Most Commonly Asked Question

I think the most common question I get from people is "how do you do it" or "how do you do it and stay sane"?  Well first off, I have never in my life claimed sanity--that ship sailed quite some time ago.  But my answer to the question is not very original nor life-changing; you just do it.  There is a reason children come to us one at a time (generally).  If all of my kids had been given to me at once, I don't think I could have done it.  I have learned one at a time.  The first two were fairly easy, #3 was a huge transition, and after that it has been a breeze.  You see, after three, things don't change much.  You are already doing things conveyor-belt style anyway.  I line up all the cups and bowls in the morning and just pour them all right in a row.  Same concept with bath time, getting dressed in the morning, and just about most other things.  Having twins has been a bit harder and had they been my first, I probably would be a lot crazier than I already am!  Having four other children really helped prepare me for having two at once.  It really is a line-upon-line process.  You adjust as your circumstances need you to.  It's not much different than any other aspect of change in our lives  Plus, I have really great kids so that is always a help!  I always feel badly when I ask people to babysit because six kids can be a lot to handle if you are not used to it.  Now taking care of that many people isn't necessarily easy, but do-able for me because that is my life.  So really the best advice I can give is don't let the number freak you out.  Do what you can, and when you feel like you can't handle anymore, then you know you are done.  I know people who have said they want 12 kids and when they start having them they stop at two or three.  And on the other end of the spectrum, people say I only want one or two but find themselves enjoying it so much that they keep having more.  My first baby was tough--colicky, grumpy and just all around tough.  My husband said no more kids, but I convinced him that we should try again.  We did and #2 was an angel.  And so it went.  With each one we found we could handle more and handle it better.  So again, do what you can and take it one kid at a time!