how do you do it? part 1 - intro

there is a brief list of things people say to you when you have a big family (which may be as few as 3, depending on who you talk to). i could pay for all my kids to go to college, or at least for a very satisfying visit to chuck e. cheese (is there such a thing as a satisfying visit to that place? it is somehow a seedbed of selfishness. children cannot just play and be happy there. they get a few tickets and turn into ticket-hungry, grasping competitors, trying to get more and more in hopes of possibly having enough pieces of paper to purchase . . . crap. complete and total crap that will in fact break before we all have our seatbelts on.) if i had a dollar for every time someone had asked me the following questions:

"You sure have your hands full." (more than a statement than a question, i know)
Godly response: Yes, they are full of love and smiles and hugs and kisses and i wouldn't want it any other way
frequently used response: Yeah, can you please get out of my way.

"Better you than me." (okay, also not a question)
G.r: I am very thankful God has given them to me.
f.u.r: If you feel that way about it, I agree with you.

"You must be very organized (or patient or some other positive adjective)."
G.r.: I'm way more patient than I was 13 years ago.
f.u.r.: Sometimes. ("sometimes is the magic answer, by the way, to anything anyone says about your children, positive or negative. for example: they say, 'your children are so cute' - you say, 'sometimes'. they say, 'your children are so well-behaved.' - you say, 'sometimes'. they say, 'your children are really loud and obnoxious' - you say, 'sometimes'. they say, ' your kids make a really big mess.' - you say, 'sometimes'.)

"Are they all your children?"
G.r.: Yes and I am so glad they are.
f.u.r.: No, I left half of them at home.

"Don't you know how this happens?"
G.r.: The Bible says that children are a blessing from God.
f.u.r.: Yeah, and apparently, we're pretty good at it.

"How do you do it?"
G.r.: God really does give me everything I need to do what He's given me to do.
f.u.r.: Not very well.