There have been whispers and secretive looks among the six children of Kelli and Rob Chelberg about what they will do for Mother’s Day.
Kelli expects it will be breakfast for her and her mother, Joan Keasling, who lives with the Chelbergs.
“Rob is very good at doing something for me and my mom,” she said. “All the kids are actually involved.”
Helping Rob, an optometrist at the Menominee Tribal Clinic, will be Ethan, 11, quadruplets Andon, Connor, Grace and Will, 8, and, Drew, 6.
Keasling has lived with the Shawano family for six years.
“I feel blessed to be there,” said Keasling, who was the single mom to three girls and moved to Shawano from Rochester, N.Y. “We get along well.”
“She’s very organized,” Keasling said about her daughter. “Kelli is the steering wheel. She’s a wonderful wife and mother. I‘m there as a helper.”
She came to live with the Chelbergs when the quadruplets were 2 years old.
“When she moved here, it was a huge transition for her,” said Kelli Chelberg, who works for the College of Menominee Nation. “It’s now home.”
Chelberg said her mom benefits her and the kids, like being able to pick them up from school when necessary.
“She’s a part of the family,” Chelberg said. “There’s a mutual appreciation of each other. I’m fortunate to have a supportive mom and husband.”
Chelberg acknowledged that having five grandsons and one granddaughter in an active and noisy house is a much different experience for her mom.
“For me it’s really nice to have someone reliable and dependable,” Chelberg said.
Keasling does the laundry, which can be two or three loads on a slow day. Chelberg folds and puts away.
Chelberg cooks, and her mom does the dishes. The kids put their dishes in the dishwasher.
“It’s getting more challenging as they get older and they eat more,” Chelberg said.
Chelberg does the grocery shopping and knows a good price when she sees one.
“I always try to find the deals,” she said. “I’m always stocking up.”
Cleaning is a family project; the kids all have chores.
“Everyone participates and helps out,” Chelberg said.
Of course, there are the usual differences of opinion among the children, but Chelberg said they are really protective of each other.
“We’re fortunate that they have each other,” she said. “There’s always something to do at our house.”
Since all the kids are now in school, the days at the house have changed.
“It’s evolving in terms of demand,” Chelberg said. “It’s less crazy during the day.”
But now the older ones are involved in sports and other activities.
“We try to limit what they do,” Chelberg said. “It’s a juggling act.”
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