What 2013 Taught Me

Father Time
Source: Google Images

Before sitting down to make a list of New Year’s Resolutions that I will, most likely, fail miserably at attaining, I decided to reflect on 2013 first and the life's lessons the year has taught me.

January: My husband's mom passed away just days after ringing in the New Year. I did not know her well, but I will forever be grateful to her for raising such an incredibly thoughtful, dedicated, hardworking, family loving man. 
Life’s lesson: Sometimes you don’t have to be close to someone to appreciate them for something great they did in their life. 
To my mother-in-law Elizabeth, thank you for Dave. 

April: My second son and I went on a Mom-Son trip. We had a blast at the Braves and Final Four games, but the one thing that we will always look back and laugh about is the MARTA incident with 75,000 people and one claustrophobic mama! He may outgrow his Final Four tshirt and other mementos will collect dust, but he will never forget the memories we made. 
Life’s lesson: Give your kid experiences, not things.

July: I wrote a blog about spying on my kids Social Media and it went viral…. on Social Media. There is some irony in there somewhere.  
Life’s lesson: Be careful what you put out there for the world to read. The world may actually read it.

July: I got married! Our life together is crazy, fun, chaotic, great and exhausting. 
Life's lesson: Patience is a virtue. 

August: I turned 40 sitting on the beaches of Cabo. While many dread the 4th decade, I welcomed it with my handsome new husband and an umbrella drink. 
Life's lesson: Always be thankful for another year of celebration. Birthdays should be "Half glass FULL days!"

August Part 2: For the last time ever in my lifetime I sent 4 kids off to 4 schools: elementary, middle, high school, and college. My “baby” is growing up before my very eyes and as much as I want to stop time, I love and appreciate my older son so much that I cannot wait to see what the future holds for the other boys. I’d just like to skip the middle school part, though. Ickk. Before you know it there will be no more field trips to chaperone, no more car rider lines to give you parking lot rage and no more fifth grade projects. Hmmm… kinda looking forward to that last one.
Life's lesson: Time flies; take pictures, take time away from your busy schedule and be in the moment. You can't get those back.

October: We got a puppy. She’s precious and completes our household. 
Life’s lesson: Those damn things need to be house broken.

November:  I acted on something that I had wanted to do for some time and the return was more than I ever imagined. 
Life's lesson: It’s never too late.

December: I made a personal goal to continue spreading small random acts of kindness with my kids throughout the holiday season and well into the upcoming New Year. They will roll their eyes, think I’m lame, gripe about getting out of bed early, determine their mother needs mental help, but their wives will thank me one day. 
Life's lesson: Teenage boys only want to be kind when it’s convenient for them. New Years Resolution #1: Fix that.