4 Things I Learned Today

There is no point in cleaning when you live with a toddler. Before leaving this morning, I straightened up the living room, did the dishes, put the clothes away etc. This afternoon, Luca was home for maybe 5 minutes, and all the pillows were off the couch, his trucks were on the floor and his little motorcycle was tipped over in the middle of the living room.

Nail salons are the best places to hear people’s life stories. I went to get a manicure after work and listened to a couple different women talking about their jobs, the small apartment their kid lives in, how much their husband works, who takes care of their toddler, where to go on vacation and a whole bunch of other personal/interesting details about their lives. Way better than watching the local news. 

Sometimes it’s a good idea to take a walk outside and leave your phone at home. This article in New York magazine was so interesting (thanks for passing it on, Julia!) and while I don’t think most of us are going to let go of our phones/TVs/computers/ipads completely (or anytime soon), the idea of just the complete bombardment of constant information is staggering. This is particularly crazy: “We almost forget that ten years ago, there were no smartphones, and as recently as 2011, only a third of Americans owned one.” I wish I could take a class on the impact of this constant stream of media on people. Anyway, this is worth the read.

Do not speak too soon. I gave Luca a bath, read him two books and put him in his crib, turned off the light and walked out. LIKE A REAL PARENT. I gloated to John and 10 minutes later, he was standing up in his cribs asking to play with trucks. I should have quit while I was ahead.