momys~

those of you that have known me for awhile have more than likely heard me talk about MOMYS. it is a big part of my life. it is an email digest for Mothers of Many Young Siblings, hence the name :o). to actively participate, meaning post questions and reply to posts via the digest, you must have had, at some point, at least four children eight and under. anyone can receive the digest (known as read-only momys), but to actively participate you must meet the above criteria.

why momys? it is to provide support and encouragement for women who have many small children, and to address many of the challenges/blessings that come from many small children close together. many of the women are quiverfull minded. compared to most of the women (over 2000 subscribed from all over the world!), i have a smaller sized family :o). most homeschool, many are dresses-only and headcovering, many are "normal." there are all different denominations. it is challenging in so many ways, yet so encouraging and refreshing. our moderator is constantly challenging us to get into the Word, to have conscious goals for our children and visions for our families. it is often serious, and often funny. many of the women are adoptive momys in addition to having many biological children. (the four children within an eight year span applies to birth and/or adoption.) many of the women have children with health issues. raw eating, healthy eating, vaccinating vs non-vaccinating, autism, fertility issues, breast-feeding, bedwetting, potty training, home management, and homeschooling are some of the normal topics in addition to conversations/debates on Scripture. it is wonderful. anytime i have a question regarding anything, at least one of the momys will have advice, usually of the "been there, done that" variety. i highly recommend it, and strongly encourage those of you that fit the guidelines to participate, and those of you that may aspire to that to subscribe as a read-only momy.

did you know that the average number of children per woman in the US is only 2.09? that is slightly below replacement rate. that number is due in a large part to the rise of feminism in the 60s and 70s. women began to see children as a burden and were fed a lie that their worth was found in the marketplace and not in the home. but that could be a blog devoted solely unto itself. i do hope to address this more fully at some point, though. anyway, i believe there is a movement being birthed among Christians, and that is the return to the Biblical Family. a large part of that movement consists of families deciding to trust God with their family size. i understand well both sides of that argument and can be found on both sides of the fence. i am not going to pronounce judgment on anyone for what they believe regarding that issue :o)
however, i believe that the Lord is calling His people to raise up a generation that values life, values family, and can very possibly change our world just because there are so many of them. power is found in numbers, and if we, as Christians, welcome children as blessings, and raise them up to love the Lord with all their hearts, we can provide the catalyst our country so desperately needs.

so, in a culture that does not value children or Biblical womanhood, it is wonderful to have support and encouragement from women that are in or have been in the same place of life that i am in. i am normal there and people understand me, along with the many challenges and blessings that come with having a large family with lots of small children. it is my lifeline :o)