A COUPLE who only planned on having a few kids ended up with 10 children – including two sets of twins – but insist they’re normal parents despite their supersized brood.
Cassanda and Jacob Morrise, from Utah, USA, parent Steven, 10, Christopher, nine, identical twins William and Ryan, both seven, non-identical twins Spencer and Max, both five, Thomas, four, Henry, three, Lily, one, and Peter, six-months-old.
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Cassanda, 32, a stay-at-home mum, runs a tight ship to make sure family life runs smoothly, including planning meals a month in advance.
The mum-of-10 manages to feed her family on £189 a week, and says she’s lucky no one has any allergies.
She said: “When it comes to mealtimes, I like to be organised and I make a monthly meal plan, so everyone knows what they’re getting in advance.
“Our kids aren’t fussy, and they don’t have any allergies either, so dinner times aren’t so bad – we keep it simple and cook lots of soups, or pizza, enchiladas and salads.”
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“We’re savvy shoppers and save coupons or buy things on discount.
“Sometimes, people think we’re having some sort of party and always ask ‘Why do you need so many bananas?'”
The eldest seven kids are also expected to pitch in around the house, and Cassanda gives them daily chores to complete.
She said: “They have to do one chore every day.
“They each get given a room they have to tidy. It shouldn’t take them longer than 10 minutes, because it’s just picking toys up or wiping down the sides – it’s not a deep clean.
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“Some of the kids are done within 10 minutes, but others can take half an hour, because they spend most of the time crying about how hard it is!”
Cassanda now runs a blog about how to run a household and parent 10 kids, after racking up a decade of experience.
She said: “People just assume we’ve got a bunch of unruly kids who rule the roost, because there’s so many of them – but that’s just not the case.
“I write lots of tips about how to stay on top of chores and how to run a household with so many children.”
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Despite having so many children, Jacob – one of six – said the couple only planned on having two.
The 35-year-old, who launched a business designing and selling household gadgets in 2018, explained Christopher was a nightmare baby.
He said: “Steven was a fine baby, but Christopher was enough to put anyone off becoming a parent.
“His cry was louder than any other child I’d ever heard – and he cried a lot.
“I just thought, ‘This is not for me – two is more than enough’.”
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But after he grew up the couple came round to the idea of another child, and fell pregnant with twins William and Ryan.
Over the years as their family grew bigger, the family have had their ups and downs trying to manage so many kids.
Cassanda recalled: “I have to admit, I did get to the point where I just thought, ‘How in the world will I ever cope with this?’ and, ‘How can I go on?’
“I said to Jacob, ‘I just can’t go on any more I need more help.’ But he turned to me and said, ‘Cassanda, I’ve got nothing left.’
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“But, admitting how hard it was made us stronger. After that, we both just got on with it. We didn’t need to find a magic solution.”
And despite having their hands full, they say they wouldn’t change their family for the world – and it has its benefits.
Cassanda, one of eight herself, said: “Being part of such a large family is actually good preparation for children, as they have to learn how to compromise and deal with different personalities.
“It’s actually made our children better behaved.
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“I speak to people who have one or two kids and they’re like, ‘I have to entertain my kids and play with them all the time.’ I’m like, ‘Well, I don’t.’
“We’ve got so many children that they entertain and play with each other. We’re also really lucky because the older kids dote on the younger ones.”
Jacob, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints faith, which permits contraception, but encourages big families, says people comment on their brood while out and about.
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He said: “At the end of the day, we’re just normal parents who happen to have 10 kids.
“Yes, the fact we have 10 might make us slightly less normal, but we love each and every one of them just the same.
“We do get the odd comments like, ‘You’ve got your hands full,’ or, ‘You must be some sort of day care centre.’
“And some people say we’re irresponsible for having so many kids, but we just brush the comments off.”
Jacob, who proposed to Cassanda after a whirlwind romance lasting a few months in 2008, added: “Having a big family is so much fun and there’s so much love flying about.”
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