A 39-year-old woman, who spent seven years of her life pregnant, has spoken of her pride in being a mother to 13 children.
Vicky Jamieson from Speke is a proud mum to, Tom, 22; Ellie, 21; Libby, 16; Lexie, 15; Mikey, 13; Craig, 13; Riley, eight; Annie, six; twins Matilda and Teddy, four; James, 13 weeks; and Emma and Lottie who sadly died.
However, looking after her large brood is a 'full-time job'.
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The charity shop volunteer, and her partner Craig Williams, 37, make sure to stock up on all of the essentials to cater for their blended family of 13 who goes through 84 pints of milk and 10 loaves of bread per week.
Vicky also spends up to five hours a day in the kitchen, cooking meals, washing and cleaning and irons 21 different pieces of uniform each morning.
She said: “It’s definitely a full-time job catering to such a large family, but it’s always been my dream to be a mum.
“We have a five-bed house where seven of the kids live with us full time, and Craig’s two come and stay at the weekends.
“Our days start pretty early, and the kitchen is one of the most hectic places to be.
“We only have two bathrooms as well, so trying to get all of the kids washed and dressed can be difficult, especially with the bathroom hoggers.
"Two of the older kids are in high school so they have hot lunches, the primary school kids have packed lunches which are super quick and easy to put together.
“The twins are at nursery part-time, so they come home for lunch, and we will usually have something quick like sandwiches.
"Craig and I are in the kitchen from around 3.30pm to 6pm for dinner each day as we usually have to cook three entirely different meals, as a few of the kids are pretty picky eaters.
“We cook everything from chicken nuggets and chips to pasta bakes, spaghetti bolognese, and curries."
She added: “Most of my day is spent in the kitchen, as when I get up, I have to iron the kids’ uniforms, and put on the first of several loads of washing.
“Most of the kids will wear their clothes for one day and then just put in the basket, so it’s something we are trying to cut down on, as it’s just non-stop cycles up until 9pm each night.
“I try and get all of the cleaning done in the morning, but as soon as the twins come home, Teddy is like a tornado creating messes in my wake.
“Although Teddy does really enjoy cleaning sometimes and even has a little rag and spray bottle that he walks around the house with.
“All of the kids are tasked with tidying their own bedrooms and will sometimes help out at mealtimes.”
With such a big family, days out can be expensive, so Vicky and Craig make sure to be as budget as possible exploring parks and having picnics.
She said: “The young ones love going on walks and on days out.
“Craig takes them all on muddy walks by the sea, and they just love getting messy and splashing around in puddles with their wellies.
“We have lots of local parks around as well, so we also make sure to pack a big picnic on days out during the summer.
“It’s always been my dream to have a big farmhouse where all of the wellies are lined up at the back door – so it’s great that we can get the kids enjoying nature in other ways for now.”
After catering for their children 24/7, Craig and Vicky very rarely get any personal time, so have had to be inventive with ways to get away every now and again.
Vicky said: “I volunteer at a charity shop, and it’s so nice to just be me and be called Vicky, rather than being shouted at with ‘mum’ or ‘mummy’.
“It’s nice to have a change of scenery every now and again.
“Craig and I very rarely have a date night, but we will always go out together on our birthdays and anniversaries as a little treat.”
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