Meet Tami, the Mom of 11 Kids

When people hear that I have eleven kids, they are usually shocked. Frankly, I’m still a bit shocked myself.

I always knew I wanted a big family, but I never imagined it to be this big. After receiving an undergraduate degree in education and a graduate degree in social work, I married young.  Soon after, I had four beautiful children. Unfortunately that marriage was not meant to be, and I got divorced. I spent a number of years working two to three jobs to provide for my four young munchkins, and there were many tears along the way. It wasn’t easy, but through it all, my community — my children, family, and friends — were a constant source of support for me.

Then I met my husband. He was wonderful. He was, and still is, the love of my life.

And with my husband came seven beautiful munchkins of his own.

We always joke that we are the Brady Bunch on steroids — twice as many kids, with heaps of laundry, fighting, laughter, mud, and 20-lb bags of rice (which I can barely even lift). Parent-teacher conference season is exhausting, and I’m pretty sure the ER nurses know me by first name.

Parenthood is the greatest part of my life — it brings me more happiness, laughter, love, and support than I could have ever imagined. Even with all of the chaos, there is no one I would rather spend time with than my children.

That said, I still try to make time for myself in between carpools. I go to work. I try to meet up with friends for coffee. My hobbies, and my favorite stress-relievers are baking chocolate chip cookies, dancing, and DIY decorating. I love settling in for the night with a good book and really good television shows (is anyone watching The Americans? You should be!), and my favorite season is barbecue season.

Welcome to Mom of 11 Kids! This is a spot for moms to gather, to share our stories, and to support one another. I’ll be sharing mine, and I hope that you will share yours, too.

Come along for the ride as we travel the ins and outs, the ups and downs, and the highs and lows of the never-boring and mostly-beautiful journey that is motherhood.

Tami