Home And Family : Reality Check!

I have to post this- I need your input! I would so appreciate comments! Did you do this, too? How did you make the necessary changes?

I love everything we are doing but I need to cut back. It has been challenging running around in the winter months with the 4 kids, freezing temps and gobbs of snow! I need to cut back to a more manageable schedule as we prepare for our new children.

It is more important to me that we bring home the children and that they have a family, love, security and a future than what activities or therapies that we are involved in... I hope that made sense.

I have to be honest- I have a bit of a gunner personality and we really just need a sense of peacefulness. When we decided to do this we decided to do it differently. We knew we couldn't do all the things that we did with our other children AND we re evaluated our priorities and we decided we didn't even want to do that again. Honestly, 14 years of traveling basketball and 16 years of traveling soccer is enough for anyones life time!! We are choosing not to go down that same road again...

After bringing home our last two I find myself slipping into old patterns- so friends I am asking you - what do you do, what don't you do, what would you like to suggest to me.

I am praying for discernment. I am trying to evaluate what is benefitting the kids and what can really be extracted from the weekly schedule.

We are having an extra large family and because it is coming in shifts I think we forget that fact. All of our children still need us- some only periodically but still we need to help them when they ask.

We are adding two more treasures and this is so much more important than activities of any kind...

I am a seasoned Mom BUT I am not used to making these type of decisions. I tend to do do do and drive myself crazy- so before driving myself crazy we are going to make some changes and allow Ava and Sam to come into a family that has this problem solved!

We need to make more time for Homeschooling and we will need to have time for all our important Dr appointments and surgical procedures.

On top of that, so many of our activities are so expensive- because we multiply everything by 4 and soon 6 and then by _?_ !!

:-)

So friends,

Could you help me prioritize and help me to think straight like the Momma of an extra large family needs to think! Could you give me tidbits of advice to set me on the right track. Could you relieve the feelings I sometimes have of - we should do that or we should do this - otherwise I am not a good Mom.

Could you remind me that my children are fine even if they never learn how to do a cartwheel! A cartwheel- isn't that silly, like who cares... but me!

We want to bring home more BUT we need to live like an extra large family and find the simple pleasure that God has blessed us with - instead of the craziness that could await us in this world.

Please help us to be successful!

Thank you!!