Camping at Assateague Island National Seashore

*This post has been waiting in my drafts for a couple of weeks now. However, I haven't been able to edit it. My laptop died and we've been away from home (and our desktop computer). For some reason the iPad won't let me scroll down to edit . If there are a lot of grammar errors and mistakes, I apologize in advance. In order to let you know I'm still alive and since it is camping season I'm crossing my fingers that it's not too painful to read. Hope you're having an amazing summer! Happy camping!

We recently returned from camping at Assateague Island National Seashore Campground. It was amazing! Not only did we enjoy telling stories and chowing down food made over the camp fire (including our favorite Striped Peanut Butter S'mores), we enjoyed the whole experience. This wasn't any normal old camping trip.

For one thing instead of dirt, we were sleeping on sand. Sand is so much more comfortable to sleep on then dirt. As you can see from the picture above, the sand wasn't the only thing at our campsite. We enjoyed being visited by several wild horses that freely roam the island and campground. The kids loved seeing them graze so close by. Since they are wild, we still kept our distance, but they seemed completely comfortable wandering up right next to us.

 So, not only did we enjoy the sand and being visited by wild horses, we also loved the beach which was practically right behind our campsite. It was like we had our own private beach! It was awesome! I worried about there not being a life guard since I have four kids and an ocean enthusiastic husband, but the kids were more interested in digging up shells and making sand castles. The next day when it was warmer, we went a little further down the beach and found a spot where life guards were on duty.

The kids also enjoyed exploring at the visitor center. My oldest was excited to complete a booklet to be sworn in as a junior ranger and receive a badge. The kids also loved looking through their telescope and touching the horseshoe crab and clams among other things.

We had such a great time, I had to post about our experience. If you are ever stationed or on your way to the DC area you'll have to keep this in mind as a place to visit. It was only $20 a night and was more than worth it. You'll also want to have some cash to buy wood, but they have tons there that is so inexpensive it wouldn't be worth the hassle of bringing in your own wood. Finally, you'll also have to pay to get into the National Park ($10 for 7 days or $15-$20 for an annual pass), but if you (or your spouse) are in the military and are active duty, you get in free! We didn't have the card that gives free admittance for military so we pulled into the office and had one within five minutes.

Our kids have made us promise them that if we're still in this area next Spring/Summer, we'll be coming back.

Sightseeing in DC...When to Visit the Holocaust Museum and the Library of Congress

We've been stationed in the DC area for a little over a year now. While I've been able to tour DC a couple of times, my husband hadn't so we've been hitting a lot of the sites and have learned a trick or two along the way. There are so many bases in the DC area: Andrews Air force Base, Anacostia-Bolling, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Fort Meade, Fort Belvoir, there's the Naval Academy, Marine Corps in Quantico, and so many more... So if you are military, or just someone on their way to the DC area I'll try to add some of the tips we've learned so you can see all there is to see before heading off somewhere else.

On President's Day you either want to go to one of two places, Mount Vernon (George Washington's old estate), or to the Library of Congress. The reason President's Day is a good day to visit Mount Vernon is because it is the only day you can get in free of charge and admission is pretty pricey. You'll want to get there early so you can pick up a ticket to tour the house (they are first come first serve), and you'll also want to dress really warm because it's usually really cold around this time of year. If you have children, bring blankets, coats, and I'd also recommend that you bring a stroller so they don't have to walk too much. Because admission is free, it will be packed, but once you start roaming around it's not too bad. You can look all over the grounds, watch a film, visit George Washington's tomb (they will have a special speech usually sometime in the morning), and they had a certain time when actors pretend to be Martha and George Washington who kept in character and answered all you could ask about our dear first president and his wife. It's a really fun place to visit and if you like Historical Sites it's definitely a must see while you're here.

Since we went to Mount Vernon last year, we opted to visit the Library of Congress. We were surprised to find out that President's Day is only one of two days (I think Veteran's Day is the second day) when the reading room is open to the public. When you arrive you can choose to go on a free tour around the library, but be forewarned you won't be seeing many books. Instead your guide will focus on the ornate decorations and architecture. Kids and families can join a tour, but you can also walk around by yourselves as well. If you don't like crowds, I'd avoid going on President's Day since many schools and tourists come on President's Day to visit the reading room. If you don't mind crowds and are planning to go also be sure to get some pictures in front of the Congress and Senate Buildings since they are right next to the library.

Here's some pictures I snapped on my iPod (hence the poor quality) to give you a look at some of the art/architecture you'll see. By the way, if your child is reading the Percy Jackson series they'll likely enjoy seeing all the Greek mythological figures throughout the building. My oldest daughter sure did.

If you don't like crowds, you should think about going to visit the Holocaust Museum. I'd visited the museum twice. Once during the Spring and then during the Summer. Both times I had to get there early and wait outside before they opened to get tickets to see the displays and upper floor in the museum. However, we learned that because Winter isn't their peak season, tickets aren't required. I believe they said they'll start handing out tickets again around March, but before then you're free to go visit the upper floor as you'd like. Anyhow, Since I'd visited the top level twice I told Daniel to go check it out while I stayed with the children and visited the more kid friendly part of the museum: Daniel's Story--where they walk you through a Jewish boy's life during WWII in a sensitive manner.

It's important to point out that they recommend that children are 14 or older before they go on the top floor since it gives guests a glimpse into the horrors of the Holocaust. Of course, as the parent you're allowed to decide whether you think your child is mature enough to visit this area of the museum. Since our kids weren't ready (and I'd already been), I was more then content visiting the other areas of the museum until Daniel was done. There really weren't many people there at all so my kids were able to watch all the videos, pull, open, and push any of the drawers, windows, and buttons they had for the kids to explore.

As a side note be prepared to go through a metal detector and have your bags scanned when you come to the museum and the library. They do this in all the museums that I've visited in DC so far. We'd heard that the Holocaust Museum doesn't allow food inside, so if you pack a lunch be prepared to eat it before you enter the building. As a side note, the Smithsonian Museums haven't stopped us from bringing a backpack with lunch inside.

As for parking...If you go early to Mount Vernon you should find a spot in one of their parking lots for free. In DC they normally advise you to take the Metro, but if you have a big family like we do, that may not work for you. We visited the Library of Congress first and found 2 hour parking on a side street close by. After we finished, we went drove by the Jefferson Memorial where they have three hour free parking along the River. Usually this area gets filled quickly so we normally arrive early in the morning to ensure we find a spot. However, there weren't many cars there at all on President's Day. From there we walked to the Holocaust Museum which is a bit of a walk, but not too bad. Another option would be to park in one of the garages. If you park in a garage you will still have a bit of a walk to your destination, but you won't have to hurry back before your 2-3 hours are up to avoid a parking ticket.

 If you decide you want to use a parking garage, don't rely on your GPS to find one. Our GPS sent us on a wild goose chase when looking for a parking garage. Instead, look up a parking garage on the internet before you leave and type in the address they provide on your GPS or a place right next to it. We've found parking for $11-15 for the day (which is cheaper then paying for everyone to take the metro unless all your kids are younger than six) especially if you have to pay for parking at the Metro Station.

Whether you take the Metro, or drive I know you'll enjoy visiting these sites. There are so many things to do and see while you're in the DC area. Hopefully, you'll enjoy exploring as much as we have!

DIY Reupholstering a European/Victorian Style Couch-Taking Notes as I Tear it Apart

So this is part two of Reupholstering a couch... I decided I was going to finally buy some fabric for the couch several months ago. Sometime around Thanksgiving I had the swatches and had finally decided on which fabric I wanted. I knew I could either go for it and finally be happy with the color and look of the couch, or be content with wishing it looked a little different. I used the yardage chart from Restoration Fabrics to figure out how much fabric I'd need. Then, I dove right in and bought the fabric (ambrosia mist) from Warehouse Fabrics Inc.

The fabric was already priced under $10 per yard. And that's a great price for home decorating fabrics, but I was pleasantly surprised when I learned they also had a military discount which furthered my savings allowing me to buy a couple extra yards for a little more wiggle room. I just had to e-mail them before I made my purchase and they added the discount to my account. After all the other fees it only cost around $85 for 18 yards! That's a good deal for reupholstering a couch. And since the couch is relatively new I likely won't have to replace any cushions or other odds and ends. 

So the fabric arrived sometime in December and then it sat. I was pretty good at finding reasons to not start on my project. Let's face it, once you start pulling fabric off a couch there is no going back. Luckily, a friend asked about it and offered to help along with several other people. Had Audrey, Doorly, and Lois not shown up I may have just let that fabric sit in my basement as I found more excuses to not get around to using it. Thanks for helping me rip apart my couch ladies!

Seriously, it took forever! There more staples on top of staples and then some! There were 4 and a half of us (my husband came and helped a bit as well later on) and we weren't even done digging those staples out after three or so hours! 

In case you're curious about the process, here's what I've done so far...After taking tons of pictures before so I could have a reference to look at. I also took plenty more during the demolition couch phase. Here's the pictures I took and my notes as I tear the couch apart... Of course, every couch will be different, but you can get a general idea. We'll see if I needed to take more photos or not after I finish...

There our couch is. There's no going back...she's completely vulnerable and uncovered. We'll see if I can do this!

Okay, so....we started at the bottom of the couch. We just undid the top row of staples:

Underneath the black fabric was floral fabric (from the bottom of the front) stapled on the wood: 

The paneling had fabric folded under and stapled (trim was glued over that to cover staples):

Hmmm. I think this was along the side? Ladies? Good thing I wasn't the only one there...Wish I'd have taken notes about what part of the couch this was... I'm thinking it's the side?

Under batting was white felt stapled on side:

The bottom side had fabric with piping rolled and sewn on top (not in bias tape) and was stapled on top of side piece:

trim was directly over bottom...

Here's side again...

Inside the arm of the sofa looking in from the side. There was a layer of fabric, gray, and white... These pictures show that the white was in the middle with the fabric which they put together on the wrong side about 1/2 an inch and then flipped over after they stapled it on the grey. There are several pictures of this because it was pretty hard to see what went where...

The curve along the side arm

Side arm

Piping along side arm

Top piece on arm tucked under and stapled first, before side paneling goes on:

Bottom of the couch had a lot of slack on the side

Where the seating fabric was. Under the fabric was batting

Top of the couch between side and seat back:

 There's a lot of slack of fabric:

The fabric along seating area is connected to side fabric and was then all flipped over. It was stiched on the top:

This is what it loos like flipped over:

Another look into the side of the couch:

and another:

The batting goes over foam on the front:

The backside...You can see where the additional fabric sticks out which was attached the the fabric on the front. It was tucked under...

Like so...

Here's a look in between the arm...

Not quite sure about this one...Notes people...Take notes!

If you made it this far I'm truly impressed. After the couch was uncovered, I had to take a moment to keep myself from hyperventilating. There really was NO going back. It was all off. Next step, ripping seams to use old pieces of fabric as a pattern. Cutting the fabric is almost just as intimidating. Here's hoping they make sense as I put everything back together again...

Top 10 Ways to Save So You can Put Your Husband through School while Your Family Grows

So in my last post I mentioned how we provided for our kids while Daniel was going through grad school and didn't have a full time job until just recently. We were able to pinch enough pennies so that we'll be debt free before he graduates! While not everyone will be able to do the same, there are a lot of tricks we learned that helped us be frugal. Here are some of the things that helped us stay afloat:

1. Couponing and price matching at Wal-Mart: We were able to do this while living on the West Coast much more then we can now. We used pinching your pennies' coupon website and price matched everything. If I ran into a sale on clothing for kids, I'd stock up on clothes for several years in advance. Now that we're in the East Coast, I've struggled to be as thrifty. Perhaps, it's just this particular area. Couponing isn't an option because I usually have three kids with me at the store. In other words, I have to move people! Otherwise naps, or meals, are missed and a hungry/tired toddler or baby times three is never a great idea at a store.

Price matching also isn't an option here since we don't have a store near us that does price matching. Needless to say, it's easier in some areas and circumstances to get better deals than it would be in others. If you can't price match, or coupon you can just pay attention to deals and stock up on things you use a lot. I've finally found a couple of stores where they have amazing deals and I plan our meals around what's on sale. We're also lucky being in the military because we get a food stipend which has also helped because the East Coast is not cheap.

2. I Have a Free Phone: Well, kind of. We had one cell phone between the two of us, that did not connect to the internet. Paying for one plan without all the unnecessary gadgets saves tons. My husband has the phone and lately I've been using my Ipod. Did you know you can use pinger/textfree to text and receive calls for free? That's what I use. People can even call and leave you a message! It's basically like having a cell phone. The downside is you can't call 911. However, if you have an old cell phone you can call 911. Did you know you can use an old phone without coverage to dial 911? You just have to have the battery charged, or have it plugged in. They have charities that collect old cell phones for battered women and other people in need so they can call police in emergencies. So if you have some old cell phones you're looking to get rid of, it's worth looking into some of these charities (just click on the links, or google more if you're interested).

Anyhow, as long as I have a connection to wireless internet, I receive calls free, and can text for free. Why pay for a second phone line? We likely will invest in a go-phone or TracFone so I can have something to call people back on just because it is inconvenient to have to wait to make calls with Daniel's cell phone, and in other situations, but you can have just one line/cell phone if things are tight. It's more than possible.

3. Car: Do you really need more than one car? We went almost eight years sharing one vehicle. We finally gave in and became a two car family this year because Daniel's commute to and from work took hours each day versus under an hour by car. We used our tax refund and paid for our commuter car in cash. Paying it off in full right away means we didn't have to pay extra from interest. We did the same thing when we had to buy a "new" old van after our first van's engine quit on us. I can't say enough about scrimping by as much as you can so you have money for rainy days while putting a spouse through school.

4. Credit cards: We don't use them. If we do, we pay it all off in full right away so we're not paying interest.

5. Christmas and Holidays: We've always given frugal gifts. Many of them were home made, or inexpensive. The average family spends almost a thousand dollars on Christmas! We'd spend $100-200, and our kids would have never known they were any different (especially since they were spoiled by relatives). There are also a lot of benefits of not going crazy during the holidays. My kids don't think about presents when they think about their birthday, instead they think about how they want to celebrate it (at least they do now). Often if they're asked what they want for their birthday they'll answer what type of cake they want, or how it will be decorated. In fact, our kids don't really make requests for what they want for their birthday, or Christmas and have always been thrilled with everything they've received, which is rare in the entitled culture we live in.

6. Food Storage: Being Mormon, we tried getting our food storage going right after we got married. Our food storage supply was used all the time. We stocked up on different foods we used all the time to make things like spaghetti, tuna casserole, BBQ beef, Costco's pancake mix, oatmeal etc. We lived off of our food storage for the most part. In fact, we still do. We had a huge supply of food we'd buy in bulk when we saw deals.

7. Dates and family activities: My husband and I couldn't have a babysitter watch our kids. We couldn't afford one. There were a couple of times we'd swap babysitting with another couple, but since going out usually meant spending money, we usually just had free and inexpensive dates at home. Our family also enjoyed doing free, or frugal activities. We would go on walks to the library, bike, watch free movies, visit with family and friends, and do other activities that were fun and free.

8. Television: Unless cable was free, we didn't have it. Instead, we had amazon prime where you can watch movies online. You can also watch shows free off on most major network's sites and we get free two day shipping on most items we buy through amazon. The best part was it was cheaper for us since Daniel was a student.

9. Instead of paying to get my hair cut, I'd donate it to locks of love. I'd go to Fantastic Sam's or Great Clips and would get a free haircut (although I did pay a tip) and would get to donate my hair to help make a wig for a child with cancer. I'd say that's more than a win-win. And with all my pregnancies my hair seemed to be four times as thick and grew very quickly which made my donations pretty substantial. There are some pluses to what those hormones can do for you.

10. Continuing to Live Like Poor College Students: We're lucky to have a housing stipend through the Army which has allowed us to live in a gorgeous home, but it's interior is filled with all of our beat up furniture and we don't plan on doing any interior decorating any time soon. Even now that we're being paid a full salary we haven't changed our spending habits so we could save up enough to be debt free. After we pay off loans and save enough that we'll have emergency money that will last a year will slowly start spending more, but it won't be much more. That means we'll be hanging on to all our hand me down furniture until we've got quite a cushion. 

By following these guidelines not only were we able to make it out of grad school debt free (with the help of the Army), but we'll also be able to provide for our family. I'll share more about how we have and plan to continue to provide for our kids financial needs later. While we are frugal I don't think my kids have ever felt poor or neglected, and we couldn't have done it alone.

In fact, I truly believe Heavenly Father was looking out for us. Looking back I feel like he provided manna and raiment/clothing as he did with Moses and his people (see here). There were times when things were so tight that first year that I wondered how we could make it through the rest of the month, let alone the next four or five years. Yet, when we'd get to the point where it didn't seem like what was left of our budget would be enough to cover groceries, miracles would happen: someone would randomly drop off groceries, or bring over produce from their garden, or do something else that would get us through to the next month. Every. Single. Time.

When we needed baby clothes, I'd happen upon an amazing sale where clothes were only $1, or people would randomly drop off their kids' old baby clothes. We even had people leave us a box filled with food the first Thanksgiving after Daniel began going to grad school and was unemployed. The next year Daniel's work decided to be our Santa that year. We were given tons of gifts anonymously. Every Christmas Daniel and I would discuss the small gifts we planned to purchase and how it would help the kids learn to appreciate the little things. When Christmas would roll around those few gifts would be lost in the sea of gifts others had brought for our kids.

Besides having countless earthly angels watching over us, there were several other miracles. When our van died we found out we had to pay out-of-pocket for our third child (remember this is also when I decided to stop using WIC). Not knowing how we'd afford all our new expenses we just continued forward in faith. We were saved from having to take out another loan by a large tax refund that came right in time to be able to afford buying a vehicle, and we were able to get a huge discount for hospital bills by paying in cash before the baby was born. After all was said and done, I was grateful I hadn't back peddled and gotten back on WIC and tried to get on medicaid. After such a test, I was even more sure that Heavenly Father would provide.

Those are just some of the ways we were able to stay frugal while Daniel continued his education and as our family continued to grow. What are some ways that have helped you provide for your family when finances were tight?

How to Afford Another Baby

I case you were wondering, this is NOT an ad. I am NOT selling my precious baby. I'm just illustrating the fact that babies DO cost money. They aren't cheap. In fact, I think one of the biggest question people have when they see me carting around four kids is, how we can afford it? Especially after they learn that my husband is finishing the tail end of grad school. He's done, but hasn't officially finished or graduated. He started his five year PhD program when our first child was a baby. I'm sure many people would be floored if they were to find out that three of our four kids were born while my husband was in grad school, before he was working full time.

At this point most people automatically assume we must have been on medicaid. We never have used medicaid. We did use WIC after I had our first baby, and up until I got pregnant with our third child. While we still qualified for help, I didn't feel comfortable with the idea of using WIC anymore. I decided that it wasn't right to use the program and choose to keep getting pregnant. If we were supposed to have another baby, and decided to do so we should be able to take care of them ourselves. I know others may disagree, but I feel that was the right choice for us. I realized that even though we weren't rich, that somehow God would help us out. He has. Other than WIC, we haven't received any other government aid.

Because I know you're probably curious, I'll share what our finances were like... When my husband, Daniel, and I were first married, I was doing an internship where I was teaching world civilizations to middle school students. My husband had graduated with a psychology degree and started working at a lock-down facility with juvenile delinquents. I had no debt at all, but Daniel had student loans and we still had to pay off our wedding rings. I've never been a spender and had insisted that I didn't want a real diamond, so I opted to get a moissanite diamond instead. My husband was really surprised by my decision, but I was able to persuade him I really didn't need or even want a diamond. So, there wasn't much we owed on our rings. We used my salary as a teacher to pay off loans and the rings. Before I was done with my internship we were debt free and had a pretty decent amount of savings.

That summer I found out I was expecting our first child and I decided to give up a position I was offered to teach and instead opted to tutor foreign Korean students part time until our daughter arrived. We knew Daniel was planning on applying for a PhD/Masters psychology program, so we continued to live like poor college students and saved up.

After our daughter was born, Daniel applied to and was accepted in a PhD program. His first year he didn't work at all--he wasn't allowed to. The following three years he worked part time. He is now finishing up his fifth year and is finishing an internship where he is earning an officer's pay through the military.

So, the first year we lived off of savings. Then the next couple of years we lived off of savings and what Daniel earned from work until we had to take out our first student loan. Soon after, Daniel applied for and was accepted into the military med core where he got a scholarship. This extra bit of help allowed us to make it through the rest of Daniel's program without taking out another loan. Because we saved and pinched pennies (and have continued to do so despite having much more cash flowing into our bank account now), we now have enough in savings to pay back all of our student loans, and Daniel hasn't even graduated.

I'm not trying to sell our financial plan to anyone, or to prove everyone can or should try to have more children. I think different things work for different people. I just wanted to share how having more children has worked for us, and how it's been a really good choice for us and our family. I'll share some of the ways we saved in a future post for those interested.

Yes, They Are All Mine...

...and I'm so glad they are.

So, this blog has been neglected, but you wouldn't know it since I have it as a private blog (and never got around to inviting anyone). I'm pretty sure I'm ready to change that though. If you're reading this you'll know I've made that leap. I started contemplating making this public after an appointment I recently had.

We'd just returned from an amazing mini vacation. It was really needed. My husband, Daniel, had been extremely busy working on and finally defending his dissertation. While he was crossing all his t's and dotting his i's, we had to sacrifice some of the little time we had with him. To celebrate his success, and to have some much needed daddy time, we decided to use the free passes Busch Gardens gives to military families (thank you by the way) and we went to Sesame Place in Pennsylvania. We then drove through Lancaster County so that Daniel and the kids could experience real Dutch cooking and Amish goods. Anyhow, despite leaving the house nice and clean, after such a fun weekend, the to-do list for Monday was pretty long. I was busy sorting all the laundry when I realized I had an appointment, and if I was going to make it I had to get going.

There was no time to find a babysitter. So, I got all four kids dressed and packed a lunch to eat in the waiting room. Daniel, was able to take a quick lunch break, meet me at the clinic, and supervise the kids in the waiting room while I went with the doctor.

When I was called back the doctor held the door open for me. I turned to wait for her to take the lead and guide me to a room, when I saw she was peeking in on my kiddos who were all quietly munching PB&J's. She seemed quite shocked when she asked, "Is that your family?" I get that question quite a bit so, I laughed and answered, "Yes."

As we began entering the room, she gave me the same face I'd seen in the hall, only I realized she hadn't just been shocked. She sounded a bit perturbed as she asked, "Three kids?" with raised eyebrows.

I've been in similar situations, and I always try to give people a benefit of the doubt when I feel I'm being wrongly judged. I also try not to apologize for having more than two kids, so I smiled and said, "No. Actually, four."

After another look of disgust, I thought the subject would be dropped. However, she asked more about my pregnancies and I think it was too much for her to remain completely professional and not add her two-cents. After several more eye rolls, and raised eyebrows, I told her I had four healthy and normal pregnancies. She continued to ask about my history and whether I was breast feeding etc. she also learned my husband's education and even his occupation. After a ten minute interview she had enough information to dispel any concerns she may have had about domestic violence, child abuse, or that we weren't on welfare. I'd assumed her passive-aggressive facial expressions and somewhat chiding tone were all I'd have to deal with concerning my choice to be a mom of four, but I was mistaken.

She asked (I'm assuming for medical purposes), "Do you plan on having any more children?" When I answered, "Perhaps. I'm not sure right now," she seemed to not be able to help herself. I got another disappointed and disgusted look as she shook her said, "That's a lot of babies." I stood my ground and replied. "Sure, it might be, but I'm not sure if we'll have more. We'll see." I was disappointed when she couldn't leave it at that and replied once more in her growing scolding tone, "Well, that's a lot of babies," and she shook her head and began typing away. She seemed to thoroughly want to chastise me, or give me a good verbal spanking. I was miffed.

I'll bet you are wondering what see saw when she peered into the waiting room. It looked like this when I left:

 And like this:

  Well, if I'm to be honest my kids didn't quite look like these drawings since they were zoned out watching TV; However, they were sitting and eating quietly. I think the Dr. envisioned something more along the lines of this:

Okay, that's a bit dramatic. Likely, it was something more like this:

No matter what it was that she found so wrong, it was pretty clear she'd found my problem:

I think women encounter experiences like this quite a bit. You know, instances where our life choices are questioned. There are many hot topics. For example, what women choose to do for a profession, whether we decide to have children, whether or not we stay at home with kids, and how we raise our kids. I've come to find out over and over again, what is right for me isn't right for other people, and I'm okay with that. I also understand everyone won't agree with my life decisions, and I'm okay with that as long as I'm not treated like I'm a bad person, ignorant, or somehow less-than-human. I believe those who disagree with my choice to have four kids (or whatever else) in a negative way often misunderstand where I'm coming from. I also believe that if I had the chance to share why I've made the choice to be a stay-at-home mother of four many of these people would likely find they could respect my decisions even if they adamantly disagreed with them.

Some of the worries people seem to have concerning people who have more than two kids:

1.  Finances

2. Government aid

3. Overpopulation

4. That I'm being supressed

and when they find out I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (in other words...I'm a Mormon) it's sometimes assumed...

5. I've been brainwashed to believe I have to have lots of kids, and I've been brainwashed in many other ways. I even read a comment that a non-Mormon wrote on the matter where they said we believed in order to make it to the highest glory of heaven we HAD to have at least five kids! In case you can't read my shock, that's totally false.

I'll try to address some of these concerns to explain how our choices to have more than two kids works--and it works well for us.

Have you heard of other concerns about large families?