Large Family of the Week – The Pearson Family!

This week’s Large Family of the Week is the Pearson Family from England. Mum and Dad, Adel and Blane, have six children. Find out about their family here:

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

Blane (40) is my ever supportive husband & best friend.  Blane’s my rock, my guidance, my support & my right arm. We’ve been together for 20yrs (is it that long?!) and I’m always thankful for what he shows me in life. Hes the laid back one, the one that keeps me calm in my moments of chaos & never moans despite me having a little bit of a handbag obsession! Blane is a natural father, he sees the children for who they are & who they are about to become. He has total faith that they will succeed in all their challenges.

Adel (me!)…well how do I describe myself??…I solved this one by asking a fab friend of mine. She described me as loud, always laughing, thoroughly organised, enjoys a challenge & stands by faith. I need to obviously bribe this friend more often 😉 I love being a mum of 6, I honestly count my blessing that we’ve been given a large family. I always wished for lots of laughter, chaos & unity when I was younger….I’ve never taken our children for granted.

Grace & Ruby (7) – 1^st set of twins…”The girls” as they’ve become known over the years are my everything. They are non-identical however everyone (including Blane & I) get them muddled up. Ruby is strong willed like me, she’s my challenge and my reason to encourage ambition in my children. I adore the way she has compassion & understanding for her siblings. Grace will make it to stage school. She loves to re-enact plays, dress up & boss the younger ones into “acting the part”. She will make a wonderful mother when older.

Isla-Mae & Isobel (5) – 2^nd Set of Twins – The “Toddlers” as they are still known (despite being 5) are my strength. They’ve shown me raw determination through their own personal struggles of having Disabilities. They never quit, they are always smiling & will see new avenues when I see closed doors. Isla-Mae is known as “Smila-Mae”…she’s always smiling J, she loves to dance, wear so much sparkly plastic jewellery its unreal & enjoys being with Mummy. Shes an image of my Grandmother which I love. Isobel is my “Question Girl”. Why do we have electric? Why do we need soil? Why does Grandma get shorter the older she gets?! She is a sponge for information, she amazes me with knowledge she knows at such a young age. She adores her brothers and will be mothering them when they’re married I’m sure!

Stanley (2) – Stan the Man as we call him was a wake up to us all J From having 4 girlies and a house of pink our worlds descended into trains, climbing on EVERYTHING & wanting to eat dirt! Hes my challenge & my cuddly boy who loves a soft blanket and a sneaky hug from Mummy. I adore his confusion to life & will be gladly doing his laundry still when hes moved out and left us!

Reginald (12wks) – I was overwhelmed when another boy was sent to us, I was so pleased that Stan wouldn’t be alone with 4 girls! Reggie is podgy, giggly & is a big ball of squishy cuddles. I would sit with him all day and let the world go by. He’s our last child & I will cherish every moment with him. Hes loved by the 5 others however I’m sure he will be the tallest & biggest of the bunch!

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?

If someone said to me you’re going to have 6 children I would of laughed & thought “who on earth can cope with 6 kids?!” However now Im raising 6 of my own I see that the more I have the easier it becomes. I was in chaos with the 1^st set of twins…4 more and I’m a well oiled machine!

Did you ever think you would have a large family?

Oh yes! I could never see us with 2 or 3…the more the merrier.

What is your best moneysaving tip?

Cook from scratch, bulk cook and freeze it up. Buy bread and milk when reduced and freeze.

What is your best tip for organisation?

Prep it all out the night before. I lay clothes, shoes, bags etc for school. I even have the cereal all poured out ready with the spoons in! It always works without fail. I work by a A4 binder, with everything in that needs doing from appointments to chores etc. I hate being disorganised.

What is your favourite recipe?

Anything in a slow cooker! I live by using one of these! (Shepherds Pie is always a firm favourite here!)

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

Same for everyone – if you don’t like it you go hungry!

What is the best thing about having a large family?

No one is ever alone. We always have each other, there is always someone to cheer you up, help you out or make you look at things differently.

And what is the most difficult?

Having 6 children of 7 & under is a challenge some days as they are all still very dependent on us. However its getting better – although I would still like to be able to get them all strapped into the MPV in less than 20mins when we go out! 😉

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

Go with the flow. Don’t stress over the little things, tomorrow is another day where you can start again and have another go.

Don’t you have a television?

Yes – too many of them!

Do you know what causes it?

I believe a chap called Philo Farnsworth first gave the world a demonstration of a television set 😉

And finally, will you have any more children?!

Sadly no, however I count ourselves truly blessed to be given 6. I cant wait to see the challenges that are ahead for them.

Thank you to Adel and the rest of the beautiful Pearson family for participating! Please do leave a message for them below!

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.