20 More Lessons I've Learned Since Becoming a Mom

Another Mother's Day has come and gone, and I've had another fun year filled with plenty more lessons.  So without further ado, here are 20 MORE things I've learned since becoming a mom:

1) It is surprisingly easy to get crayon off of hard wood floors.
2) It is surprisingly hard to get crayon off of a TV screen.
3) Occasional time away from the kids is necessary to keep one's sanity, and,
4) The kids do just fine while I'm away.
5) Toddlers have minds like sponges.  They remember everything you say and repeat the most embarrassing things at the most inopportune times.
6) There is no such thing as privacy when you have small children.
7) There is no toy more desirable to a child than the one their sibling is playing with.
8) Little boys love bugs and dirt.  It's just hardwired into the male chromosomes.
9) You can never start teaching manners too early.
10) It is way more fun for little boys to drop their pants and pee outside than it is for them to come and and use the toilet.
11) When my fiercely independent little girl says "No, I do it", I had better let her do it.
12) My definition of a clean house has changed a bit over the years.  Now, if the dishes are washed and I can see most of the floor, the house is clean.
13) If you ever dare leave the house without the diaper bag, your child will poop just to teach you a lesson.
14) I've had a lot of heroes in my life, but some days my biggest hero is the person who invented washable markers.
15) I have a love/hate relationship with play-doh.
16) I will never stop worrying about my kids.  I worry about pretty much everything.  But I've learned that I'm not going to do them any favors by being a helicopter mom, so I have to take a breath, step back and sometimes let them navigate this world on their own.
17) In the words of one of their Gymboree teachers, "If they're not covered in bumps and bruises, then they're not having a childhood."
18) These early years really do go by too fast.  I've learned to savor all the sweet moments, no matter how small.
19) Girls are NOT easier than boys, no matter what anyone says.  Every child comes with their own unique set of challenges.
20)  No matter how frustrated you get, no matter how many times in a day your kids push your buttons, those are not the moments that you'll remember the most.  It's all the amazing things your kids do that stick with you.  The adorable things they say, the snuggles, the way they say "I love you Mommy", and the magic of watching them become incredible human beings that puts a smile on your face many times a day, every day.

The two people that teach me lessons every day