Tim Hawkins - A Homeschool Family

That's funny, I don't remember them coming to film our family........

Crazy Days are Here Again......

Little brother spilled his milk, the baby's screaming, sister needs help with math, somehow brother's science textbook has been conveniently been misplaced, the phone's been ringing all morning and this and that and this and that and AUGH!!!!! Deep breaths.....deep breaths..... Sometimes, everything seems out of control and all you're praying for is a better afternoon-You've given up on a good morning. Relax! One thing I've noticed is, sometimes, life seems a lot worse than it actually is when I haven't read my Bible yet that day. Often, a little quiet time (and some lunch) makes the afternoon ten times better than the morning. Sometimes, I feel like curling up in a ball and crying my eyes out because nothing has gone right, but I have to realize(something I'm not always great at) that things aren't so terrible. God's got it under control. I have to realize that, even though I feel like I'm having the worst day ever, God understands I'm upset, but it all is for a greater purpose, he isn't a horrible God who allows people to have a bad day just because he enjoys seeing people upset and sad and angry. I don't always know why things are happening the way they do, but I do know that God isn't tormenting people, and that He wasn't just bored that day, and decided that, for some entertainment, He'll make everything seem to go wrong for me. Everyone has rough days. Maybe everything has gone wrong that day, but when you put it in perspective, life isn't so bad. I'm not trying to make you feel like a bad person for having a bad day, or trying to tell you "it's not that bad" when it really was that bad, but think about it: You have a house. You have food. You have a God who cares about you and your horrible day. Sometimes, we have crazy, horrible, stressful days but we are blessed beyond realization, and, in the wise words of Little Orphan Annie................ "The Sun'll come out Tomorrow!"

After reading a post on another blog by a big sister of a big family, I decided to start my own, because the author was right: A lot of people just don't get how big families work. A lot of people think that the big sisters have too much work, or act like the second mommy. But really, everyone has to work to make the house run smoothly-not just the big sister. Yes, we have to help out a lot more than, say, a family with two kids, but it's not all work. One benefit-there is always something to do, or someone to have fun with. We have seven kids, and on the weekdays two of my cousins come over while their parents work. So we have my brothers, who are 10, 6, and 4, my sisters, 10, 7, and 6, and then my two cousins, 16 months and 5 months. And, no, none are twins. The reason we have some who are almost the same age is because we've adopted two different times. Things are always happening around here! But I love it. Even if I do have more responsibility than your average 13 year old sister, God has put me in this position for a reason. Sometimes it's hard, but "All things work for the good of those who love Him". I embrace my role as a big sister, knowing that this is my God-given resposibility, to be a good role model to my younger siblings, to love them and be patient with them, and to help my mom with things like cleaning and cooking, among other things.