Large Family of the Week – The Mercer Family!

Our first Family of the Week is the Mercer family from England. Mum Alexandra and husband Ashley have six children ranging in age from 15 down to one. 

Introduce us to your family (names and ages & tell us a bit about yourselves):

Henry is one, he’s my cute baby who’s currently learning to walk and talk.  He’s the first person in our family to have various food intolerances which is taking some getting used to.

Odin is three, he’s a gigantic, boisterous thing and along with that he has a hugely generous heart.  He loves daddy-cuddles and bedtime stories.

Imogen is seven, she’s our youngest daughter and loves her big sisters mollycoddling her.  Imogen is very sarcastic and is endlessly amused by winding up her younger brother.  Imogen loves to be different and I’m intrigued to see how she will be as a teenager and adult.

Samantha is nine, she’s our resident artist, she is constantly creating something and what she does create is beautiful.  Samantha is a sensitive soul with mood swings to match; I guess it’s what is known as an artistic temperament!

Honey is ten, she’s very mature and we call her the second mum because she loves to look after everybody.  She loves writing horror stories and it always amazes me how grown up her stories sound, I’m sure she’ll have her stories published one day.

Edward is fifteen, he loves playing computer games and being with his friends.  He’s also a fantastic artist, a genius at maths and easily the quietest member of the family.

I’m Alexandra and I’m 36, nothing is more pleasing to me than being with my family.  I enjoy knitting, running five miles a day and baking.

Ashley is 38, he’s my best friend as well as my husband, he too loves spending time with our family more than anything else.  He’s an expert in Wing Chung Kung Fu, he’s studied acupuncture and he is my running partner.

Do you consider your family to be large? If not, what do you think is the magic number which turns an average sized family into a large one?

Yes, I think six children and more is a large family.

Did you ever think you would have a large family?

It has been my dream since I was a little girl to have ten children.

What is your best moneysaving tip?

Buy in bulk and cook from scratch.  We save money by making our own bread, yogurt, cakes etc

What is your best tip for organisation?

In our house we have a very rigid routine e.g bedtimes, mealtimes and lesson times, this works very well for us.  We also have the children on a washing up rota.

What is your favourite recipe?

At the moment we all love shepherd’s pie but I don’t use a recipe.

Do you cook the same meal for everyone or cater for different tastes?

I always make the same meal for everyone, no fussy eaters allowed!

What is the best thing about having a large family?

There are so many good things about having a large family but number one on that list has to be the amount of love.

And what is the most difficult?

Not having enough bedrooms but I try to look at the positive side and see it as motivation to earn more money!  I’d rather have my big family than lots of empty space.

If you could offer one piece of advice to parents, what would it be?

Slow down, don’t rush through the day; listen to your children, what they have to say is very important to them so make it important to you.

Don’t you have a television?

Ha ha very funny, but seriously – no we don’t.  I don’t want my children being influenced by any television, it’s a dreadful waste of time and there’s always far too much going on here anyway.

Do you know what causes it?

Yes and do you know what?  I like it!

And finally, will you have any more children?!

I would like nothing more than to have more children especially as I’ve just had an 11 week miscarriage.

You can follow Alexandra and the rest of her family over at her blog Broody Me.

If you would like your to see your family featured as our Large Family of the Week email family@largerfamilylife.com with ‘Large Family of the Week’ in the subject line. Click here to find out more.