We take five with Emma Louise, to talk raising seven children with young triplets.
1. Tell us a little about your family?
In our big family of seven children, we have Bradley 16, McKenzie 15, Summer 10, Charlie who is nine, and then our little trio Rosie, Bonnie and Jorgie, who are 18 months old.
2. Talk us through your morning routine with the kids?
It's very rare we have to set an alarm these days as the triplets wake up around 6.15am, followed by my eldest two children shortly after. Bradley and McKenzie catch the bus to school so need to be up and ready as they leave the house at 7.15am. By this time, the girls have had their morning milk and are dressed and ready for the day. I then pop upstairs to get ready while their Daddy watches them, and I make sure Summer and Charlie are up and getting ready and then they go down to have breakfast. We take it in turns to do the school run, so whoever stays will make breakfast for the trio. I've usually had at least two coffees by now! Then we take the girls out most mornings to the park or baby gym.
3. Is it hard having a routine with such a big family?
I would say the morning routine is the one that sticks, as if there wasn't one, I think it would be too chaotic! At bedtime the trio go to bed at 6pm every night and the other children are older so not totally dependent on me having to entertain them, which gives me breathing space from 6pm to get on with jobs.
4. Do the triplets all have different personalities?
Yes, Rosie is very sensitive and can breakdown even when a stranger says hello to her. Bonnie is very cheeky and pushes boundaries. She likes to be the centre of attention, but she is also very loving and gives the biggest of cuddles. Jorgie is the confident one and is the first to try everything. She’s not scared or shy in the slightest. She's caring too, always stroking her sisters and trying to feed them her soggy half eaten food.
5. How do you and your family like to spend your time together?
It's very hard with the big age gap between all the children, so finding things to do where everyone can enjoy themselves is hard. We all love food though, so we like to get together and go out to eat. We’re all off to Greece together soon, so that will be fun.
6. Do your children love the outdoors?
Yes, the children love going outside. I hate being stuck in, so we go walking to the park and the trio love sand at the moment. There are a few local attractions where they have huge sandpit areas, and parks for the bigger children too, so it’s a win win!
7. Do you get to take time out for yourself as a couple?
To be honest, that's the main strain on our relationship. My husband is a chef, so he works from 3pm to 11pm, six days a week, so we very rarely get out on our own. I'm hoping that over the summer we can go to a theme park if we can get a babysitter, as we love the adrenaline rush of the big rides.
8. Do you document the special ‘first’ moments of your children?
Yes, I've used my Instagram page as our memory book for all their first achievements, and even have the triplets birth video on YouTube! Bonnie and Jorgie have been walking since they were 13 months old, and Rosie has only just started to take a few steps.
9. How would you describe your children’s style?
We love handmade items, so we buy most of the triplets' clothes from small businesses on Instagram. I love that we can showcase items that someone has made by hand rather that supporting the big shops.
10. What are your favourite styles from our summer collection?
We love the Primrose sandals in white, as they’re so comfy for the girls. My other favourite is the Lottie style buckle shoes as they are beautiful and so traditional. Just like us, the girls have different shoes depending on where we are going. They love wearing their sandals when we go to lunch and to meet friends.
Click HERE to view the Start-Rite summer collection.
Find Emma Louise over on Instagram @mammato7triplets
