Saturday, May 11, 2013

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!

18 comments:

  1. That's a great link-up :) I like that idea. Phoenix is a genius. What they learn in school is worth far less than learning how to operate the system and focus on what you want to get out of it. Good for him.

    Beautiful picture. Are they irises? Are they yours?

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    1. I like the idea, too. I did the link several times long ago, but got out of the habit.
      They are irises. They came with the house. When we moved in, they were so overcrowded that they didn't even bloom. I dug them up, not knowing I just needed to separate them, and threw the bulbs into the tree line. Apparently, I didn't get them all, as they now bloom quite nicely in front of the house. And behind the treeline. :)

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  2. 1. If a tornado blows our house away, we will all still have clothes, because my laundry room is in the basement and there is never a shortage of clothes down there, either dirty or clean and folded in a laundry basket that I am too lazy, I mean, busy to carry upstairs.

    9. So is mine.

    10. He will go far with those skills.

    11. Irises make me happy.

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    1. 1. At least you will be clothed in case of emergency. Good plan!

      9. I hear most teen girls are.

      10. I hope so.

      11. Me too.

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  3. I get the laundry issue. Hubby's clothes won't all go in the wardrobe without risking taking your fingers off on the hangers. Mine are full but that is just because I'm too far for them but refuse to throw them away.

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    1. I get so annoyed with my husband's clothes. I iron his clothes for work each night, then he squishes them into his wardrobe, making my ironing a waste of time.
      I don't think anyone throws away the clothes they can't fit into anymore.

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  4. That's the reason I buy after dinner mints instead of normal chocolates. That way I feel guilty as the little sleeves they come in pile up beside me.

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    1. It's funny how seeing the proof of our gluttony slows us down.

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  5. Yes. My laundry situation is just like yours. The few times I have been motivated to finish all the laundry, I have hated myself for it soon after because there was nowhere to put it. It's the little things, you know?
    Also, congratulations on the soccer game. I'm still a few years away from that but I see it coming!

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    1. The little things that bug and poke at us until we forget all about the big things. I will never catch up on the laundry again. We don't have room for more dressers. :)

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  6. I learned a lot just from reading this. Happy Mother's Day!

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  7. OMG. My kids do the same thing... and I only have two! They can't remember whose turn it is and it always ends up in a fight, and I never win! LOL.

    Happy Mother's Day, my friend. (I know, I'm late...)

    Julia

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    1. I don't mind most games, but Sorry about does me in. I hide it in the back of the closet, but they always find it.

      Happy Mother's Day to you (even later) :)

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  8. #5 is exactly why Keith won't play games with the kids
    #7 i HATE cheap chocolate and a bag of hershey kisses will last a whole year in my house.

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    1. Ha! You have to have a whole mess of patience sometimes.

      I lean toward redneck. Cheap chocolate is my kind of chocolate. :)

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  9. Dove (dark chocolate with mint) simple pleasures beat M&Ms and H. kisses. I can eat a bag in two days. This is why they are both good and evil. The laundry thing is absolutely true. Laundry baskets in this household are called Extra Dressers.

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  10. GAH! OH my freakin' nuts! This is my third time writing this comment, because somehow I am hitting some magical button combo making my browser go "back" I couldn't do it just once, oh hell no, I had to do it twice... And once you get to my (stated for the thrice time) Fun Fact, you will understand the severity of why this issue is "killing" me!

    Okay... okay... Round 3

    Sadly it is true about hampers being extra storage space. I've barely enough room for all my clothes when they are all clean. Granted, I barely ever get rid of any of my clothes. Though, I plan on donating a lot this month which should help a lot.

    I've never minded playing games with children with their shenanigans. My patience power is stronger than yours!

    Chocolate is evil in all forms... Best to consume in moderation. I just ate so many chocolate cookies this morning :( We shall not speak of it.

    Phoenix may be some kind of genius!

    Random Fun Fact (I think I should start calling these Jak Facts. Makes sense, right?) #145: I have no idea if I am commenting in correct order, because I am refusing to allow myself to scroll back up! Memory experiment! *And this is why going back in my browser is killing me!*

    Also, I literally just read a blog post today about how Taylor Swift is a whore (having been with 13+ different men in the past 3 years), but how it is ignored and she is loved because she wears floral prints. Ha! May want to reconsider letting her go to another of that harlot's concerts eh?!?!?

    Hmm... and I believe I recall the numbers listed in your entry proving your daughter's fickleness feeling off. Like only one of the two made sense. I may be weird however.

    Go get that date night! RAR!

    Jak at The Cryton Chronicles & Dreams in the Shade of Ink

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Thank you for taking the time to tell me what you're thinking!