Friday, October 5, 2007

100 Things I Learned the Hard Way

First Installment:

1) Never put concentrated liquid dish detergent in the dishwasher. (Seriously. Don't do it.)

2) Raising your own food and dairy is not less expensive than buying from the store, but the benefits for the whole family pretty much outweigh the trouble and expense (most of the time).

3) Never plant dill or horehound unless you plan to harvest every scrap of it before seeds set.

4) If the recipe says line the pan with parchment paper, line the pan with parchment paper.

5) Some children learn to read at the age of 3, some aren't ready until they're 7. It all evens out in the end, and more harm than good will come of worrying and obsessing about the late bloomer.

6) Never cut your teenage son's hair (esp. if the clipper is in your hand and set down to shave) if you're tired and giddy and inclined to giggle.

7) You're not saving money at the thrift store if you buy things there that you don't really need.


8) "New and Improved" isn't necessarily.


9) Don't underestimate the importance of that permanent basket in the car containing: extra clothes for everyone under the age of six, diapers, wet wipes, a blanket, sweaters (in winter), drink boxes and toilet paper. Always have a basket of amusements, like books, paper, toys, and a fold up stroller and portacrib. Resupply regularly, because the day you run out of diapers and wetwipes, is the day you'll esp need them!


10) Know what the small stuff is ~ and don't sweat it!


To be continued...


Help me out and tell me your Things I Learned the Hard Way ~ I'm anxious to learn!! You could save my 10 practice pancakes some pain and heartache ~ or at least save me from being laughed at by them...

8 comments:

EC Gefroh said...

Wow, I can't believe how many of the things on your list I've learned the hard way too! Can't wait till the next set.

Therese said...

number 6 was a classic here. My poor 13 year old. He hasn't let me near his head since.

Delena said...

*The iron works best when it's on.*

See my blog for explanation.

Damien Fisher said...

If you try to potty train a kid before he's ready to be potty trained, you will be potty training until he's ready to be potty trained.

Ellen said...

An addendum to #6 - never cut your daughter's bangs while talking on the phone. My mother did this to me and she had to trim them SO short to get them even. It was WEEKS before they were normal length again.

Lisa said...

Ellen, my Mom did that to my hair too! And I carried on the tradition with my son! &:o)

Simcha, I was going to add as an addendum to no.5, after the "latebloomer" part, that this applied to potty training, too!
-gg- Thought it might not be dignified to pair reading with toilet training, but... hmmm... They are easily on a par in importance, aren't they?

Shosannah said...

I love this. I actually laughed out loud at the dishwasher entry:0D
So funny :0)

bellafamilia said...

Lisa,
I'd have to say the two hardest things I've learned along the way are ...
*My husband can not read my mind.
*We are not in control - no matter how hard we try - no matter how much we think we are.
Now, I feel I should add that these two have been so darn hard for me because I have to keep learning them over and over again. So ... maybe that's another one right there - I have to keep learning the BIG things over and over and over again!
Thanks for the lessons,
Stephanie