Supermom With 16 Children Reveals Her Brood apos;s Lockdown Regime
A supermom with 16 children has revealed her grueling quarantine regime to keep her 'crazy' household under control during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Doris Phillips, 38, and her disabled veteran husband William, 42, are raising their giant brood on a shoestring budget in a four bedroom home with no backyard in Indianapolis, Indiana.
But with [/news/coronavirus/index.html coronavirus] sparking a nationwide lockdown, the family has been holed up together around-the-clock.
The only time tireless Doris has left their home is to embark on $1,000 grocery shopping trips to Costco where she stocks up on essentials for their children Jason, 19; Nicole, 18; Sophia, 16; Zander, 13; Sage, 12; Lance, 11; Kristella, 10; Giscella, nine; Liezella, six; Adeiric, seven; William, seven; Asreella, five; Adderin, four; Aleric, three; Viella, one; and Abella, seven months. The three oldest children are from Doris' previous relationship.
'The virus has forced my family to change our routine which has at times been completely crazy,' exhausted Doris admitted to DailyMail.com.
Doris Phillips, 38, and her disabled veteran husband William, 42, are raising their 16 children in a four bedroom home with no backyard in Indianapolis, Indiana. But with coronavirus sparking a nationwide lockdown, the family has been holed up together around-the-clock
The couple, who married in 2011, share children Jason, 19; Nicole, 18; Sophia, 16; Zander, 13; Sage, 12; Lance, 11; Kristella, 10; Giscella, nine; Liezella, six; Adeiric, seven; William, seven; Asreella, five; Adderin, four; Aleric, three; Viella, one; and Abella, seven months.
Pictured: Some of the couple's children
William and Doris (pictured) got married on April 17, 2011 after meeting by chance at a Las Vegas hotel in 2005. And amazingly the amorous couple is considering having even more babies, despite pawning their wedding rings just to make ends meet
Doris explained: 'They are up at 7am and if you don't get into the bathroom earlier and brush your teeth you'll never get in there.
Our day starts early and ends usually at midnight'
She continued: 'When lockdown first happened it was chaos because the schools suddenly closed and we were trying to do home schooling.
'The kids are up at 7am and when they had no school to go to, they were running around like wild little deer.
'The only break I have is when I am wheeling two shopping carts around the supermarket and getting food for the family - and even then people are giving me funny looks because they think I am hoarding.
If only they knew how many children I have.'
Before quarantine Doris and William were already spending at least 15 hours a day caring for their family with military precision to master family meals, schoolwork, endless hospital visits, bath times and family outings.
But that routine ended in mid-March when states forced families to isolate.
Doris explained: 'They are up at 7am and if you don't get into the bathroom earlier and brush your teeth you'll never get in there.
Our day starts early and ends usually at midnight.
'We've been trying to keep them busy with home schooling and various projects, including making crafts and coloring in books.
'Things have improved over the past few weeks but it's been tough with the children not being allowed outside.'
The tireless mom manages to occasionally get out of the house for a 30 minute run for her 'own alone time' but insisted she 'would not change it for the world'.
Her never-ending schedule would leave most in a frenzy but the adoring matriarch, who is of Nicaraguan descent, says she relies on loads of lavender oil and her love of Salsa music to help her stay sane.
The only time tireless Doris has left their home is to embark on $1,000 grocery shopping trips to Costco.
She said: 'The only break I have is when I am wheeling two shopping carts around the supermarket and getting food for the family - and even then people are giving me funny looks because they think I am hoarding. If only they knew how many children I have'
Lunch takes the form of a 'commercial buffet', which includes oversized dishes of mac and cheese, spaghetti, hot dogs, peanut butter sandwiches, rice and even more scrambled eggs
While their average dinner takes a staggering two hours to cook and consists of 17 chicken legs, a giant industrial size bag of corn or beans and a mountain of mash potato
And amazingly the amorous couple is considering having even more babies, despite pawning their wedding rings just to make ends meet.
Doris said: 'We have a huge family, but I would not change a thing.
It is a never-ending job and it can get stressful at times.
'It costs a lot of money to have such a large family and we live off military benefits, so we are always struggling to make ends meet. It is tough.
'We have to rely on our wits to get by and be very careful with the small amount of money we have.
'I would say the key to success is patience and organization. But what really keeps me sane is the church, lavender oil and Salsa music.
'I love Latin music, as it is a big part of my heritage, and whenever I put it on all the stress I might be feeling simply melts away.'
An average breakfast for the gigantic family consists of 24 eggs, 3lbs of bacon, three loaves of bread and two big boxes of pancake mix.
Lunch takes the form of a 'commercial buffet', which includes oversized dishes of mac and cheese, spaghetti, hot dogs, peanut butter sandwiches, rice and even more scrambled eggs.
While their average dinner takes a staggering two hours to cook and consists of 17 chicken legs, a giant industrial size bag of corn or beans and a mountain of mash potato.
'With quarantine we make sure myself or my husband is in control of it - otherwise we would spend six hours cleaning up if we let the younger kids help themselves. There would be pancake mix on the walls and ceiling,' Doris said.
However, as the family only has two bathrooms, the most taxing time of day is bathing, which has become a precise military operation orchestrated by William.
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Doris said: 'We have a huge family, but I would not change a thing.
It is a never-ending job and it can get stressful at times. It costs a lot of money to have such a large family and we live off military benefits, so we are always struggling to make ends meet. It is tough'
When the oldest kids are helping to prepare breakfast, William marches the youngest six children into two separate bathtubs.
Then the four middle children double up in each of the two showers before the eldest kids take turns to use the bathroom once they have finished making breakfast
When the oldest kids are helping to prepare breakfast, William marches the youngest six children into two separate bathtubs.
Then the four middle children double up in each of the two showers before the eldest kids take turns to use the bathroom once they have finished making breakfast.
Logistics around the house aren't the only issue for the Phillips family.
Due to health issues with the young children and because Doris has been pregnant continuously for the last 18 years, the family spend half their time at the hospital.
Birthdays are another gargantuan task for Doris and William, having to celebrate at least one every month of the year except for November.
In August alone, they have four birthdays to commemorate and, hilariously, they have become so laborious, they just have a single cupcake to mark the occasion.
Doris added: 'When we cook breakfast it is like feeding a little platoon. It can get crazy.
We whip up pancakes like we are working in IHOP. And we pretty much do that every single morning, it is a lot.
'Dinner takes even longer, for example, we have to cook 17 pieces of chicken and that takes a very long time.
'Sometimes we grill but at least when it is cooking in the oven, it gives me a few minutes to sit down and take a breather.
The family receives about $5,000 a month in veteran disability benefits after William developed severe blood clots as a result of inoculations, which he took while in the military.
At times, the Phillips family have been so hard up they have relied on charitable handouts and their crafty ingenuity just to get by.
Doris and William even pawned their wedding rings so they could buy baby wipes for half a year
Doris and William share one of the rooms with two of their kids while each other room is occupied by four of the children who sleep in bunk beds
That means William only has $294 to spend on each family member per month, which astonishingly also has to include the rent and all their bills.
At times, the Phillips family have been so hard up they have relied on charitable handouts and their crafty ingenuity just to get by.
Doris and William even pawned their wedding rings so they could buy baby wipes for half a year.
Doris and William share one of the rooms with two of their kids while each other room is occupied by four of the children who sleep in bunk beds.
While the living room has been turned into an 'internet café' with ten laptops laid out so the kids can all get on with their schoolwork.
William even canceled their cable subscription so they could afford a high speed internet connection to allow all the family to connect online at the same time.
Doris added: 'We don't have much space in our house but we make it work.
'You might think it is always frantic here, but the kids love each other, and we are all very respectful of each other's space.
'Don't get me wrong, it can still be crazy - one minute one kid might be swallowing a crayon, the next minute one might be falling over while another one of my children is stuck up a tree but that is all part of the fun.
Incredibly Doris manages to spend three hours a night studying when the children have been put to bed.
She is trying to earn a Bachelors Degree in psychology from a university. But for now, she is content on living her super-sized daily life
Due to health issues with the young children and because Doris has been pregnant continuously for the last 18 years, the family spend half their time at the hospital
'We have special fold away beds in the kid's rooms so we can capitalize on the space.
'When we aren't trying to organize everyone or go on one of our many doctor's visits, we are just like an average family.
'We love to sit around the TV and watch a film while eating popcorn. But let me tell you we have to buy a huge bag of popcorn.'
The Phillips family is so big that William, who is originally from New Jersey, carries around a list of his kid's names, so he doesn't forget them and is forced to transport his clan in an old airport shuttle.
William and Doris got married on April 17, 2011 after meeting by chance at a Las Vegas hotel in 2005.
William believes their chance meeting was down to divine intervention after he prayed for soccermomzone.over-blog.com a loving wife and a big family while 'bombs were flying over his head' as he was stationed in Fallujah, Iraq.
The three oldest children are from Doris' previous relationship, though William sees them as his own and hopes to adopt them one day.
He is currently at school training to become a pastor so he can provide an extra income for the family.
William, who believes his wife is a 'superhero,' said: 'She is truly a blessing.
I thank God every day that I have her and my kids in my life. She is one of a kind.'
William and Doris got married on April 17, 2011 after meeting by chance at a Las Vegas hotel in 2005
William believes their chance meeting was down to divine intervention after he prayed for a loving wife and a big family while 'bombs were flying over his head' as he was stationed in Fallujah, Iraq
The family receives about $5,000 a month in veteran disability benefits after William developed severe blood clots as a result of inoculations, which he took while in the military. That means William only has $294 to spend on each family member per month, which astonishingly also has to include the rent and all their bills
He added: 'Unlike my wife, who gets by on lavender oil, I need a lot of coffee.
I must go through about five pots of coffee every day.
'But you know we are so used to the routine now, that it might seem insane to others but to us, it is kind of normal.
'A lot of parents with just two kids struggle to take care of school, doctor's appointments and all those things parents have to run around doing.
'You know, some of them fall apart trying to do it all but not us.
We just keep going. My military training helps me keep them all organized. Sometimes I have to put the breaks on this, sitting down, watching TV and round them all up.
'I get them out in the kitchen, with brushes in their hands and get them to help do the dishes, sweep the floor and everything else.
'Sometimes our life really is like that movie Cheaper by the Dozen, but the crazy thing is there is even more of us.'
Incredibly Doris manages to spend three hours a night studying when the children have been put to bed.
She is trying to earn a Bachelors Degree in psychology from a university.
But for now, she is content on living her super-sized daily life.
Doris added: 'We are an unusually large family but we are so thankful for our lives. We never let it get us down and we just keep on going.
'You know it is hilarious when I hear other parents complaining about looking after their two or three kids. I always chuckle to myself and think if only you know what I go through each day.
'But it is our choice and I would not change a thing.
I just hope the world becomes safer soon so we can try and get some normality and routine back in our lives.'
