A Few Acquired and Learned Parenting Tips

1.       Be a good friend second and a good parent first

2.       Tickle.

3.       Let them stay up just a little bit longer.

4.       If you don’t know, say so.

5.       Buy a great stain remover.

6.       Make goofy faces

7.       Sing silly songs

8.       Hang their drawings on the fridge

9.       Make real cocoa

10.   ALL mothers are working mothers.

11.   Ultimatums don’t work.

12.   Bribes work.

13.   Let them lick the spoon, they will always remember.

14.   Have an answer ready for “where do babies come from”

15.   Remember: It’s just a phase.

16.   “Wait till your father gets home” is a cop-out.

17.   Teach them to write thank you notes.

18.   Cheese food is not cheese.

19.   Kiss it and make it better.

20.   If you promised, DO IT.

21.   Don’t use a pediatrician who isn’t a parent

22.   You can blame just about anything on teething.

23.   An unmade bed is easier to get into

24.   A little fast food never killed anyone

25.   Someday your son will love another woman L

26.   Socks and underwear are not gifts.

27.   “Bambi” is too scary for four-year olds.

28.   Tuck them in.

29.   Washable markers aren’t.

30.   Never use the check-out with the candy display

31.   Forbidden junk food will be eaten at neighbor’s home.

32.   Tell know-it-alls: Mind your own business.

33.   At some point, you WILL use the TV as a babysitter

34.   Insist on bike helmets.

35.   Traditions are important.

36.   Always look before sitting

37.   Before disciplining – decompress.

38.   Check before believing Dad said it was okay.

39.   Disposable diapers are worth the guilt

40.   You’ll never stop wondering if you’re doing a good job.

Getting started...where to begin?

The idea of starting a blog sounded great. Now that I sit here, thinking about what to write, my mind is blank. Usually blogs have a purpose. I sit here and think, "What is my purpose for this?" I mean, talking about life and commenting on what I learn and what I need to learn is all fun and games but lets face it, this blog is not going to teach you anything. No extreme couponing, no cleaning tips, no homework help. Just me. I like to tell stories about my family, what I have been though, give parenting tips, and include funny tidbits. With Stefan being 4 years old and Ryder being 3, strange things happen all the time. They make my life wonderful and sometimes leave me wondering, what has my life come to? Poop jokes and moodswings?
Being a mom is an amazing job with many trying moments. I didn't know that my patience would be tested so much and I didn't know how entirely you could really love another human being. I now understand that wild primal instinct to love and protect my children above anything else. I have to say though, the hardest part of being a parent is teaching them how to be a great adult. Yes, that is the ending goal, right? Pushing homework, mannors, and respect onto them sometimes makes me feel like a schmuck. I think, "Hey, they are kids, let them be....kids." And I do let them, I just want them to understand the difference between right and wrong and I want them to understand respect. Which they do, or are starting to.
Anyway, this introduction is getting off track. I'm not sure where to start with all I want to say so, I'll have to think some more and write more later. As I sit here on the couch, the tab for my school work keeps flashing at me, my two midterms are getting very impatienta, my oldest son is on the floor coloring his Mater coloring page and singing "SHAKE THAT, Everyday I'm Shuffling!" And somehow, Ryder is sitting on the couch next to me watching Astro Boy with a finger in his mouth and one in his nose (from the same hand) and every couple seconds, he switches them around. How do you stop that? Anyway, time to smack a hand away from a nose and start on some important school work. I hope I didn't scare you away already.