Grocery Store Gawkers!

A very kind woman at the grocery store today reassured me that there is hope for mommies of more than your average 2.5 children(really when did we become so obsessed with stats and numbers that we say an average family has 2.5 children). We don't really qualify for AVERAGE anymore.
She said "You have a very beautiful family, you are very blessed, and they are very well behaved, you must run a tight ship" I smiled politely and said "Thank you" hoping that was all she had to say(and it was, PTL) What a breathe of fresh air. I just wanted to hug her, but that may have caused ciaos, and we all know that when your out numbered by small banchee's  you don't even think about doing ANYTHING that might cause ciaos!!! LOL!

Much, much more relieving than the NORMAL...
These all yours?
How old are you?
Wow Girl you've got your hands full.
You know what causes that right?
How do you afford all of them?
surely your not having any more.
and my favorite(please note the EXTREME sarcasm)
All the same father?!?
REALLY?!?!?!?!?

Those kind of comments usually leave me hurt, angry, and feeling like I have done something... wrong, crazy, or unheard of... by loving my husband and allowing the Lord to bless us with the amount of  kids we have, and let me just say we are BLESSED!

So... after my afternoon trip to the grocery store for more milk(because at the rate we go through milk it may be a good idea for us to buy a cow) took me a whole 45 minutes instead of the AVERAGE 5 minutes. My encounter with this wonderful woman had me thinking(on my incredibly loud 5 minute drive home because the kids were debating over which lunchable is the best, yes my kids occasionally eat lunchables, don't judge me) Yes I am blessed, with 4 beautiful children who are very well behaved. Although it took me 8 times as long to get milk from the store I had the blessing of corralling all the kiddos into the car for an exciting trip to the grocery, buckling Abbi and kissing her sweaty little forehead, listening to her say "Mommy et buckled" which is her new favorite thing to say in the car, refereeing the near knock down drag out to see who gets to sit in the "cool cart", and teaching my kids to be productive, behaved citizens by giving very clear instructions about keeping your hand touching the cart at all times before we even exited the car(15 minutes) Herding us through the crowded isle to get to the back of the store where the milk is after hearing "mommy can we please have this" at least 50 times(and yes I gave in on the lunchables because they were only 88 cents and worth it to know there is a quick snack when needed in the next few days) making our way to check out and reminding the boys that you cant lean on the thing that weighs the bags or the machine freaks out and freezes up on you, and almost running over said wonderful comment lady trying to get out of the store while telling Ethan that he was the line leader and he had to keep his feet moving or we would all fall over top of him, then trying to get everyone into the car without... anyone getting ran over, denting the bmv parked too close to the minivan, smashing fingers in the door, or dropping groceries! Once I had accomplished that(25minutes) I breathed a big deep breath of relief while strolling in silence to put the SEMI that they call the "cool cart"(you know the buggy with the cute car attached to the front that's impossible to drive) back into the cart coral. She must have heard that sigh because she snickered and then uttered her kind words! Then ensued the card ride home with those 4 overexcited kiddo's(oh the power of a lunchable!) I'm the coolest mom on the block. We pulled in the driveway and the kids jumped out to tell their friends "My mom bought lunchables" which lead to high fives all around!! SUCESS!!

So here's to all you not so AVERAGE mama's out there, who are toting around more than half a child, :)
Breathe, you are so blessed. Even though sometimes you feel so blessed you could pull your hair out, and it takes you longer than anyone else to do anything else, these moments will go by so quickly and then you'll be wishing you had a bunch of banchee's crawling up your leg all day long. It's worth being tired, it's worth not being fashionable, it's worth all the looks and rude comments(even from good friends and family members at times), it's worth being not AVERAGE anymore. Average is boring, Blessed is anything but boring!

The next time you see a not so average mommy out there, give her a smile and an encouraging word, it may just make her day. PLEASE, PLEASE, don't make any of the stupid comments that I listed above(or anything that even closely resembles them).

I choose to be BLESSED BEYOND MEASURE and the Lord has giving me so much joy by giving me those blessings. It may not always be easy but he gives me the grace to get through everyday, and some days he graces me with a sweet lady with a kind word.