What started as a part-time hobby has turned into a family business for social media creators Ben and Zoe Sullivan and their twelve children.
Since 2018, the couple racked up more than 50,000 followers across social media, boasting family-friendly content.
The Burghead pair have now turned their hobby into a full-time job – inspiring countless families in the north-east.
It might not only be their social media following that is on the rise as mum, Zoe, has revealed that she would “definitely have another” child.
We caught up with the Sullivans to chat about all things parenting and how they have become one of the most well-known families in the country.
Zoe and Ben, who is a former aircraft engineer at nearby RAF Lossiemouth, started to share a glimpse into their family life after people asked how they do it.
Speaking to The Press and Journal, Zoe said: “Someone said to us years ago that they’d love to be a fly on the wall in our house, so we thought we’d give it a go.
“We live quite a long way from our families, so I started by writing a blog so that all of my family could keep up with us and so that the grandparents could see videos of the kids.
“It got bigger and bigger and it’s our main job now, we turned it from a hobby to a job if you like.”
One thing the couple wanted to make certain from the beginning was that they “stay true to themselves”, which their audience certainly agrees with.
Couple turn online hobby into full-time job
She continued: “I said at the start I can only do this if we are real, I can’t be one of those people that’s going to be making stuff up.
“It’s going to be our life. We have stuck to that and are true to who we are and it seems to work.”
Although parents Zoe and Ben didn’t plan on having a dozen children, they quickly realised that having a small family was never on the cards for them.
When asked if the Sullivan family will expand anytime soon, Zoe revealed she would “definitely have another one.”
And even shared how she cannot wait to have “lots of grandchildren” running around.
Although their home is busy, it is a very happy one.
Zoe starts her mornings with a 5am wake-up call, and refers to the rest of her day as “organised chaos.”
When asked if she gets any time to herself, she simply says no and wouldn’t have it any other way.
She said: “I literally hit the ground running, I get my 10 minutes to myself in the shower and then it’s all go – washing, breakfasts, lunches, getting kids ready.
“It’s what we’ve always done, so we would probably struggle without that routine.
“It’s also a bit easier now as a lot of the kids are older now and can sort themselves out in the mornings.”
The children range in age from two-year-old Florence to 19-year-old Elisabeth.
Zoe wants to be as relatable as she can, which is why the family doesn’t shy away from showing the nitty gritty aspects of parenting.
Sullivan family become online influencers
As parenting can be daunting enough, they treat their online platform as a place for people to take inspiration from if they choose.
Zoe doesn’t consider herself an “expert parent” just because she has 12 kids.
Adding: “With parenting there are so many people telling you what to do and how to do it and I remember feeling lost when I first had Elisabeth.
“Now I’m a much more confident parent as I don’t feel like I need to do what social media says and that I can trust my own instincts.
“Wish I’d had felt like that before, but that’s why I want to share that with people now.”
She jokingly admits that she “still doesn’t know what she’s doing now” as she has moved into the teenage phase of parenting.
Feeling like there’s not enough people talking about the teenage years from a parenting aspect, she hopes to change that.
She has also started to experiment with other things on her channel such as clothing hauls.
Zoe shared how this has become so important to her, after loosing part of herself.
“I’ve spent a long time not feeling happy in my own skin, and there’s a little bit of me now where I feel like I can start liking myself again.
“So, I try and help other woman online and be as relatable as possible. A lot of people have said thank you and shared how it’s helped them find themselves again too.”
Sullivans love the outdoors
She goes on to say how things online may look perfect, but in reality this is a different story.
“Kids come with stuff and our the little ones draw and play all day long, so there’s always toys and crafts they can access.”
As summer is just around the corner, the family look forward to spending the majority of it outdoors.
Although they don’t have the budget to go abroad, Zoe shared that they holiday in Aviemore and visit places close to them all the time.
Adding: “Last year we had a holiday for the first time as we booked a lodge in Aviemore. We loved it that much we are going back next week.
“It’s not Spain but we love it. We also have season tickets for landmark and often go to the Highland Wildlife Park.
“There’s a lot of pressure for people in the summer holidays, but kids are happy playing at home.”
Finding ways to still have fun and save money, they feel that their kids are the happiest when playing with each other outside.
Zoe concluded: “I feel like I can be the parent I always wanted to be.
“Yes, you will need advice but trust your own gut feeling, they’re your kids at the end of the day.
“So much negativity around large families and we want to show people we are really lucky and wouldn’t change it for the world.”
