borrowed words

I have had more going on than I feel I have time for!  Thankfully, I know that God gives me all the time I need to deal with all He has given me- I just need to prioritize and manage my time wisely.  (easier said than done!)

Sunday evening our family went to the park.  It's a hard feeling to explain, but I felt so happy to be with my family.  It was a feeling of such contentment and satisfaction as the older ones hung out with me or Matt and the younger ones ran around and played.  We had great conversations and good laughs.

I saw this recently and although they aren't my words, I thought I'd borrow them as I agree wholeheartedly!

This is from raisingarrows.net and it is listed as

The Top 10 Reasons for Having a Large Family

 #1 – They sure are fun! We have a blast together!  In fact, many years ago that was what drew me to large families.  They always looked like they were having a great time together.  Now, I know that isn’t always the case, but in our family fun just comes with the territory.

#2 – 5 (or 6 or 10) is easier than 2. I often hear, “I can’t handle my two children, I don’t know how you do it.“  Honestly, I didn’t handle my two very well either.  I was exhausted, short-fused, and outnumbered.  But, they grow up!  They aren’t all in diapers all the time.  They aren’t all house-wrecking toddlers all at the same time.  If you are diligent to train them with love and discipline, they grow up into lovely “big kids.”  Which leads me to…

#3 – Many hands make light work. I have a lot of helpers now.  I’m not left to do everything by myself all day long.  I have a 12 year old who could single-handedly run this household if need be, and a 9 year old fast on his heels.  The 4 and 5 year olds are learning and the 16 month old isn’t going to be 16 months forever.  They grow up and take on more responsibility, and there is such a blessing to working alongside a “big kid”!

#4 – There are always enough people to play a game. Whether it is basketball or football or a board game, there are many available bodies.

#5 – If you’re bored, it’s  your own fault. Need I say more?

#6 – You get a lot of attention. Who needs paparazzi?  Unload a slew of kiddos out of a 15 passenger van and see how many stares your attract.

#7 – Filling out paperwork is always interesting. Whether it’s medical forms or tax forms, I get a kick out of always needing to add spaces in order to get all my children’s information listed.

#8 – I never run out of big plastic hospital cups or baby lotion. Frequent trips to the maternity ward keep me stocked up.

#9 – Meals are always full of lively, entertaining conversation. Never a dull moment and never a word edgewise.

#10 – The Bible calls them blessings.

And they are.

I know that not everyone has a big family.  Some are content with one or two kids and some just weren't blessed with more.   I wanted a big family and I am so thankful for all of my children!  So for those of you with big families, you can relate - and for you with smaller families, just imagine :)