February 09, 2011

When You Have a Big Family...

When you have a big family, things look a little different.  The kitchen table is bigger, and has more chairs that most people.  The food we have to prepare is "supersized" if you will!  Everything, it seems, is larger.  I have never known what it is like to sit at a table where just three people are eating.  I have never known a house that is perfectly clean, with every book straightened and every toy picked up.  Sometimes, I wish my house was like that, but I can't do anything about it, so I have learned to enjoy it!  

When you have a large family, your table looks like this before every meal...

...and even worse after every meal!

When you have a big family, there must be room for everyone to sit.  Count the chairs if you would like.  Oh, and don't forget about the baby's highchair!


When you have a big family, the food prepared is in large quantities.  There has to be enough for everyone!  That may mean one child may not get a lot of his favorite food or may get too much of his least favorite food.


When you have a big family, the tables look like this after school...


Let's see what we have here.  A random candlestick - some child must have thought that would come in handy when the power went out last week.  What else?  Oh, my laptop, my binder, my history (which I should be doing right now), my Bible, my pencil case, my books, my books, and...my books.  Sidenote: I used this picture instead of any other because I knew I might be attacked by one of my siblings if he or she saw it!  Just kidding!  I simply used it so that I have no one to blame for the mess!  :)

When you have a big family, the train table turns into a lego table, and it looks like this 24/7...


When you have a big family and homeschool, your book shelves look like this...

That might not look like a lot to you, but multiply that by about five or six, and that is what our basement looks like.  We have a lot of books.  And I have a lot of siblings who apparently do not know how to put books on a bookshelf correctly.  (Sorry for the sarcasim.  I'm usually the one who has to organize these shelves when we clean the basement.  You could say I'm a little bitter!)

When you have a big family, life is never boring.  There is always someone to talk to, always one child that will give you a hug, and always a bedroom to share!  When you have a big family, times might be tough.  It may be hard to get some peace and quiet, or go shopping right when you need to, or get that last piece of chocolate cake without sharing.  In the end, though, it's worth it.  In the end, I hope I will never say, "I wish I didn't have a big family."  In the end, and forever after that, I will love being in a big family.

8 comments:

  1. I live in a family of nine, I'm homeschooling, and I can say that there are books and legos everywhere! :)

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  2. Ha ha...I can relate!

    Cute post! :)

    Blessings,
    Moriah

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  3. Love it! Those pictures look very similar to my house! I love my family soooo much, but I can definately sympathize with you! Especially with the last piece of chocolate cake!:)

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  4. Yep, You said it all! :) Great post!

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  5. That table after school looks strikingly familiar to ours... random books, papers, pencils, erasers, a laptop... we don't have a candle holder, but we do have a bird cage!

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  6. I'm from a family of seven, and I'm the oldest!!!

    Loved this post.... I'm thinking of following you!!! :)

    Blessings,
    Manda <3

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  7. When you have a big family and love books, your bedroom may look like this...times about 3. Is me! I like the creativity in your title; guessing your favorite adage is "A picture is worth a thousand words?"

    www.thousandwords-storyfingers.blogspot.com

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  8. Love it!!! There are 12 kids in my family but ONLY 6 live at home right now. Im #8. We homeschool also. I dont think there is ever a time were our house is ALL the way clean, no lagos on the floor or books on the table. But thats OK!!! :) We still live a fun and happy life!

    In Christ
    Hosanna

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