{"id":3585,"date":"2014-08-21T06:21:03","date_gmt":"2014-08-21T10:21:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/intramuralist.com\/?p=3585"},"modified":"2014-08-21T06:21:03","modified_gmt":"2014-08-21T10:21:03","slug":"advice-from-a-crazy-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/?p=3585","title":{"rendered":"advice from a crazy family"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"pile-donated-clothing-large\"<\/a>Are they all yours? Don\u2019t you know what caused that? You must have your hands full. I can\u2019t imagine your grocery bill. How are you paying for college? Aren\u2019t you glad you have boys so you don\u2019t pay for weddings?<\/em><\/p>\n

These are just a few of the questions and comments my family receives on a regular basis and has for the last 12 years. It seems people could accept us having 4 kids, but after that people assumed my man and I had moved from normal to crazy town. Let me introduce my crazy family. My man and I have been best friends for 20 years and married for 18. \u00a0We are a family of 6 fully biologically related brothers (ages 17, 15, 13, 12, 11 and 9)<\/em> with a sister and another brother thrown in the mix. We call these extra kids our \u201chyphen kids.\u201d Why would we add more to our rowdy and always hungry mix? They hold a special place in our hearts, and yes, they have families of their own, but we feel God opened a spot in our family for them. They may or may not be sleeping, eating or anything else on a regular basis in our home, but they know our house is their home base and they’re welcome day or night.<\/p>\n

When the boys were little we tried to really stress that God had put\u00a0them all in a family for a purpose. We wanted them to grow and know no matter what, your brothers deep down are your best friends and they always have your back. We came up with the phrase \u201cbrother in time of need\u201d (from Proverbs).<\/em> A friend is a friend, but a brother is there in time of need. We taught them this by wrestling, because it was a simple lesson in physical dominance; when a brother is in need, they can call all brothers. All Wahl boys drop what they\u2019re doing and come to the aide of the brother in need. We wanted them to learn this early, so as an adult, when they come upon a time in need, it will be only a call away. Recently, my brother ran into some bad times, and when my man and I were spending some crazy long nights with my brother, our boys asked what we were doing. Our answer was: \u201che\u2019s in time of need.\u201d<\/em> They totally understood what we meant and what he needed. It was a very good parenting moment. They are few and far between, but that was a good one.<\/p>\n

Another question I get is: how do you feed all those boys? I must confess I was a horrible cook when we first got married, but the more mouths we had, the more I learned, and the better it has gotten. Our boys for the most part are athletes, which means I try to give them good carb\/protein combos and not to much junky processed food. I am a frequent baker — because we are a house full of sweets eaters — and baking is a calming process for me. I try to cook dinners with veggies and lean proteins, but that doesn\u2019t always happen. To be honest, cereal is dinner some nights. My man once went to a seminar where the speaker said, \u201cYou\u2019re going to cheat someone\/something, and it\u2019s a choice you must make on what to cheat.\u201d<\/em> I choose to cheat on entertainment or some creature comforts to have healthier food choices. Another choice I try to make consistently is packing our lunch on long game days rather than buying from the concession stand or even a restaurant. We played 10 games this week alone, so eating out is an expensive and unhealthy alternative to planning ahead and packing coolers.<\/p>\n

Laundry is yet another issue I get lots of other moms asking about. I have had \u201cMount Wahl\u201d of \u00a0laundry at my house many times over the years. Let me encourage you to conquer it and move onto a method I use now… \u00a0 Each person has one basket. That\u2019s it: one basket. Your dirty clothes go in, go through the wash\/dry cycle, and go back in the basket and to your room to be put away. No baskets of socks, or wondering if thats clean or dirty laundry. I know it seems like more baskets would be more organized, but trust me; it\u2019s not. I have one basket for each of us, a basket for towels that lives in the hallway, and a basket for uniforms. I can do my family of 8-10 people\u2019s laundry in one day if I follow this method. It\u2019s easy to get lazy and let it pile up, but be nice to yourself and keep up on the basket method, and there will be no mountain of laundry to dread.<\/p>\n

Respect, love, and affection are major issues for us. Our goal in parenting was to raise kids that other adults enjoy being around. I feel one way we try to teach that is when a visitor\/family member\/friend\/stranger walks into our home, we all stop what we\u2019re doing and say hello. \u00a0Affection is a biggie for me. I want to teach them affection has appropriate times and amounts. A hug, kiss on cheek, handshake all are good affections; however, I want to teach them that lingering affections can lead to inappropriate relationships. I\u2019m not sure they can relate the adult\/kid relationship affections to their peer relationship and affections, but I pray they do.<\/p>\n

Ok, friends if you hear nothing at all, please hear this. I know it feels like when they\u2019re little that there\u2019s no light at the end of the tunnel. Not only is there light, but hopefully you\u2019ll arrive there holding hands with the one you love. Enjoy the noise, the mess, the nights up with a cranky baby, the endless stories they want read. Those times go by so quickly. Trust me, I know it\u2019s easy to be busy; take the time to go on a date with your man. How awesome is it that you can be married to your best friend! \u00a0Your kids are important but they have their own life and path to follow. Don\u2019t focus on your kids so much that your man becomes a second thought. He is who will be around, once your kids fly into their own lives. \u00a0I pray this encourages all you weary moms, super busy moms, or anyone else who needs it. Until next time…<\/p>\n

Respectfully…<\/p>\n

Mama Wahl<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Are they all yours? Don\u2019t you know what caused that? You must have your hands full. I can\u2019t imagine your grocery bill. How are you paying for college? Aren\u2019t you glad you have boys so you don\u2019t pay for weddings? These are just a few of the questions and comments my family receives on a … <\/p>\n

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