ALWAYS pee before you sit down to nurse a baby.


Infant-1



There’s a big difference between being tired and being fatigued.


19



Fall in love with a person, not a feeling.


19



Offer gifts to the Lord. Maybe it's your school work, or your career, or the kid you raise, or your life in general. Wrap it up and make it a present to the Lord.


9-15



Work Hard. Do your best. Keep your word. Never get too big for your britches. Trust in God. Have no fear


15, 21



Put your purse, (wallet,bag, phone, or shoe) in the backseat with the baby. Unattended babies die every day and it’s my worst nightmare.


Infant-3, 21



Don’t worry about finding your person. Focus on finding your people.


15, 21



Change the furniture around in your dorm, apartment or bedroom every once in a while. It’s an easy way to break up a timeline like for a holiday a season or after a breakup, etc.


18



Relationships can end beautifully and bravely. They’re not all going to be forever. It’s much better to grieve the end of a relationship than to endure an unhealthy one.


15, 19, 21



Go as a family to local high school musical productions.


9-13



1

“Enthusiasm is the answer to everything.” - Rodrigo’s father


15, 21



“Life is good when you are happy, but much better when others are happy because of you.” -Pope Francis Endeavor to make people happy by the work you do, by the way you treat them, by your contributions to the world. But don’t ever try to make someone happy by changing yourself.


13, 17



Look into language school. Now is a good time to start learning Chinese, Spanish or Arabic.


5-8



“You have to meet people where they are. Sometimes, you have to leave them there.” -Iyanla Vanzant


21



If you’re anything like the rest of your family you will have a lot of opinions -and that’s OK! Just remember a couple of things: First: you have a right to your opinion but you do not have a right to your own facts. facts matter. seek the truth even if i it means you are proven wrong. And second, with regard to opinions ...it’s better to not express them so much if you can help it! You may be the first in the family to get this concept and put it into practice!


13-15



It’s okay if you don’t know how (or don’t want) to move on. Start with something easier…just don’t go back.


16



If your car is overheating turn on the heat full blast. It draws heat off the engine.


16



Birds of a feather flock together


14



Two rules: First, don’t be a sh!tty person. 2. Try to have some fun. Everything else is just “whatever.”


13, 21



Summer concerts at Wolftrap- get good seats so they can really get a sense of the experience.


13-16



When the child is feeling upset or out of control, that is not the time to teach a lesson. Share your calm, be a safe place for them. When they’re feeling better, THEN teach the lesson.


1, 2, 3, 4



Golf lessons. Grampa loved golf, if he were here he would have taught you himself.


9



Your very existence is a miracle. Countless cosmic events and generations of ancestors had to come together in precisely the right way at precisely the right time for you to be here now. It’s an honor to be who you are. Act accordingly.


13, 15, 18, 20, 21



Don’t be afraid of work.


12, 17, 21



Toddler not interested in food? Hand them a random kitchen gadget to play with while you’re feeding them dinner, they’ll eat more if distracted.


1,2



Alcoholism and gambling addiction run in our family. Be very, very careful around booze and gambling.


14,16, 18, 21



When he comes to you and tells you he’s in trouble, stay calm. Ask “How can I help you?” Figure it out together. No matter how old he is, he needs to know you’re on his side. There will be time for lessons and consequences, etc. But first, help.


7, 12, 15, 21



“You will encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated.” -Maya Angelou


17



Sometimes it’s easier to describe what a thing is *not* than to describe what it is.


14, 21



Be yourself. No need to pretend to like something the crowd is doing. Half of them are probably just as unenthused as you are but are afraid to say so.


12, 15