Parenting: Lessons learned

1. Have a bedtime routine. It doesn't have to be elaborate, but if it's done every night, they know what to expect! Our's is simple: we all gather in Bridger's room around 7 or 7:30 and mostly play in there til 8. Baths are at 7:30 if it's bath night. Then we clean up toys, read books, turn on the sound machine, turn down the lights. We read the Book of Mormon together and have family prayer. Then one of us stays in the room to read a few more books with him and then help him fall asleep.
2. Amazon mom for diapers. A month's worth of diapers delivered to your door each month. So easy. No more dragging giant diaper boxes around the store, trying to stuff them in your car and dragging them (not to mention children) into the house. 
3. Make an entire batch of waffles and freeze the extras for breakfast the rest of the week. Just take them out as you need them and pop them in the toaster oven.
4. The Kirkland brand wipes at Costco are better than the Huggies box in my opinion! The Huggies tear easily and then you're left with half a wipe. Not pretty.
5. When you  know you are about to change a poopy diaper, have 4+ wipes pulled out BEFORE you undo the diaper.
6. Park next to the shopping cart corral. My whole life I have always judged people who left their carts in random places in the parking lot. Is it really that hard to push it to a corral? The first time I went grocery shopping with newborn Bridger I realized who leaves the carts out. Moms. Because they aren't going to leave their baby to put a cart away! So park next to the corral; easy to get your kid in and out of the cart and no chasing around the lot!
7. Food waste and toddler leftovers: Food waste really bothers me. I just can't stand seeing good food being thrown away! And that is what happens with toddlers so much of the time, unfortunately. We do our best to give each of them portions that we think they will consume, but there are inevitable leftovers that get thrown away. When they leave unfinished fruit however, that now goes in a Ziploc in the freezer to be added to one of their smoothies. 
8. Put them to work. Toddlers love to help. I try to remember to have Bridger carry something into the store or house for me. He loves it.

What parenting lessons have you learned?