Teach your parents well

Things that I have learned since becoming a parent:

I Carly is pretty damn funny. No, really, it is. Her brother Spencer is a riot and her BFF Sam is a mini-version of Sam on Sex in the City. Honestly, how many ‘tweens actually say: “Momma likes the meat!” Oh, and Carly’s love interest Freddie is damn cute. And before you call Chris Hansen, he’s 20. Relax.

Imagination Movers: Two of them are smokin’ hot and make our morning breakfast TV much more interesting. I will let you Google them and make your own decisions.

Snow white is indeed the fairest of them all. You other Disney Princesses better step down NOW.

Kid's band aides are the bomb. I love going to work with Handy Manny on my boo boos. Added bonus, they actually stick.

Time is not yours. This is a shocker. The good thing is, people understand when you have kids between 2 and 5 and cut you slack. Not sure how this will play when they are older, milking it for all it’s worth now.

The Wiggles are annoying. Thankfully Anna only requested them once and we moved on. Although Wiggle Anthony is hot, the rest of the show is a trainwreck.

Kid’s hair products reek of rotten fruit and/or Jolly Ranchers left in your car in the summer. No one wants to smell rotten green apples first thing in the morning. Ever.

I simply can’t imagine a life without wipes at my beck and call at this point. Seriously, I think we have a pack and/or travel pack in every room in our house. Not to mention our cars.

Aldi is a godsend. Thanks to our good friend Bonnie, I have joined the cult of Aldi. I grab my quarter and shopping bags each week and dive into the somewhat surreal world of German/Ghetto shoppin’. Until I can get a cow that gives me both whole and 2% milk, I will continue to buy our staples there. Mental note: stay away on the first of the month.

Sunday school restoreth my soul. After the kiddies leave each Sunday, a certain sense of calm descends upon me in the sanctuary of our church.

Library fines, they tend to go up as the kids spread their books far and wide after bringing them home from the library.

What have YOU learned?

I asked this question to my Facebook peeps and put it on the TwoDads website for consideration. Here is what came in:

THAT EVERYTHING MY PARENTS TOLD ME, TAUGHT ME..WHICH I RESISTED SO MUCH...TURNED OUT TO BE TRUE

I truly learned what unconditional love is...and am now able to share it with my partner.

How unbelievable fierce love can be. Now I understand what my mom meant when she said I would always be her "baby".

However annoying I thought our mobile song was, I LOVE the tune now that it keeps baby girl smiling for a half hour. In fact, I even hum it around the house now...

I learned to celebrate every day and make live an amazing, passionate journey!!

I really can function on 6 hours of sleep!

I learned that having a tonka-tough daredevil of a little girl is way more fun that having the little boy i *thought* i wanted :) Oh, and Yo Gabba Gabba is pretty awesome, too.

Having Kermie renewed my love of cartoons and Parker led me to Yo Gabba GAbba through you

That you can blame any of your embarrassing shows on "I watch it for the kids, they like it.

Thanks to Ni Hao Kai-Lan, I can now say "thank you" and "grandfather" in Chinese! Who says children's programing isn't educational...

I read somewhere that parenthood is the same stress level as starting a new job every day. You are always learning and never know what to expect!

It's so not about me anymore

That quiet children are naughty

Sesame Street-best show on T.V. and quiet usually means trouble and a big mess to clean up.

Have to leave the bathroom door open a bit so you can hear what they're up to

That the capacity with which I loved prior to my children coming into my life was shockingly shallow. They have given me a depth to my feelings that I didn't know existed. Oh, and that a child can learn all the choreography and lyrics to a song on Hi-5 after one or two viewings and will roll their eyes at you because you can't.

Thanks to all who shared! My tattoo on my back says: Ancora Imparo, which, roughly translated from the Italian is: Still, I learn. Great words and so very true when you have kids.