The Top 5...

As any mom of 4 small children (or 2 or 3 for that matter!) can tell you, when you haul your herd of kids into any populated area, you are bound to hear at least a couple comments/opinions from "well meaning" or just curious strangers. In the three weeks that I've had four children, I could probably write a book about the questions and advice I've received, but for the sake of this blog post, I've narrowed it to the top 5....and my (usually internal) responses :D

1. Are you going to have more?

I think when people ask this, they already assume in their head that I'm going to burst out a laugh and say "are you kidding? We are sooooo done!" It's really fun to watch some peoples' reactions when I shrug and say, "we haven't decided." They look like you just said, "yes actually, and we were hoping that you would pay for the fifth child's university tuition!"

And it's true, we haven't decided. We might be done, we might not. Either way though, we are going to wait awhile before we would have any more, and any concerned individuals can rest easy...we won't ask for any money to help raise them :)

2. I can't believe they are all yours, you look like you're 12!

Why thank you! As long as we're guessing ages, I guess....49?

Ok, that's not really what I say, but I think it sometimes :p Usually I answer with "I'll be glad for it when I'm 40 :)"

And sometimes I do get the benefit of the doubt, usually when I've taken the time to do my hair and makeup, and people think I look closer to 16...awesome.

3. Wow, you're a busy mom!

Ya don't say!

4. 4 girls? Poor daddy!

Well, if he feels like a poor daddy, he sure doesn't show it! He's an amazing dad to his girls. He takes them sledding, takes them on breakfast dates, does crafts with them, wrestles with them, lets them help him build things, and he is awesome at discipline...level headed and cool, but effective....even in the midst of the most dramatic of "girl fights" :) I couldn't ask for a better husband and dad to our girls! You rock, Daniel :D

5. How do you get everything done?

I don't. There is plenty of stuff that gets pushed to the back burner, or just doesn't get done. However, to have any semblance of sanity, there is a certain amount of stuff I have to get done. And how I do that? I take advantage of any small moments I have in the day. If there is a time where babe is sleeping and the other three are playing and all I want to do is collapse on the couch and facebook, I make myself set the timer for 5 or 10 minutes first and go go go! I learned it from flylady, and that approach really helps. It's amazing what you can get done in 5 or 10 minutes, especially when you have some "me" time to look forward to at the end of it. I toss in a load of laundry, fold a load, put away some dishes, or peel potatoes for supper in that time...when you do that a few times a day, it helps keep my life in some sort of order!

Lists really help too. I'm still learning to do them, and I can really tell when I haven't taken the time to write out a list of things to do/buy/errands to run. When I take the time, I feel SO much more in control of my day :)

And Little Lily? Well, that's a hobby, so I fit it in when the kids are napping or in bed. It's sometimes my "reward" for doing my 5-10 minutes of chores :)

On the bright side, in the last few weeks, I can't even count the number of times I've been called a "professional" mom. And you know what? I'd rather be a professional mom than a doctor or lawyer ANY day :D