I write on my children with markers

Did you know that about me?

Whenever we're going to a "get lost" place like Disneyland, New York City, or the zoo, I write on my little kid's stomachs with Sharpie:

"If found, please call..." and then my cell phone #

I tell them if lost, to find a nice mommy with kids and lift up their shirt.

Yeah, that's just one of my many parenting pearls of wisdom.

Ooh, and another one:

If they step barefoot in dog poop while on the way home from the park (yes, we sometimes go for a walk barefoot), spray them with Lysol before hosing them off in the backyard.

See, I'm just full of this parenting gold.

Last week a sweet woman at church, who just adopted 3 girls all at once, asked me for advice. I'm pretty sure it wasn't because I seemed to have it all together. I think it must have been from the sheer numbers of car seats in my van.

I thought a minute.

"Advice? I barely know what I'm doing!", I thought.

The only thing I could come up with was this:

"Make sure your kids know they are more important than dinner."

She looked confused. I went on to explain that no matter what I'm doing, my children need to know they are more important than what it is I am doing. This doesn't mean I let them get whatever they want. It means if a child comes to me, crying that he's hurt, or she's sad, or he got locked in the closet by his brother, or he doesn't like church because his teacher won't let 4 year old's use the potty when they need to, or his feelings are hurt because Tate got mad for drawing on his homework, I can put down what I'm doing and help them.

We have had cereal for dinner and nobody died from it. We have skipped school and not gotten arrested. We have been late for church and are still allowed back. My kids know they can come to me for any reason.

I will listen, I will hug them, and I will love them.

Even if the dinner gets ruined.