Thursday, February 9, 2012

Our Family Size

Welcome to the first Family Size Blog Carnival!
This post was written for inclusion in the Family Size Blog Carnival hosted by Kerry at City Kids Homeschooling and Patti at Jazzy Mama. Today our participants share their decisions on family size and whether or not to grow their families. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.
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There has always always been only one consideration in our family when it comes to adding another child:  Do we want to?

And the answer has always been a resounding YES.

We operate on the theory that more love is better than less and that no child of ours will ever have a reason to wish he or she had never been born.  We have embraced the spiritual concept of Abundance;  we believe that our needs will always be met, that our hearts will always be full of love and that we are capable of handling whatever comes our way.

I love being the mother of 4 children, and I look forward to being the mother of more.  I love everything about conception (blush), pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding.  I feel confident that my body can continue to grow and nourish more babes.  I want another baby and the day is coming when another one will join our family.

New Parents!  Baby Anna, 2 weeks old, May 2004
One day old baby Holly with 20 month old Anna

Jasmine, 2 weeks old, January 2008


The older, wiser parents with Julian, 6 days old, July 2010
Would you believe me if I tell you that the more babies I have, the easier it gets?  The more I get into my groove as a mother, the more confident I feel that I could keep adding to our family until my time runs out.  Umm, that's my fertility, not my life! The excitement and anticipation involved in pregnancy is by far the most fun I've ever had.  The thrill of creating a new person and then getting to live in a deeply connected relationship with that person and getting to find out all the nuances of his or her uniqueness--Oh, the joy!  I get a rush of pleasure just thinking about it.

Are you waiting for the drum roll and the announcement that Baby #5 is on the way?  Alas, not this year.  And not even next year.  Beginning in 2014 we are planning on travelling for 14 months and we have decided that we don't want to do it with a toddler or baby.  So although it seems like EONS from now, we have decided not to grow our family until 2015.  And since I'm not getting any younger, we'll just have to see what happens from there!
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Visit City Kids Homeschooling and Jazzy Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Family Size Blog Carnival!
Please take some time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants below:
  • The Perfect Family The family at Living Peacefully With Children isn't perfect, but the size is just right for them...at least for now.
  • Family Size Carnival Zoie at TouchstoneZ discusses how she loves the extremes of being happily child-free for life to being a mom of several. And on knowing when her family is just the right size.
  • Is Adoption for Me? Christine at African Babies Don't Cry shares why she would consider adoption as the socially responsible way to have a large family.
  • Getting Used to Having Kids Lauren at Hobo Mama went from "probably one, maybe two" to wanting a handful, but not without some major struggles and soul searching along the way.
  • Magic Number For a while, Phoebe at Little Tinker Tales has wondered what the magic number will be for their family, but now thinks she's finally settled on an answer.
  • How Did You Get That Size Jorje explains how she "chose" her family size and why they aren't planning to grow again on Momma Jorje.com.
  • Family Size On A Per Kid Basis Sarah at Parenting God's Children shares how plans change as families grow.
  • More Babies: How, When, Why Joella at Fine and Fair writes to her daughter about when, how, and why she might get a sibling.
  • Family Size Kelly at Becoming Crunchy shares how she has no idea what size her family will end up being; though she used to be sure, a few factors have recently come up to change everything.
  • Thy Will Be Done CatholicMommy hasn't decided how many children she'll have. And she never will. Because, you know, she's Catholic.
  • Sanity and Health Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment talks about sanity and health considerations when deciding on her family's size.
  • Love Comes In All Sizes Melissa at Mothers of Change shares her family's journey to becoming a family of six!
  • Family Size Liz at Homeschooling in Buffalo discusses how this carnival occurs less than two weeks after "closing up shop" by way of vasectomy.
  • Family Size Blog Carnival Billy, a single mother by choice, writes about the size of her family at My Pathway to Motherhood.
  • Creating Your Perfect Family Size Dr. Alan Singer shares insights from his new book, Creating Your Perfect Family Size.
  • Our Family Size You might not be surprised to learn that Patti at Jazzy Mama can't find any reasons NOT to have more babies.
  • Economics of Family Size Kerry at City Kids Homeschooling uses an economic cost-benefit analysis to determine her family's optimal size.

11 comments:

  1. I'd like to mentally and physically feel as if I could have as many children, you have such a delightful family and I love your outlook on life - one of the reasons that I really enjoy reading your blog.
    Travelling for 14 months would be amazing, it's something I'd really love to do too, but don't know whether we could risk my other half not getting another job when we returned! Plus I'm a sucker for keeping things safe, not much of a risk taker at all...maybe one day!

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  2. Patti, this was such a fun blog carnival! Thanks so much for teaming up with me to host it! I feel exactly as you do: that motherhood actually gets EASIER with more kids. 2015 does seem like a long time to wait-- but we'll be excited to hear your baby announcement when the time is right!

    -Kerry

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  3. I'm with you! I simply can't imagine not wanting another, or ever getting to a place where I feel "done." Hopefully by the time my fertility runs out, I'll feel done enough. ;)

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  4. Im looking forward to seeing how motherhood gets easier the more you have :) I feel the same as you, I have so much love to give, why not give it to lots of children :)

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  5. I remember you asking for advice on birth control to facilitate your travel plans - did you get any good feedback?
    It's encouraging to read that parenting gets easier with more children. Sometimes when I'm playing with / caring for Peter, I can't imagine how I'll do it (without slighting him) when the next one comes along. I'm encouraged!
    Thanks for organizing this carnival!

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  6. It TOTALLY gets easier the more you have! High five! Yes..... Awesome, you have a beautiful family. Thanks for hosting this carnival! =)

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  7. I've heard from other "moms of many" that 2 is harder than 1, but after that it gets easier and easier-you know what you are doing and they can entertain each other while you pee and wash dishes and stuff. lol. And kids are "cheaper by the dozen", right???

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  8. What a beautiful family you have, and I love your philosophy on growing your family when and how the time is right!

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  9. When you use the term Carnival, you think that everyone is having fun, and since I'm one of the bloggers in this Carnival, I should be walking around with cotton candy and not putting the damper on things....But...with marital satisfaction (on average) tending to decline with the birth of each child....i worry about marriages in general....and finances in particular for couples who plan on growing and growing their FamSize. I've counseled couples by saying...as many or as few, as long as you think it through. So take it slow people....one child at a time and make sure that your indiviual health, your marriage, and your parenting skills are all in Tip-Top shape! I am interested in learning maroe about: "We have embraced the spiritual concept of Abundance"
    Glad to be in the Carnival,
    Dr. Alan Singer
    www.FamilyThinking.com

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  10. Thank you for hosting this wonderful carnival. I'm enjoying all of these great reads.

    Yet again, I "get" one of your posts. I also feel that we might keep going. But, I'm feeling my age is edging to high for my comfort in raising children as well as I'd like.

    I think we'll be done at five. It "feels" right.

    And I hope your travels might bring you all by Northern California for a visit!

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  11. I would love to have your energy and abundance viewpoint for more children! I feel I'm ready to stop at my 2. I would LOVE the experience of pregnancy and birth again but can't imagine the process of starting over with a baby again! Maybe it will happen but my small family size choices are also due to my ecological passions too. Wish I'd have known about the blog carnival before I would have signed up! Onelove

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