Advice for Moms

(Something on Facebook.  Might as well start thinking about this stuff now. :)

 

TIPS FOR A WORN-OUT MOM

 1. Lower your standards for cleanliness and order.

 

Yes I tend to be a perfectionist when it comes to things being clean etc. so I will have to ease up on that a bit once I have kids.  But girls generally are clean so I might be fine lol. :)  Unless we decide to have more and have a boy lol. :)  May God guide us about that. :)

 2. No matter how many baskets you buy to contain toys, they will always be visible. Embrace the Toys ‘R Us/ frat house-chic decor.

Or read the book Too Many Toys and get rid of some toys!  I think I will only allow my kid to have 5 toys for each stage of their life.  And if they stop playing with something, it's going to Goodwill. lol that is the standard I have for my own things so it will be the same with my kid.  If I have clothes I don't wear, I get rid of them! 

There was a challenge I heard of to live your life with only 100 things.  I would say I generally already do.  Simplicity in all things is key and will help you not be so stressed. :)  Less to clean up, less to worry about.  It's great! :)

3. You can never have too many Popsicle in the freezer. How many bad moods have been fixed by a simple Popsicle?

Very true.  I especially love fudge bars!  It seem to be true that if you have a headache and eat ice cream or a popsicle it will go away.  There is as theory of one doctor that if you put something cold on your back molars the head ache will go away.  This works for me, but it might be because I still have wisdom teeth growing in so they cause my head aches. :(  Pray for me about that please.  They actually really hurt and it's quite annoying. :(  But I have no desire to get them taken out and have surgery.  Yep. :)  May God heal me supernaturally in the name of Jesus amen! :)

 4. If you can’t change them, change your perspective. For example I read recently that toothpaste is great for cleaning things like faucets. So now when I go into the bathroom every day and see toothpaste splatter all over the bathroom faucet I think about how my children have done half the chore of cleaning for me. How considerate of them!

haha that is funny.  The same goes for your husband.  :)  We all have to take the good with the bad.  Such is life. :)  Sure other people make messes, but aren't you glad you have those other people around?  It's better than being by yourself all the time. :)  Amen.  Praise God for the good things and try not to complain about the annoying things. 

 5.  Those chores that no one ever wants to do. Decide if you would rather do it yourself, badger your child to it, or let it go.

I am hoping that if I set a model of diligence and non laziness for my kid that they will follow my example.  LEAD BY EXAMPLE is the best rule with children I think.  If you want your kid to do something, do it yourself and they will follow your example. 

The cutest thing I have ever seen was when I worked in a preschool in the one year old room.  One of my the babies I was in charge of, my most difficult one ironically, would try and help me wipe the tables after lunch.  It was the funniest thing lol.  I just thought it was so cute!  But it was because she saw me working hard so she wanted to as well.  She was following my example.  Rather than badgering our kids to do something we don't want to do, be an example and be a hard worker and then they will be as well. 

 6. No one cares what is stuffed under your child’s bed, why should you. Unless it is old food. In that case, you should get a dog.

I would disagree.  If it's under their bed and they never use it anyways take it to Goodwill.  Someone else I'm sure can find a use for it.  :)

 7. If you have boys, your bathroom will always faintly stink like pee. Invest in some Febreeze and count down the days until they move out and you can go visit them and pee on their bathroom floor.

LOL that one is hilarious!  This is quite true.  Or have your husband teach them the correct way to pee so that they don't miss and pee on the floor.  Guys understand these things, women do not because we have never had to worry about it lol. :)

8. Don’t buy white furniture. Unless you enjoy screaming at your children every time they go near it.

Oh dear :(  Well don't scream at your children obviously, because they will loose respect for you.  But yes black things are much better because no one knows if they get dirty. :) 

9.  Be okay with letting your kids stumble sometimes.  Like turning in an assignment late etc.

Yes have grace with them.  Nobody is perfect, including you the mom lol.  This would help us be more kind to our kids, and everyone really, if we always remember how imperfect we ourselves are.  "He who is forgiven much, loves much." :)  Amen!

 10.  Noise cancelling headphones are great for blocking out whining, bickering and the endless episodes of Sponge Bob.

Or just don't watch Sponge Bob.  I will probably only show my kids Veggie Tales.  All other TV is useless really and will teach them nothing but to have a short attention span and to think they always need to be entertained. :(  And if they are whining, tell them to stop.  I would sarcastically say to kids I've worked with, if they tried to complain to me about something, "I'm sorry are you complaining?"  As in, please don't. lol :)  If they are arguing, try to mediate and solve the problem, BEFORE it escalates.  That will make everything easier on everyone. :)

 11. Your children will not die from eating the occasional hot dog or frozen pizza

Very true. :)  As long as they eat plenty of fruit too. :) 

Ah parenting.  No one does it perfectly but we can all try to be better parents with each new day.  Amen :)

May God give us all wisdom when it comes to our kids.  :)