So Much More to Life Than Pasta Roni

Well, for starters when I got married, all I knew how to cook was Pasta-Roni with corn thrown on the side. I thought having to take 1/2 hour to clean up the apartment was too hard so I usually just left it. When I got pregnant with my first, we had only been married for 11 months. I was so scared. In fact, I was in denial. I loved the baby! I just couldn't believe a real one was in there. When I had him, I was surprised they let me take him home. Ha! I didn't know what in the world I was to do. 3 months later I soon discovered that you can nurse and still get pregnant. So baby number 2 was on it's way! Gasp! I was still trying to figure out how to put a diaper on fast enough to not get peed on! After my second son was born, that's when the transformation in me began. I soon stopped grumbling about being woken up in the middle of the night. I learned that it was okay if I got peed on once in awhile. The shirt is washable! Having Irish twins can be fun when you are trying to pull one off of the other. My newborn would be laying on the floor while my one year old would just crawl across him to get to the other side of the room. Several years down the road I'm now pregnant with baby number 6. :D I've learned that a pregnant tummy can be cute because now it's round with a purpose. I don't have to suck in my gut for 9 whole months! Ha ha! My kids make it okay for me to go play in the aisles of Toy's R Us. I don't look weird trying out that little bike down the aisle. After all, I'm testing the strength of it for my son. Ahem. Sitting around the dinner table with 5 kids under 9, it gets loud but it's like having a party at my house every evening! Why go elsewhere? It really is fun answering all those questions in the grocery store from others of "don't you know what causes pregnancy?" I love answering "No, finally someone to tell me! My parents deprived me of sex ED in fifth grade! Please share." Are they all yours? "No, I get lonely at the store so I borrow all the various neighbor's kids to keep me company. Tantrum kids are even better!" Nothing is more fun that sitting in church with my little ducklings and when one of them passes gas loudly, since you can't see them in the pew, people turn to look at me. I just smile with a red face and shrug my shoulders. It wasn't me! Ha ha. You know how all this has changed me? I don't have this flaming pride that gets in the way anymore. I know now that things happen. I've learned that I'm not perfect and I shouldn't expect others to act perfectly every single day of their lives. Which means more forgiving. People have bad days too. So don't let pride stop you from saying sorry to someone. Or letting them over in your lane. Or letting that poor guy that only has two items in the checkout in front of you since you have 150. Children make you stop thinking only of yourself for once. It forced it on me! I needed it. Life is so much more interesting and fun with children. I've taken the time to learn more recipes besides Pasta Roni and corn. Cleaning is not such a burden because I have my Hero Helpers at my side cleaning along with mommy during chore time. Even though their chores are much smaller. I've learned to laugh a lot more and I even created a blog to share my adventures with the world! With one autistic child, I've learned to have more compassion in life. I can see life through a different set of eyes now and I've learned empathy and what it means to reach out to those in need. I've realized what an awesome husband I have when he's never too busy to change a dirty diaper. Having kids not only makes me laugh, but they taught me that there is so much more to life than just Pasta Roni and Corn with a remote by my side.