How Life Works...

Many people ask us about how we do things, or how our family operates, or how we make it work with all these kids!  Well, let me tell you this, it's not easy!! Until you work together.  and yes, I know I've blogged about this before, but as more people are finding our blog as I've been posting it more to Facebook (www.facebook.com/supertonka), I'd like to just answer them all here!

It all started like this... 

Yup, that's the day that Hubby officially proposed.  We already had quite the family, and wanted to continue to build it together!  We've now added 3 more to our brood, though most people only count the Hippo, since she's the only one they can see.

So... to answer the questions I usually get...

How can I stay home?  Well, because hubby works like a crazy person!  

By day, he is a High School Cafeteria Manager.  Does that bring home amazing money? NO!! not at all, but we pay our bills, have a roof over our heads and have gas in our vehicles, so does it really matter that we can't afford crazy vacations and trips to the salon, only sometimes when mommy isn't feeling like a DIYer...  

We pay cash, we save money every where we can, and though we do afford ourselves luxuries like cable and smartphones, we would cut those out too if it was a choice between those luxuries and feeding our family.  

We wheel and deal!  Hubby was (in another life) a businessman in the antique/art/auction business, and sometimes, when he gets a bug up his sleeve, he starts up again.  We'll buy something CHEAP at a yard sale and he trades and sells and buys his way into what he wants!  It's quite entertaining to watch, though sometimes the kids and I hide in the car so we don't have to listen to the man sell ice to Eskimos (no seriously, sometimes I really believe he could do it!). 

We aren't afraid to work oddball jobs!  Check out the How We Provide tab on our blog to see just what all we do!

And... to top all that off, I"m a photographer.  I work from home (obviously!), but because I can schedule photo shoots around our family schedule, it works out great for us!  I can shoot anything from families to newborns to weddings and commercial deals, so if you need something done and you're local, hit me up!!

How do we keep the house clean?

HAH! Hubby would say it isn't ;-).

But, we do what we do through TEAMWORK!  Everyone has a job, even the Hippo.  The boys deal with trash, everyone helps with grocery shopping and putting away, the kids put away the dishes that mommy washes, everyone puts their own belongings and clothing away, and CHORES are my best friend!  Everyone has their chores, and they have to be done, or the house will quickly fall apart and be nearly unlivable!  Just please, if you drop by and think that the house is a mess, remember that WE LIVE HERE, not just exist.

How do we get places in a halfway timely fashion?

Again, Hubby would say that we don't.  Simply because he lives on Lombardi time and thinks that "on time" is LATE!  but again, the way we get out of the house is simple, TEAMWORK! (Are you noticing a theme?)  Wherever we go does require pre-planning, at least to an extent.  I typically get the girls showered and dressed, hubby brushes their hair and diapers, zips and buttons as needed while I take my shower and get dressed.  The bigger kids help the little kids find shoes and get them on.  The big Bubba gets the diaper bag packed with essentials while I do the girls hair... seriously, their 3 heads and my 1 of hair probably accounts for at least half the time we get ready!  Sinead O'Conner might have been on to something with her haircut ;-)!  Than on our way out the door, hubby and I tie up any loose ends as the kids load up!

How do we feed everybody?

Well, at the table! :-).  I menu plan a week to two weeks at a time, I shop sales, and we aren't afraid of leftovers!  They might be reused in the original way they were cooked, or completely remade, but assuming that they don't get lost in the depths of the fridge (AKA behind the milk!) most everything gets used at least once more before it is all gone!  Our kids have to eat what's in front of them, thankfully we don't deal with any food allergies, and that's that!  You finish your appropriately portioned plate, and you deal with it!  There have been a few times when my spices went crazy and dinner was too spicy for someone, and in that instance, they had to try it, and were allowed to make a PB&J when their eyes started watering ;-).  See, I'm not totally mean!  Oh, and mommy cooks, typically daddy dishes while the kids get drinks and utensils, the kids run plates to the table, and EVERYONE clears their own plate!  Even the Hippo when we let her ;-).

I think that's about it for the "normal" questions!  Do you have a question?  I'll try my best to answer it... just leave it in a comment below!