• Saturday, October 22, 2005 - SHARE and Tell: I'M PREGNANT!
So, it's gotten to the point where I can't hide it
anymore... we weren't planning on telling anyone until Thanksgiving,
but the "bulge" is a give-a-way... so I'm officially announcing our
newest blessing due May 13th!
That will make it seven! Dare I ask those of you out there your
feelings on "birth control" and husbands or wives having surgeries to
"fix" themselves for no more children? (I'd like to think we can
do this in a rational way anyway... remember to be kind...)
SHARE and Tell:
How many children do you have?
Did you always plan on being a mother, homeschooler, ect?
What are your feelings on birth control, and how do you cope with the world's view of having children?
Share a story about being pregnant in a world that's "norm" is 2 children.
Okay... so I'll answer my own questions as well...
We have six children... (Click on the "safe code"
to understand the following code.) 1.B.17 (step-son, who is very
unhappy with our pregnancy, so please keep in prayer), 2.B.9, 3.B.7,
4.G.5, 5.G.3, 6.B.1 (will be 2 May 19th... right after baby is born).
It's so unbelievable how we've been so blessed. God's grace is so
good. We're so underserving of what we have... it really is amazing.
I never wanted to have children... I mean, when I got my period I cried
and told my mother there was no sense to this because I never wanted
children. I'm so glad it was the Lord's plan that prevailed and not
mine... I have no idea, to be honest, how many children we'll have,
but for now, we don't feel we should do anything drastic...
I've changed since we started having children... I was going to
go back to work after our children were in school. Homeschooling
was never a thought. After getting pregnant when my first child
was 11 months, I was surprised. When my second child was 11
months, I considered going on the "pill", but everytime I went into the
bathroom to get them, I saw a verse in there on the counter... "Trust
in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own
understanding..." The Lord spoke to me through that verse, and I
never did go on the pill. Since then, we've wrestled with our
will verses the Lord's... I mean, the world sure has a hard time
grasping the thought of children being blessings from the Lord!
I'm determined not to give in though, and let the Lord determine the
size of our family... I still can't believe how many children we have,
and I'm not always sure how we'll afford it, but I know that the Lord
provides and we need to trust in Him in ALL things.
So, my last pregnancy I was in the grocery store and the cashier
looked in complete disbelief aksing, "Are you pregnant again?" I
happily answered, "Yes!" She then went on (keep in mind, I've got
a line behind me...), "Don't you already have a girl?" I laughed
and said, "Yes, I have two... that's not why we got pregnant
again..." As if she hadn't said enough, would you believe she
went on to ask, "Are you Catholic?" (please, catholics, do not take
that in a bad way... I'm not catholic, but can you even believe
people?!)
Excited to hear what you guys have to say! Have a great day!
In Him,
Amy
1. three
2. no
3. I figure we each do what we think is best forour family. no one should have to have 8 kids if they only want and can handle 2, and people who want 8 kids have the love should have their 8 kids. it's a personal thing and it doesn't bother meone way or the other what people do in that area.
4.....Hmmm,, let's see... when my 3rd son was about 3 weeks old I was out somewhere with my 3 boys and someone came up to me and asked the question " Is the baby a boy or girl?".... I said a boy, she looked at my kids and said "I bet yoi wish it had been a girl, huh?"... I thought that was pretty dumb and thoughtless to say. and for the record, my dream is to have 5 boys... I never really wanted a girl.
I have 3 kids and I had no idea what homeschooling was until my oldest was 3 years old (he is now 6). I love it and can't imagine sending my kids away every day (although one of of "those" days I do imagine it for just a little while!). ;-)
I think that if you are planning to do something more "permanent" then you should wait at least one full year to make the decision, maybe even 2...ya don't want to have any regrets later on.
I grew up in a family of 5 kids so I guess I really don't care what the world thinks about families with lots of kids. The church I currently go to has lots of homeschoolers and families with lots of kids-- so I *only* have 3 kids and my friend *only* has 5 kids! LOL We have lots of fun getting everyone together for BBQ's and such, especially at my friend Dixie's house since she has 9 wonderful and fun children...and it is kid heaven over there!
Congrats again on your new addition-- that is very very exciting!!!
2. I didn't give motherhood much thought as a young girl, but once I got married I assumed children would be on the way. I wanted to homeschool before having children, because I saw other families having fun with it.
3. I'm not against birth control, but I don't like the pill. I read that it can sometimes be an abortifacient (although I was prescribed the pill by a Christian female gynecologist right before I was married)--and not just the progesterone-only version. I never went back on it after the birth of my first child. It also just didn't seem healthy to me to be on the pill for very long. EDIT: I should also add that I totally understand there are very good reasons for some people to limit family size...health, difficult pregnancies, etc.
4. I've been asked if I'm Catholic too! LOL! Mostly, people just say, "Are they all yours?" and "My, you certainly have your hands full." One or two people have asked me if I know what causes "that." Other than the occasional outings to the grocery store or some town festival, most of our time is spent around people who get it--folks at church or in our homeschool group. Most recently, I was at a wedding and announced the pregnancy to some folks who didn't know about it yet (the children weren't with me). Well, it's pretty obvious now as I have a bulge too. Anyway, one mom of two told me she'd want to die if she found out she was pregnant again. Can't relate! Even though this was a surprise, it was a happy one for both DH and me. And to tell the truth, five doesn't seem like all that many children to me anymore. I think of them as individuals anyway, not a "handful."
But again, congratulations! I'm really happy for y'all!
1. We have 3 wonderful children.
2. I have always planned on having children and have planned on homeschooling ever since we were married.
3. I think each family needs to pray and seek God's plan for their lives. I would have loved more children and I'm envious of those with more. But I personally couldn't handle any more pregnancies.
I finally remember an answer for #4:
After my third child was born, I was asked about 10 times by the nurses at the hospital, "So, are we doing a tubal?" Drove me crazy!
Oh, what a THRILL to have life inside of you--to be co-labourer with Him in being a LIVEGIVER!!! Absolutely tickled PINK (or blue ~grin~) for you, Amy!!!!
Ann V HolyExperience--with 4 boys, 2 girls...and prayers for many more! (well, some days, yes, some days, no~grin~)
1)We have four children 3b 1g
2)I love being a mother and homeschooler and I'm sad because we are down to homeschooling our last and he's in the 9th grade...having homeschooled two others through high school, I know just how very fast these next three years will go!
3) Our feelings have changed over the years with regard to birth control. We now wish we had not done anything permanent and we're sad to see the empty nest so soon...however, we do believe that it is a very personal decision for a husband and wife to make before the Lord.
4) With my fourth pregnancy, I remember a young girl in the church saying "Are you pregnant A G A I N?!
That's so great for you! Hello, btw, and thanks for visiting my blog...
I'm going to answer your pg questions first (since pg is so exciting to me!) and then I'll address your scrapbooking questions.
1. (How many children do you have?) 2...so far.
2. (Did you always plan on being a mother, homeschooler, ect? ) Yes to the former, no to the latter. Actually, when I was 12-15 I had my whole future family planned out with 20+ children. I'm a huge fan of symmetry, and I figured I could do it with 2 singles, three sets of twins (2 identical sets and 1 fraternal), two sets of triplets and two sets of quadruplets...equal numbers of boys and girls, of course. LOL!! I was so young...and the word naive does not even start to explain it! Anyway, as I got older I started to conform to the "world's" view, and decided I wanted no more than 4 kids.
As far as being a homeschooler...no. I was going to graduate from college (which I did) and get a career, like my mom. Don't ask me how I was going to take care of all those kids! It wasn't until after my oldest was born that I actually met some homeschoolers and started thinking "hey, maybe I could do this....". That was about the time that I also started to think about busting out of that "only 4 kids" limit.
3. (What are your feelings on birth control, and how do you cope with the world's view of having children?) I no longer plan to use any form of bc, including NFP. We are trusting God for the timing of our children and I, at least, am trusting Him with our family size, as well. (DH is still praying about this, he's still stuck on the 4-kids thing, but I believe that God is slowly opening his heart to more. We have time, yet...). My family thinks I'm crazy. My mom insists that I won't be able to give my children all those things that I want to....when in reality I've come to the conclusion that my kids don't need all that stuff....I'd rather live simply with a bigger family. In fact, my mom worked her whole life to provide us with all that stuff, and as a result I think we all grew up spoiled, and with not near enough of our Mom's guidance, attention or discipline.
4. (Share a story about being pregnant in a world that's "norm" is 2 children.) Okay...well, when we announced to my family that we were pg with our 2nd child, my Dad looked at me and said, "What are you going to DO with another baby?" I was puzzled, but answered him, "well, Dad, we're going to keep it." :) He said, "I know that, but where are you going to put it??" His dismay was due to the fact that at the time we were still living in my parents' basement while we saved money for our first home. Apparently, he had decided that his home was full. :) I will always remember that exchange b/c it was so funny.
Now...on to your scrapbooking questions. I'm not sure exactly what you're asking, so I'm going to give you a brief description of what I do and then give you my suggestions. I am a Creative Memories Consultant. Basically, I teach busy people how to quickly get their photos and memories into fun, easy photo albums that they can share with their friends and families. I hold Get-Togethers (beginner classes) in my clients' homes or in mine; I also hold workshops (just time to work on your album projects) in my home or other places, like the church meeting you're suggesting. That's very common, actually...so it sounds like this is what you're looking for. Generally, you learn the basics at a Get Together, and then hold regular workshop/Crop Club meetings so you can use your newfound skills
I would really love to work with you and treat your friends and family to a CM Get-Together, but since you're 2+ hrs away from me (btw, I was just in Baxter last weekend...I could've looked you up!) we would need to plan it really well. If you are interested in something like this, or if you have another question or idea you'd like to try, drop me a line at krystal_memory@yahoo.com.
(love the SHMILY, as well...going to put that into action this week!)
let's see...
How many children do you have?
Four. Two boys and two girls (G8, B6, B3, G1)
Did you always plan on being a mother, homeschooler, ect?
Not at all. I wanted to be a teacher (check!), a chef (check, check!) and an artist (triple check!) God gave me my desires all in one job!!!!
What are your feelings on birth control, and how do you cope with the world's view of having children?
God Himself does a great job on controlling births...He's delivered four safely into my arms. Does the world have a different view?!?! ;) (VERY tongue-in-cheek there!) Seriously, if it ain't broken, why fix it? God has given us these blessings to rear as He sees fit, if we'll only keep OUR eyes on Him for guidance!!!
Share a story about being pregnant in a world that's "norm" is 2 children.
Oh, my...last pregnancy, we didnt' even TELL my mom and dad we were expecting until I was nearly 4 months along, then she worried me nearly to death over the least little thing, then drove me up the wall when I went 2 weeks overdue, calling WHILE I was in labor, and getting mad when I didn't want to talk to her (I actually gave birth within the hour...a home waterbirth with midwife in attendance). We live halfway around the globe from mom. Dad said we "nearly had an international incident" on our hands... I choose to focus on the blessing being delivered than on my mother's attitude towards the circumstances. Mom is VERY "two kids and you're done"...
Wow, I've poured myself out to who knows who...May God Bless you all!
I enjoyed reading through your blog today! And CONGRATULATIONS! You're family is blessed!
1) How many children do you have? ~ We have 3 wonderful children.
2) Did you always plan on being a mother, homeschooler, ect? ~ I suppose I always knew I'd be a mom. I am an only child so it was hard for me to imagine having more than one. I had never even heard of homeschooling until my oldest was 2...so no!
3) What are your feelings on birth control, and how do you cope with the world's view of having children? ~ I believe each family needs to seek the Lord's guidance on this. The Lord really changed my husbands and my heart after my dd turned 3 and we had another child. He's amazing. Having another would take a huge leap of faith for both of us for various reasons. Leaps of faith are opportunities to grow in Christ, right? ;-)
4) Share a story about being pregnant in a world that's "norm" is 2 children.
~ When I was pregnant with my third, alot of people questioned us because we had the "all-american" family. A boy who is almost 4 years older than our girl. Why would we mess that up? LOL! We had someone tell us that when dh and I went places seperately it wouldn't be fair b/c one of us would have 2 kids tagging along instead of 1. And then, of course, there's "You're going to put the older ones in school, aren't you?" and "How are you going to buy them all cars and send them to college?" I guess it's nice to know people are so concerned with our well being!
Thank you for the silly and sweet note on my blog this morning! What a treat!
You can indeed be my friend. I just don't know how to add them to the side :o)
And I also don't want to leave anyone out ....and make them feel unloved.
So I have decided not to have a friend list.
I have you marked in my computer favorites...cause you are :o)
Congratulations on baby number seven. I am thrilled for you. I am number four of seven children myself. (And we were ALWAYS asked if we were Catholic too ;o)
I love being from a big family!
Here's my rundown.
1. We have four children. Patrick 23, Matthew 20, Emma 16 and Katie Gracie 5.
2. I always wanted to be a mother. My mother was a very good and happy mom....and I wanted to be just like her!
I had never heard of homeschooling. Didn't know anyone who did it.
I think God planted the idea in my head 12 years ago.
I'm not sure I will homeschool Katie all the way through. We will see how things go for her as the years go by.
3. We did not use birth control...but not due to any deeply held religious reason.
I didn't care for it. And the rhythm method worked well for us.
It is a highly personal decision and husband and wife need to be totally in agreement about it. Respecting and letting hubby lead in this area is very important.
4. Well...I was 42 when I got pregnant with Katie. Our oldest son was 17. It was just so funny to tell the kids!
They were so helpful when I was bed ridden in the last month!
How many children do you have?
6 sons, aged 26, 24, 22, 18, 10, 8yrs
Did you always plan on being a mother, homeschooler, ect?
Mother = yes, always wanted a big family too, Homeschooler = no, we're fairly new to that. I actually wanted to be a (good) teacher!
What are your feelings on birth control, and how do you cope with the world's view of having children?
Birth control, erm not really sure I have a view, I guess people do whats right for them. Worlds view, too many people with too many opinions, only a few of which matter to me so I only listen to them.
Share a story about being pregnant in a world that's "norm" is 2 children.
All mine are boys, so I always get asked if I wanted a girl, sadly its often in front of one or more of my sons. I just usually say 'mmn something like that' . I am surprised to say that I often get asked if I am going to have any more though - in the UK, 6 kids is really not normal so thats a weird question.
Can I just say that I am thoroughly impressed with your website, the ease of the layout, the links to your other sites, and the overall tone. Are you a web designer or are you currently learning? I noticed you have some flash features on your other sites and thought that is quite impressive. I didn't mean to post all of this in this post but I didn't know where else to do so. I will be praying for the situation you mentioned though.
•Sunday, October 30, 2005 - Babies, babies, babies
Posted by
CONGRATULATIONS!
I just LOVE the announcement of babies and am so grateful there are people out there willing to have larger than normal familites. :-)
What is our culture losing with these families of one, two or no children? The natural dynamics of many children makes us deal with issues not common to smaller families: sharing space, taking turns in the bathroom, getting on each other's nerves, constant picking up, etc. Add homeschooling to that and well, there is just that much more to learn about patience, conflict, getting along with others and doing more than your share. My children often wish there were MORE of us because they want additional kids to play with and hang out with. They talk about adopting a sibling group and how old each child should be and how many girls and how many boys. :-)
Thanks for asking the thought provoking questions, I will be adding my answers to my site: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/momblog
EVERY child is a blessing from the Lord, enjoy and again, congratulations!
Congratulations!!!! A new baby is always such exciting news!
My answers to your questions:
How many children do you have? 5 ... 3 boys and 2 girls
Did you always plan on being a mother, homeschooler, ect? I always knew I'd be a mother, and I mean ALWAYS ... I was homeschooled some myself, so the thought of homeschooling my own was there, I just wasn't sure at first and started the 2 oldest in public school before bringing them home
What are your feelings on birth control, and how do you cope with the world's view of having children? I used to take the pill until the Holy Spirit convicted me otherwise ... and THEN I read about the pill causing abortions and I started reading more about bc, and now I am all for God controlling the womb, BUT my dh isn't ... we have some friends expecting their 8th child and he thinks they are crazy
Share a story about being pregnant in a world that's "norm" is 2 children. Every single time I would go to the OB or midwife, they would ask what I was going to use for birth control and if I was getting my tubes tied ... all the people who continually ask, "Are you done yet?", "Don't you know what causes that?", etc. To me, the hardest part is being quiverfull minded when my husband isn't.
How many children do you have? 5 (1 g-15; 4 b-10, 6, 4, 2
Did you always plan on being a mother, homeschooler, ect? I have wanted to be a mother since my brother was born when I was 5 yrs old. I also wanted to be a teacher. We did send our oldest to PS until 4th grade. We had been under conviction for 2 years to homeschool, and we were just afraid to take the step to do it. Then our 2nd born went to K, and it was a disaster, so we took him out to HS him. DD asked 6 weeks later to come home to do school with us. We haven't looked back! It has been a wonderful blessing, and I am a wife, mother, and teacher! What a gift!
What are your feelings on birth control, and how do you cope with the world's view of having children? My DH & I were also convicted about birth control after we had our 2nd child. So we decided to leave it up to God's planning.
Share a story about being pregnant in a world that's "norm" is 2 children. Hmmmmm, there are always comments. When I see people from our former church, they always ask how many children do you have now? The funniest thing I think that was said to me when I was pregnant with #5 was when I was grocery shopping alone. The cashier asked if it was my first baby, and I told her, "no, it's my 5th baby." The look on her face was priceless. She was so surprised. :-)
I will start with congratulating you.....You are an inspiration....I don't have time to answer your questions right now because TOS is working me like a pig...hee hee...but I shall get to them later on tonight....just because I want to....but wait...I need to tell you something...
**lean in a little so she can't hear me**... can you believe the gall of JenIg....I mean to ask you that question up there??? Geesh....some people....
::looking around the room as if I haven't just gossiped::
So, Julie reminded me that I needed to respond to JenIG's earlier comment...
It's funny that you should say that... I'm not mormon, however, my cousin lives in Idaho and knows plenty. She did tell us once that they believe having six children gets you a higher place in heaven... it was the joke in our home that after my last one (number 5) we would have to have another one, since my husband had fathered six (remember my step-son) and I wouldn't let him have a "higher place" than me!
Okay... it was just a joke, but now I don't have to worry about it. a;lsdfj;alsfdj;alsdfj;asf
and a woman seeking the Lord's Will (daily), a wife (striving to keep the romance alive), a "Smamma" (Step- mother) of one and a homeschooling mom of seven (I was never going to have children), who starts every day over (after messing SOME thing up the day before), knowing God's grace is overflowing (just like my laundry), and so thankful He's blessed me more than I'll ever deserve.
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•Saturday, October 22, 2005 - Untitled Comment
2. no
3. I figure we each do what we think is best forour family. no one should have to have 8 kids if they only want and can handle 2, and people who want 8 kids have the love should have their 8 kids. it's a personal thing and it doesn't bother meone way or the other what people do in that area.
4.....Hmmm,, let's see... when my 3rd son was about 3 weeks old I was out somewhere with my 3 boys and someone came up to me and asked the question " Is the baby a boy or girl?".... I said a boy, she looked at my kids and said "I bet yoi wish it had been a girl, huh?"... I thought that was pretty dumb and thoughtless to say. and for the record, my dream is to have 5 boys... I never really wanted a girl.