Jim and Mary Valentine
Chanhassen parents Jim and Mary Valentine have more than a handful of kids to keep them occupied. New parents to Cecilia, the youngest Valentine at one year old, the couple also has: Annemarie, 14; Katherine, 9; twins Matthew and Maria, 6; and John, 3. The close-knit family of eight is typically scattered in multiple directions with sports and babysitting but makes time for dinner together nearly every night and steals bits of family time from their eight busy lives.
Were six kids part of the “plan”?
Yes. We always wanted to have a big family. Six wasn’t the key number, but it was a number I was striving for. I came from a family of eight and Jim’s parents had four kids. It was always a lot of fun. Big families aren’t something you see very often, and the kids are never without a play date.
Do things get crazy at the Valentine house?
Often. Sometimes you just have to be ignorant to it. My house is never perfectly clean and I have to be ok with that. I know some people might have a different opinion. Sometimes I just have to walk away and check my email. Then instead of being stressed about something, it’s a “Oh, someone sent me something! Yay!”
What are some things you do to keep everything running smoothly?
We keep things scheduled. We have structured homework time before playtime and we have a family meal together almost every night. We regroup and can all sit down and talk about our day. The kids seem to enjoy it. We keep the kids close and keep God in the family. There are the sibling arguments and fights, but for the most part they stick up for each other.
I can be really organized, but most times dinner ideas don’t come to me until lunchtime. This is an issue because Jim will be asking me at 6:30 a.m., “What’s for dinner?” It’s not even on my radar at that point! We don’t do big, elaborate dinners or anything. I have a “I made dinner, who’s going to clean up?,” policy. The kids only occasionally pull the “Our friends never have to do that,” and I always just tell them how lucky they are to have siblings to help them out.
Are there plans for more kids?
If I were younger, there would be. Unfortunately, Cecilia is our last. We got a late start. I’m a little disappointed, but I need to let go of that.
