Looks like you've got your hands full!

If I had even a half a penny for every time someone says that to me just because I am walking around with one or two (sometimes three) children, I could buy me a brand new decked out minivan!

So I've started saying things like: "Heck, this is just half of them" or "Nah, they're great kids", and then register peoples shock when they actually are well behaved.

I'm going to sound bitter here, but this has been going on far too long and I'm annoyed. When I was pregnant with my third child, it was okay in people's minds (and they told me about it -- like old men in the grocery store told me...) because I had two boys and was "trying for a girl". Whatever! Like you can "try" for anything. As they say in preschool: "you get what you get, and you don't throw a fit!". So, then pregnant with the fourth, I was insane because I already "had my girl" so what was I having another one for. (Really was asked this question)

It really is quite amazing to me that, at least it has been my experience, people tend to make it seem like they think I just one day woke up to being in this 'predicament' with all these children and of coarse couldn't possibly have done this on purpose. The best is when at the open house for Samantha's mother's day out program this past September, one of the dads came in on some of the other parents and I talking about having my baby over the summer break (Christian was one or two weeks old at that point) and his wife says to him: "that's five", the man literally gasped and then in a big southern accent (which makes it all the better) says to me; "why didn't your husband stop you, woman!" I was shocked and almost couldn't come up with a reply and just said; "He was pretty well in on all of it."

Okay, here's my point/beef: Until I start asking you to feed my children or clothe them, or take care of them in any way, don't tell me that I have too many or can't do it. I'm not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, neither am I wealthy beyond need, but I am a pretty good mom, and I provide for my children everything they need and probably too much of what they want. The fact of the matter is that I do agree that five is a big lot of children for one family now days, but that's what we felt like we were supposed to do. Now, that being said, I will say that we are done. I don't feel like there are anymore little spirits up in the spirit world that we promised to bring into our family, but I really do feel like there were five, and here they are and I adore them all! (I will say here, that I reserve the right to bash (in writing) on any one of them, though, at any given time in future posts if they drive me to it -- which is highly possible seeing that we are quickly heading for the teen-aged years.) Back to the point: I fully believe there are some people who should/can/want to only have one child or two, or none -- whatever your magical number. Our magical number is five and that's just the way it is for us. Could you imagine if I went up to someone who only had one or two children and said: "That's all, huh? Slacker." I don't even think that. But it is amazing how people feel very free to make comment on my mental state because I have five children. Love it! Okay. I'm done.