25 Things I Learned Before I Turned 251. Life does not get easier with age.2. Adult-ing is a class that I wish they would have taught in high school... The important things like what to make for dinner, how to balance a budget, how to handle a sh*tload of laundry, how to get poop/vomit out of every surface in your house and how to not vomit when you see poop/vomit on every surface in your house.
3. Once I had kids, I didn't realize (that people were serious) I would never go to the bathroom alone again. It's like my tush hits that ivory throne, and everyone has something to ask/tell me.
4. People make mistakes. I've always believed that it's the decisions you make going forward that define you.
5. I cannot change anyone. I can only change myself. I can be the change I want to see in my household.
6. I like to think that my children are the reason that we can’t have nice things, but without fail, every time that I say, “Don’t spill that”; “Don’t drop that”; “Watch out!”. I end up breaking, spilling, running into, said object. I am the reason we can’t have nice things.
7. I really did marry my best friend. Austin drives me crazy, always knows how to make me laugh, knows how to make me cry, isn’t afraid to tell me when I have cheese on my face and is the best person I could grow up with.
8. I’m really glad that I got married earlier in life. I think that my husband and I got to grow up together. I didn’t get a chance to live on my own, create my own bad habits, get used to being by myself and I’m okay with that. I went from living with my parents, to taking care of my own family and figuring out how that works. I had to put my selfish mindset aside (it didn’t happen easily at first) and really focus on my family.
9. I didn’t know that once I had kids, I was also signing an agreement to be farted on daily for the next 18 years. Oh and that my husband would think this was hilarious as well.
10. BOOBS. Enjoy them while they are YOURS. Once I got married/had kids, they became other people’s playthings/source of food. I miss when I could go a whole day without my boobs being touched. Just enjoy it. Enjoy your boobs while they are yours
11. Everything I ever did to my parents, I regret daily. I see the attitude and the rebellion that they had to deal with growing up. I thought that maybe I would know how to talk to my kid, because I remember being a kid (it wasn’t that long ago). I thought wrong. I don’t know how to get anyone to listen to me.
12. FREE should be my middle name. Seriously. Anything at all that I could get for free, I will attempt to get. I will go to events strictly because there is free food/object/activity. If gas wasn’t an issue, I would drive to get free things all over town. It’s not because I’m cheap, I just like the idea of not spending money.
13. I cannot wait to be an empty nester. I love my kids, and I MIGHT have more (OMG NOT FOR LIKE THREE YEARS). But the thought of becoming an empty nester is exhilarating to me. I’ve never gotten an opportunity to just live with Austin. We will have time where it’s just the two of us. I could count on my hand the times we’ve had where it’s just us (one of those being our honeymoon). I have all these plans for all the crazy things we are going to do in a house without kids, but knowing us, we will probably just end up doing the same things we already do. OR we will be trying to hang out with our kids as much as possible.
14. I don’t need as many things as I want. This sentence is a little confusing, but I’ve realized that sometimes I think that I need to watch 4 episodes of a TV show before I do “x”… but really, I’m just procrastinating. I have been working towards being less of a procrastinator, I want to be someone who gets things done BEFORE they are due. (This is something I’ve struggled with all of my life).
15. Just because it isn’t socially acceptable, doesn’t mean I’m doing something wrong. There are several things in my life that have happened that aren’t “socially acceptable”. I won’t go through and name them all here. I just know that I am doing what is best for my family. If I went through my life trying to collect stars and make my black dots fall off, I would miss the point of trying to define myself through God’s eyes. Finding my true worth in God has helped me every step of the way. There are so many people in my life who have helped me remember that your true worth is found through looking at yourself through God’s eyes.
16. Community. As much as I’d like to apply the saying, “It’s Us Against the World” to my life, it couldn’t be more wrong. I need help. I don’t think that we were meant to live without community. I need people to speak wisdom into my life. I need people to come and jump my car battery when it dies. I need some butter when I run out and decided to make brownies (before checking and AFTER running to the store already). I think that there is a reason for church. I think church is the place to connect with others. I have met so many amazing people through church activities. I cannot thank them enough for their influence and help in my life. I aspire to get a point in my life where I can give back to others, like I have been given to in the past.
17. Money doesn’t buy happiness; it just adds stress. At the end of the day, I’m not looking at my bank account, I’m looking at my family. I know that money adds to your financial stability, and it’s nice to be sitting under a roof that’s paid for. I would still be happy if we were all living in a tent in someone’s backyard. I don’t think my children and husband would be happy, but I would still make the best of the situation. I think that’s something else I’ve learned too.
18. I always choose to see the silver lining. There are very few times in my life where I see all the negative. I always try to approach the situation in a positive light. I am hopeful about the future. God gives me that hope. I know that there is no definite, and I don’t know anything for sure about the future. I know that God knows. I have hope in God. I have great comfort about the future.
19. You can never have enough pictures. I love how in society today it is so easy to capture a moment. I love taking pictures of life with my family. Even just pictures of us all hanging out in the morning in bed. They aren’t professional, my house is a mess and they aren’t going on Facebook. BUT I love to look back on them and remember. I know that my kids will have these pictures to look back on as well. This is also why I’m going to make my husband take as many pictures as possible on my birthday.
20. I love my birthday. It is usually celebrated during the whole month of August. I don’t think that it’s silly or childish or immature to enjoy your birthday. I like being the center of attention (around my loved ones) and I like feeling the love. Receiving gifts is my love language, and it’s one of the days of the year where I get a ton of gifts. I love it when people give me cards filled with words of encouragement. I love handmade gifts that I can use throughout the year. I love thoughtful gifts that remind me that people around me really do pay attention to me.
21. I am a huge hypocrite. I don’t think there is anything that I can do to change it. I reserve the right to change my mind. Sometimes I learn things that make me have a different opinion than what I had previously. Sometimes I say that I will never play such a stupid game like Pokémon Go, and then two months later we are pulling over at the three Poke Stops on Browns Bridge because they are on the way home and WE DON’T HAVE ANY POKEBALLS. I think that this okay though. I am a constantly changing and growing human being. My word can change sometimes, I think that just means I’m human (and contrary to what my husband/kids believe, I DON’T know EVERYTHING.)
22. I must take care of myself before I take care of my children. When I had Madelynn, she was extremely harder than Brayden was. I was thrown for a loop (especially since it was around Christmastime and there was a ton of unneeded stress). I had been planning for nine months to do the same things I had done with my previous son, and those were all thrown out the window at the hospital. It took me a few weeks to realize (well, my mother told me), that I am useless if I am a crying, dirty, mess. If I don’t take the time to feed myself, take my vitamins, clean myself then what good am I going to be to the kids? I have really learned to make sure that I have that time to myself, before I take care of the kids. Yes, this means that I have to get up earlier in the morning, after staying up late because I want MORE time without the kids and with my husband. But learning on how to function on little sleep is just another thing you learn as an adult. Maybe I’ll be like my friend one day and I’ll go to bed at 3 AM!! 23. I am socially awkward. I have gotten more and more socially inept, by being a stay at home mom. A lot of my conversation throughout the day, is when I am talking back to the TV. No, I’m not joking. I can see why people watch shows like “The View” because I get to feel like I’m a part of an important discussion with adults. When really I’m just feeding the baby for the umpteenth time today, or steam cleaning my floor. I’m okay being socially awkward. I leave parties when I feel uncomfortable (and I regret it for months later). I say things that people wouldn’t say behind closed doors, and I say them WAYY too loud in a grocery store. I laugh too loud (but not as loud as my mother). I mess my up words; I tell my kids to put their shoes in the trash can. I’m okay with all these things. I have accepted that I am this way, and people can take it or leave it.
24. On Fridays, we eat pizza. Doesn’t matter what kind of pizza, but if we don’t have it for dinner, it doesn’t feel like a Friday.
25. I have really struggled with turning 25. All I ever wanted in life was to be married, with kids, and carry the daily struggles of life. Welp, here I am! I did it. Way sooner than I expected. So what is next in life? What is the direction that I am going (with myself)? Is there more for me? Those are questions I’ve been asking all year. All I have discovered is that God has a plan. I don’t know that plan, but I will follow it, whatever it may be. I am willing to be willing to do what God has in store for my life. I am willing to be his instrument in this life. He has entrusted me with a family, who needs me. They not only need me to function, but their emotional states need my presence as well. I have never been so needed in my life. I have a purpose right now, and it’s to be me. I can continue to work on being the best me there is.
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