10 Things I Learned This Week, Vol 83

Whew, I’m winding down from a busy weekend and gearing up for my big trip to Coca-Cola this week. I look forward to staying in a hotel by myself sharing that fun soon! Until then, some very valuable (or not-so-valuable) lessons.

Lesson #1: When you have a very literal kid, even the simplest of conversations can go south quickly. For instance, “Little, you have chocolate all over you!” “No I don’t. There’s none on my p3n!s or my bu++.” Touche.

Lesson #2: While co-oping in Little’s new class didn’t leave me as crazed as last year’s, I did learn a very important lesson. If the school offers to reheat food, please, please do not ever, ever pack salmon in your kid’s lunch.

Lesson #3: If you take a step back at the morning bus stop, it’s actually a beautiful portrait of parenthood. Rushed, disheveled parents finally able to slow down for a moment to blow kisses, make faces, and wave sweet goodbyes as their little ones go off into the world for a little while. (It may or may not have brought me to tears one morning.)

Lesson #4: There comes a point when your child can read and add and do all kinds of fancy adult things that you start forgetting they still have so much to learn. Like the fact that illustrations in a book are completely imaginary, and that from one book to the next a girls’ hair length is different because the illustrator decided it would be, not because she really needs a haircut.

Lesson #5: Since the kids haven’t decided on Halloween costumes yet, we’re getting in the Halloween spirit by rockin’ out to Kidz Bop Halloween Hitsday after day. (Somehow I’m the only one who seems spooked by the all too quickly approaching 31st.)

Lesson #6: Big is an influencer in training. One afternoon as we were creating our very own robot (an awesome gloomy day distraction), Big asked me where we got it. I explained that Kiwi Crate kindly sent me a sample of one of their monthly project boxes. And since I write mommy and daddy stories, they probably hoped we would have fun and I’d share the experience with other parents who might be interested in trying it. He quickly replied, “Exactly! That’s what I’m going to do too. Because I think it’s so cool, I’m going to take it for sharing tomorrow. And then all the kids in my class will see it and ask their parents to buy it too!”

Lesson #7: I need to broaden my horizons. My DVR is packed with Modern Family, The Good Wife, Parenthood, and Up All Night (though I do go out on a limb with The New Girl), and my bedside table books include Totally Desperate Mom and The Missing Alphabet.

Lesson #8: You know the salesman at the door is legit when you open the door to not only find him standing there, but to discover your keys are still hanging right there in the lock where you left them an hour ago.

Lesson #9: When some of your closest friends go from living about 60 houses away to living about 12 houses away, it’s a lot like winning the lottery. (And not just because their mom is cool enough to let you help paint the walls when you know your mom would never…)

Lesson #10: You know what stinks? Taking your kid to birthday party he’s been looking forward to for weeks to discover it was yesterday. (There were lots of tears. And some of them were even his.)

Have a great week! Oh, and let me know if my kids do or say anything funny while I’m gone. (Gulp!)

Disclosure: I was sent a complimentary copy of the Kidz Bop Halloween Hits CD as well as a Kiwi Crate project box. I was not required to blog about either and all opinions are my own (and Big’s). This post contains Amazon affliliate links.