Hands Full

I know I don't blog very often, but sometimes, what I have to say is just to long for a FB post.  :-D

I can't tell you how much I love it here.  I was meant to be here.  I wish I could stay forever.  It's so nice to get positive comments from people about my children compared to the usually negative ones I got when we lived in NC.  For example.  Every time I went grocery shopping there, I'd get at least one comment that was something to the effect of, "You're not having any more...right?"  Contrast that with  a comment I got a couple weeks ago by a sweet woman when she saw the seat of my shopping cart empty (Jimmy was walking with the older kids).  "Looks like you need one more."  I was totally taken aback by that one.  I regularly get nice comments here.  "Look at your beautiful children."  "Oh, you are doing a good job.  I have 5 myself.  They are all grown now though.  Enjoy them.  They grow so fast."  "You have such well behaved children."  It's so nice not feeling defensive about my choice to have more than 1 or 2 children (and wanting more).  Especially when my children are acting out.  I know that I'm not gonna get looks or comments that imply, "serves you right for overpopulating the world."

Today, I decided to brave the holiday crowds and go grocery shopping...at Walmart   It wasn't as bad as I was expecting, but still pretty crowded.  Looking back, shopping with 3 kids was a breeze!!  Even 4 wasn't bad at first.  Jimmy in the seat of the cart and Andrew secured in his infant seat, sideways, propped up on the sides of the cart.  Each of the older kids holding on to the cart on each side.  (When they weren't chasing each other around the cart, anyways.)  It was manageable.  THEN came the dreaded day when Andrew outgrew his infant seat.  Oy.  Now he has to go in the seat of the cart and Jimmy now has to walk.  One more pair of hands wanting to touch everything on the shelves and "help" put things in the cart...when he's not trying to run away from me.  And Andrew...oh Andrew(bless his little heart)...can now easily turn around and reach groceries in the cart and throw them on the floor.  Such a helpful child.  This is only my second shopping experience in this situation.  And the first time doing this on my own.  (We were smart and went on a weekend last time when Mike was able to go with us.)  By the time I got to the the checkout line I was ready to tie the kids up and strap them to the top of the van on the trip home.  As I was loading stuff onto the conveyor belt (And picking tomatoes up of the floor that Andrew dumped out) the checkout lady says, "looks like you've got your hands full."  And as I was about to explain to her that they are usually 'slightly' better behaved than this, the Lady behind me says, "I've seen you several time throughout the store, and I've got to tell you, you're kids are so well behaved."  I was a little stunned by the comment.  I'd been nagging at my kids the whole time to, "Keep your hands on the cart and off the shelves.",  "Jiimmy, put that back.",  "Jacob, pay attention to where you are walking,"  "Lizzie, WALK!"  (she likes to hold on to the cart and let it drag her along.) "Lizzie, if you trip me one more time....", "Jimmy, stop running away from me!"  "JACOB watch where you are WALKING!"  "Jimmy, keep up."  "For heavens sake PUT THAT BACK!!!"  At that point I was like, "Sweet.  Kids, run wild!"  Okay, not really.  But all the sudden I felt less frazzled and frustrated and a little less embarrassed by my children's wild behavior.  It's amazing what the power of one positive comment can have on someone.  So, remember that next time you see someone who looks like they are about to leave their kids in a box on a street corner with a sign that says, "free to good home".