their beds. I keep the youngest two up with me. When the big kids are in bed I go in and talk to them quietly for a couple minutes about what would be cool for tomorrow, then turn out their light, sing our goofy little goodnight poem ,and they go to sleep. The littles go to bed with me after some toddler time.They also wake up about two hours later, so that balances out nicely.
I wish I would do bedtime stories, but I am usually read out loud weary by bedtime. We do read alouds for school each day and honestly...my jaw hurts from talking that much!