Last Weeks Lessons Learned

One for every day of the month so far, though not learned in any particular order...

Lesson #1: If asking dear husband to paint the entire house while you are out of town, don't put up mirrors with 3M super sticky foam, especially if you want to keep your mirrors and wall all in one piece.  

Lesson #2: Scraping said chunks of dry wall off mirrors is a long tedious process for the naturally impatient.  I can only imagine how my dear husband felt as he was patching the dry wall holes....
Lesson #3: If babies are left to their own devices they frequently switch bedrooms, shutting the door quietly behind them so as to not let the other (or their mother) know where they have gone or what they are getting into.  I found Alec in Lyssa's closet or quietly playing under her crib countless times this week.  I've also found Lyssa in Alec's room pulling out Alec's blankets and tiggers from his crib.  They both always look so guilty when I find them... luckily neither of them has caused any serious harm or messes yet.
Lesson #4: My little ones may fight and scream and hit each other A LOT already, taunting each other into fights and screams about 70% of the time, but when they're not they can also be sooooo very sweet to each other.
Lesson #5: Now that Lyssa has discovered the clips in her hair, there is no stopping her from pulling them out and stashing them around the house.  Some days she keeps the same one in all day.  Some days I find three different hair clips in the oddest of places...

Lesson #6: Daylight savings time + 1 hour time difference from travel= Space cadet children around 4pm.  At least they weren't whining space cadet children most of the time!

Lesson #7:  My left knee is just not cut out for running a half marathon this May.  If I try to run more than 2 1/2 miles my knee shoots writhing pain.  I start running funny to compensate for it and within a 1/4 mile my ankle is hurting too.  I think if I really wanted to I have it in me to run the Dam to Dam, but I would need a lot more strength training and possibly a visit to a knee doctor... which I'm just not up for right now.  I'll have to find another goal to work towards.

Lesson #8: When I make the little effort to leave my kitchen looking like this every day I feel SO much more relaxed!  I am so very thankful for my dishwasher and my cleared sparkling counter tops.  Now if only I could figure out what to do about that cluttered corner not shown in the picture...

Lesson #9: If you harass your husband for two years, he will eventually hang the spice rack over the stove for you....  I really should just learn to use that stupid electric drill myself.

Lesson#10: Not all hanging object require a drill and I really can hang current rods, mirrors, etc. all by myself.  I also learned that have a pretty good eye at keeping things even without having to use laser levels or measuring tapes.

Lesson #11:  This Pasta Carbonara is FABULOUS!  It's sure a crowd pleaser in these parts anyway.  A friend taught me how to make it this week and I couldn't stop thinking about it until I finally made it.  Click here for the recipe.  Oh, and I also learned that it makes A LOT of food, great for a small dinner party!
Lesson #12: Anything can be a four-wheeler if the babies want it to be.  Oh, and Lyssa always wants to be in front.  You see, they have a system.  Lyssa steers and drives while Alec makes all the shifting and engine noises.  Fabulous entertainment for them and for me!
Lesson # 13: My yeast is bad.  Gone.  Done. Kaput!  All the pizza dough crusts I've made lately never rise and taste like crackers. Last night I tried to make these bread sticks and they didn't rise either.  Even Lyssa wouldn't eat them... sad.  I don't understand how it happened.  I keep it in the fridge and it doesn't expire for 6 more months.  Yeast is no cheap ingredient either.  
Lesson #14:  If you complain enough on your blog, eventually you get answers.  I've written about wanting to find a climbing gym for months and recently a friend tipped me off!  The Des Moines area does in fact have a  brand new climbing gym called ClimbIowa!  It opened in Grimes in November.  It's a bit pricey, perhaps a little more than The Quarry, but I still think Nick and I will be checking it out for his upcoming birthday!  

So what where your lessons learned this week?