Just curious what the best Motherhood advice you got, trick you've learned or experience you've had that you wished you could have told yourself BEFORE you had kids?
Mine was to get those "free" business cards and my NAME is "(my kids'names)...'s Mom". It lists my real name, under the Title section. I figured it was funny to do it that way since so many of us moms only know each other as "Cameron's Mom" or "Susie's Mom".
I put my cell phone and email address on there too. So next time we make a new friend at gymnastics or school, I can just hand the other mom one of my cards and write where we know each other from on the back, so that we don't have to dig for a piece of paper that gets lost in the bottom of our purses!
What fun this was. Thanks for all the cute ideas. You made me smile.
The best piece of advise I ever got was that our kids are only young once - enjoy them!! The house will always be there to clean, dishes will always be there to put away, but your babies are only babies once. Enjoy them now!
Good luck! :)
I had to put in a fake phone call to Santa a few weeks ago when my 3 year old pitched the tantrum to end all tantrums while we were driving in the car. It was like she was possessed by Satan - it was beyond ridiculous but it came to halt real quick when she realized who I was talking to. Never had to do that before and I have not had to do it since. She was just at a point where reasoning with her, ignoring her, etc. was not working and I could not just put her in her room because we were in the car. I was desperate but it worked! (I did call Santa back later and told him that my daughter could go back on the nice list).
I am sure there will be other postings on here that will be way more profound and heartwarming, and I totally agree with enjoying them while they are small. One saying I heard somewhere was "The days may be long, but the years are short." My mom used to say, "They are only little for a little while." So I try to treasure my daughter at whatever age she happens to be. Except for when I have to put in a phone call to Santa.
I have two good ones that I've discovered...
1. Baby wipes can get almost anything out of carpet
2. Make your kids beds as follows: Waterproof mattress pad, fitted sheet, flat sheet, waterproof mattress pad, fitted sheet, flat sheet. This way when they pee or vomit or whatever in the middle of the night you don't have to make the bed again, just take off a layer and you have a fully made bed underneath. You can thank me later for this one! :)
to read EVERY single day to your child.....regardless of young they are.
to read EVERY single day (yourself) in front of your children....practice what you preach!
to NEVER, EVER let them see you sweat...when trying to discipline them!
forget the dishes, forget the stack of clean laundry. Embrace your children. Allow them to play in the living room....don't isolate them. & take time to just live.....take a ride to look for signs of spring, signs of fall....to look at what's around you & to teach them to observe life.
To put a warm water bottle in the crib and remove it before laying down a sleeping baby - then it's not such a transition into a cold crib from warm arms.
To always always bring a snack, an extra diaper, and lots of wipes, even if you think you're only running out for 5 minutes.
To do what you think is best by your kids and know that if you love them endlessly, everything else comes out in the wash, so ignore unhelpful "advice."
1 - Don't wake a sleeping baby and sleep when baby sleeps
2 - There will be several times where the words will come out of your mouth and you will double over like someone just punched you in the stomach because you realize you sound EXACTLY like your mom. It's OK!
3 - You have to take care of mommy, if you are out of it the entire family suffers
4 - You have to take care of hubby. If it weren't for him, you wouldn't have your precious little babies
5 - It is OK to want to have some time to yourself, that doesn't make you a bad mom!
6 - Yeah, you have to make sure the kiddos are behaving, eating balanced meals, bathed, etc...but have fun with them. They aren't even going to want to look at you in about 10 years!
7 - Best trick of all: Call healthy snacks "cookies", they will eat them up and think they are getting a real treat!
two pieces of advice i got 8 years ago when i was pregnant with my daughter....
be strict now so you wotn have to be as hard later=======love that one!
take care of mommy, don't forget about mommy....baby will be ok, but take time out for mommy.
When I was pregnant with my son, I asked my cousin the best advice she had for raising boys…she has 4 plus a husband…does that make 5..oh well anyway…she said to “keep them sitting (on the toilet) as long as you can.” She was right.
But let’s not forget raising them still occurs when they become teenagers. Best driving advice, divine inspiration from above, ‘cause I am just not that smart…first time my 16 year old newly driving son totally disobeyed his rules for driving and I found out when I went to put a new insurance card in his glove box. Well lo and behold there was a parking ticket in the glove box (busted).
No ok, not that big of a deal, just a parking ticket not a DUI or anything. Well the parking ticked was for a suburb outside of Chicago (we live in central IL) where he had driven his car with his friends following the school fan bus instead of riding in the fan bus as they went to watch the high school team plan in the soccer state tournament.
I called him to the garage, handed him a screwdriver made him take the license plates off his car and hand me his driver’s license. Kept them for 4 weeks in the hutch with the glass panes (had to look at each time he walked by and remember how stupid he acted) Never had a problem again. He is a great kid.
Love the mommy cards, great idea.
Young mothers enjoy these sweet and often long days. As said the days may be long but the years a too short.
Can't wait to be a grandmom!
I've got a few slogans:
Always be prepared.
Never bluff.
If Mama ain't happy, ain't NOBODY happy.
Don't sweat the small stuff, and it's all small stuff.
The "little" years go by SO fast--so enjoy every single day.
Usually, when your kids are in a funk, it's because mom is in a funk, so snap out of it! lol
1) Be consistent from the very beginning...it really helps in the long run!
2) Introduce healthy snacks as candy or treats...My oldest nephew got "Candy Raisins" and didn't figure out they weren't really candy til he started public school :) HA!
3) Figure out what your #1 rule is and instill it in their lil' heads as early/young as possible. Ours is "No Lying"...all my kids know and have been taught that as long as you tell the truth you will not get in trouble! This has served me very well...from the early years when you need to figure out who put the stickers all over the furniture and the middle years when you need to know what happened to the TV downstairs to the later years when you get the call from the teenager at the party saying he needs a ride home!
The biggest thing I've had to learn is how to properly prioritize. Its something so many of us mamas get mixed up.
1. God
2. Husband
3. Children
Make sure your hubby is above your children and he will put you above his work/friends. The best thing you can do for your children is take care of their father.
Don't sweat the small stuff. (I love mommy calling cards, too!)
Let go of the guilt. Ask yourself if you "regret" something. (Do I regret going out with the girls?) If you can answer "no", let it go. If yes, make your apologies and move on.
Enjoy them! Really. Play, laugh, listen.
Love the card idea.
