What I Learned Recently

Linking with Julie.  She does a "What I Learned This Week" link-up, and I've learned a lot lately. 

1.  Being that I was never caught up on laundry before, I had no idea our clothes didn't fit in the dresser drawers.  We may have clean clothes, but they are stuffed worse than a sausage into their too-small drawers or simply piled on/next to the dressers.  So for all of you who were envious of the laundry announcement, rename your full hampers.  Call them Overflow Clothing Storage.  Your house is actually tidier when you have dirty laundry.

2.  I have actually become a soccer mom. 

While driving home from Buttercup's game, I asked her to text her dad to let him know how her game ended.  She made a disconcerting observation.

There are five pages just like this one.

In my defense, I do not have a single photo button of any of my children holding a soccer ball stuck to my chest.

3.  Hubby and I need a date night.  Pronto.

4.  I know how to take a screen shot on my phone.

5.  I have been told by many that I have a lot of patience.  These people have not seen me play Sorry with the little boys.  "For Pete's sake, you can count squares in every game.  Why not this one!?!?  And really, if you forget who's turn it is one more time, I'm done!"

6.  I am a cool mom.  I actually let my 13 year old daughter go to the Taylor Swift concert with her two 13 year old friends.  Without adult supervision.  She admitted that I rock.

7.  Hershey Kisses are better for you than M&Ms.  I gave M&Ms up for Lent, and made it through just fine.  I actually don't even want peanut M&Ms anymore.  However, I do want chocolate.  I did a little experiment once Lent ended.  Instead of the usual 48 oz. bag of M&Ms that I usually get, I bought the 40oz bag of Hershey Kisses.  The M&Ms bag would last me one week.  The smaller Hershey Kisses bag lasted two.  It's amazing the difference in your consumption when you can see those little kisses wrappers piling up. 

8.  I am a huge embarrassment to my daughter.  I have been told not to speak to or in the vicinity of anyone between the ages of 10 and 17.  Silly girl, she doesn't know that is my target audience.  I gain much enjoyment from talking with kids that age.  Embarrassing her in the process is just icing on the proverbial cake.

9.  My daughter is fickle.  (See numbers 4 and 6.)

10.  Phoenix doesn't know math, he's just a standardized test taking wizard.  Somehow it came up in conversation that his math teacher calls him the "Guess and Check Master".  Upon questioning, he admitted that when the teacher does practice problems with the class, Phoenix will take a few seconds, lean over to his neighbor, and whisper the answer.  Once the teacher shows the class how to work the problem, Phoenix is proven correct.  It happens every time.
I asked him if a teacher taught him this, and he said no.  In 4th grade, taking the ISTEP, he figured it out.  Going to the computerized ISTEP test this year actually helps him, as they don't have to show their work anymore.  And then he threw out the bombshell.  "That's how I got the scholarship for high school.  I guess and checked my way through, finishing the test with plenty of time, while other kids who worked all the problems didn't even finish."

Brilliant.

I think.

11.  Staying out with book club friends until 12:30am, knowing you have to get up at 6:00, is worth it.

12.  If a peer says you aren't any good, don't listen. I found out at book club about the high school regret of a man from our church.  He went to school with John (Cougar) Mellencamp.  (Mellencamp is from the area.  His kids actually went to the school where I taught.)  Mellencamp wanted to join this man's band, and the man said NO!  He didn't think Mellencamp was good enough.

13.  I love spring.

Have a lovely day!