tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273980992008-07-18T04:47:37.942-07:00Meagan Francisnoreply@blogger.comBlogger282125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398099.post-50594649941221532122007-10-22T16:49:00.000-07:002007-10-22T16:50:43.734-07:00

The NEW Largerfamilies.com. Come on over!

Meagan Francisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398099.post-32553900559701700192007-10-07T22:13:00.001-07:002007-10-07T22:15:55.468-07:00

And what's going on here at Largerfamilies? Well, the answer is that I am still working on getting our new site up and ready to go--it's just taking a little longer than I'd expected! And I'm also REALLY backed up on e-mail. So if you sent me a note expressing interest in blogging with us, I'm not ignoring you! I hope to get in touch with everyone this week and have everything ready to go by

Meagan Francisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398099.post-81177975407004381572007-10-03T05:44:00.000-07:002007-10-03T05:47:38.651-07:00

(another crosspost for you) Trying to not lose my crackers is a constant battle. Losing my cool, losing my marbles, blowing my top .... LOSING IT. Hey, I have five kids. Six if you count my husband. It happens, right? I've been battling a cold this week, which means that my fuse has been a little shorter than usual. I noticed yesterday, when screeching at my offspring (it was the fever talking.

Bonnynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398099.post-77531586041125359652007-09-24T06:36:00.000-07:002007-09-24T06:39:32.644-07:00

This post is actually taken from my other blog, but I thought many of you could relate: One complaint I have with having four small children is the frequency of looks, stares, and unkind comments by strangers. Actually my complaint has nothing to do with my children, but everything to do with feeling like I'm some sort of freak when I'm out in public. It really seems impossible to be out and

Managing the MotherLoadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17581165495993436634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398099.post-22466307992861318432007-09-22T06:15:00.000-07:002007-09-22T06:34:24.842-07:00

I had the perfect post for this topic in my head last Sunday morning....but forgot to post it. Maybe that's a characteristic of a parent of large families - often being too busy living life to blog about it? Last Sunday morning when I got myself, my 7 year old and my two 5 year olds all situated in church (my two older kids have Sunday school opposite the rest of us) and turned to find that my

Bonnynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398099.post-11903053226622760122007-09-16T09:48:00.001-07:002007-09-16T12:34:26.811-07:00

Here's a great article about big families in the Sacramento Bee, featuring a family of 13. (Oh, and some quotes from yours truly). A couple of bits I really liked: "People tend to like children, so why would they dislike other people's children? It's only if they think those children are taking up space and resources that are in short supply," he says. "If everybody had 11 kids, it would

Meagan Francisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398099.post-10048003077069337782007-09-14T09:51:00.000-07:002007-09-14T07:01:35.933-07:00

(Note: We're Roman Catholic. Why yes, we fit the stereotype of the large Catholic family, thank you!) I love the idea of Mass being a peaceful prayer time to be closer to God. In reality, it's all about keeping the peace between children and not letting them be closer together. My first tip is to find a children's service. At our church, the children leave to another chapel during the readings

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02678413401804828554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398099.post-24333045075229797592007-09-09T16:57:00.001-07:002007-09-09T17:32:42.600-07:00

Okay, I know not all our readers are religious, but I'm sure all of us have had to figure out how to keep all of our children quiet, reasonably still and respectful during some kind of somber ceremony, whether it's a graduation, concert recital or a church service. Today was one of those days where my patience was tried a bit in such a situation. Our boys are attending a Lutheran school attached

Meagan Francisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398099.post-50916922184576639732007-09-06T15:19:00.000-07:002007-09-06T17:16:20.885-07:00

I've got plenty. How about you? I can come up with just about any excuse under the sun to keep from exercising - most of them valid, even. Here are a few of my recent ones: 1. I don't have time. Well DUH. I have five kids, right? And a spouse who works long hours, too. But then, well, I do have a YMCA membership, with free childcare to boot. I do have an alarm clock, too, to wake me up early if

Bonnynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398099.post-75984098366436742932007-09-03T11:35:00.000-07:002007-09-03T11:38:12.297-07:00

About two years ago, I was not a fan of exercise. Wait. Let me rephrase that. I thought it was good for my kids to exercise, so that they'd be out of my hair, but I didn't really think about the benefits that they'd reap - just that they were not in my space and in the way. Being a heavy wife and mother was just something that my family would have to live with. It kind of came with the

Meagan Francisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398099.post-40336661892854066222007-08-31T09:04:00.000-07:002007-08-31T06:28:46.759-07:00

I don't like exercise. I should say I don't like to plan to exercise. If I'm sitting at my computer desk and an elliptical machine magically replaces my chair, then hey I might just exercise. Although I think it might be a bit hard to use a mouse while doing that swinging arm motion. I have a good reason to be wary of planning an exercise routine. Each time I began a serious exercise

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02678413401804828554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398099.post-20291905663268021032007-08-29T09:36:00.000-07:002007-08-29T10:58:38.150-07:00

I LOVE to exercise. I crave it and am well aware of how it directly has an impact on my ability to relate to people...as in, my children. If I don't get out and move in the sunshine by myself every now and then, well, let's just say things are less than stellar around our house. BC (before children) my husband and I were very active. We participated in triathlons, sailed, surfed and spent

Jodynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398099.post-52039068365238660892007-08-28T14:25:00.000-07:002007-08-28T14:43:41.652-07:00

Since April of 2006, I've been on a journey toward better health and smaller pants. I've lost 56 pounds . . . yet feel the need to confess that I still want to lose 20 more pounds. I've been stuck at 170 pounds for six months, but that's neither here nor there. (Frankly, I'm kind of impressed by my plateau, because that means I'm not regaining the lost weight, something I've had a knack for

Melhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05705323208228362504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398099.post-28905661442447313772007-08-26T21:12:00.000-07:002007-08-26T21:47:29.831-07:00

For my birthday, my stepmother and dad gave me a bike. I was very excited. Though I've always loved biking, I haven't been on one in years. A few months ago, I picked up a double bike trailer on the cheap and now that I have both pieces (plus my trusty new hot-pink helmet!) I figured I'd be one of those moms you see wheeling all over town with her kids in tow. So tonight I decided to take the

Meagan Francisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398099.post-42612299554148980402007-08-23T11:40:00.000-07:002007-08-23T11:56:04.960-07:00

Back-to-school is probably one of my favorite times of year. Granted, it's also one of the most expensive times (have you ever noticed how, about the 2nd week of September, the idea of that one extra little 89 cent school supply purchase makes you completely lose your crackers??), but it's a time of year that I always look forward to with anticipation. One of the many things that I love about

Bonnynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398099.post-10627874385017713162007-08-20T21:15:00.000-07:002007-08-22T09:03:24.978-07:00

I interrupt our regularly-scheduled back-to-school talk to bring you these two calls for parents of big families! I know two reporters who are working on stories about raising larger-than-average families. One is writing about professionals (or former professionals turned at-home parents) who have three or more young kids (pre-teen) in the DC area. Another is writing a story about families with

Meagan Francisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398099.post-78202307612022756072007-08-17T10:25:00.000-07:002007-08-19T10:51:40.490-07:00

Don't get me wrong, I really do appreciate the few hours during the day without the majority of my children at home when school starts. (This year I'll only have 1 at home!) But back to school also means back to the insanity of our busy lives. Life is like a coin. There are always at least two sides. Summer is great because of the long lazy days without much to do. But then again the kids always

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02678413401804828554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398099.post-6836744717868264142007-08-12T13:53:00.001-07:002007-08-12T14:03:20.907-07:00

...and some big changes at Largerfamilies.com! First, pretty soon we'll be switching to a new platform. My vision is to re-work lf.com into something like a social networking site, where the users will be able to contribute content (tips, recipes, advice?) and add their own blogs to a blogroll--possibly maybe even have it set up so that you could have a snippet of your blog postings in a feed

Meagan Francisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398099.post-62265981398922840402007-08-09T13:54:00.000-07:002007-08-09T14:44:22.760-07:00

Cross-posted and modified from my blog... Another story about competitive mothering, only now, with a twist! This NPR story indicates that four is, in fact, the new two, in large part because women are becoming "competitive birthers", gestating and delivering as many children as they can in order to keep up with the Joneses! Granted, I don't live in the same communities or run in the same

Meagan Francisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398099.post-42540988639640741062007-08-06T21:02:00.001-07:002007-08-06T21:11:22.778-07:00

FAVORITE MAGAZINE One of the downsides of being a writer is that I rarely read magazines for pleasure anymore. I subscribe to many magazines and flipping through these used to be one of my favorite ways to relax. Now, no matter how hard I try, I always end up analyzing the magazines the way writers are taught to and it’s hard to just enjoy them as a consumer. But…there is one magazine that

Managing the MotherLoadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17581165495993436634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398099.post-40905808297445168972007-07-31T11:19:00.000-07:002007-07-31T12:04:43.513-07:00

I would like to publically, right here and now, thank Al Gore for giving me the internet. And perhaps the good people at Dell and AOL, as well, for getting me up and running. May blessings be heaped upon you all. My computer is my number one resource center. Those of you who have many children (or even less than many!) know how easy it can become to drown in, well, STUFF. Papers, books,

Bonnynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398099.post-23857376527460757862007-07-25T10:47:00.000-07:002007-07-25T10:48:19.886-07:00

I'm pretty scattered in this. I do read everything I can get my hands on - cereal boxes, magazines, flyers that come in the mail. I read at least two books at the same time, and am a regular at both Barnes and Noble and Amazon. So, what books, magazines and websites do I frequent? First on the list would be the MOMYs list and website. MOMYs stands for Mothers of Many Youngsters, and it

Melhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05705323208228362504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398099.post-57672430820074766792007-07-22T15:28:00.000-07:002007-07-22T15:54:19.514-07:00

For the next two weeks here at the Larger Families blog, we'll be giving recommendations and reviews of our favorite resources--you know, the books, magazines, websites and other tools that help us manage our homes and finances, raise our kids, put food on the table, and even care for ourselves. I admit that I chose this topic this week specifically because I wanted to make a rather self-serving

Meagan Francisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398099.post-54480678097619639512007-07-18T11:25:00.000-07:002007-07-18T11:57:56.703-07:00

I will be the first to tell you that I know very little about birth order. What I am pretty knowledgeable about however, is Middle Child Syndrome. Like many of you ... I've got one of those - a middle child. She's the girl who, in toddlerhood, we (temporarily) lost at every place we ever went to. Our favorite story to tell is that when we lost her at the apple orchard, at age 2, we ended up

Bonnynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27398099.post-28364325465144667722007-07-15T20:27:00.002-07:002007-07-15T20:35:52.771-07:00

I find birth order very interesting. As the oldest of three girls I’d have to admit that a lot of it is accurate when it comes to my sisters and I. The neat thing is that we’ve settled into our roles in the family and our differences really seem to compliment each other rather than compete. Now when it comes to my kids they are pretty young yet, but I can see where some of the typical birth

Managing the MotherLoadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17581165495993436634noreply@blogger.com