Lessons Learned Archives - With Just a Bit of Magic

After becoming a parent again, this time to a boy, I’ve had to relearn a lot of things. As time has passed I think I’ve done pretty good… I mean he’s still alive and laughing so I’m doing something right. Right?

So we’ve made it to the toddler stage and more importantly the terrible two’s. This stage is appropriately named too, because I’d rather deal with my teen and almost teen any day instead of my toddler. I should also mention that little boys are very different than little girls. There is no comparison at all… night & day, oil & water, yin & yang… whatever you want to call it. Boys are a challenge put nicely.

The Toddler

Alright, so here are a few things that I’ve learned recently.

1. When you get upset and just don’t have the words to describe how you feel. Spit. Yes, spit. Get right in your sisters face and spit on her. You feel better and she just walks away from you.

2. Screaming is also good to get your point across. It’s even better if you wait until someone is really close and get close to their ear when you scream.

3. Clothes are always optional. Especially pants.

4. Socks are for your hands not your feet. Duh.

5. Food tastes a lot better when it’s dumped off of the plate and placed directly on the high chair tray.

6. Coffee tables are meant to be stood on and jumped off of.

7. Nail polish looks good all over your hand and arm. And don’t think that tightening the lid will help… any toddler can get it off. They’re ingenious creatures.

8. Peeing on the floor and then looking at your mom while you point at it and say “Mess!” is always fun.

9. Using all the baby wipes to clean everything in the house while running around saying “Mess!” is fun. Guess mom didn’t clean well enough… thanks for helping.

10. All electronic equipment belongs to the toddler. I know this because he holds the remote(s), phones, etc and says “Mine”.

There may be a few more but I don’t want to scare anyone who hasn’t hit this incredible stage especially if they have boys. Mine could just be special and I’m getting paid back for something terrible I did as a child….. Although I doubt that’s the case because I know that I was a great kid!

I think that maybe this is karma for laughing at the antics my sister’s boys have pulled. For the past couple of years it’s been really entertaining to hear her war stories of life with two little boys and now I’ve been ~~cursed~~ blessed with my own boy. I know that I’ll make it through because she is still sane and doesn’t drink excessively… yet (she thinks she deserves sainthood).

Alright, now share with me a few things I have to look forward to that I may have forgotten (or repressed those memories) in the next year or two.

So recently a few things have come to me that fall into the category of lessons learned and of course some are good, some bad, and others are like duh… common sense type things.

Let’s get this list started!

Meetings are pointless

I found that I can attend an hour long meeting with a complete agenda and still walk out and be totally confused and unsure what the to-do’s are. Yea, this happens often to me and I don’t like it but I also don’t know what to do about it either. So, the lesson learned is that meetings are pointless. Oh… and that I shouldn’t go to them unless absolutely necessary.

On a side note I’ve been trying to make any meeting that I schedule worth while and have an outcome. I don’t want people walking away from my meeting thinking that it was a waste of time.

Differing beliefs…

This one I knew already and it becomes more and more obvious with each passing day. But it’s difficult to work in an organization where their beliefs differ from your own. It’s difficult to to ignore things and carry on when it’s coming at you from all directions. But I deal with it because it’s a good place to work and they really believe in family and allow me to be home when I need to.

I’m being a bit vague here aren’t I? Well, that’s for a reason… I don’t want the world to know where I work (people judge… don’t kid yourself). Now, I don’t work for the mafia, in the porn industry, and I’m not under the witness protection program or anything like that so stop wondering.

Vacations are awesome

Like I needed to tell you this, right? But taking a summer vacation is great and I wish that I could take one for a week every month throughout the summer. This year we took a long weekend and went to Crystal Mountain and if you hadn’t heard me say it before then I’ll tell you now that you need to check the place out! Great vacation spot.

Good concrit is awesome too

Again… this is redundant. But I got some incredible concrit from another blogger and it was so helpful and it really boosted my writing and confidence. I owe a huge thank you to Kelly (@DancesWithChaos) for the concrit that she gave me a few weeks ago. She openly offered to help me and sent me a page of notes that gave me confidence and allowed me to write fiction better. I was able to turn around a so-so post and make it a lot better.

Okay so that it’s for now from me. Now it’s your turn…. what lessons have you learned lately?