Misadventures in Baby Raising

So my birthday is getting increasingly closer (alright it's in February and that's not so close) but this year I'm freaking out because it's the big 3-0! I figured I've learned a lot in the past 29 years so I decided to look back through the years and take stock of my life. In doing so I came up with a list of 10 rules that I live by (or try to); I call them my "Allisonisms", hope you enjoy!

Allisonisms

1. Learn to depend on yourself! Let's face it even the best of friends may not have your back when things fall apart! Knowing you can look at the world and say, "You know what I've got this on my own." will make you so much stronger than looking to someone else to pick up the pieces!

2. Don't be afraid to stand up for what you believe in! Some people mistake my willingness to stand up for what I believe as my being bitchy, but I don't pay any attention to that. Knowing I have the courage to voice my opinion no matter what the consequence means more to me than ignorant people who judge others for having a backbone!

3. Live everyday like it's your last! I really believe this because nothing is guaranteed, life is short and you never know when your number will be called, but if you live everyday to the fullest then you'll more than likely leave this life with no regrets. (And there's a good chance you won't have to come back and haunt the shit out of someone...lol)

4. Make sure you say "I love you" often. This is another one that I insist on doing! My fiance and kids probably think I'm completely mental because I seriously tell them "I love you" three million times a day. I look at it like this, if I tell them I love them more than I need to then I know that there's absolutely no question in their minds that they are loved by me!

5. Learn from your mistakes. I know this one seems like just plain old fashion common sense, but you'd be surprised at how many people (myself included) seem to repeat the same silly mistakes over and over again. I look at it like this; if I've done something and I know it was a mistake chances are doing it again is going to produce the same results. So try hard to make every mistake a learning experience and once the lesson has been learned the chances of you repeating the mistakes that you've made is a lot less likely!

6. Know that this too shall pass! This one seems a little more difficult for me to believe in than the rest the reason? When things are going horrible it's very hard to believe that things will ever get better, but I've learned that even the worst situations do eventually get better you just have to give it time and believe that there are better things to come in your life. Trust me it will get better.

7. Believe in love even when it seems like your prince will never come. Alright so this is one that I have done extensive research on (and by research I mean I have been in countless failed relationships). I've learned that love does exist, but most of the time it happens when you least expect it! True love is a love that you never have to question, it's a love that feels exactly right from the start, and it's a love that will make even the harshest cynics believe in prince charming!

8. Being a parent will be the hardest job you'll ever have! This one is definitely true! Kids don't come with handbook and there will be times when you have no clue what to do; like when your newborn is up crying for hours on end and nothing seems to calm her down or when your 6 year old asks where babies come from and you'd rather cut off your own foot than try to explain it to her. But in all the chaos and crying comes the realization that parenthood is the most rewarding job you will ever do!

9. Life isn't easy, but it's the struggles that make you stronger! If life were easy then you'd never make mistakes and then learn from them, you'd never be challenged to find out what you're made of, and you'd never appreciate the little things because you know how truly special they are.

10. Having people who love you and truly care about your happiness is one of the greatest gifts in the world. I live with this in mind always, because it's the people in my life that make it so incredible and I am thankful every day that I have such great people in mine!