large family???

I don't feel like we have a big family, but I am constantly reminded how big we are compared to other families. As we are often asked questions like "Do you know what causes that?" and "Are you done yet?". 100 years ago people would have been proud to have a family this size, and so much larger. No we don't have a farm, we live in a subdivision, but we still have chores to do. I think chores build character in children. If children are raised without ever having responsibilities how will they ever learn? They will not one day wake up and say "I would like to start working hard now!" Instead they will either learn the hard way through many failures, or just never get it. I pray my children learn to work hard so they will be prepared for the hard times later in life, and enjoy the good ones even more.

Having a "large" family has brought a few challenges to our home. The average family in America is 1.86 children according to the 2000 census. So guess what homes, and cars are built for. With the invention of the minivan people thought ohh hey this is great it will fit the whole family! Well for us, yes we fit in a minivan however there is zero room to move once you include car seats, and forget about adding groceries! Plus if we have guests we would have to travel in two cars because we would not fit in one vehicle. So we upgraded I'm sure much to my neighbors sadness. =) We now drive around in a 12 passenger van. I love the leg room, the space for my children to move, and the fact that when I put on my turn signal people MOVE!

According to the 2000 US census there are 1.86 children per family. Think about that. There is one mom and one dad. Now if the average family has less than 2 children what is going to happen to the population of the country? Yes people from other countries become citizens all the time. But think about your family line. In just a few generations your family line can completely disappear. That means the heritage of your family will become extinct if this trend continues. And yes I have heard the over population ideas. For anyone that would like to tell me that our country is over populated I encourage you to take a road trip! Please look hard to see if you can possibly find some extra space where a family might be able to fit. I for one have driven across the country a few times. Trust me we are not over populated! And what about jobs if we have more people. Umm HELLO if there are more people then there will be a higher demand for things, and in turn will create more jobs. Just my 2 cents.

Back to my "large" family:

Laundry is another item that is challenging for a "large" family. First of all unless you have a super capacity washer you are in trouble. I have 2 boys that are 4 and 2. They make a mess!!!! So their clothes have to be washed every time they wear them. Plus I have determined boys are gross. My girls can wear a skirt twice before it needs to be washed some days. Not all days but some. They can get messy too! Keeping MT. Laundry under control sometimes takes some effort. The house God gave us had a folding door to a area in the hall that held the washer dryer, and the water heater. Sounds good right? Easy to get to, confined right? So where to you put your dirty stuff? Where do you put all your detergent? In our case we make our own detergent so we have a 5 gallon bucket for it. Our solution was to re-wire, and put new plumbing in the garage, and move the laundry area to the garage. My husband had it done in a day. Now we have an area for our dirty clothes 3 bins, whites, darks, and linens. Plus room for our detergent, and our laundry baskets. Plus no more constant noise from the washer and dryer being on while we are trying to do schoolwork. Spin cycle can be loud!

Now food for a "large" family can be challenging. Big pots, big pans, storage for the food, and then where to put all your supplies. First extra counter space is needed. I have learned that the kitchen table is a great place to do prep work. When making pancakes it can take all day! My solution: 2 griddles. I can now make 10 pancakes at a time! We hardly ever had waffles because it took so long. I found 2 belgium waffle makers on sale. So now it takes 15 min or less to make pancakes or waffles for our family. Half the time it used to. Plus now since we have the empty space in the hall where the washer and dryer were my husband installed shelves and we have a pantry. Or as one of my friends calls it the prayer closet. (The first few times she came over for a meal as I was preparing things I would leave the kitchen and come back with food. Finally she asked where I was getting all the food. I told her I left the room prayed real hard and as I walked back the food appeared. =) Then she followed me and saw our lovely pantry.)

Living in a society where children are not cherished is very challenging. We get many comments of "my your hands are full" and "are they all yours?" from people not realizing how rude they are being. I love to see the looks on their faces when I tell them I homeschool my children and do not have babysitters. Their jaws just about hit the floor. In our society money, status and entertainment are cherished. At the end of the day I have my family to cuddle with, and spend time with. At the end of my life I will be able to say "Wow that was a lot of fun! God blessed me beyond what I could have ever imagined for myself." And I pray now that my children will all be able to look back at their childhood and be able to remember that family is more important than money, status and entertainment. Some things are more challenging but they are soooo worth it!