The Crunchy Mommy

There will be no gilding the lily here: keep your fingers crossed because I am going to jump in with both feet! I am not some fly by night, here to tickle your fancy... I am down to earth and cute as a button. *wink* I may not know you from Adam's housecat, but the proof is in the pudding and I just might cut you to the quick! My momma always says curiosity killed the cat but my daddy says that you don't do the crime if you can't do the time.

I may go down in flames, burning my candle at both ends, but I am chomping at the bit to spread my wings and think outside the box. When push comes to shove this may be just the calm before the storm.

Let's get the cat out of the bag: Cain't never could, and could never would. After all it's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog... and right now, I'm the big dog around here.

Buckle up and hang on, because this is going to be one crazy ride. It's my last ditch effort to make a name for myself. Let's leave no stone unturned. Time to put our noses to the grindstone. We may as well bite the bullet because there is no time like the present! In this game, the early bird gets the worm! I'm not the biggest fish in the pond, but for my two cents worth: no pain, no gain and no guts, no glory!


I mean, after all, if a frog had wings, it's butt wouldn't hit the ground so hard!


(Post script: I am sure that Amy at Raising Arrows had exactly opposite of this in mind when she wrote her post: Choose your words wisely! Part A about avoiding cliches in your writing but, being from the Deep South, cliche's come as naturally to me as flowers in spring. We cling to them dearly down here, and our everyday speech is sprinkled heavily with the sweet sugar of our beloved cliches! Come to think of it, perhaps that is why, when one of our Yankee cousins (hahaha-sorry, I had to say it!) come visiting, they find it so difficult to understand us- what with our slow drawls and Southern wisdom decorating our speech! But it's as natural as breathing to most of us, and we really have to catch ourselves to avoid sharing with the rest of the world!)

As I am walking through the store yesterday, I think I know what the surreptitious glances from a harried looking man meant... Here is a young woman in a brown floor length skirt and a plain button up shirt. She has a baby on her hip, two toddlers in her buggy among her purchases, and three preschool and kindergarten aged children walking quietly beside her... 'She's one of those people.'

You know the people I mean: they're crazy, off the wall, those types that think all children are blessing even if she's having to flip through a coupon book to make sure she has the cash to cover all her purchases. The people who gladly say "I wish I had six more!" while they are groping at the hands of three and holding two cranky babies in their arms while blocking juice packages being chunked with full force at the cashier.... The weirdos....

I wasn't looking for snide remarks. I wasn't in the mood for questions about how many children I have (I know it takes a couple counts sometimes- but do you really have to ask?), how many are twins (*sigh*), how full my hands are (isn't it obvious?), or if I know what causes that (Ummm, I think so... it's the water, right?). We'd been out and about for several hours at this point and only the promise of a visit to Nana's was keeping my children from bouncing off the the shelves, and I wanted to hurry through this last stop.

As we made our turn onto the last aisle we would have to traverse before we could finally leave, my eldest son accidentally knocked several toys off the end-cap. I was almost in the mood to pretend that it didn't happen, but my son's conscience wouldn't let him pass it by. So we stopped to try and repair the damage. His sisters ran to his aid and the three of them attempted to rehang a dowel and put the toys back where they belonged.

I tried to move the buggy out of the walking room but still, when the man needed to get by, he had to squeeze between the buggy and shelves. I was bent down beside it, auspiciously to assist the children who had everything under control and thankful that he didn't utter a word as he passed.

We (ok, THEY) finally, after a bit of figuring, returned the fallen toys to their rightful place. As we finished up, the man walked by the end of the aisle again, and I literally sighed. I just knew what he was thinking, the inner reaction and the curiosity that drove him for one last glance of my insanity.

As my miniature helpers placed their items on the checkout counter (thankfully, they were gentle), I shot a glance around; a subconscious count of my children and an appraisal of the strangers close to them. Next in line behind us was That Man.

I had to look twice because on his face was a huge smile! He saw me looking at him and somehow managed to smile even bigger! I half smiled back, thinking to myself, "Oh NO! Here it comes!" I braced myself for the repressed ridicule and looking-down-of-the-noses that usually assails me when people are brave enough to look at us squarely.

"Surely, these are not all your children?!?" The Man asked. When I nodded that they were indeed all mine, his eyes twinkled. I stifled an inner groan.

"I bet bear hugs are the best in your house! You call for a hug and have all these wonderful babies pile up on you!"

All I could do was plaster a huge grin on my face and agree.

I think better when I am typing! I know I am probably not supposed to share the entire thought process in a blog, but I enjoyed it! Here's to hoping you do, too! Oh and anyone who wants to know where I got the questions or to join in the fun- just go here!

#1- I want to write to other mothers; those seeking out a way to raise their families with Biblical principles and, like me, do not find very much support from their families. I want to be able to encourage those who are frightened of letting God be the central theme in their lives and also to tell about my journey through the world as a homeschooling, quiverful, God-centered, organic gardening, homemaking mommy!

#2- a-As a mommy of many little bitty ones, I spend my days organizing, managing to find the time (usually!) to accomplish in one day what most 'normal' families take several days to do. I have learned that I must live as though I am always having company over, otherwise the chaos will take over!
b- My life is unique is many ways! I had six children in the span of four years- four of those being two consecutive sets of fraternal twins! I breastfed all of my children until they were at least six months old (some a little while shorter and some for a little while longer and several of them while being pregnant with the next one(s)!). Two of my children have potentially life altering medical conditions that require consistent, highly qualified medical care. We are in the process of stripping out and remodeling our home while we live in it, and making it efficient for the home-centered life of eight people. I struggle to make my life as simple as possible while living with a techie husband who wants (and has!) all of the latest gadgets and is in school full time to gain a degree in a technical field! I am an organic cook, but try to make as much good food as possible on a very small food budget. I could go on and on... maybe there's a lesson in that!
c- When asked what do I know that could help other people, I immediately think of pregnancy, child-birth, and raising children. I don't claim that my children are perfect (or even as perfect as I want them to be!) but when I think of what's asked of me most often- it's related to pregnancy, delivery, child-birth, and child-care. I am also an expert (in my own way!) on multiplies and having tried many different approaches to breastfeeding and raising my first set of twins, once the second set arrived, I was prepared and still to this day can honestly say that the entire process of bringing those children to toddler-hood was the easiest of my child experiences yet.

So my five topics would be : #1- Caring for babies in large family or stressful situations #2- Dealing with cronic health problems in your child #3- Efficient living in unusual situations for large families #4- Using real life to home-school #5- Leading a simple, Godly lifestyle

#3- I believe that, yes, these topics are worth discussing! All five of my topics are integral parts of my life; I have an endless store of knowledge (learned from both intensive book study and personal experience) on all five of those topics. I also believe that I just might be able to impact someone's life- give them encouragement or useful ideas with posts about any five of those topics. Since I believe that all of the above mentioned topics (which are really parts of my everyday life) were given to me by God to live and learn and teach (at least my children, family, and friends) I do believe that they would be God-honoring if expounded upon. :)

*I would like to write a post on Making a Small House fit Your Family!

(Probably not the best post topic but it's something I am very involved in right now!)

#4- I would want my readers to feel encouraged that it's not the size of their home but the size of their creativity that limits them. I would want them to actually use some of my tips for coming up with ideas to expand the usable space in their home!

#5- I will have to come back to this one! I don't have time right now to fully think it through- I hear kids up playing in their bedrooms! LOL

One Last Exercise!
Why is a coffee cup like a bathroom?

A coffee cup is like a bathroom because they both start out beautiful and shiny and without being filled with the proper amounts of water and soap regularly will both make your stomach churn!