Since becoming a parent, I've learned quite a bit. Some of you know that I'm a step parent of 2 teens, and I've only been mom now for about a year and a half. Since then, I've learned a whole lot. I thought that I'd share with you today a few of the things I've learned in my parenting crash course.

1. Parents Speak in Different Languages - Yep, that's right…parents speak in a different language. Each family has their own dialect. Parents have things they say that would make no sense to someone else. Sometimes I reflect back on something I say and laugh. No one else but our family would understand it. I've acquired the "parent speak."

2. I Now See Money Differently - Or should I say I spend it differently. We have a budget. We plan out what we spend. Now I've always been fairly careful about what I buy and have always been one to look for bargains. Since becoming a parent I'm always looking for the best food deal, coupons that will help me save, and trying to figure out where the money is going to go. After all, you know you're a parent when you do your "happy dance" in the meat aisle because ground beef is on sale.

3. Me-time is Actually Planned - Having kids means you are always on call. Even if they're in school, you're still on call. I can't count the times we get phone calls from school. When the kids are home, you're especially on call…even in the middle of the night. Finding me-time is a whole different story. You actually have to plan it. My husband and I plan dates together. If we didn't, we wouldn't get them.

4. Time has a Different Meaning - Speaking of time. Time has a whole different meaning when you're a parent. I used to always be 15 minutes early for everything. It rarely works that way when you have kids. You have to get them ready, get them motivated, and out the door. I've always liked things to happen on time. Well it doesn't happen that way with kids. I've learned to live with it. Lol

5. Love and Like are Two Different Things - I love the kids all the time. I don't always like the things that they do. I've learned that love is still there even when you are not at ALL happy with something they pull. In the past few months of being a parent, I've learned more about unconditional love than ever before.

6. Laughter is a Parents Best Friend - Sometimes you just have to laugh. You may want to cry, you may want to be upset, but you go ahead and laugh. Times with the kids are precious. I've learned to spend as much of that time possible laughing.

7. Parents Aren't Perfect - Shhhhh. Don't tell the kids out there, but I've discovered there is no way for parents to be perfect. Every single child wonders at some of the mistakes their parents make. It's only when you become a parent that you understand how tough it is and how easy it is to make mistakes. I make mistakes all the time. After all, there is no manual out there and kids don't come with directions.

The list could go on an on about the things I've learned since becoming a parent. Of course I figured you all wanted a blog post, not a small book. Lol. Parenting is all about a learning experience. It's a crash course that you pray every day you'll pass. I'm sure some of you can identify with some of the things I've learned. I hope you will share things you've learned as well…feel free to leave comments. I'd love to hear them!