By John Turner, Read other Up Close & Personal Stories from this Series.

He’s a husband, father to five children and co-owner of his family’s company, Skaneateles-based D.B. Pas’cal Chimney and Roofing.

And in his music career, which is on the verge of exploding, he has emerged as one of the top singer/songwriters in the Central New York region.

Even with seemingly countless irons in the fire, Dusty Pas’cal and his wife, Michelle, still find time to raise what many have called an extraordinary family.

Last week, Dusty and Michelle took a break from their children, who range in age from 2 to 8, to discuss family relationships, their busy lives and the chaos at their nightly dinner table.

“I’m the only child of a single parent, and Dusty’s the youngest of six kids, so after we got married I knew I wanted to have a big family for both those reasons,” Michelle said.

“I got to know his family, and just seeing how much of a close-knit, loving group they are solidified it for me. I knew I wanted a big family too,” she continued.

Dusty said that the decision of how many children to have was mainly left to Michelle.

“I was open to it. I really wanted what she wanted,” he explained.

Eight years and five maternity wards later, the Pas’cals are bringing up their children in their sprawling Sennett home. And obviously, they both live their lives at a whirlwind pace.

“The hardest ball to juggle is trying to find time to spend with each (child) individually,” Dusty said. “It’s so important to have one-on-one time with each of them, and we really have to work hard to do that.”

Michelle echoed her husband’s sentiments almost exactly.

“Time,” she answered simply when asked the most difficult aspect of raising five children. “You want to make sure you don’t spread yourself too thin, and that each one is getting the things they need,” she added.

Michelle said she lost count long ago the number of times when, as she takes the five children grocery shopping or running errands, someone will exclaim, “Boy, you have your hands full!”

“‘I know,’ is what I usually want to tell them,” she deadpanned. “I mean, that’s obvious, but it’s something we’ve chosen, and it’s made us really happy, so don’t assume that I’m having trouble.”

But both parents said that the difficulties of raising a large family are minuscule compared to the joys the children bring to their lives.

“Oh my gosh, the love,” Michelle said. “Just watching them teach each other, and love each other, and stick together. … It’s really amazing.”

Dusty, meanwhile, had a bit of a different take.

“The best thing is the dinner table,” he said. “The family unit gets tighter during dinner. … Every night, regardless of what’s going on, we sit down, we say the prayer and we talk about the day.”

The group will sing songs, play games and do other “fun things” during mealtime, he said.

“It’s chaos. … But being together like that really strengthens the family bond.”

Besides fatherhood, Dusty runs the family roofing company, and any time left – if any at all – he spends working on his music.

“I think you have to have your priorities right,” he explained. “My priorities are with my family. … We do a lot of things together, and I think that helps us accomplish a lot more as individuals and as a family.”

Michelle said that she will bring the five children to Dusty’s concert this Wednesday at Auburn Public Theater, and they all attend their father’s shows whenever possible.

“With the music, the business, the family, I’m doing what I love to do,” he said. “If I’m able to do all that, and still keep everything in balance, that shows the kids that you can do anything you want to do.

“Shell and I are trying to show our kids not just how to succeed, but how to be courageous enough to handle your success,” he added.

One ideal Dusty said they all share is that life is about the journey.

“It’s the ups and downs and ins and outs and curves and turns that make you toss and tumble,” he said, quoting a lyric from “Echoes,” a song off his album, “More.”

“I think you can apply that to anything in life.”

Dusty will be performing with Loren Barrigar at Auburn Public Theater on 11-25-2009. Read more about this event here.