Irene is from Madrid, she is 37 years old and has recently started a blog called "I am a normal mother" where narrates their experiences with the raising of their children... of her eight children, and very soon of nine, because Irene is seven months pregnant.
Kind, close, funny, flirtatious, lover of crafts and dedicated to raising their children. This is Irene Alonso, a mother who although modestly thinks that "her life is not so interesting", has gladly agreed to answer our questions about how is the daily life of such a large family.
How old are your children?
The three eldest are Miriam, who is 15 years old, Loreto with 13 and Fernando with almost 12. Our fourth daughter, Nazareth, was born in 2007 but died a few minutes after birth. Yago is the fifth and is eight years old, Francisco Javier is seven, Matthew five, Israel four and Benjamin, for the moment Esteban is 18 months old.
We wait for Carmen for the end of April or the beginning of May.
A shared publication of Irene (@soyunamadrenormal) on Nov 4, 2017 at 9:19 PDT
What are the most frequently asked questions or comments regarding your family?
If they gave me a euro every time I have to hear certain comments, I would have become a millionaire. Every day they usually tell me about:
- "You'll stop, right?"
- "I don't know how you manage, I can't with one!" (or two, or three at most).
- "I would love to see you for a little hole !!"
- "Surely you are from Opus!"
For the first question I have no answer. For the second and third it occurred to me to start writing a blog, and for the fourth I will say that we are Catholics but not Opus.
"There are people who take too much confidence and make observations not pleasant, but most do it with humor and we end up laughing for a while"Isn't there any question that bothers you especially when asked?
It bothers me especially when I go with the children and they make me the typical joke of "What's up, you don't have a TV ??", or some other more foul. There are very unwise people and I am disturbed by the attitude of some people who think they have the right to give me their opinion on the option we have taken.
I try to take it with humor and patience, but not always get caught in a good time, or in a good situation, sometimes it becomes hard.
Have you always wanted to be a mother?
Yes, as a child I was clear. And I have grown up surrounded by large and large families, so for me it is quite normal. Anyway in our life plans did not enter such a large family.
The circumstances that have touched us to live have marked the arrival of our children. We lost a newborn daughter, the fourth, maybe if she had lived our family would have gotten there. But losing a child makes you rethink many things ... really, everything!
A shared publication of Irene (@soyunamadrenormal) on Nov 22, 2017 at 12:50 PST
What has been the most beautiful and special moment of your 15 years of motherhood?
I could not say just one because my life is full of wonderful moments. Every new birth, every first time of all, every day ... Today, for example, Esteban has had a fun time playing with a guitar, and I even got excited looking at him.
The year we spent in China also comes to mind, it was great to see them enter into such a different culture and made me feel super proud of them. I also remember when Fernando was discharged after his illness, it was a real miracle!
I get excited every time I see Loreto dancing on top of a stage, or when I read an article that Miriam has written in the school's magazine. See Yago learn to read with three years thanks to his passion for football, or hallucinate with the reflections of Israel and his way of expressing himself. Dying of love with every hug of Mateo, Fran's eternal smile ... they are all incredible moments!
"I am amazed because I see them so beautiful, so perfect ... They are not especially prominent at all, but they are my children and they drive me crazy."And the hardest moment?
My third son, Fernando, was a great premature and turned our lives upside down for months. He spent many weeks hospitalized, had several relapses and the pathologies of a premature, added the fact that he was infected while being in the ICU of a bacterial meningitis.
A shared publication of Irene (@soyunamadrenormal) on Nov 17, 2017 at 1:42 PST
Going through all that with a three-year-old girl and another who was barely walking was really hard. It took us almost a year to focus and just when Fer turned his first year was when Nazareth was born. During Nazareth's pregnancy I had a very serious complication. They discovered me some tumor formations in the placenta and those malignant cells passed to the girl who was born very premature and invaded by tumors. He left us a few minutes after birth.
At that time I had to face the very hard fact of losing a child and of face my own disease, the operations, treatments and depression that brought me. And all this just one year after the battle we had fought with Fernando.
"These were very difficult times that marked our history and that we have in mind on a daily basis, despite having overcome it."You stopped working on your own will to dedicate yourself to your children, have you felt supported by your decision?
Well, I have heard everything and sometimes from people you would never expect. I have had options to return to the world of work, but for now I stand firm in my decision. I don't understand the interest that some people have in degrade women who make the decision to work in their homes and take care of their families. It is a very personal option and a very hard and full time job for which not everyone is prepared.
I see it as an investment, I firmly believe that it is the best for my children, and making it invest in their future. I don't care if it is to the detriment of my present, I I don't need to feel fulfilled in anything but my family.
What is a normal day like in your life?
My husband is logistic and has an amazing planning ability. We are known for our punctuality, everyone is surprised! The truth is that we organize quite well. We have never had outside help and we have always gone afloat. Israel and I make a great team, everyone has their homework, and we complement each other perfectly.
Our day to day is very normal. My husband and I got up before going to prepare breakfast, clothes and lunch. When they finish breakfast we help them get dressed, we supervise that they have cleaned up well and Israel takes them to school while I stay at home with the little one.
A shared publication of Irene (@soyunamadrenormal) on Dec 27, 2017 at 6:15 PST
Everyone leaves at 2pm except for the two older ones who do it a little later. We eat at home and spend the afternoon doing homework and whatever comes up: we go out to the garden, play in the street or stay at home. At 7:00 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. we start with the bathrooms, and then dinner. Usually at 20:30 they are all in bed.
At that time I am very tired too, so Israel makes dinner for both of us and we enjoy our happy hour. I know it's disappointingly normal ... but I already noticed!
I have read in your blog that you like to cook, how is cooking for such a large family?
Monday through Friday is all very simple. The first course is usually based on rice, pasta, soup or cream of vegetables and then a meat or fish grilled or Roman. If there are legumes, I make them blunt and as a single dish.
On weekends we strive more because we have more time and we like to cook together. We make good stews, roasts and if I can, I also love making homemade desserts to enjoy with the family.
"We have a good part of the monthly budget for food, especially meat and fish because I have to do almost a kilo and a half of whatever it is every day."What is the biggest expense of such a large family?
I believe that the greatest expense is housing, like the vast majority of Spaniards, and then food. The most destabilizing are the unforeseen as breakdowns, dentists ... that luckily do not always happen but when they pass they send the monthly planning to the badge.
People have the mistaken belief that as a large family we receive lots of grants and subsidies, or that we have a lot of money, but nothing is further from reality. Some people, when they find out about the children I have, rush to explain to me why they have no more and almost everyone makes the same argument: "If I could financially" ...
But almost always you can. Most of the things we think we need are totally accessory, and adjusting expenses you can live well with a salary being ten at home. That is my experience. It is a matter of organizing and raising priorities.
A shared post by Irene (@soyunamadrenormal) on Oct 5, 2017 at 12:17 PDT
In the purchase we pull white marks and at the time of dressing I resort to the use of the garments and to inherit them from each other. Also, I really like doing crafts with children, and on Pinterest there are many decorating ideas using recycled materials and spending very little.
In terms of food, I don't throw anything in my house and I take out a plate of pasta or croquettes. But you also have to resign. My children don't go to the movies much, but at home we lower the blinds, make popcorn and enjoy it the same. Nor do they go to MacDonalds much, but my burgers are much better. We don't have the annual Warner pass, but the day we can go they enjoy it like nobody else…
"Most of the needs we think we have, we have created them ourselves, day by day is much simpler"How are your vacations?
We try to have a little of everything every summer, a little beach and a bit of mountain, and the time we are in Madrid we constantly escape.
A shared post by Irene (@soyunamadrenormal) on Jul 1, 2017 at 7:22 PM PDT
My husband's family has a second residence by the sea and there we spend the first part of the vacation, enjoying the pool, the beach and the outdoor meals. Then we go to the north, to a friend's house and there we enjoy a few days in contact with nature, the mountain and good food, such as cheese or sausages from the earth.
We have ever made a trip with the family staying in hotels but it is a real madness. We have to ask for at least three rooms and walk up the hall, down the hall all day.
We have also had to travel by plane, some of them very long. But luckily, airlines are increasingly aware of the needs of families that travel with children and offer entertainment options during the flight.
Road trips, on the other hand, are different. The space is very small and is not so exciting for them, so you have to take the imagination and have a lot of patience. We try to make the largest possible stretch of early morning or early morning to sleep, and then we throw songs, stories, jokes, listen to music ...
What stage or moment of parenting would you say is more difficult?
Well, really, I feel that I have the challenge in my older children. With the little ones I go through stages that, in broad strokes, are repeated But with the elders it's another story. We are learning together: they live and defend themselves in life, and I guide and guide them.
"This stage is the one that scares me the most because the work you have done for years at home is at stake"And the hardest part is releasing the world. Trusting that they will choose their friends well, they will know how to get away from difficult situations, they will stand firm in what we have taught them ... There is the real challenge!
A shared publication of Irene (@soyunamadrenormal) on Jan 26, 2017 at 3:26 PST
What message would you say to a future new mom?
I would tell him not to be afraid because any difficulty he has to face will be overcome with the love of a child, who is stronger than anything. Motherhood is sometimes hard, but the good times are so absolute and overwhelmingly wonderful that they make up for anything. So cheer up and work!
- Photos @nosoyunamadrenormal
