Eight kids is like...

I've had lots of parenting seasons in my life. I've had the season of 1 kid, then 2, then 3, then 6, and now I have 8.

And eight kids is hard.

In truth when I had 1 kiddo there were hard things, and two had it's challenges. I still remember going to the grocery store for the first time by myself and beaming with pride until I took my basketful of purchases out to the car and found my keys staring at me from the inside of a locked Isuzu. I don't honestly remember the three years we had with just 3 kids, but if my past blog laments were accurate we had some rough days.

Making the jump from 3 kids to 6 has so far been the hardest thing I've ever done...not just in the realm of parenting...I mean in my whole life. Oy.

And now we're up to 8, and eight kids is hard.

Eight kids is like running in front of a stampede and trying not to get trampled.

Eight kids is like your toilet overflowing and you can't find your plunger.

Eight kids is like living with this guy 24/7.

Eight kids is like waking up to this above your bed.

Stressed yet? :)

Today was an especially hard day.

And maybe it's because 4 of our kids are five and under. Maybe it's because half of our family has been traumatized by foster care. Maybe it's because 7 of the 8 are boys. Maybe it's because I'm homeschooling this year and get no down time. Maybe it's because one of them has extreme ADHD.

All I'm saying is it has nothing to do with me. I definitely didn't dismiss and avoid and ignore behaviors all afternoon until I couldn't take it anymore and snapped.

It definitely isn't me.

Because if it was me, that means I'm the one that has to change. I'm the one that has to be selfless.

And that sounds too hard.

That sounds like denying myself and taking up my cross daily.

That sounds like