I'm Superwoman? Not! Part 3

2. Pass the baton.



Even with the bar lowered there is plenty of work that needs to be done in a household of twelve! That's where the children step up to the plate to help. When they understand their help is needed (believe me, their help is needed!), and as they actually provide needed help, the children gain the understanding and sense of fulfillment that they can contribute meaningfully to the lives of others.


Everybody from the 2yo and older are have opportunites to contribute. The children who are 12 and older do the cooking and laundry. Our 9yo does the vacuuming. It doesn't mean he vacuums every time the carpet is dirty. But he's learning and improving as is the cleanliness of our floors. Our 5yo is our chief dishwasher unloader. She does a good job with a little help. She doesn't always get all the silverware in the right places in the drawer. Big deal. She's improving and that's what's important. Even the 2yo has jobs - regularly taking her disposable diaper to the trash as well as any other small task that comes up! It's important that everyone, including her, be contributing. Eventually, they'll all be great at their jobs and the house will be really clean. Until then I've learned to be happy with partially clean!

Thanks for dropping' by! Come visit again soon!

Momoften

I'm Superwoman! Not!

Over the years I've learned to smile when people ask “So how many children do you have?” I know their reaction to my answer will probably be one of the following:

1. A look of horror crosses their face as they crassly declare, "Better you than me!"
Thankfully, this one doesn't happen too often. When it does, then I'm the one who gets the look of horror on my face. How can anyone think so poorly of the blessings of children?

2. They flash back a confused smile. "What? You're kidding!" Once I assure them that I am serious they react as in #3.

3. Their jaw hits the floor as they blurt out, "Ten?!?" Often the comment follows “You must be superwoman! How do you do it all?”

The answer is I don't! There's no possible way one woman could do all the laundry, cleaning, cooking, refereeing, hugging, chauffeuring, potty training, counselling, etc. involved in raising ten children. I gave up trying years ago.

So how do I manage? And thus begins my first series...

Momoften

Strategy for Lowering the Thermostat

One challenge in the winter is walking the fine line of keeping the heating bill low while keeping the peace among the natives. One of my sons has a circulation problem and his feet and hands get cold really easily. He's always the first one to voice his objections to the relatively precipitous fall of temperature in the house. So my strategy has been to cook the frog slowly.

You know that story about how to cook a frog? You put him in a big pot of cold water and let him swim around happily in there while you turn the heat on low. Slowly the water temperature rises but the frog is oblivious because the water heats so slowly he doesn't notice. Before long it's time for a frog dinner! In like manner, at the beginning of the cold season I leave the thermostat at about 72. The next week I turn it down a degree. The following week I turn it down another degree. I continue like this until someone in the family comments about how dreadfully cold it is. I tell them to put on more clothing. LOL. If I still get comments and I'm feeling magnanimous I might turn it back up a degree and leave it there for a week. Then I try again and turn it down and see how it goes. If I don't get comments I know they can tolerate it okay. And so it goes until I keep getting comments and cannot placate them. Then I turn it up a degree and that's where it stays until warm weather hits at which time I employ the same strategy in reverse.

Thanks for droppin' by! I gotta run now but come back and visit me again soon!

Momoften

Come on in - the coffee is brewing!

Hi. Welcome to my blog! I'm glad you've joined me for a little one-way chat! Come on in. Pull up a chair and have a nice, hot cup of coffee while I share with you some of the things I've learned through the years and what life is like for a mother of ten children. LOL. Yes, I really do have ten children. Nope. No twins or triplets. All one by one. No, no adoptions either. All with the same father. No, I'm not Roman Catholic. Uh-huh. Not Mormon either. Just a Bible-believing Christian who believes that children do not cease to be blessings past number two. So now you know a few things about my situation. What topics exactly will this blog explore?

First off ,all things baby! There's no getting around it – I am a baby lover! Just ask my kids - I always admire every baby I see. And having one in the house for the last 22 years has been such a tremendous blessing to me! Of course, I've learned quite a few things about them along the way - practical things like how to handle a total blow-out diaper when you forgot the diaper bag and other important babyhood emergencies, how to make your baby go back to sleep within 20 minutes when he wakes up with croup two hours after you've gone to bed, the fastest, surest way to cure diaper rash, how we avoided ear tubes. You know, stuff like that.

But I have lots of other avenues to explore with you: homeschooling a large family, home management tips and mistakes, my approach to health and sicknesses, surviving raising five boys, surviving raising five girls! Approaches to saving money, of course, has to come up. Nobody has ten children and doesn't know how to save money! Staying married to the same man for 25 years and still loving it – now that's a rarity in this day and age. My journey of getting healthier and thinner. Sign language. Raising a child with Down Syndrome. Depression. Home birth. Homeopathy. Organic gardening. Lots of paths to explore together.

My husband will be dropping by from time to time on my blog but he's a great guy and tells the funniest stories.

I'm sure I'll post about all kinds of things – recipes, reviews, funny stories, opinions - basically whatever suits my fancy. And I have lots of fancies!

Well, thanks for droppin' by! I gotta run now but come back and visit me again soon!

Momoften