ALWAYS pee before you sit down to nurse a baby.


Infant-1



ABC's of video game addiction: Autonomy, Belonging, Control. Try to find ways to developing these things in areas outside of gaming. Games are great, but not at the expense of everything else.


1Infant-13



A man is not a financial plan.


17



Control isn’t safety. Safety is putting in the physical/mental/intellectual/emotional/spiritual work so you’re confident in your ability to address whatever comes your way and thrive, bounce back after getting knocked down.


14, 21



Put him in charge of figuring the tip out when we’re out at a restaurant. Calculate 15% or 20% etc. Also emphasize that the difference between a good tip and a great tip is usually just a few dollars but it makes a difference to the recipient. Be generous with people who are in service professions.


12-14



My love for you will never run out - neither will God’s love / patience run out. I will always instruct, discipline and give consequences for bad behavior- because it’s my job to teach you. But there’s nothing you could do to lose my love. Remind them daily.


5-20



Difficult conversations are…difficult. If you have to deliver bad news, don’t beat around the bush but prepare them for what’s coming rather than just blurting it out. “I have some news that’s going to be difficult to hear…” Or “Is this a good time to talk?” Those are just a couple examples, but many more are available. Look it up or ask people who routinely have to give bad news.


20



Our nervous systems are just trying to keep us safe. If you were thrown into fight/flight/fawn today, give yourself some grace.


14, 21



The $@!#% never ends. Dealing with the $@!#% IS your job. If you think you’ll ever reach a “post-$@!#%” stage in your life, you’re wrong.


14, 19



I hope you become more of yourself with every passing year. I love you so.


21



Check in on your friends. Even the ones that seem fine.


14-21



1

Birds of a feather flock together


14



Grit.


14



Drinking doesn’t work like climbing a hill, it works like surfing waves. “More” is not always better. Once you feel tipsy, drinking more will make you feel *worse*. Remember “more alcohol will ruin my buzz.” Coast, recover, then okay to start again.


14. 15. 17. 18. 21



Happiness comes from giving and helping, not buying and having.


14, 19



Surround yourself with people and ideas that inspire you and captivate you. Life is too short for destructive relationships.


13, 18



Healing happens when you give up the hope that the past could have been any different. xoxo


20



Just because someone is an a-hole it doesn’t mean they’re wrong.


17, 21



Sex talk: “Forget about sex. Just play first.” Forget about making a move and just have fun. Dance, listen to music together, go somewhere exciting, look at something beautiful, read to each other, play sports, let yourself be seen and encourage them to do the same. Communicate in a hundred ways: talk/send texts/ post on social media, pass notes, whatever. “Sex isn’t the door to intimacy


15



American Sign Language course


15



Never any point in arguing with drunks or fools.


17



“I don’t know what I think until I write about it.” - Joan Didion


15



YouTube Randy Pauch The Last Lecture. Watch together.


14



“Bullies are scared people hiding inside scary people.” -Michelle Obama


8-12



Take the family on periodic “spending fasts.” As an exercise, go a day, a weekend or a week without spending any money. Make due with what you have. Encourage participation. Tie in spending fasts with holidays, lent or in support of a cause.


7



Do what makes you happy. But what if you’re not sure what that might be? If you’re at a crossroads and you don’t know where you *want* to go, just go where you’re *needed.* That’s a good first step. Trust the Lord to take it from there.


18



I’m going to keep from telling them how to feel.


4-18



You’ll miss me when I’m gone, but if I did my job right you won’t need me.


21



Rain, snow or sleet...Always return the shopping cart to the proper spot in the parking lot.


17