Four of my five - E (13), J (16), C (4) and G (1)

Hey there, y’all. My name is Katie, and I’m the newest blogger at Babble’s KidScoop. I’m really happy to be joining the conversation here.

As the mother of five children who range in age from one to 20 years,  I am thrilled that Babble readers now have a blog focused on the joys and challenges of life with our bigger kids (bigger meaning older than baby or toddler).

For my inaugural post here at KidScoop, I figured I would tell you a bit about myself, and my family. As I said, I am the mother of five kiddos, and in addition to being a longtime momblogger, I also work full time as the Social Media Manager for a large cable TV network. I am married to Jon, who works in his family’s small accounting firm.  We are a blended family; I was married previously to Chris, who is the father of my three oldest.  My teenagers split their time equally between their Dad’s house and ours (we live only a few miles away from one another.)

Because Jon works for his family’s business, he takes our two youngest girls to work with him (except on the days C is at preschool) where his mom meets him each morning and provides on-site childcare. It’s a pretty sweet arrangement that we do not take for granted.

The kids in the fam are:

- G, also known as “Danger Baby” – G is 18 months old, and is a tiny, blond force of nature. She’s very confident, outgoing, hilarious, sweet and exhausting. She’s not talking yet, but our pediatrician says that’s because she’s so doted upon as the youngest that she gets what she wants from her older siblings and cousins, not to mention her parents, by simply pointing and squeaking.

-C is four years old and is a quiet, dreamy, brilliant little girl with a head full of beautiful blond curls. Her favorite things are books, Disney Princesses, her grandparents, and her same-age cousin NC (NC will likely make many appearances here at Babble’s Big Kids blog because the two four year olds are more like twins than first cousins.) C currently goes to preschool 2 full days a week, and we are anxiously trying to figure out what we will be doing for kindergarten next year.

-E is 13 years old and in 8th grade. He’s an athlete extraordinaire and a budding musician. He’s got a mouth full of braces at the moment, and he and a friend have started a band (with E on drums) that they plan to call “Monkeys With Technology. He’s recently decided that he wants to learn to play the fiddle. E is very outgoing, gregarious and kinetic. He’s all about what’s next, and he keeps us laughing.

- J is my gorgeous and amazing 11th grader, and she is one of the most grounded and sensible people I’ve ever met. She’s active in various clubs and activities at school, does a great deal of babysitting, and also works at her stepmom’s dance studio to earn her own $$$. She loves country music and somewhat inexplicably, fishing.  Thus far, J has made parenting a teenage girl remarkably easy and a whole lot of fun.

- Henry was my beautiful firstborn baby. He died at age 18 on May 31 of last year from complications of a brain injury caused by drug overdose. Henry struggled bravely and at length against the disease of addiction, and losing him has been – as you would imagine – the most profoundly painful and life-altering experience that a mother could possibly imagine. We all miss him desperately. In Henry’s memory, our family launched the non-profit, Henry’s Fund, which provides direct financial grants for drug addicted teenagers who need help paying for the treatment they need. You can learn more about our mission, as well as keep up with the latest news about addiction and kids by becoming a friend of Henry’s Fund on Facebook.

So that’s us. There’s certainly lots more to say, and I will be saying quite a bit of it here at Babble’s KidScoop Blog. Thanks for letting me be part of the community; I look forward to sharing my own parenting journey with you, as well as getting to know all of you as you share your own with me.

-Katie

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READ MORE FROM KATIE OVER AT MAMAPUNDIT (HER PERSONAL BLOG)

FOLLOW KATIE ON TWITTER OR FACEBOOK

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