ABOUT | Von Tatchenstine's

The Von Tatchenstine Tribe...

The Von Tatchenstines became our household alter ego when we combined our names to create a new one because I, Rach (Tatty as I’m known, by my school friends.) wanted to keep my maiden name, Tatchell, Jack wanted me to be a Constantine.

When it came down to the day, the registrar announced at the wedding as Mrs Constantine, (despite me saying otherwise.) So that was that, the children have both our names, but our made-up name stuck.

So now a large family of nine, we live happily in the south of England, with our five sons and two daughters. I have spent my life designing spaces at home and renovating our nine-bedroom guest house, I have a degree and masters in writing, but I’m not a master I’m a dyslexic try hard that enjoys writing as a hobby, I do all this with my husband and best friend, Jack. He’s a hands-on dad and in his spare time is running Lush digital and inventing bath bombs for the family business. He’s a visionary and he works hard, plays hard. And is the Co- creator of all the Mini von Tatchenstines starting with…

Our Eldest, Ethan, 15 he is currently training to becoming the master of Pokémon Go and teenage angst during this weird time.

Followed by Lily, 13, our eldest daughter, hands on mini mummy who’s fluent in sass and making sure all her online schooling is done to the highest standard. (Kids these days would call her a ‘sweat’ she tells me.)

Lily rules over our middle two boys Felix,12 and Oscar 9, they are now back at school, but they have loved lock down life, Fortnite has been their lifeline to friends and grown like implants in their palms, they are continuously asking for screen time and they bicker something chronic.

This brings us to Dexter the brave, our 5-year-old who is going through the almighty battle to defeat bob the blob (this is what we call his cancer.) its taking up everything he’s got, but he’s going for it.

Two years behind him, is my mini me, the youngest sister, Bellatrix, aka Trixie, resident queen and ruler of all in our house, is permanently singing and bossing as she wafts around the house in princess dresses and tiaras. She is so in love with life and comfortable with her kingdom, she’s not threatened by the littlest member of the tribe, Quill Cassius, our newest addition and full time ‘therapy baby’. He’s an old soul chilled and calm, receiving daily heart-warming cuddles, filling us all up with much needed joy.

We have a jam-packed full life, big family, lots of friends, adventure and love. All was going swimmingly until December 5th 2019 when our little boy Dexter, 5, was shockingly diagnosed with a rare cancer, Parameningeal Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma.

It’s been a really hard, unbelievable six months, to the point, you literally couldn’t write it.

Of course, I’m going to.

This blog is where I’m going to write about our life past and present. The highs, the lows, the juggling of six children and the arrival of a new baby. All while our brave son Dexter is having chemotherapy and Proton Therapy miles away in the only centre in the uk, away from home, unable to have visitors because of lock down and being shielded in the mists of global pandemic of COVID- 19.

You couldn’t write it. X