Living as a mom

Archive for April 22nd, 2009

Today I pitched in by watching my friend’s three kids for the afternoon. It was a fun day for the kids. They all get along really well, so in some ways, it was easier for me to have them here. The rain even held off long enough for us to play outside for a bit. I rather enjoyed hanging out with the kids today! Besides, that’s what friends are for, right?

One minor problem with having five children in my house is the amount of food that they consume! The only food I had enough of to feed a crowd was pasta. The only fruit I had was pineapple, and a few of the kids didn’t like pineapple. I realized how badly I need to go food shopping, too.

Miraculously three of the younger children napped for two hours. My friend’s oldest daughter was really helpful with this since she sang to my oldest daughter to put her to sleep while I sang to the two little ones (both 2 1/2).  However, I am not used to having kids awake during nap time. I missed my rest time today, but the big kids played quietly for much of the time after I played a few card games with them. It worked out just fine.

Today my friend unintentionally gave me a glimpse at what it could be like to have the large family that I have always wanted to have. That’s what friends are for, right? I discovered that it’s lots of work and seriously exhausting to have a large family. I also discovered that it’s also so wonderful to be a part of a large family.

All in all it turned out to be a great day! Thanks, Jesus, for giving me the chance to take care of my dear friend’s kids to see a glimpse of life in a big family.