"It's a good full"

     That's my answer when I hear, "You've got your hands full".  It's not that people are being rude (though some are, its not the norm), it's just that the idea of having 10 children is a bit overwhelming for most people.  I get it though, having 3 children is overwhelming!  Add 7 more to the equation and your brain might explode!  Hahaha!  None-the-less, I do have 10.  Now, let me tell you a little about me and why, "It's a good full".

     My oldest is 15 and my current youngest is 4.  We have 6 boys and 4 girls.  We are a blended family in which, I came with 7 and my husband with 3.  He adopted my 7 and his 3 we share 50/50 custody with his X.
      Being blended doesn't make us any different from other families.  He is "Dad", I am "Mom" the kids are all sibling and we are living our life to the Glory of God and not our gain.  The only difference is that 3 of the children spend half of each week at their "Mum's" house.  (We have long weeks and short weeks).
     Due to the "blendiness" (is that a word?) of our family, we are in the unique position to both homeschool and public school.   I also co run an  enrichment group here in the Pacific North West and am working to get another fantastical group up and running in our area soon ( can you say "Cotillion", more on that later).
     We live on almost 12 acres of land.  I have a garden, chickens, pigs. a dog and lots of "wild".  I am not a homesteader, nor do I have a farm.  When you have as many children as I do though, its better if you can raise some of your own food ;)  We bake all our own bread and yes I have sour dough starter, kefir and kombucha... and yes the children consume all (although the husband only embraces the sour dough ;).
     I am a "jack of all trades; master of none" and can "fake it 'till I make it" on almost everything. I enjoy a plethora of things but mostly the company of the people I love!

     With so many older children now, the days of true "frazzlement" (again with a made up word) of being the only "big person" amongst all the "little people" is gone.  For the most part, we are a smooth operating machine.  Even on our "off days", we all know what the normative estate is and we fall back to that quickly.
     Having a large family (or any size family) definitely makes your hands full. I am thankful for the large family that God gave me.  I would, for sure, not be the Mom I am today if it was not for having so many children.  God has used, and continues to use, the size of my family to refine me and make me more like Jesus.  10 children is a lot and my hands are very full but,  "It's a good full".

~Minda