Non-Tip Tuesday: A Non-Exhaustive List of Tips I Will Not Be Giving

 
After yesterday's probably-not-so-helpful tips on adjusting to life back at home I got to thinking about subjects I'm not qualified to give tips on.  I will try to remember this when I'm searching for post topics in the future.  I'm sure there are plenty more that I haven't even thought of yet, but here's a start:

1. Keeping a clean, well-organized house.  Although I might be able to give some tips on surviving in the midst of chaos or enjoying life in the midst of the mess.
2. Losing baby weight.  Please don't hate me when I say that I have a nine-month-old baby and weigh less now than I did before I got pregnant.  It's just genes or something and I didn't do it on purpose.  I won't pretend to have some secret that will work for you.
3. Saving money.  Actually, I have one great tip on this, but it doesn't deserve a whole post.  Just shop less.  Any other tips will have to come from someone else.
4. Having a festive holiday.  I don't care which holiday it is.  I'm pretty much a Grinch on all of them.  Plus, get a Pinterest account.  But don't follow me expecting to get holiday links.
5. Getting places on time.  We do it pretty often, actually, but I usually get stressed out and Lenny wants to know why I'm using my "mean voice" pretty often.
6. Caring for both pets and kids.  No pets for us.  Lenny wants to get a fish.  I told him we got a baby brother instead.  For a clue on why we don't have pets see number one.
7. Raising an athletic kid.  So far we don't have one of those. 
8. Taking the stress out of bedtime routines.  Anyone who claims to have found a way to do this is selling something.
9. Getting kids to sleep through the night.  My strategy is to wait until it happens.  Now you know.
10. Childbirth.  Actually, when I was in labor with Linus the OB nurse said hubby and I should teach a course.  But I don't want to talk/write/think about it any more.  Well... if you are a friend of mine and are actually having a baby and really want to know I will tell you more than you want to know.  But tips?  No.  The internet is full of those.
11. Marriage after kids.  I checked a book out of the library once about how to have a good marriage after having kids.  I never found time to read it. 
12. Finding matching socks.  See #1.  This probably doesn't deserve its own entry, but I like 12 better than 11 for the length of a list.

 So after getting part way through this list and taking a break to walk to school and get Lenny I started to wonder if anything would be left to write about on "Mommy Tip Monday."  I did manage to think of a few possible topics.  So before they fly from my mind I'm going to share them here:

1. Communicating with babies.  
2. Cooking with kids.
3. Encouraging literacy.
4. Developmental stages and discipline.
5. Choosing a preschool.
6. Helping a very emotional child deal with the world.
7. How identity changes with motherhood.

I could probably come up with a few more, but the baby is fussy and the laundry needs transferred.  

photo credit: Môsieur J. [version 9.1] via photopin cc