Oh, My Achin' Head!

See? I am NOT perfect by any stretch of the imagination, because I have already deviated from the well thought out 4-page outline and notes that I furiously took while attending a very, very important meeting at work, as evidenced in yesterday's post. I was going to be all clever and what not by posting a link to it, but -- well, I have no clue how to do that. Look what I just figured out??? A link to my own works! (if I only knew how to strike out) UPDATED -- ... as evidenced in yesterday's post (click there! last 2 paragraphs). I'm feeling very smart right now.

Anyway -- Last night, I went to bed with my head spinning -- which leads to my achin' head. You see, we watched a special on the Duggar Family. Lookey there -- a link! Now if all worked according to plan... that's an html link you can click on ... So go ahead and take a few seconds to surf their site. If the link doesn't work, than do a search on Google for them. Go ahead... I'll wait a few minutes...

Are you back now? Good. Now. Do you see why my head is aching? So many children! SO MANY CHILDREN! I can see that their website hasn't been updated since at least October 2005, because they now have 16 children. Yes, SIXTEEN.

Now, I am NOT judging. Please don't think any less of me (because I desire your love and approval in a really bad way). I'll let you formulate your own opinions on their decisions for choosing the size of a family, etc. And, yes -- the reason why my head was spinning, is because of the thought of having 16 kids ... but, I must share with you what impressed me so much about this family.

First of all, she homeschools. All of the children -- sixteen of them. God bless her. I have to admire that a lot. Next, this woman is so incredibly organized! They showed them living in a 2000-ish sq ft home -- Now, I'm thinking "hey, that's pretty spacious..." But squeeze 18 people in there, and suddenly, you better hope your sibling has showered in the last, oh, say ... DAY. Their pantry looked so organized. Their laundry was caught up. Their closet was O-R-D-E-R-L-Y. And, yes (if you must know), this is the second time in a matter of 24 hours that I've had to deal with my personal weakness -- jealousy. I'm praying about that.

But -- but, but, but... Not only was her home run like an absolutely TIGHT ship, including schedules, calendars, rules and chores ... but the children were so lovely! They were so well behaved, and it really looked like there was a lot of love in that home! They didn't watch TV, and while they have 7 computers, they use filters. They do daily devotions in the morning, and they read the Bible with Daddy at night. I can only pray that I get just a few of these things done with my kids.

And, if you're still stuck on the 2000 sq foot home, it's not too bad. They are building a 7,000 sq ft home that will accommodate their growing family. They, as in the dad and the older sons... along with some help from all the other kids. Wow! AND -- did I mention the words -- DEBT FREE??? With sixteen kids? Okay, I'll stop going on and on and on.

I may not see 16 kids in my future... EVER ... (three or four would me nice!), and I may never have the patience to home school my own children (but if we feel the Lord leading in that direction, I will certainly tackle that challenge with open arms... at that time) ... But I was left with such admiration for this family. Many might think they are crazy... Some may think they may not have heard about birth control. Others may even think that the parents have fallen out of their collective apple trees and hit each limb on their way down being rendered unconscious. And honestly, all those thoughts ran through my head while I was watching the show (which is a repeat, and for those that missed it... don't worry - they will be showing an updated one on Discovery Health in May - Sixteen Kids!). But like I said... I honestly was impressed.

They obviously love the Lord with all their heart(s). They want to obey what they feel God is calling them to do. And... they are living orderly lives that put my tiny little three member family to shame. God is also blessing them... continuously. So -- who am I to judge? I'll just wait quietly in the background for May's show ... for now, though, I'll continue to be impressed.

But in the mean time, I have to go take some Excedrin and lie down for a bit while I process. And pray. A lot.