Yes, I did want a large family. I come from a family of 13, and I wanted to duplicate that. My husband is not Catholic and did not come from a big family. We have been married 30 years, and have 10 children.

Children cost as much as you want them to cost. Everything is relative. So, no, my children will not have GAP clothing, nor will they have college paid for. But they will have the necessities. Do they feel left out? Yes, even adult children do. But like the character Veruca Salt in "Willy Wonka" our basic nature is to be dissatisfied.

Financially, it has been pretty easy. My husband is a good manager of money. We really don’t go out to eat and the kids don’t have a list of toys they want. We don’t have an abundance.

For a mom, every baby causes you to adjust. With every change there is the thought, "I can't do this." For the first three children, I gave myself a block of time to adjust, three months to be exact.

Kimberly Hahn says that each child is a promotion - it is God calling you to change. I see women spending a lot of time needlessly away from home. God is calling you to sacrifice with each baby. Children force you to change. God gave me the grace to change my life with every child...we cannot stay eternal teenagers.

God calls you to give up yourself - it is a martyrdom in a way - psychologically. I try to get to Mass a few times a week if possible. Of course the Rosary and all the sacraments offer us grace, and you cannot do this without grace. In your weakness you will be made strong. I rely on God, not me.

The Stations of the Cross. It is the story of our lives; we all fall three times, we always meet Our Lady somewhere on the road. You can't have a large family without the Rosary. God takes you to the cross. I hate it but that’s where He "homeschools" us.

Also, the family comes together for morning and night prayer. They pick a person to sacrifice for each day. Every night we do Rosary. We pray for about 30 minutes in the evening. In the morning we briefly pray for 5 minutes.

I personally feel God is calling me to weekly confession. God puts your sins up to your nose. I need the daily examination of conscience. Don't allow too much time to pass between confessions, after all, how can you get too much grace? It's like drinking water - and the devil will tell you don’t go once a week. But weekly confession for motherhood - especially moms of large families, is necessary, I think. Children are the greatest creation and the devil will attack motherhood. The priesthood and motherhood are the two most important vocations and of course, society has already eliminated fatherhood. So it is warfare, and confession and those graces that come with it, is one of our best weapons.

When you are first married, everything is new and beautiful. But when you suffer with someone, you are so bonded, and the bond of suffering is unbreakable. My husband and I are truly one person. He has stood by me through so much. We are truly the agape love - after 30 years it really is about commitment. Chris West says that your souls are fused. When you weld two pieces of metal you cannot separate them.

I read a book called How to Change Your Husband, which changed my life.

God leads through the husband, not through the wife. There is a progression of authority: I have God-given authority over my children. If you obey your mother and father you obey the Church and if you obey Church you obey God. And I know that what I am about to say next is so contradictory to the world's thinking, but the husband leads the wife. We are equal in dignity but not in authority.

Darn it! He is always right. This book is a marriage saver.

The teenage years are the hardest. Getting up at night for a baby is a cakewalk. But watching a child as they get older choose the world over godly values is tough.

My husband is incredible. We had three crises in 3 months, so when it rains it pours. If I can give you one piece of advice: Keep your sense of humor. We can always realize that others may have it worse than we do. God really has given me the grace to laugh in the midst of crises

Daycare facilities and babysitters - tragic. Even monkeys take care of their own babies. It is truly tragic. I feel sorry for women today. You can't pay someone to - if you sign a contract for any old job and suddenly you say "I am sending a substitute to do my job," they would not hire you. What is happening today is that moms are trying to pay someone to be a substitute mother, and clearly your children need YOU, and a substitute will not do.

Children teach you more than you teach them. Try not to step on their dignity. I spank. Dr James Dobson says that you should only spank when the child deliberately disobeys. Children can test you and push. How do you deal with annoyance? Prayer. If you yell at them you can close their spirit. I think too many parents discipline with impatience.

Dating is when you are ready to get married. Here in the United States it's so pre-mature. It's so Hollywood, so fake. My kids can go to dances and functions but they cannot date. They hate me but that’s okay. This is what God has asked me to do and that is parenting. Parenting is asking God what to do. My kids are very restricted. They are not allowed to stay over kid's houses. I am not taking that risk. Happiness is a choice. Obedience is a choice. Teddy Roos says you are just about as happy as you want to be. You have to make the decision to say, "I will fight bitterness" because sometimes, life beats you down. The devil will try to discourage you.