Introduction

Hello. I've wanted to do this, blogging, but have been overwhelmed by the thought of an infinite, unknown audience. Of course, it's possible no one will read this, unless I call and put them up to it, but then again it's possible that people violently opposed to my entire way of thinking will, and comment. Am I ready to handle that? Ack, I don't know. But, here goes.

My name is Angela. I am the mother of 7 children under the age of 9, no multiples, all from the same father, to whom I have been married for 11 years (cause, you know, I haven't had time to meet anybody else).

I believe that the Bible (Christian Bible, Old Testament, New Testament) is true. Most anything about my life that I've given much thought to has been evaluated in that context. I may in a future entry talk about why I believe that it's true, but in this and other entries, it's a given.

The Amazing Supermom is a nickname I use for myself with my sarcasm light on (and flashing) and my tongue firmly in my cheek. I use it when I look at the 8 or so baskets of laundry waiting to be put away, or when I spend an hour in the pediatrician's office with all 7 kids in a room smaller than my closet waiting to find out that my 5 year old can hear just fine, except for the wad of wax he's accumulated, or when it's like 3 1/2 minutes before a meal and at least 4 children are pretty sure they're melting or about to be blown away by the wind because of starvation and the pipe coming from the sink where I just let out the dirty mop rinse water comes completely undone and floods the cabinet beneath and I think what I really need is "to reach for the shelter of mommy's little helper", a line which I think is from a Beatles song, but actually I reach for the shelter of this mommy's big helper.

A lot of people, some who don't know me very well and others who do, say things like, "I don't know how you do it - I have my hands full with just . . . " And my answer is that there are a lot of things that I don't do a very good job of, and a lot of things I just let go of. There are a lot of things that are important to some people that aren't that important to us. Like kids sleeping in pajamas. Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don't. We don't bathe as much as most Americans. But then again, people from other countries think Americans smell like hospitals. We don't. My kids don't have their hair cut or pictures taken professionally very often.

But there are things I think are pretty important that I work hard at. Like helping my 4 year old daughter understand that being pretty on the inside is way more important than being pretty on the outside. Or teaching my 7 year old the lesson Peter Pan gave at the end of Hook - take care of everybody smaller than you. I'm trying to raise my children with a bigger perspective than just the pursuit of the American Dream. I want to live simply so that others may simply live. I want to measure each undertaking by an eternal perspective - does what I'm putting my hand to really matter in the long run?

So that's a beginning. If my heart can handle this, I'll write again.

The Amazing Supermom