7 kids —5 Questions

I have 7 kids - no one knows until I bring it up. These are the top questions people ask.

How do you look like that after having 7 kids?

This is probably the number one question I get asked.

TL;DR - HIIT.

High Intensity Interval Training. I work out for short bursts (~20 minutes), but intensely. Peloton makes this convenient. However, while this question is usually focused on physical appearances, what I’d really like to share is that, since I enjoy sweat therapy, the mental benefits are actually greater. I probably would have had postpartum depression otherwise. This isn’t meant to be medical advice - just saying, people ask how I do it, and it’s not ‘one secret trick’. It’s just 20 minutes of sweat, consistently.

Do I diet?

Not really. I eat paleo-ish. Basically, I’m aware of how much sugar I’m eating, and I save it for things I enjoy, but I don’t count carbs or really obsess over it. Bread is definitely on the menu.

Do you have help?!

Yes - we have help. We’ve always had great nannies and preschools.

Dinner must be challenging?

It’s not actually any harder as many meals scale up easily if you have the right cooking surfaces — it’s roughly the same effort to grill 9 burgers as it is to grill 4. I also prefer kitchen appliances that allow me to multi-task, such as a countertop oven that shuts off when it’s finished, or an instant pot.

The kids also help out — picky eaters are encouraged to learn to cook.

O.M.G. the laundry!??!

Yes, our laundry situation is the worst. We have to be very disciplined — if I miss a day, it’s already piled up. When I wake up, first I get coffee, and then I start the laundry. But it’s a team sport - my husband gets to it first many days as he’s a very early riser. Also, the kids put their own clothes away. Everyone pitches in, otherwise the entire day would be laundry, laundry, laundry.

And the dishes?!

Yep - this is intense as well. But, everyone helps out here so it’s managable.

Are you a fundamentalist?

Okay, this is the bonus question that only a few actually ask. No, there wasn’t a religious our cultural push behind this.