Nothing is ever going to go as planned.
This is probably the most accurate thing I could say. You could plan for a storm, and there's still going to be something that you end up forgetting. Somehow, Maverick always finds a way to put a dent in our plans when doing something out of routine. He's gotten a little better about adapting, but on the days he doesn't want to be flexible, Maverick is as stiff as a board. He's stuck in the thought process that the world is ending, so he might as well make the most of it. So, be prepared, always be prepared. FOR EVERYTHING
Mother's intuition for a sick baby is very accurate.
I'd say 99% of the time, before I even took Maverick's temperature, I felt him and just had an inkling that he was sick. Don't ever take your intuition for granted, because you know your baby best. If your baby seems off in the slightest to you, where baby isn't playing, interacting, or eating like normal, then you KNOW something is off. Even if it looks normal to others, you know it's not normal for you.
Toddlers have their share of bad days too.
We often see a toddler losing their cool in a store, and the poor parent having to deal with them. That's the thing "deal with them". We look at toddlers like they are "bad" when they have these meltdowns, but in reality, toddlers have bad days just like you and me. They just don't know how to manage their big emotions, so it comes out as a tantrum. We have to remember that our little kiddos are human and that they can have bad days, but that doesn't make them inherently bad.
A routine can fix about 80% of your problems.
I say about 80% because refer back to my first point, nothing ever goes as planned. Hahaha. But having a routine gives your toddler something to expect. We always do shower, dinner, walk, sleep. Every evening we've done that, and if we switch it up, Maverick ends up going to bed very fussy or is super hard to put down to begin with. When your toddler knows what to expect, transitions are a lot easier! No one likes a surprise. Occasional surprises are okay though when you're on vacation, or if Mickey Mouse is involved of course.
There's more to motherhood than wine memes.
There is more to motherhood than bubble baths by yourself, without bath toys, and with a glass of wine in hand. I hate that as a society, we've resorted to wine as a coping mechanisms for mothers to feel like they can conquer the day. Since becoming sober, I've realized how much alcohol made it's way into our day to day life. At night, once Maverick is sleeping, we'd reach for a bottle of wine ASAP. Now that we don't do that, there's more to do with our time than to sit on the couch and drink. You don't need a wine glass to tell you that you made it through the day. Get more hobbies. (This sounds so condescending, but I promise that if you switch the bottle for a crochet needle, you'll have a blanket by Christmas. But in all seriousness, if you want to drink, go for it. But remember, you don't need it to prove your a tough mom that’s got it rough.)