Eight - in - the - morning

"How do you do it"

2012-01-25T15:44:00.000-08:00

http://www.ncregister.com/blog/to-the-mother-with-only-one-child

I realized after reading this article I have a lot to say. I, like the author, have a lot of kids and tire of hearing similar questions. Not because I feel like it is an attack on my decision but rather because I have yet to create a response that I feel explains all that needs to be said to the parent who asks, “How do you do it.” A response that can easily be delivered while juggling 6 kids and some groceries at the checkout, nonetheless!

First I have to say, parenting is a lot of work and I don’t feel like it is easier the more kids you have. Some parts are easier but there are many parts that are doubled, tripled, quadrupled, etc, etc. When I decided to have a lot of kids, the idea of it being easier did not come into play. But there are times that I do find myself feeling like it is becoming easier. So I have thought a lot about this and decided that this feeling of easier we talk about is only perceived.

Work, by definition, is an activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result. When I was a child, my parents taught me the benefits of work (thanks Mom and Dad). Growing up on a farm, in a big family, there was always endless amounts of work. Because of this, I grew to understand and appreciate work. As I became older and had more control over what work I wanted to do, that work became much more enjoyable and rewarding. For example when I was a child picking a bushel of beans in the hot garden during my summer break did not give me the same feeling it does now that I value giving my family the best food I can. As in parenting, the more I began to appreciate the rewards, the more enjoyable and easier the work becomes.

I believe parenting several children is only possible due to the simple fact that as your work load increases so does your efficiency and skill level. Due to repetition alone, I have become better and faster at all my tasks. Such tasks as diaper changing, folding laundry, disciplining, and education are acquired on your first child and carried into raising each additional child making it “easier” some might say. If this did not happen, I do not think I could ever handle the ever increasing work of raising a family.

Since parenting forces us to do work, just as living forces us to breathe, we do this work we learn to appreciate, not working, so to say. Many things in life are the same way. Without winter, summer would not feel as good, without death, life would not be as precious and without hunger, food would not taste so good. Because the labor of a family is so great, so in return, is that love. With each new life I create and care for I am greatly rewarded. It is sad to me the parent who looks at parenting as a selfless act, instead of a selfish one.

So to that parent that I meet in the grocery store I shall say....

Well, I shall say nothing I suppose, because figuring it out on your own is the greatest reward of all.

"The art of Mothering is to teach the art of living to children"
..... Elain Heffner.

Some of this year's history projects

2010-05-03T08:24:00.000-07:00

Pompeii Burns

Black Death

The layers of the Earth

Saint Francis of Assisi ( Check out the polly on the cross. Lol.)

Jews rebel against Roman rule (Menorah)

slavery in the south and the cotton gin

Mom gets brave...Kids get cuts.....

2010-01-31T15:06:00.000-08:00

Creating Christmas Memories

2010-01-20T13:26:00.000-08:00

Our Goolish Treats we made for our Halloween Party

2009-11-10T12:10:00.000-08:00

My spooky kids

2009-11-10T11:22:00.000-08:00

Shannon the wizard

Calvin the Bee

Vivian my Care bear

Paige the Cheerleader

Madison as Hermione

Allie as Minnie Mouse

October Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

2009-11-10T09:38:00.000-08:00

Paige playing on the haystacks
More playing on haystacks
Vivian getting her pumpkin
Of, course Allie has to get the biggest one.
Me and my pumpkin
Don't mess with my pumpkins
Feeding the cows
Petting the duck
Yum, Yum!!

Calvin playing in the leaves

2009-10-28T12:07:00.000-07:00

Allie lost her first tooth

2009-10-26T12:27:00.000-07:00

Allie was so excited to finally lose her first. She has watched her sister's teeth fall out for so long and was very anxious for her day to come.

Getting ready for the Gypsy fest.

2009-10-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

Calvin's debut

2009-10-14T09:48:00.001-07:00

vivian's debut

2009-10-14T07:51:00.000-07:00

allie's debut

2009-10-14T07:10:00.000-07:00

paige's debut

2009-10-14T06:49:00.000-07:00

shannon's debut

2009-10-14T06:39:00.001-07:00

madison's debut

2009-10-14T06:23:00.000-07:00

school kick off gypsy fest

2009-10-14T06:09:00.000-07:00

Before we started school this year we hosted a big talent sort of night for all the kids. Madison ended up being the master of ceremonies and we all had a fabulous time.

Houston we have lift off!!

2009-10-14T05:40:00.000-07:00

Mad scientist video 2

2009-10-07T15:27:00.000-07:00

finally success

Mad scientist video 1

2009-10-07T15:02:00.000-07:00

Some homeschooling fun! Sorry about the angle Madison
hasn't taken a film class yet.

Remodeling!

2009-10-07T11:32:00.000-07:00

Here we are ripping off all the paper and plaster from our upstairs hallway. We were trying to get ready for the sale of our house.

Here is what the completed project looks like. It took a little longer then we thought but we are so pleased we aren't sure if we really want to move all soon.

New carpet in living room and spare room also!

Our new house

2009-09-30T06:27:00.000-07:00

Here is the house we hope to buy.

http://www.homesteadnet.com/advancedsearchresults.asp?mls=917520&mode=view

2009-09-25T14:59:00.000-07:00

look at this awsome house for sale
http://www.nothnagle.com/properties/details.asp?mlsid=1&mlnum=925036

Shannon in the Wiz

2009-09-13T08:52:00.000-07:00

Paige in the Wiz

2009-09-13T08:40:00.000-07:00

Madison in the Wiz

2009-09-13T08:24:00.000-07:00

2009-09-13T08:23:00.000-07:00

Take a ride on the Reading

2009-09-13T07:56:00.000-07:00

While at the lake we took our first ever train ride!

Summer on the Lake with Mark and Joanie

2009-09-13T07:38:00.000-07:00

Act II

2009-09-13T07:27:00.000-07:00

Madison and her friends in a Peter Pan skit at the county fair.

Act I

2009-09-13T07:18:00.000-07:00

Shannon and Paige performing a short Peter Pan Skit for the County Fair Talent Show.

Riding in Style

2009-09-13T07:12:00.000-07:00

The last leg of our Illinois trip was a stop off in Colombus, Ohio to visit Josh's brother and sister-in-law. While there the girls got to ride in Uncle Marks convertible. Cool!!!

There were four in the bed, and the little one said...

2009-09-13T07:09:00.000-07:00

Getting a good nights sleep, camping in Mahomet, Illinois.

Shannon's birthday

2009-09-13T07:02:00.000-07:00

We also celebrated Shannon's Birthday while we were in Illinois. Her Aunt Kate made her this crazy hat cake! WoW!

Look! Grandma's puff is as big as me.

2009-09-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

Hot weather meant lots of cool showers at Grandma's too. Vivian especially liked them. She would ask each night if we could shower and then she would run out to the coop naked, carrying her towel above her head screaming "I'm a human". I thought it was so cute but it wasn't until much later, when I caught myself saying, "That shower felt good; I feel human now." that it hit me why she chose those words. Something I picked up from my mom and have now passed down to my daughter. There is a little bit of Grandma in my little bit of a Vivian. Now, that's how we live eternally!

Summertime

2009-09-13T06:55:00.000-07:00

Summer hit hard on our vacation in Illinois. It was in the high 90's and humid. My mom wasn't quite ready for such an early summer heat wave so we tried to keep cool anyway we could. It was quite a contrast from the summer we had out here this year.

Dressing up with friends

2009-09-13T06:52:00.001-07:00

Writing class presentations

2009-09-13T06:45:00.001-07:00

Princess party at the Library

2009-09-13T06:40:00.000-07:00

MIA

2009-08-08T06:44:00.000-07:00

Well some of you may have thought that I died or fell off the face of the earth or something but have no fear, I am here to reclaim my blog. We have had, should I say, an "eventful summer" thus far. It seems everything we do turns into a disaster, some more catastrophic than others. So I will catch all of you up on my summer, one event at a time. Someday soon I hope, I will be able to laugh at this summer. For lets be honest what good is a life if you can't have any fun with whatever comes your way, right? So sit back and relax as the posts start pouring in. LOl

Paige's New Toy

2009-05-31T18:34:00.000-07:00

Paige saved over a hundred dollars and bought herself a pair of wheels tonight. It was about dark when she brought it home so she came running in to get herself a light. It is going on 10:00 and they are still going strong. It is so cute.

Science Fair

2009-05-19T07:07:00.000-07:00

Vivian and Allie did colors. They made playdough and learned what primary and secondary colors are.
Paige learned about the sense of taste and how you use your nose to taste your food. The soy sauce worked the best on the subjects and we all got a laugh out of it. The experiment was that you couldn't tell what the liquid was with your nose closed just that it was salty and then when you let go of your nose you got a strong taste of what it really was. The kids all made a really disgusting face. It was so cute.
Shannon's idea was to make a solar oven. She was not able to cook anything in it being as the weather here was not cooperating. The highest temp she was able to get was 103 not bad considering it was only 60 that day. p.s. she made the dress she's wearing too!!!
Madison did acids and bases. She made her own litmus paper out of red cabbage and tested various household chemicals and compared them against a control acid and base.

*****A fellow homeschooler set this up for our group in a retirement home where she works. Three of the residents watched our kids individual presentations and awarded them with certificates. We had a lot of kids participate that day and our kids really learned a lot. It was way cool.

Reminiscing

2009-05-19T06:56:00.000-07:00

So as most of you know I am on a rampage decluttering my house. Yesterday we started in the garage. The girls were so excited to finally get into my memory boxes. I can no longer pick on my kids about their pack-rattishness. They found a pack of gum, a bottle of pop, used chap stick from the 80's, and an unidentifiable play dough creation amongst other things. Here is Shannon trying on my handmade prom dress. I have to admit I actually tried to get back into it, how humbling. But it sure looked pretty on my girls.

Calvin is 6 mo.

2009-05-19T06:43:00.000-07:00

I just got home from Calvin's six month check up. He is growing like a weed. Two weeks ago he began crawling and now this new trick. I think he is going to keep me busy and I am loving every minute of it. It truly is like having a first baby all over again with Cal (him being our first boy). I love the dynamics of our family.

p.s. For all of you who know I was concerned about his sutures overlapping a bit too much. I am relieved to say it is not a concern anymore. They are starting to separate nicely and his head circumference is growing right on target! As for developmentally, I think the picture speaks for itself.

4-H fun~!!!

2009-05-19T06:29:00.000-07:00

Last night was 4-H. Here are the kids making Model Rockets for the first time ever! Growing up with all girls I never was introduced to these things. I love that my girls get to do this stuff. The little ones were in the kitchen with me and the group's leader making a snack for the everyone. They got a chance to practice there cutting skills; we made fruit and dip. It is so nice to see all the kids getting along so well. I am grateful for such a diverse group.

Welcome to the World

2009-05-12T07:11:00.000-07:00

What a sight to wake up too!!! After 21 days of waiting our little babies are finally here. You should see how excited the girls are to see this happen before their eyes. Vivian keeps checking in to see what they will do next. I keep hearing shouts from the other room to come quick and see . What a wonderful thing life is.

Where's my baby?

2009-05-07T10:42:00.000-07:00

I seems like last week Calvin was just learning how to get up on his knees. Now he is going everywhere. We are having so much fun trying to keep up with him. It's a good thing he has so many big sisters to keep an eye on him.

Planting Seeds

2009-05-06T08:03:00.000-07:00

Madison helping the kids plant the seeds she gave them in their Easter baskets.

flying kites

2009-05-06T07:58:00.000-07:00

My kids have been really into flying kites this year. We gave them some in their Easter baskets and they are really getting some miles out of them.

Baking bread

2009-05-02T06:46:00.000-07:00

My mom and I have been having fun studying some different techniques of bread making. She gave me this proofing bowl for Easter. It made such a nice a loaf! I was very happy with the results and so was the family. Thanks Mom.

Easter 2009

2009-04-28T16:32:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from our Easter. I hid eggs at our house this year. It was so fun.

Creepy Crawler

2009-04-28T16:03:00.000-07:00

Calvin has been working so hard lately on his new trick.
All the girls get so excited every time he learns something new.
Oh, yeah he has a new tooth too. They just don't stay little long enough!

Our Moorish Feast

2009-04-27T10:12:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we were studying the Moors for History. We ended the lesson with a Moorish feast that even daddy got to attend.

2009-04-27T09:13:00.000-07:00

Little Miss Muffet........
As you all know our kids love
to warm themselves on the
heater vents much to their mother's dismay.
This is our Vivian in her princess dress warming up.
I have to admit; it is pretty cute.

Sitters beware!!!

2009-04-27T07:14:00.000-07:00

We came home after a night out only to find our
sitters in this predicament !!!! Many thanks
Chick and Lita for putting up with out little ones.