Mom Of Eight Starts Her Children’s Bedtime Routine At 4:30 In The Afternoon
Bedtime is often a time of tantrums and refusing to actually sleep for many children and parents. It takes a lot of time and effort to finally instill a bedtime routine in one child.
Now imagine that times eight. This mom seems to have unlocked the secret.
First Things First: Dinner
To be able to keep her strict schedule and give a sense of order that all eight kids can expect and adhere to, Chloe starts cooking dinner at 4:30 in the afternoon.
This allows the kids to have plenty of time to eat and prepare for bedtime.
She's Able To Do It Hands-Free
Before cooking, Chloe makes a round to make sure the kids are all occupied and out of trouble.
Her youngest set of twins babies are usually napping in their rockers, while the triplets play house in a hallway they took over, and her eldest kids dance around their bedroom.
Everyone's Hard At Work
The kids seem to understand without needing to be asked that when Mom says it's dinnertime, it's time for them to clean up.
After getting excited that they're having pasta for dinner, they begin to put all their toys away.
A Healthy Menu
Despite having eight mouths to feed, Chloe ensures they're all still getting an adequate amount of veggies and protein.
Even on pasta night, which takes two bags of uncooked pasta, she adds zucchini, eggplant, spinach, onion, and textured vegetable protein as a replacement for meat in the tomato sauce.
Cooking Without Interruptions
What's incredible to see in her mommy YouTube vlogs is that none of her eight kids interrupt or need her while she cooks.
She's actually able to enjoy it almost like a hobby while all the kids work as a team in the playroom putting away their toys.
A Spotless Playroom
Before actually eating dinner, a glance at the playroom shows that it's completely spotless. The kids even take the time to get rid of any wrinkles in the carpet.
You can tell the kids have formed genuine bonds with one another as they celebrate with a spontaneous almost choreographed dance party!
Dinner Is Usually Around 6 PM
Between making sure the table is clean and the youngest are bottle-fed, Chloe and her husband often don't even get to enjoy their own dinner until after the kids are fully asleep.
It's hard enough to do all the cooking without having some yourself!
Now Bedtime Can Really Start
The kids follow up dinner by taking turns with baths and showers. They all come out with smiles on their faces.
Even the baby twins get their own sink baths, followed by lots of kisses from their siblings.
It's Still Not Over
Wet hair means tangled hair, and with so many girls, the kids have to literally line up while mom takes each of them by turn to brush out their ginger, brunette, and blonde locks.
Then they're left to brush their own teeth.
One Last Step
To finally get them to come down from all the excitement of the day, Chloe has all her kids in matching PJs and sitting around her for storytime.
Despite their slight age differences, they're all equally excited to hear a story and are very disappointed when the story's over.
Goodnight Kisses All Around
Finally, after kissing her younger kids goodnight giving her eldest some extra reading time in bed, it's lights out, and Chloe and her husband get some time alone.
They relax for about an hour before getting ready to do it all over again the next day.
Meet The Bretts
The Bretts are a family of 13, previously 12, who live happily in the Dingwall Scottish highlands. They lead a normal life filled with snowball fights, kids unrolling the toilet paper, and mom Alexis doing 49 loads of laundry a week.
Baby girl Cameron is born to parents David and Alexis, and is sister to brothers Campbell, 17, Harrison, 16, Corey, 14, Lachlan, 11, Brodie, nine, Brahn, eight, Hunter, six, Mack, five, Blake, three, and Rothagaidh, two.
It Wasn't Just A Regular Stomach Bug
Alexis and David, being no stranger to pregnancy signs, knew something was up one Christmas. The family was enjoying the holidays when they were struck by a bug. It's normal for the season and for illnesses to spread in families, but Alexis thought something was odd.
Alexis noticed her illness was lasting a little longer than everyone else's. So she took a home pregnancy test, and voila! She was pregnant for the 11th time and fully expecting it to be a boy, as per usual.
They Couldn't Wait To Find Out The Gender
The Brett parents seemed to know something was slightly different about this pregnancy compared to all the others. Call it mother's intuition or a hunch, but something had the couple driving 50 miles away to have a clinic in Elgin, Moray, perform a gender scan.
When they got the result, they had Harrison, their 16-year-old son, open the envelope. It was a task that Alexis said she was "too nervous" to perform. When they found out they were having a girl, the family was excited and nervous.
The Gender Reveal Party Didn't Go Quite As Planned
Despite how excited the Bretts were to welcome baby Cameron into the world, their gender reveal party didn't exactly go as planned. We've all seen videos online of gender reveals gone wrong or done too extravagantly. So the Bretts decided to go the simple route and just pop a balloon in their backyard.
Alexis posted a video of her sons trying to pop the balloon with the caption "when your gender reveal balloon is a disaster! It kept deflating!" Luckily, cheap balloons have nothing to do with the actual pregnancy!
She Holds The British Record
Cameron's birth came as a shock to the couple, who are well known for their unusual luck with genetics. Just a couple of years ago when Rothagaidh was born, Alexis made headlines for being the first British mom to give birth to ten boys in a row.
We all know the Duggars from TLC's 19 Kids And Counting, but even Michelle and Jim Bob don't have the kind of streak going that Alexis and David do. Between 1998 and 2004, Jim Bob and Michelle had five boys in a row.
They're Not Dependent — Contrary To What People Think
Alexis told interviewers that she gets internet trolls saying that she and David are dependent on government support. Alexis squashed those rumors by saying that, "some people think we must be on benefits but we're not. David has a good job, which means we don't even qualify for full child benefit."
David works as a train driver while Alexis is a part-time fitness instructor. She's taking a break right now obviously but anticipates going back to work soon.
People Also Questioned Cameron's "Boyish" Name
When you're a parent you're suddenly open to a lot of public scrutinies — everyone's a critic when it comes to parenting because we've all been kids or we have kids. Alexis and David found that out the hard way.
Despite already being questioned for having so many kids, something that Alexis says she's already used to, the parents were also criticized for naming their baby Cameron. One Facebook user comments that they "tried for 15yrs to have a girl. Finally has one. Gives her a boy's name." How unfair!
Cameron's Presence Has Made A Difference In the Family Dynamic
Most of our brothers just tell on us to our parents or steal our stuff without asking — but that doesn't seem to be the case for Cameron and her many siblings. Alexis and David told reporters that the kids have been eager to step up to the older brother plate.
David said that "they've generally been much better behaved around her, trying to keep quiet in case they wake her up. They also want to help with holding and feeding her." Looks like Cameron will have nothing to worry about from these great brothers.
They're Not Always On Their Best Behavior Though...
Even though the boys have been great around Cameron, if you check Alexis' Facebook page you'll be reminded that she's still a mom to 10 boys. They definitely still get into their own fair share of mischief.
On the left is Rothagaidh, on the right is Blake, and behind the camera is a mom with a good sense of humor. Alexis captions the photo "boys will be boys!" and she puts a laughing face beside it. What a great sense of humor!
The Bathroom Is A Popular Battle Ground As You Can See By This Toilet Paper Roll
It's not just children in the toilet that mom and dad have to worry about. They also have to worry about them in the bathroom in general. Alexis is very open and candid about the struggles that come with having 11 kids and 11 times the mess that one child causes.
Alexis captions this mess "I swear we have gone through about three toilet rolls in the past few days. Rothagaidh seems to be obsessed with it!" Yikes, he definitely is obsessed with it! We wonder how much toilet paper Brett goes through a day.
She Never Expected A Large Family
Alexis, who's 39 while her husband David is 44, never expected their family to get this big. She told reporters that she "never planned to have a big family." When they had Campbell when she was 22 the pair probably had no idea where their journey would take them.
It's hard to tell sometimes what your life will become, but Alexis and David have certainly rolled with the challenges and joys that life has brought them.
She's "Immune" To Birth Control
If they never expected to have all of their children you might be wondering how they came to have a big family in the first place. The reason, Alexis explains, is more medical than mystery.
Alexis told reporters that she believes she is "immune to most forms of birth control" and that would explain how the Brett family has grown so large. No birth control is 100% effective, and some people are immune to oral contraceptives even if they take them correctly.
They Don't Want Any More
Alexis and David seem to have had their fill of changing dirty diapers and buying baby food. After Cameron's birth, the two think that they've filled their child quota. Even though they swear they weren't waiting for a girl, it seems like Cameron's birth is just the sign they needed.
Alexis told reporters that they're "definitely stopping now. There'll be no more. I said that last time, but this time I absolutely mean it. I love my family as it is now." For someone immune to birth control, this could be a hard resolution to have.
How They're Taking Steps To Stop Future Pregnancies
Even though baby Cameron "wasn't planned" the family is "shocked and delighted" at her arrival, but admits that they won't be having any more kids. To combat her immunity to birth control, Alexis is reportedly considering getting sterilized.
For a mom who has to do 49 loads of laundry per week and vacuum seven times a day on top of everything else, the consideration is understandable. We're curious if they did have another baby if it would be a girl and a new streak would begin...
It Takes Hard Work To Make It Work
Raising children isn't as easy as The Sound Of Music makes it seem - it's not always wearing matching outfits and singing in meadows. It takes a strong parent team to get 11 kids on the right track, and Alexis and David are just that.
David leaves for work every morning at 5:30am, while Alexis spends the early morning hour having a coffee before the day begins. If you think sending one kid off to school can be a challenge, imagine the work she puts in trying to send off most of hers.
David Struggles Some Days Because Of His Illness
David was diagnosed six years ago with early-onset Parkinsons, a disease that Alexis says doesn't affect the work he puts in. She writes on Facebook that "I've a great husband and despite his own battle with Parkinson's disease still works and gives 100%."
David is currently on medication for the disease that "helps with the symptoms, which are thankfully still minor." We applaud this dedicated dad who's certainly giving it his all for his children.
How Do The Parents Survive Summer Vacation? Two Words: Xbox and Wii.
When school's in session it can be nice for most stay-at-home parents who get a well-deserved break from their children for a few hours. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean a break from the housework, the daily duties, or other things that need to get done. But for a brief time they don't have to listen to their children's yelling.
Summer vacation is a different story. David says that "summer vacations can also be an endurance test." These super parents know how to delegate babysitting though, and say that the Xbox and Wii Switch can come in handy.
Weekend Trips Can Be Tough
It can be hard for any family to coordinate going out on the town together — no matter how many kids you have. Someone's always got to use the washroom, there's always something left behind at home a person absolutely needs, and getting kids from place to place can sometimes feel like herding cats.
The Brett's do a tricky tango to make the weekend trips work. That involves owning a seven-seat van and a five-seat Range Rover. They need two vehicles to haul the kids.
There's Only One Hiccup...
Despite being a two-car family, Alexis isn't actually able to drive. So if the family wanted to get away for a weekend, they would need to take two vehicles that are both driven by David.
Sometimes it's hard to make two trips just to get the whole gang out, so David will take the older boys out while the younger ones stay at home with Alexis. David told reporters that they haven't had a full-family vacation in years.
It's A Big Change Preparing For A Baby Girl, So Alexis Reached Out To Fellow Facebook Moms
Since Alexis is no stranger to being in the public spotlight because of her large family, she cleverly used her public platform to ask for help from Facebook moms. What was the assistance for? Shopping for baby girl's clothes.
On her Facebook Alexis writes, "Where do you buy all your girl's clothes from? Totally at a loss, all suggestions welcome!" Many moms posted their helpful suggestions, with one cheekily adding "same place you buy your boy's clothes but in the girl's section." Alexis jokingly responded "aye!" to the comment.
