Things I've learned

A friend of mine now has three children under the age of three living in her house (Stacy, you are AWESOME!). I've been there, and I feel her pain! Thinking about what she's experiencing right now caused me to reflect on all the things I've figured out since my kids were born. I know I still have lots to learn, but I have some things I can share right now that might help another mom (or even a daddy...I'm not sexist!) reduce her stress level a little. Reduced stress is a good thing.

• Kids are going to get sick. It's just a fact of life. They will also pass the illnesses around to the other kids within 48 hours. The probability that the doctors will actually be able to help you is minimal ("It's just a virus and it has to run its course. That will be $75, please."), so your best bet is just to keep your stressed booty at home and give them Tylenol and Motrin.
• An occasional Happy Meal is not going to cause a three year-old to have a heart attack. Sometimes mothers just don't want to make lunch. You're having a bad day, the kids are being brats, and you all need to get out of the house before someone is murdered. Go for it. They call them "Happy Meals" for a reason.
• Diapers are a good thing. Whoever tells you that potty-training your child is a great thing probably has only one child, or their kids are many years apart in age (and they don't count). Yes, it's nice...sometimes. When you're trying to nurse a baby and your three year-old suddenly needs your help in the bathroom, it's not nice (only two hands...count 'em!). Or when you have all three kids with you in a crowded store and someone urgently needs to go potty, it's not nice. You start to wish you had left all your kids in diapers so you could just finish what you were doing before the milk spoils.
• Being a "stay -at-home mom"  doesn't necessarily mean you should always stay at home. It's so much easier to be a recluse with all these goobers running around, but they need to get out, too! Also, kids need to be around other kids. You'll be glad you left the house, even if it seems like more trouble than it's worth (and sometimes it is!).
• Never pass up free child care. This goes with the above statement. I cannot tell you how nice it is to go to my ladies' Bible study on Fridays and be alone with other adults for a couple of hours, knowing that my kids are being cared for and I don't have to worry about them. I will forever be grateful to the Methodist church for allowing me to have that small stress-free moment each week.
• Coordinate nap times. Every afternoon, at about 2:00, all three of my kids take a nap. This gives Mommy about two hours (usually) of peace and quiet. Yay! I am a huge nap time advocate.
• Teach your kids to fight their own battles. At least five times a day (minimum), one of the kids comes up to me, crying, because one of the others pestered/hit/bit/pushed/kicked/poked/pinched/stole from them. I will usually go and deal with the aggressor and dole out appropriate punishment, but I try to get them to work it out themselves. It doesn't always go smoothly, but they're going to have to learn to fix their own issues at some point.
• Bribes work. Yes, I know...it's mean. Hey! Sometimes reminding the kids that if they're good they'll get to go to Grammy's house and swim is the only way to ensure good behavior for the next thirty seconds. Or less.
• Do laundry every day. (Note: this only applies when you have more than four people in your house.) Otherwise, it will multiply and come to get you while you're sleeping. Beware.
• Shop at consignment and thrift stores, go to pawn shops, and check out garage sales. You have no idea how much awesome stuff I've managed to get for very little money! Toys are the best - just clean them really well before you let the kids have them. Clothes are also a good deal, because kids grow super fast and that stuff gets so expensive!
• Kids need to learn to clean up after themselves. I am a huge neat-freak, as most of you already know, so I like my house clean. Some people don't care as much. I personally think that it's about more than just a clean house...it's about character. I'm trying to teach my kids to take care of the things they're given and to be grateful. So many people take things for granted these days, and I don't want my children to be like that.
• Don't use baby talk. Speak to your children as if they were adults, and encourage them to explain things to you. And use big words. They understand more than you think they do. It will improve their vocabularies and increase their ability to express themselves. I've seen an exponential increase in vocabulary knowledge in each of my children by their first birthday. Ethan knew a lot of words, Nicholas knew more than Ethan, but Zoe knew the most. As kids hear more conversations, they'll pick up words, obviously. If you only have one child, talk to them all the time, about everything. You'll be amazed at the difference it makes.
• Ask for stories and songs. Ethan makes up things on the fly, and they're so fun to hear! He makes me laugh. I know his imagination works, that's for sure! I get him to "read books" to me as well, even though he can't read yet. There's always an interesting story to be told.

I could go on forever, but this is getting long now. I hope something in here is helpful to another parent in some way. Having kids is an adventure!