15 Things I Learned This Week, Vol 138

March Madness is in full effect at this house. There have been big upsets, a Cinderella or two, and even a few slam dunks. And to think we haven’t even watched much basketball.

Lesson #1: You can’t help but feel like you’ve won as a mom when your toddler begs you to go to Costco for vegetables. (The good stuff in bulk?!) That is until you realize she means “samples” and quite obviously has no idea what vegetables are.

Lesson #2: Pink also has a skewed definition of “sick day” now. Since she was at the tail end of her ear infection (yes, another one!) when I let her stay home, I took her to buy some new clothes and painted her fingers and toes with “pail nolish”. Come to think of it, I’m pretty sure I’m coming down with something too…

Lesson #3: If you really want to bond with your 7-year-old son, take him out on a not-a-date date to a loud restaurant where he can watch basketball on the big screens and throw peanut shells on the floor. Conversation optional. (And I bet you can guess which option Big chose…)

Lesson #4: There are days you can’t help but be glad your minivan hasn’t been cleaned out in months awhile. Like when you show up at preschool, having forgotten it was sharing day. Suddenly the mess is a treasure chest.

Lesson #5: If you ask Big, it really pays to have a good buddy in the Spanish immersion program. Otherwise how would you learn to say “poop” in 2 languages? (Little’s going to love making new friends in kindergarten since he has a head start on his Spanish.)

Lesson #6: Though our family has been a bit late to the Frozen music craze, Little’s recently insisted on playing Let it Go — on repeat — in the car everywhere we go. Pink couldn’t be more flattered. Because, of course, “‘Good girl’…this song is about me!!”

Lesson #7: When you have three kids, the last thing you need is some feisty leprechaun sneaking in to your house to trash it even more.

Lesson #8: I didn’t realize how much I missed my old friend, Captain Underpants. Thanks to Little’s new desire to “read” chapter books, he’s back in all his pre-shrunk cottony goodness. And filling our house with laughter — and a love of reading — yet again.

Lesson #9: Light sabers really do give you amazing powers. Just this week, Little was able to get the key down from the top of the bathroom door to break in. You know, since I finally thought to lock the door for once.

Lesson #10: Treating the tadpole habitat water — which needs to sit for two hours — in your I-must-have-more-water drinking cup? Big mistake.

Lesson #11: When you turn to your 2-year old daughter for fashion advice — and take it — it might be time to buy a fashion magazine or two. But magazines can’t say, “Oh cute! You look sooo cute!”

Lesson #12: If you win the basketball championship game (yay, Little!), you get a trophy that’s real gold. We’d better lock it up with the other most valuable thing in our house, the boys’ Nike Elite socks.

Lesson #13: When your 2-year old asks you if you want to play “Boom Bang Bong”, say no. It turns out the objective of the game is to hit you in the face with a baseball. (In case you’re wondering, she won.)

Lesson #14: I’m pretty sure Pink’s going to follow in her athletic brothers’ footsteps, and not just because she’s got a good arm. This week she showed a real passion for baseball by repeatedly asking Lenny to buy her a princess bat.

Lesson #15: Getting to reconnect with a good friend you haven’t seen in years is a wonderful reminder that — even with 5 kids between you — some things never change. The proof? You head home with your laugh lines just a bit deeper. (Ok, there may have been a few other lessons I learned during our night out, but — believe it or not — some things don’t make this blog.)

Now let’s hope UCLA teaches the competition a thing or two. Let’s go, Bruins, let’s go!