I went from mother of three to mother of seventeen in six years – the food bill costing £14,000
A mother-of-three has revealed how she became a mother-of-17 in just six years.
Kelly Green, 39, and her husband Timothy, 44, added 14 children to their family in a short space of time and explained how their food bill has skyrocketed.
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Just six years ago, they had three biological children: Morgan, 22, Braylon, 18, and Slayton, 16.
But in 2019, they started taking in 129 children, of which they adopted 14 girls and boys as their own.
Now the couple spend over £14,000 a year on groceries, but they wouldn’t change that for the world.
The couple has Amber, 23, Kayla, 22, Morgan, 22, Autumn, 18, Narly, 17, Kenneth, 16, Emma, 16, Nevaeh, 16, David, 13, Ryli, 12, Charlie, eight, Lucas , five , McKinley, three, Chance, two.
Kelly will spend around £1,300 a month on food and shopping in three different stores to get everything she needs at a good price.
The mother has to get up early every day at 5:45 am to take all the children to different schools and run the family.
Kelly and Timothy wanted to support young children, but stopped doing so after becoming grandparents.
Kelly, a stay-at-home mom from Summerville, North Carolina, said, “Six years ago we were a family of five.
“In 2019 we decided to become foster parents. We found out that there are so many children who don’t have a parental figure.
“We have taken in a total of 129 children and adopted 14 of them, all of whom live at home.
“The most important thing is that I am organized. If my house becomes a little disorganized, life becomes chaotic.”
Kelly first adopted a set of siblings in 2021 and last adopted Chance, two, in May 2024.
Kelly said, “We said we didn’t want to adopt, but the kids we were raising were family and already called us Mom and Dad.”
Kelly’s day starts around 5:45 a.m. before she wakes her children who are going to primary school.
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Foster care is an important commitment, but it can make a profound difference in the lives of children who need a stable and caring environment. If you are interested, please contact local foster organizations or your local government to begin the journey.
Research and consideration:
Understand foster care: Familiarize yourself with what foster care entails, the types of foster care available (e.g., short-term, long-term, respite care), and the responsibilities that come with it.
Assess Suitability: Consider whether you have the time, patience, and resources to commit to foster parenting. It is important to consider how this will affect your family and lifestyle.
Initial application:
Contact authorities: Contact local authorities or independent foster organizations. They can provide specific information and answer initial questions.
Attend information sessions: Many agencies offer information sessions where you can learn more about foster care and ask questions.
Application process:
Expressions of interest: Submit an initial application form or expression of interest to the chosen reception organization.
Home visit: A social worker will come to your home to discuss the care in more detail and assess your suitability.
Formal application: If you decide to proceed, you will complete a formal application form.
Assessment and training:
Assessment Process: A comprehensive assessment (Form F) will be carried out by a social worker. This includes multiple home visits, interviews and checks (medical, criminal record, references).
Preparation training: Take preparation and training courses (often called Skills to Foster). These courses cover essential topics such as child development, coping with trauma, and advancing regulation.
Approval:
Fostering panel: Your assessment report will be submitted to a fostering panel, who will make a recommendation as to your suitability to foster.
Approval Decision: The decision to approve you as a foster carer is made by the agency decision maker based on the panel’s recommendation.
Matching and placement:
Matching Process: Once approved, the agency will attempt to match you with a child or children in need of foster care. The matching process takes your skills, experience and preferences into account.
Placement: When a suitable match has been found, the child will be placed with you. You will receive ongoing support and supervision from your foster organization.
Ongoing support and training:
Ongoing support: Foster carers receive regular support from social workers, including home visits, phone calls and access to support groups.
Further training: Ongoing training opportunities are provided to help you develop your skills and knowledge as a foster carer.
Financial support:
Allowances and reimbursements: Foster carers receive a foster allowance to cover the costs of caring for a child. Some may also receive compensation for their work, depending on the agency and type of care.
Assessment and development:
Annual Reviews: Your fostering arrangement will be reviewed annually to ensure everything is going well and to discuss any support or training needs.
Kelly said: “I’m looking forward to it our house runs smoothly if we stick to our schedule.
“A lot of parents ask how I do this every day, but honestly, I do the same thing Monday through Friday.
“My schedule is exactly the same every day.”
When it comes to grocery shopping, Kelly goes to Walmart, Aldi and commissary at the local military base.
She said: “I go shopping every Sunday. I make a list of what’s on the menu that week.
“I stick to that and it helps me budget for the week.
“People will ask how much I go through every day and it honestly depends.
“Some days we can go through a liter of milk two to three days a week and some days we can go through a liter a day.
“It depends on the kind of week we’re having.”
Kelly’s daily routine:
5:45 am – wake up
6:50 – Take primary school children to school
8am: Take the youngest children to their play group
9:00 am: Middle school, high school at school
1:00 PM: Pick up the youngest children from the play group
1.50 pm: Pick up primary school children from school
4:00 PM: All children home and starting to eat
5:30 PM: Dinner is over
7:00 PM – 7:30 PM: Nightly cleaning
7:30 PM: Bath time
8:00 PM – 8:30 PM: Bedtime for toddlers and primary school children
9 p.m.: Bedtime in high school
10 p.m.: Bedtime in high school
10:30 PM – Bedtime for Kerry
Kelly and Timothy stopped adopting children after welcoming their first grandchild in January 2024.
She said: ‘We promised our children that if our children had children we would stop it.
“We want to be there for our children and their grandchildren.
“We have a child who is preparing to get married next year, we didn’t want to add to our family at that time either.
