The things no one tells you when you're planning a big family

So, being the mother of 5 amazingly beautiful children has to be the most fulfilling path that my life has taken me down. Every time I hear a laugh or a song or a prayer from one of my children, my heart just fills with a little more light. 

While I by no means have a large family in relation to some, I definitely have a few more than the average 1.8 children that married couples have in the UK. However, there are still some things that surprise me and I thought I'd share some of the things that no one tells you about when you're planning a larger family. (Please feel free to add any of your own in the comments)

- I have to cut (including my own but not DadaSmu's) 120 fingernails and toenails approximately every      3-4 weeks

- All the above fingernails and toenails very annoyingly grow at different rates so it's not a simple case of getting the job done in one go, it's actually and endless tast

- There are a LOT of duvets, pillow cases and sheets on bed change days

- Remembering which toothbrush belongs to which child is quite a task

- When the washing is put away, they generally have to spend some time putting the right pants and t-shirts in the right wardrobes. It doesn't help that apart from the oldest, everyone else is pretty much wearing clothes that someone has worn before

- Finding shoes is a nightmare - there is ALWAYS at least one shoe from each person missing. I don't understand this as they take two off, so it stands to reason that there should be two to put back on again

- Socks - enough said!

- Sometimes, all five children will call me at the precise same moment. I generally hide in a cupboard so that I don't have to pick my favourite (also known as easiest to deal with)

- Remembering names is actually impossible. I know in my head which one I'm referring to, but 99.9% of the time I'll get the wrong name

- They also get all the names mixed up - it's not purely an age thing. I'm quite often called Daddy or Granny

- I do actually have a favourite child - that's right! You read that correctly, I have a favourite child. It's always the one who is standing in front of me at any given moment and I tell them so - they love it! 

- There are substantially less photos of the last three than the first two!

- Meal times are not a time for relaxing conversation. They're a time for all 7 of us to compete with each other and try to say the most and be heard the least

- When I get 5 hugs and kisses and hear 5 beautifully simple prayers at the end of each day, I realise that it's all been worth it. That my ear drums are in fact still in tact after the dinner time mayhem, and that tomorrow we'll love and laugh and cut some more nails all over again.