- Lisa always dreamed of having a large family
- She welcomed her first child, a son, in her teens.
- Now she and her hubby Steven have got their hands full as a family of 15!
Lisa Hosking, 41, Aberglasslyn, NSW tells her own story in her own words.
Dinner’s ready guys,’ I cried, plating the last portions of spaghetti bolognese into a bowl for myself and my husband, Steven, 51.
Seconds later the clatter of cutlery filled the air as my kids, Isaac, 21, Bailey, 18, Corey, 17, Tahlia, 16, Connor, 15, Layla, 12, Zane, 10, Levi, nine, Kobi, seven, Khai, six, Xander, five, Rylan, three, and two-
year-old Lacey happily tucked into their dinner.
Cooking for a family of 15 is no small task – two kilos of mince and two big bags of pasta – but seeing the kids grinning as they scoffed their spaghetti makes it all worth it.
Growing up with my grandparents Ros and Don and younger brother Neville, now 38, I’d always wanted a big family of my own – but I never imagined just how big!
I fell pregnant with Isaac at 19.
My partner and I split soon after – we were just kids.
But my grandparents were so supportive. While raising a bub as a young single mum was tough, every smile and giggle from my son made it worth it.
In total, I’ve spent a decade of my life pregnant!
And when I met Steven in 2004, who lived next door to my grandparents, he loved my boy, then one, like his own. I was smitten and before long, I was expecting again.
We welcomed our bouncing baby boy Bailey, in November 2006.
Seeing Steven’s face light up with love as he held his little boy was so special.
‘How did I get so lucky?’ he asked.
Over the next 17 years our family grew…and grew, as Steven and I added eight more boys and three girls to our bouncing brood.
In total, I’ve spent a decade of my life pregnant!
READ MORE: Inside the world’s biggest families: ‘We have 19 kids…and 30 grandies!’
I always knew when I was expecting a boy because the pregnancy would be a breeze. But when my little bub was a girl, my stomach would be in knots of nausea!
Luckily, I had no strange cravings, apart from a hankering for ice-chips throughout all my pregnancies.
Steven made so many trips to the servo for bags of ice over the years we lost count!
Life with 13 kids can be chaotic, but over time we’ve slipped into a daily routine. When the alarm sounds at 6am, Steven heads off to work as a furniture removalist.
The older kids help get the younger ones out of bed, making sure they brush their hair and their teeth, and get them out the door to school on time.
Backpacks swinging, uniforms on and lunches packed, I’ll wave goodbye to Khai, Kobi, Levi, Zane and Layla as they make the 15-minute walk together to primary school.
Corey and Connor are at high school while Tahlia is studying childcare at TAFE.
Isaac is looking into getting his security licence, and Bailey is still figuring out his next steps.
‘Have a good day!’ I call from the front door, coffee in hand before heading back inside.
I’ve got strategies to stick within our strict $400 budget.
Xander, Rylan and Lacey follow me from room to room as I unload the dishwasher, reload the washing machine, make beds, and vacuum.
We’ll scoff a quick lunch before everyone arrives back home around 3.30pm.
When school is done, they get set on homework or they’ll head to the backyard and kick the soccer ball for hours.
Dinner is usually something filling and easy I make in batches such as a spag bol, or the kids’ favourite ‘special sausages’ – a mix of hot dogs and pasta
The kids help clean the pots and pans, wipe down the table and stack their plates in the dishwasher.
When it comes to the weekly shop, I’ve got strategies to stick within our strict $400 budget.
MONEYSAVER: Thrifty ways to save on food!
Instead of shopping in store, I order online so I’m not tempted to add any extra items to the trolley – and the kids can’t sneak in anything when I’m not looking!
With so many hungry mouths to feed, it’s not unusual for us to go through four loaves of bread and 10 litres of milk in a day!
We have the washing machine going 24/7 in our house too.
I’m forever pairing socks and folding T-shirts, the teetering piles of clean laundry taking over the dining table until they’re collected by the kids.
To get around we have an eight-seater Toyota LandCruiser Troop Carrier – even then we can’t all fit in at the same time!
And we squeeze into a four-bed house with bunkbeds for the kids, with a studio out the back for Corey.
The two oldest boys have moved out, and our two youngest sleep with me and Steven.
For birthdays, each child gets $50 to spend on whatever their heart desires – a book, a toy, a new outfit!
Though I will admit, with so many dates to keep track of, sometimes I get their birthdays mixed up!
For Christmas, planning starts every January.
I start putting gifts for the kids on lay-by early, so that by December everyone has something special to open under the Christmas tree.
And every Mother’s Day I’m showered with cuddles, kisses and even a beautiful bunch of flowers!
Opening each handmade card one by one, I never get sick of their squiggly handwriting saying, I love you Mum.
Like all families we have our hard days, but watching the kids play happily together makes it all worth it.
They have built-in best friends for life in their siblings, and seeing them become the smart, kind, talented people they are now makes me prouder than words can say.
People often ask me how we do it, but the truth is there is no secret – we just do!
‘You’re incredible,’ Steven tells me often.
‘We’re an incredible team,’ I remind him.
Life is loud, messy, joyful and full of 13 times the love – and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
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