Things I’ve Learned (So Far) As a Mom

Things I’ve learned as a Mom:

• There are never, ever enough AAA or AA batteries in the house.
• There will be too many of the WRONG kind of batteries in the house when your child clamors for the other kind.
• Always keep a Philips screwdriver in the kitchen drawer.
• Nature’s Miracle is handy for pet messes and for a light spray-down of a potty-training kid’s mattress.
• Check your own pockets for tissues and chapstick before doing the laundry.
• Diaper rash ointment can be handy for Mom’s running problems as well as baby’s bottom
• Every work of art is precious
• But take a picture of it and get rid of it or it will BREED LIKE RABBITS
• Only get rid of it when the kids aren’t looking
• Or teach the kids the value of recycling early in their lives
• Also: “This is how we make room for MORE art!”
• Keep an extra storage tote handy for dropping in seasonal decor that didn’t quite make the Easter clean-up of Christmas decorations (what, is it just me?)
• Sometimes a ten-minute timer makes cleaning into a game or a race, especially if there’s a prize at the end
• That works on kids too
• Throw the laundry detergent cup into the load after you add the soap. No more sticky residue!
• Also: keep the extra ones when you buy new detergent.
• Also: remember to get it out of the washer before you transfer the load to the dryer. Ha!
• Finally … three hours of kid-free cleaning while at home and sick still accomplishes the same as two weeks worth of cleaning while the kids are around.

I’m trying a Summer Blog Project to get myself to write more regularly. The project is – wait for it – blogging during the summer. I know! You can follow along by liking the Treacle.Net Facebook page!