YOU MIGHT BE A BIG FAMILY IF.....

This post comes after reading a friend's blog about parenting her many small children. This is our take on having a big family. These are not just creative suggestions - they have all ACTUALLY happened to us.

You might be a big family if...

.. you count by 2's because it's just plain quicker.

.. people just get out of the way, rather than offer to help when you are making plates for dinner.

.. you refer to your mini van as "the little van" and the 12 passenger as "the big van."

.. people ask you how old your kids are and you actually get mixed up when you respond.

.. a bottle of sunscreen only lasts 2 outings.

.. you have 2 swing sets in your backyard and there still aren't enough swings for everyone to be on a swing at one time.

.. you qualify for group discounts.

.. you do a head count before leaving the driveway because you are still traumatized by the movie Home Alone.

.. your favorite Mexican restaurant actually changes their "kids eat free" policy based on your family.

.. you go out to dinner and people ask, "What's the special occasion?" or "Is this a birthday party?"

.. you start to hand a sucker to each of your children after church and other kids start to line up to get one too.

.. people ask you if you know what causes this.

.. the dentist will not allow you to schedule all your kids in one day, but you end up taking all your kids both times anyway.

.. you have a color coded system for cups, plates, shoe bins, towels etc.

.. when your father in-law stays over and uses one of the color coded cups, you politely ask him not to, so as not to endanger the entire infrastructure of the family.

.. you label things frequently with a Sharpie.

.. there are only 3 months each year that it ISN'T someone's birthday.

.. your 5 year old folds and puts away his own laundry - and has been for years.

.. it takes 2 hours to find a hotel that will allow you stay in one room.

.. you take up a whole row at the movies.

.. you have to convince the bowling alley that this "really is NOT a daycare."

.. your oldest daughter says things like, "There are still a few seats left in the van. Why not fill them up?"

.. the "parents bathroom" is just an illusion, because it constantly has foam letters, extra loofas, and kid shampoo in the shower.

.. it "counts"as a night away even though the nursing baby goes along.

.. 2 kids are gone for the evening, 5 still left home, but it feels like a ghost town.

.. you had a nickel for every time someone said to you "Boy, you've got your hands full." And you can honestly reply, "You think my hands are full? You should see my heart."

Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him.
Psalm 127:3