Lessons

A few things parenthood has taught me so far:

• I am capable of being fully functional on 6 hours of sleep for weeks on end. I hit a wall at about 6 weeks
• Not even parenthood can change my night owl tendencies
• Hearing my children pray and talk about Jesus reminds me that if I have succeeded at nothing else in life I have taught them about their Savior.
• Starving yourself until 3pm on a daily basis while you are busy making sure everyone else is fed does not equal weight loss. Darn.
• Kids are contained and quieter in the car and babies usually fall asleep there. When you need sanity, drive. With the music blasted and windows down if necessary.
• Other kids dirty diapers are way worse than your own kids
• Anything that is light colored will get stained, white is reserved for an evening out AWAY from the kids
• Rocking isn't for calming only the baby down
• If you want your older children to help you with the laundry, be sure to sort your things out first....unless you want comments on all your unmentionables
• One kiss, hug, grin or "I love you mommy" wipes away a multitude of mischief
• Grocery shopping days totally count as a workout. Between lifting kids in and out of the car and the cart plus walking in the stores, bathroom trips in the stores (more lifting and walking) trips back to the back for something you forgot and finally loading it in the car and then unloading it when you get home equals at least one hour of cardio
• Just because I don't understand or agree with the way someone has chosen to parent doesn't necessarily mean it's wrong. Sometimes in parenthood you just gotta do what you gotta do to survive.
• House cleaning counts as exercise too
• Sickness, storms and ouchies are all a chance for additional snuggles. Don't let these opportunities pass
• Don't set yourself up for failure or disappointment. There is no way you are going to make it to those 4 stores without someone having a meltdown, and the kids never sleep past 8:30 on Saturday morning so why hope for it?
• Puke doesn't bother me as much as I thought it did.
• It goes by WAY too fast
• Hide diapers and wipes EVERYWHERE. You will thank yourself when you run out of them at 10:30pm at night or you open your diaper bag to find your husband used the last one without telling you, because these things DO happen! But you won't have to worry when you look in the closet, or the glove compartment and save yourself a trip or argument.
• I'm a better mom when AT LEAST once a month I get some girl time and husband time both without children
• At some point in the day I will have had either pee, poop, puke or snot on me or cleaned it up. It's just is easier if I expect it.
• My husband isn't me, and I should not expect him to be. He is excellent at his job and I am excellent at mine. He doesn't have to remember every little thing the kids need when leaving the house, or that we are out of something or think about dinner because I do my job. And I don't have to worry that our bills will be taken care of and the garbage taken out and yard mowed because he does his.
• Forget the Boy Scouts someone should have coined the "Be Prepared" motto for motherhood. You will never regret having snacks, bottled water, an extra change of clothes and/or other necessities in the car.
• It is the most exhausting, selfless, all encompassing, relentless, repetitive job I have ever done and yet it's also the more important job I will ever do. I have no desire to give it up and am glad that during their most important years I get to take in every moment of the crazy insane joy it brings.