The Homemaking Cottage Series Presents:

Mothers of Large Families

Wendy Matchen, Mother of eleven

I was born in Paducah , Texas where my parents met. My dad was from Oklahoma and mom was from said Texas town. I came along rather quickly after they married. Mom was a stay at home mom, dad owned his own construction business. They only stayed in Texas for a very short time and moved back to dad's beloved sooner state.

Her Husband

I met my husband James when we were both 17 in Shawnee, Oklahoma. He was/is kind of a tough bear of a guy; at least that is what you think when you see him. But inside beats the heart of a romantic, sensitive, loving, caring human being who would meet you at the front door any day of the week if his loved ones were threatened in any manner. He says that is all that matters is family- everything else is material and fleeting. He is also the first one to meet you at the door if you are in need, hungry or just need a friend.

He is a sign hanger extraordinaire! I dare say he is of the top 10 in his field. He also loves music and his beloved guitar, a black B.C. Rich war beast. (Smile) It is the only thing I think I would have to compete with if we were on a sinking ship and only the guitar or I could be saved. (I kid)

Why The Decision to Have a Large Family?

There has not been a moment since I was a very young girl that I didn't desire children. When my oldest son Chris was born that just confirmed that God intended for me to do this for years to come. That sweet , beautiful angel of a child just stole my heart and I said "God if you want me to have these blessing then keep 'em coming." God must have seen it my way as well- here we are 11 angels later. Both James and I feel like it should be that way and any how, the more the merrier!!! When we are old and the holidays come even if only half of our kids can make it to visit we will still have a houseful! How awesome is that?

Christopher age 21, married with a baby on the way. He is very successful in life and very happy he currently earns more money that his dad. He has a heart as big as Texas. We are so proud of him.

Crystal, age 20, currently working in a nursing care facility, wants to get her R.N. degree, she is well on her way.

Cameron age 18, lover of music, writing, drawing, and all things funny. He taught himself how to play the guitar in a very short amount of time. I see big things for that kid.

Connor age 14, very smart, showed me how to really understand algebra. He also loves to write , read and draw.

Corey age 12, very quiet, loves to help me out with his baby sisters and is always kind to everyone he meets.

Casey age 10, killer blue eyes, taught himself to read before he was even school age. I was shocked when it was time to sit with him and teach him he was already way beyond where I was going to start. He is like that with many things, just picks them up.

Cole age 9, my little guy. He can build you a car out of Legos that would probably actually drive.

Conan age 7 is my cuddle bug he is happy with his toons and game boy loves to be read to.

Candis, age 4 is a fire cracker, she has more energy than all of us put together and sharp as they come. You would be hard pressed to put one over on her even at her age.

Ciera age 2 is another snugly bear. She just loves to cuddle and loves stories and flips out over Sponge Bob.

That brings us to Cindy age 6 months. She is still a secret. She is like most babies her age, all rolls, slobbers, and giggles. I watch every day how her little personality is developing.

Some joyful experiences with her large family

Some of my most favorite moments are those times when money was especially tight and we popped popcorn and watched movies all piled up in my room on our bed. James and I would wake up amidst a sea of popcorn kernels and arms and legs all tangled round us and it always just filled my heart up every time.

Experiences or knowledge has helped her on her journey

I would say losing everything we had when we were younger. We had 4 children, 2 cars, a boat, a motorcycle, and a big brick house. We wore Nikes, Levis, No Fear shirts, went out to dinner all the time, and rarely said no to the newest most popular kids toys on the market. Then my husband lost his job of 7 years in an unforeseen lay off. We spiraled into an ocean of debt, and getting things repossessed, to bankruptcy. We were, to say the least, devastated.

After much of the shock wore off and we took stock of ourselves and realized we had been very selfish, materialistic people and there was much more to life than "things". We are now much more cautious with our money. If we can't pay for it outright then we don't need it. We learned that we should be seeing our family as our wealth. This experience made us realize, "hey we can do this!" We don't need a ton of money or things to be happy. Now when we get something we really feel like we earned it and we appreciate it more. We hope we are passing that on to our kids.

Her mentors or persons who is a shining example

My Grandmas. One of them, God rest her, gave birth to 23 children and said she would do it over again in a minute. My other grandma, who is still living and almost 90 had 7 and raised them in a 2 bedroom house, and worked on the farm much of the time and even in the hard times didn't break into a mess of "whoa is me".

Favorite quote or Scripture

Well, I really have so many but the one that sticks and was read to me over and over as a child, is "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me."

Favorite family meal

You don't need a recipe for it. It is known round my house as taco stuff. Scrambled lean home raised hamburger (when we can get it) with 3 kinds of grated cheese, salsa, tomatoes, jalapenos, sour cream, and tortilla chips.

Favorite Dessert

Duncan Hines in the box brownies that comes with the Hershey's syrup.

I know this sounds awful coming from someone with so many kids, but hey if someone's already done it better why mess with perfection. I buy the big Sam's sized box that you would fix for say, oh a small congregation and that is one nights dessert 'round here. I can make them from scratch, but we all prefer these.

Her Websites

I do actually have a couple:

http://Writing.Com/authors/ladyblackheart

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/conansangel

www.myspace.com/heartsuntamed

http://ladyblackhearts.blogspot.com/

I really am still a young girl at heart. I hang onto that part of myself as I feel like it keeps me young at and able to enjoy my kids and my family. I think if all moms would just let loose a little more, and allow themselves to play, to be silly then having lots of kids would be more common because everyone would stress so about being the mom. I also believe, as a mom, having something to put yourself into that is just for you is very important. For me, that is writing. It is the one thing that allows my mind to be Wendy, not mommy, or honey -both of which I love being, but am better at it because I can do the one thing just for myself. Even just a few minutes a night.

Editor's Note: And what an amazing lady she is! How is it these awesome women can do so many things and have their large family? Wendy, you are great!

If you would like to suggest a mother of a large family or if you are a mother of four or more children and are willing to be interviewed, please email Shiloah Baker.

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