[QUOTE=nickel;643235]Hey there
I'm just wondering how you meet the expense in terms of larger families?
Especially if you live in a capital city (like Sydney)? IS it possible to have 3 kids and live in Sydney without wearing sackcloth??
We're in Newcastle but housing costs are still quite high. Transportation costs are less because the city is smaller. DH drives to work but we walk to most other things (we chose the area for that reason).

Childcare costs alone must be prohibitive?
I don't use childcare. I told dh before we married that I wanted to be at home with my children. I have a master's degree and made this choice freely, have never regretted it. DH was very dubious at first about my giving up work, because of the income, but now is very supportive. I would say, on observation, that in most families with 4+ children, the mum ends up quitting work. Exceptions would be if her job is very good (doctor/solicitor) or if she can be very flexible with part-time hours (nurses, for example). In my case DH's job is very full on, time consuming & non flexible, which was also a factor.

How do you afford fresh fruit and vegies, when white bread and sausages are so cheap??
I don't buy white bread. I don't have any problem with the cost of fresh fruits or fresh veg, or frozen veg for that matter. The problem now that the older two are bigger, is keeping caught up on quantity. I think quality in food is of supreme importance.

Do you find you get less family and friends support if you have lots of kids? No.

What sort of car do you use and why - as in what do you like about it?
I have a Hyundai Trajet. It's a year old. I'm not thrilled with it. It drives well (very carlike) and has enough seats, but there isn't enough add'l space--for bags or the stroller. I had a hired Tarago for a week before that, because I was thinking of buying one, but was VERY disappointed with that (just didn't seem like a quality car).

what would you do differently (not in terms of numbers of kids just coping/life strategies)? eg. live somewhere different, have a different career, space them closer together etc.
I like that mine are spaced two & two. I think that a little closer together would have been better, though. Also, I wish I had bought a bigger house earlier on. I would have liked that anyway, even with just two children, because I like having separate spaces and ample space in general! I always advise young couples not to bother with a two bedroom house, to get a 3 BR if at all possible.

How do you do things like go to the beach/pool and keep an eye on them all? How do you try and not make it an expedition or is that not possible?
With the big two it's not a problem. Someone has to keep an eye on no.3 who is only two. Usually one adult at a time will swim. The older boys can watch no. 3 for 10 minutes on the beach if we need them to, as long as we're generally around. The baby is not mobile yet. I don't think it's any more or less of an expedition than when we had two.

And lastly can you leave them alone with say the baby, or is this not an issue for you? I'm sure my 4 yr old is going to squish the baby's (8months) head.
The big two are fine with the baby. No. 3 can be left with the baby for a couple of minutes (I can leave the room to get something). He loves her. My bigger issue is that he disturbs her when she's sleeping; wants to wake and play with her! Unfortunately if I leave her in a travel cot, he can climb in. The only way to keep him apart from her is to gate off the room.

Do your kids mind sharing rooms (I'm assuming you're not all rich! lol) when other kids don't have to? or sharing things all the time?
No. 1 & 2 shared a room for a long time. Tricky at times because no 2 is very talkative. We had a 3rd BR and tried a couple of times to separate them, but until no 1 was about 10, they missed each other too much! Then 2 & 3 shared. This worked very well. Now we're in a different house, & b/c of the layout, the big two each have their own small rooms. We're getting ready to have the last two share. The only problem I see is that no 3 loves the baby so much, he will be all over her! Not sure how that will work out, but it has to. Sharing things hasn't been a problem. The first two had to share things too (b/c they were both boys & interested in the same toys).

One friend asked me if it felt any different in terms of my energy, etc, than it was with two. It feels the same. What is different now is that, with school aged children, I have more of a timetable to meet. Some things must happen at certain times because of their needs. When the first two were small, that was not the case. I love having 4 children and I think they all like it too! HTH.