Family of 9 stays healthy, active
Family of 9 stays healthy, active

By Heather Warlick

Published: August 3, 2008

t takes a village to raise a big, healthy family. No one knows that better than the Matas. Eight weeks ago, Shannon and Ruben Mata of Oklahoma City added a baby girl, Sierra, to their brood, which now consists of seven children.

The Matas may not be the typical nuclear family with 2.5 children, a dog and a minivan, but they have more than their share of love and have learned much about working together as a team.

"We're not perfect parents but we do pretty well,” Shannon Mata said. "I give each one of them age-appropriate chores and everyone does their part.”

Aside from the baby, the Mata children — Nicholas, 13, Noah, 10, Nashoba, 8, Noel, 6, Eleora, 4, and Nocona, 2 — help out in many ways around the house.

The older boys sort and fold laundry, vacuum, do dishes and keep their rooms clean. Each older child is assigned a younger child to help dress in the mornings and to keep track of at outings. And the younger children are tasked with smaller jobs, such as carrying the diaper bag to the car.

"They're getting to the age where they can all help out,” Ruben Mata said. But getting the kids to do their chores is not always easy. "We do hear a lot of griping on a regular basis.”

Financially, the burden of seven children could be overwhelming to some parents. But the Matas have found creative ways to make sure their clan is entertained, well-fed and happy on a shoestring budget.

Shannon Mata is a strict budgeter who has found ways to feed her family for a month on less money than most families spend for food in half that time.

"I only spend about $450 max per month on food,” she said. "I'm really conservative.”

How does such a large family subsist on such a small food budget? Shannon Mata buys only fresh vegetables that are in season.

She cooks nearly every meal at home and the children eat mostly fresh fruit and vegetables for snacks.

"Most of the time, by the pound, it's cheaper to buy fresh,” she said. She recently bought 10 cantaloupes because they were only $1 each. And she bought an enormous watermelon that was on sale knowing that her kids would eat it in short order.

Shannon Mata doesn't shop in bulk. She only shops for the week ahead. And she never buys soda.

"If we want a pop, I'll take them over to Bunny's (Onion Burger) and get a pop. That's one of our days out: We'll go in and have Cokes and ice creams.”

At dinner time, Mata fixes lots of pasta, beans and other inexpensive items and rarely cooks meat. They also pick much of their produce from the Dorothy Day Center Community Garden. They recently benefited from a bumper crop of tomatoes.

"For dinner that night, we had chips and we made homemade salsa. We used a small bag of chicken and made tortilla soup. Nothing fancy but it was good. It was all fresh,” she said.

Ruben Mata manages Bunny's Onion Burger at 5020 N Meridian, where he often works more than 50 hours a week to make ends meet. And Shannon Mata is a stay-at-home mom, a hectic job but one that she takes very seriously.

"My number-one talent is being a mom,” she said, though she enjoys writing and evenings out with her girlfriends watching live music or having dinner.

But with seven kids to care for, Shannon Mata has to make time for her pastimes.

"It's really hard on Shannon when I'm working 12 hours a day,” Ruben Mata said. "Without me being there, she really can't take a break. She can't just go in her room and relax and know that there's an adult downstairs taking care of business, fixing dinner or whatever.”

It's a lot of work, but it makes the Matas a strong family.

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