Remembering Christmas Magic with Nine Kids

As I clean and get ready for our adult children to come home from university and work in the city, it is nice to remember the magic of Christmases when they were little. In fact the scent of magic is still in the air, especially as our 3 and soon to be five grandbabies join our family! When……

Daisy,Our High Maintenance Goat

Daisy entertained us with her antics even more than our traditional pets.For over two decades, we lived on a hobby farm surrounded by nine kids, wild animals, farm livestock as well as traditional pets. Kids need to relate to animals to grow up into well-balance, caring adults who can relate and feel connected to the……

Advocating For Large Families

A prompt on a health website asked, “Are you an advocate for any cause?” I sputtered to my self, “I am not an advocate for anything or anybody!” Immediately after that statement, a new idea popped into my mind, “Hey, wait a minute. I stand up for large families in modern society!” In my experience……

My Ceiling is My Children’s Floor

funzug.com Whimsical, philosophical thoughts from a mother of nine. The only thing that could kill a mother of a large family is trying to pair all the socks. Raising children is not a default chore for women who were not successful in the world of power and wealth. The existence of a joyful mother of……

Friendship Friday – Holiday Fun at Christmas: A Magical Time for Nine Kids

  Welcome to Friendship Friday! As the end of the year approaches, so do our favorite end-year Holidays! That’s the focus of this week’s discussion at Friendship Friday! What is your favorite Holiday and why? How will you celebrate that Holiday this year? Share a favorite holiday tradition – old or new! It was still……

Who Needs a Teddy Bear When You’ve Got a Teddy Baby?

A newborn can see clearly for about 8″, just far enough to focus intently on his mother’s face. It is almost as if the initiative to bond comes from the baby first, especially when I consider the fierce hand grip that they are born with. To ensure an infant is fed, he is born with an……

Top Ten Tips For Parents

My Philosophy : Advice from a relatively sane, joyful mother of nine children. 1.Focus on the joy of parenting, not on the activities you are giving up to raise a family. 2.Treat little children like people, albeit little people, with respect for their feelings, likes, dislikes and personalities.Listen to your children, even as babies. Read……

Thoughts on Large Families for our ‘Tolerant’ Modern Society

Large families are an anomaly Large families need an advocate in modern society. A prompt on a health website asked, “Are you an advocate for any cause?” I sputtered to my self, “I am not an advocate for anything or anybody!” Immediately after that statement, a new idea popped into my mind, “Hey, wait a……

Duck, Deek and Dive.

Everyday I deal with dim-witted but strangely adorable hens. Some days are like an idyllic scene described by Wordsworth but other days are simply frustrating as the reality of country living slaps me in the face.The day we force them outside for the first time is one of those awful days. In the early summer our chicks lose……

Ha Ha Ha: The Baby and the Dogfood

  Daily Prompt: Ha Ha Ha Tell us a joke! Knock-knock joke, long story with a unexpected punchline, great zinger — all jokes are welcome Life was especially chaotic after the birth of our eighth and ninth children because everyone was still fourteen and under. It was difficult to keep a sharp eye out for my……

10 Tips for Parents from Mother of Nine9

As a mother of nine kids, people often ask me, “How on earth did you manage without any help? ”   So I present a list of my top ten tips for a happy family life    . 1.  Focus on the joy of parenting, not on everything we are giving up to raise a family 2. Mothers, remember, we have one……

Challenging Cosmopolitan Taste Buds

  Go back to a blog post you always thought could be better, or were unsatisfied with — now, fix it. This story was simply never finished till today Backwoods cuisine  served with comic results. My husband and a  rather eccentric  friend had driven up to the Quebec side, in the Canadian Shield, to fish in one of the……

180 Degrees: Changing, Again and Again and Again!

Daily Prompt: 180 Degrees Tell us about a time you did a 180 — changed your views on something, reversed a decision, or acted in a way you ordinarily don’t Most of us like amusing variety, a change in the boring humdrum routine of work and simply living but almost no one likes a gut wrenching……

Tips for Survival

Useful for every Mum, Dad, Uncle, Aunt, Grandma, Grandpa and Godparent, House guest, Friend….  

Interviewed by IBILLIONLOVESTORIES.COM

Sat, 02/23/2013 – 20:26 — Paul Cody Imagine Sharing and Cherishing the LOVE of 9 children raised on a Hobby Farm in southern Ontario, Canada ! When people look at Melanie Jean Juneau their eyebrows shoot up, their mouths drop open and they sputter, ”YOU had 9 children?? This is because she is 5’ 1” and weigh……

A Plot of Earth: A Delight in Winter as Well as Summer

a pond calms the soul in any season You’re given a plot of land and have the financial resources to do what you please. What’s the plan? Well, we have  already run a hobby farm for 20 years, with chickens, pigs, a calf, two horses and  a garden with 75 ft. rows. We merely rented,……

My 87 year-old Mother Still Praises Me

When was the last time someone told you they were proud of you? According to my proud mum, not only did I raise nine kids, I helped run a hobby farm for 20 years and I deserve a medal.It is gratifying that someone is proud of me. My mother still talks about the chicken’s butchering day blues. As a……

Home: Why it is Just Like Montessori School!

Marie Montessori simply used practical life lessons, using real tools, brooms and china to encourage mental, physical, emotional and spiritual life in children. Sure I set up activities and supplied art supplies everyday for my kids but sometimes I encouraged even the smallest of my children to help me. Rachel, at 18 months, loved to……

Christmas: A Magical Time for Nine Kids

Christmas for our large family was magical It was still dark outside, way too early for my husband and I; we had worked on Christmas Eve set up till 2:00 am. We couldn’t even pry our eyes open but we were smiling with contentment as we listened to the excited whispers and giggles of the……

Health Post #6 : You Can’t Get Everything Out Of Books???

 I began my new career as a mother without knowing what, when, why or how to care for an infant. When I first met my future husband, I weighed 98 lbs. I had just graduated with an Honours Degree in English Literature from the University of Regina and considered continuing my studies as a graduate……