- “You must be SO ORGANIZED!”
Ummmm… no. In fact, I can actually hear my husband laughing from work as he is reading this. I DO try to be organized, but I am a stacker. A piler. A “get to that later”-er. I am always trying different methods to become organized. I’ll let you know when one kicks in.
- “You must be SO PATIENT!”
Ummmm…no. I try to be patient, I strive toward it daily, but I am woefully aware of my impatience.
- “You must be Catholic.”
No. A plain ol’ Christian.
- “You must have very easy pregnancies.”
No. In fact, 2 of my pregnancies have landed me in the hospital for 30 days each time with preterm labor. With 2 other pregnancies, I have been assigned to a month each time of bed rest at home.
- “Your children must all be the easy, compliant type.”
Again with the laughing husband. Ummmm…no. We do have a few easy, compliant children, but we also have a few that are, shall we say, spirited. Spunky. Strong… headed.
- “You must be rich.”
Please, excuse me. I need to go revive my husband. He just fainted dead away as a result of his laughing fit.
{ 43 comments }
Ha Ha Ha!
Love that post!
I am one of those people, who read or hear something and immediately “see” it before their inner eye – the picture of your husband’s laughing fit was really good!
Greetings from another rather disorganized, not-so-patient and not-so-rich mother of eight!
You do seem to be super patient, you know. I occasionally catch myself asking “WWSD?” that’s What Would Smockity Do? But now I’m wondering: Does Super-Smockity really have an end to her patience? Does she have some sort of mommy-kryptonite which her kids pull out a times? What does it look like when Smockity loses it?
I don’t know. This whole thing could be a myth, like unicorns & moms who get left alone when they’re in the bathroom.
@Kelly (Keowdie), Unicorns and moms who get left alone in the bathroom… LOL! Trying not to wake the babies with my laughing!
Ha! This was cute. I happen to have an only child, but my sister in law is pregnant with her 8th. She is one of the most disorganized people I know, but what she lacks in organization, she makes up for in spirit and energy. I’m a “plain ol christian” too, however, my SIL is, as I like to call it, “VERY Catholic.” lol
I love it when people tell me how amazing I must be. Ha! I am the least amazing person I know! But my kids are pretty awesome, so it works out. We’ve only got 4, so far, so I’m not sure what they’re in awe of. Can’t wait to see what they say when we have as many as you! My pregnancies are pretty easy, thankfully, but if they weren’t I’d still have them. Oh, yes, and we are super-rich! Why, just last week, we splurged on the fifty cent prize machines instead of the quarter ones. We are ROLLIN’ in dough!
oh my!!!! I’m laughing so loud that my little one are looking at me as if I lost it or something!
Thanks for the chuckle this morning, and I do get those comment too but we only have 3 little one so far, lol our youngest is almost 6 months and I usually get pregnant when babies are 10 months, so people are already starting the rumor LOL Everything I just feel a bit tired or tummy just not feel right I hear “IS that a hint for us to buy more baby stuff” People are hilarious!!!
Thanks for the laugh!! I’m a single mother of 6 and continue to work on my organization, patience and ways to stretch the dollar. I thought it was just me but it sounds like I’m in great company! I get the a “You’re amazing” comment frequently and I often feel like we are just following in faith. Opps! I’m now late..I’ll smile all day thinking of your post.
6jellybeans@blogspot.com DeAnn
Oh man, you crack me up! I love these kind of questions and the look on their face when I say, nope I’m not this or that. I think most don’t even believe me.
Other then the organization I’m with you on all of them. I’m a little OCD which helps me stay organized. I also grew up in a home that wasn’t very organized and it drove me crazy.
I have to try hard to not laugh at people when they say I must be “so patient.” I have Rapid Cycling Bi-Polar! There is NO patiences with this disorder. I have found ways to work through my lows, but it is a daily challenge.
Mother of 7 and due with #8 in Jan.
Thanks for the smiles ladies. Too bad there wasn’t communication like this 30 years ago to encourage me along the way. Even after 7 kids and 26 years of home schooling it’s a balm to my weary soul to know I’m not persevering a lone.
You are hilarious!! We’re four kids and six years homeschooling into this journey, and agree with everything you just said! I’m hoping that the next kid(s) are the easier-type.
I already have two “spirited” ones, and that’s enough for now! 
Love these comments, too! Mommy-kryptonite issues and Rapid Cycling Bi-Polarism– you gals crack me up!
I am lauging at this post. I am the mother of 6 and 1 baby in heaven. I am somewhat organized. My pregnanices were not all easy. In fact I had 2 sons after we had our autistic son. Patientence is definately not my virture. We are not rich or catholic. We are christian. Many people do have misconceptions about large families but we as large familes know the truth. Smockity thanks for making me laugh this morning.
Love this! I don’t know why people make these pedestal putting kinds of assumptions.
Let me know if you find an organizational system that works.
With one kid climbing on the counter to sneak jelly, one bouncing from one couch to another, one screaming at the top of his lungs at his sister, one trying to climb the curtain to measure the ceiling, one chasing the dog, howling, through the house, and one sitting down quietly with her 1yo cousin (that I’m babysitting today) -I totally feel ya! I love the ‘quiet, complaint comment, especially on mornings like this because I get it ALL the time and yet… I can’t hear myself think!! LOL
Thanks for the smile this morning!
Here, here!
I can so relate to those comments and the answers!
[smile] Good stuff.
~Luke
heheheehe I hear ya on that!
God bless you for you honesty, not just today but always. I am so glad to know I am not the only mom with more kids than normal, who homeschools, and is not completely organized and perfect. When you find something that works let me know, I am still waiting too.
Ha, ha, ha, ha! We hear the same things – maybe people have a universal “Large Family Comment Book”?
Organized? Not like I should be.
Patient? Work in progress.
Rich? Eternally – yes. Financially – no.
Catholic? No.
Easy, compliant kids? Only 1 out of the 7.
Easy pregnancies? Surprisingly, people never ask me this when they see me enormous, miserable, swollen and staggering.
Blessings? Absolutely!!
I thought you were Protestant?
Very Funny and so true. I only have 5 and I still get these comments. My dh probably would have just fainted at the first comment!!
ROFL! Love it Connie! I love reading your blog- you’re so real and funny.
Love it! And so true!
Melanie, an extremely happy, disorganized, impatient, plain-ol-Christian, poor in worldly things, mother of six hard-headed boys and two strong-willed girls, who all came despite horrible bedrest pregnancies.
LOL!!! Thank you so much for making me feel normal. I’m a fellow disorganized, not so patient (but striving so hard to be!), not so rich, mama of many (4, #5 is on the way), who also does not have easy pregnancies and is being reminded of that every minute of every day right now as I endure morning sickness for the 5th time.
LMBO!! I love it!! Smockity always puts a smile on my face!
Ya know, I’ve always wondered why people assume families with many children are Catholic. I know far more Catholic families of only 1 or 2 children than I do families of 4 or more children. And in fact I know more Christian families with 4+ children than I do Catholic families with 4+. I just don’t get it.
Love it! Especially the last part! Thanks for the laugh!
From another LF Mother of 9
Connie – You simply crack me up! I love your humor and your honesty!
Yep, that’s me!! I am a bit organized (not as much as I would like, but my husband wonder’s “how can you get more organized?” and this is coming from a pack-rat.), I’m quite im-patient with our 6 kiddos (Lord have mercy and thank you for Your patience with me!) and we are “plain old Christians” too. Although, because I wear a head covering everywhere we go, I get a lot of “are you a nun?” or “are you Amish?” questions. We have even gotten a “are you Jewish” question before.
My favorite was when I was VERY pregnant with my 3rd child, I’m waddling down the clinics hallway, with 2 little girls trailing behind. A man walks towards me and has he passes, he nods and says, “Hello Sister.” Ha ha ha ha!
“You must” have a great sense of humor….with all the assumptions people throw your way. =)
Even if you aren’t always patient, organized, and all the rest, you still put a lot of fun into your family-in which the rest of us enjoy reading about.
Have a great week!
That was so encouraging. I think people think we need to have it all together to have a large family when what we see is more of our need of Christ.
Thank you!!!
I am pregnant now and on bedrest at 22 weeks… hospital time is looming in the future unless the Lord does a miracle…
I would love more advice on how to get through this time personally and as a family. If you want I would love an email on this
I am bookmarking this page so that I can laugh over and over and over again.
Mom of 6 here and I have heard those comments many times..I think the “deer in the headlights” look I give them, scares them a bit because they usually don’t wait for my answers>
Hahahaha! Great post! I loved it!
~Candy~
Mother to 12
Um…oh YES! All of it!
Good stuff!
I’m thinking of you as you unpack! Hope it is all going better now.
Holly
Love these questions and comments. I have had 11 children and get many of the same questions. Love the honesty…..
Having a large family isn’t really about the circumstances (patience, compliant children, oodles of cash in the bank, etc.). It’s about putting in the effort to love your kids. Interesting how few people with small families understand that.
Great post and great comments. I look forward to reading more.
I love this!
I can honestly say I don’t know one person who feels she is the most…
organized,patient,penny pinchin,best child raising, God loving Mama around. I think the best Mama, is the one who is well aware of her shortcoming, but is trying to fix them daily!
I am a homeschooling mom of 8, and I can relate to every single comment. LOL! I always tell people that I’m not patient, but my God is. LOL! Or, often, I tell people that patience isn’t a requirement (of homeschooling, in particular) but is the fruit of what God is working out in you as you do it.
LOL {pause for breath} LOL
As a mom of 6 I hear ya loud and clear!!!
Not the post to read when you have a sleeping 14-month-old snuggled up to your chest! I really h ad to stifle the laughter on this one! Thank you!
Ah so true! That is why God gave us all of those kids, to help us learn to be organized (or to let the little things go!), be patient, and see that we are rich in HIM! Great post!
Classic post and so glad I found this blog through raisingolives.
Organized and patient… NOT. But by God’s grace becoming more sanctified each week.
I came across your blog and have been reading along. I used to read it a while back and lost the bookmarks. I love this article. I am Catholic, have 4 kids and 4 we lost through m/c. Someone pointed out that a common misconception is to be thought Catholic. I guess it’s because of the no birth control/NFP doctrine. And yes, there are more open-minded non-Catholic Christians these days with larger families, I think, but we know many Catholic families with mega numbers of kids. You just have to know where to look (the more conservative parishes/churches). Most are homeschoolers, but not all. My SIL has 9, we have friends ranging from 4, like us, many have 6-7, some have 12 or so. We send our kids to public school but we live in a small rural community that is conservative in nature. Many Catholic families in this area where we live have about 4-5 kids as an average. I am glad to see more non-Catholics venturing beyond 2-3 kids. When we lived in Houston, many non-Catholics kept asking me is this it? after #3.