Count Your Blessings

I was thinking about my 5 kids today and how much I appreciate them. I thought of a few things that make having a lot of kids a blessing.

1. They always have someone to play or fight with. Once they've exhausted one person, they just move on to the next! So if I'm lucky, I only have to be the target every other time.

2. The older ones help feed the baby. Sometimes it's good stuff. Often, it's indirectly through crumbs or actual chunks of meals that have fallen to the floor.

3. I am grateful for painless days. This is in opposition to pain-filled days...legos, K'nex, books, dolls, crayons, pencils, little plastic frogs, etc., can inflict a lot of discomfort when stepped or knelt upon.

4. I don't have to get dressed up for much of anything. People are generally impressed that I've left the house at all. The fact that I'm braving Wal-Mart and having to carry the baby (because he refuses to sit in the cart) while I push a cart and calling the kids to come back, is almost a miracle. I heard someone behind me laugh today when I said, "No, no, no, no, no, NO" to Rebekah as she wrapped her innocent little fingers around the neck of a wine bottle. (Why is the alcohol parallel to the dairy? Kids need the one, but should be no where near the other.)

5. I get a lot of unique pictures and cards left on or under my pillow.

6. I get to drive an 8-passenger mini van.

7. It takes me the entire day to do the laundry on Saturday. I am very grateful for washing machines. And my boys get to look like circus clowns because of a couple large red and blue crayons that someone had in his pocket. I look forward to teaching the kids to wash their own clothes.

8. I have so many pictures of crawling, smiling, crying, naked, performing, walking and sleeping kids that I could scrapbook every day for a year and still not be done.

9. I get lots of chances to be creative in the kitchen. I can make 20 different meals and still not find one that EVERYONE likes.

10. I get to sew patches on Scout shirts and go to pack meeting once a month.

11. I can check out 30 picture books from the library and no one even thinks that they are for me! ;)

12. When I draw or color, I am suddenly the best artist ever to live and everyone wants to be as talented as Mommy.

13. I am getting intense training in negotiating and stress-management. I do worry that I should get some persons' hearing and vision checked.

14. I am getting a thorough education. I am now on my 2nd year of Third Grade and my 3rd year of First. It's definitely working...the homework has been getting easier for me.

15. I get lots of love...from baby hugs to 8-year-old love kicks. (I think they are meant to be loving...except for that one time he was actually mad and had a baseball bat.)

What are some of your blessings?