A woman with 11 children and a twelfth on the way has shared the reality of her huge family’s busy daily life – from doing five loads of laundry a day to their eye-watering grocery bills.
Lisa Tanner has children ranging in age from 22 to 20 months, alongside her high school sweetheart and husband, Bryan.
The 40-year-old homeschools eight of her brood, with her day starting at 6.30am and involving cooking, cleaning, teaching the kids, and then, doing freelance writing work in the evenings.
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The family spends £1,200 ($1,600) a month on groceries and relies on cleaning rotas and meal plans to get through the busy days – but the mum says she loves the chaos.
“There’s never a dull moment,” Lisa, who is based in Missouri, US, told What’s The Jam.
“Of course life is busy and there’s always a lot going on – especially as the kids are getting older – but it’s comprised of so many little moments I wouldn’t change for anything.
“My life is full of love, and my kids have taught me so much.”
The parents first welcomed their eldest, daughter, Jayme, 22 years ago, followed by Owen, 18, Jeffrey, 15, Ellie, 14, Sydney, 12 and 11-year-old, Simon.
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In the younger bracket comes nine-year-old, Brynna, seven-year-old, Bryson, five-year-old, Tyler, three-year-old, Ezra and 20-month-old, Sally – with another baby on the way due in February.
Lisa said: “I’ve always wanted a big family.
“My husband would say we initially planned to have three kids, but I don’t remember that conversation!
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“My mum was one of eight, and I loved hearing all the stories about her large family antics as I was growing up.”
While having a constantly growing family has its issues, the Tanner’s have got a solid system in place.
Lisa explained: “We have things pretty streamlined, and I try to keep life running as smoothly as possible – chaos is so overwhelming for everyone!
“Each summer we make an annual meal plan and chore chart.
“This helps free up brain power each day, as I’m no longer making as many decisions.
“I cook in greater volume than I used to, but the vast majority of our meals are simple and don’t take too long to prepare.
“I try to limit my time in the kitchen to about 30 active minutes for each meal – the Crockpot, oven, and InstantPot will likely be running for longer, though.
“Cleaning actually takes less time than it used to.
“The kids all have chores and help with regular cleaning, and it’s amazing how clean we can get our house in an ‘all-hands-on-deck’ 15-minute quick clean.
“We do at least one of those before dinner each day, and occasionally, one earlier in the day as well, if it’s needed or we have company coming or something.”
Laundry is a slightly different beast, with the family doing four-five loads a day, and immediately folding and putting clothes away to avoid the “crazy laundry monster”.
Groceries also prove expensive, with the family spending an estimated £1,200 ($1,600) per month, as well as buying beef in bulk from a local farmer.
The days are long and busy, but Lisa insists she wouldn’t have it any other way.
She said: “On a normal day, I try to wake up before the kids and get some client work done.
“Then we move into breakfast and morning chores before starting school at 9.
“We break for lunch and do another round of table chores before we finish school in early afternoon.
“Then there’s some family play time and quiet time – I typically work more during this time.
“Then we have snacks and do our clean up before the kids head off for free time and I start dinner prep.
“We eat together once my husband gets home and get the kitchen cleaned up, then we spend more time together as a family.”
Next up is bedtime routine with their youngest children, which takes just 30 minutes, and Lisa finishes the day with more work before she goes to sleep.
She said: “I do get tired, [but] I focus on the positive and remember why I’m doing it.
“I also have been known to take a short, 30-minute nap at the start of quiet time, especially when I’m pregnant – that helps so much.”
Despite the chaos that can come alongside having a full house, Lisa thrives in the busy environment.
She added: “I love seeing all the different personalities develop as my kids grow.
“We try hard to nurture their individual talents and interests, and I can’t wait to see what the future will hold for them all.
“I also enjoy being able to play games together – we can get a pretty good soccer or volleyball game going with just our family, and it’s so fun to spend time outside together.”
As for what’s in the future? The couple haven’t ruled out having more children.
Lisa said: “I have no idea [if we’ll have another baby].
“I’d be happy to have more, but also very content with the family we have been blessed with.
“We’ll have to wait and see what happens.
“I don’t have a dream number of children in mind – I am so thankful for each and every one of them.”
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