I Instagrammed this picture and captioned it – “#YouKnowYouLiveWithChildrenWhen a bike is parked in the doorway to your kitchen, and you walk around it rather than move it.”
My toddler had parked his bike rather inconveniently and after I walked around it for the umpteenth time, wondered why I didn’t just move it out of the way. It was almost like I’d tuned its presence out!
Naturally, I thought it would make for a hilarious blog post with all the instances of when you know you live with children, so I turned to my Facebook page and asked parents to share their #YouKnowYouLiveWithChildren moments. And I was not wrong. Read on and try not to spit your coffee out.
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You turn on the TV long after they have gone to sleep and one of their shows is playing and you actually let it for a while before realizing you aren’t the Thomas the Train fan in the family.
~ Tonya, Letters for Lucas
1. I have experienced the agony of stepping on Lego in the dark. 2. There are short people walking around in my house wearing very odd assortments of clothing (like swimming trunks, rain boots and a Vampire cape). 3. I know the names of all the Disney Cars characters and regard them as old friends rather than fictional beings.
~ Kirsten, Running For Autism
I take baths with boats, rubber duckies and water guns.
~ Grace, Gabbing with Grace
I don’t realize until I am in line at the grocery store that I’m wearing a sparkly, plastic fairy bracelet – after the cashier points out how nicely it matches the four fairy stickers on my shirt.
~ Tracie, From Tracie
When you lose 1/3 of your kitchen counter space due to bottle drying racks and a medicine station.
~ Cassie, Foto Friendly Family
LEGO. That is all. 
~
~Karyn, Kloppenmum
There’s always a single child’s sock on the floor somewhere in my house. Often more than one. And if there is more than one, then they probably aren’t from the same pair.
~ The Koala Bear Writer
When toys are scattered everywhere. When there is a pair of the shoes that you have been looking for a while and they’re under a chair or the sofa (couch).
~ Ma Teresa Grech Racal, Multitasking Mother & Wife
Baby gates. Blocks everywhere. Writing on the walls, and I mean literally.
~Katie, Your Girls and Boys
1. When you find every corner of your living room has a bunch of poorly written As on the wall in green crayon and at first glance you’re proud of it, then realize it’s on your BLOODY WALL. IN GREEN CRAYON. 2. When you reach into the cabinet under the bathroom sink for a tampon and find a truck that plays music, has your last tampon, unwrapped, sticking out of its windows. 3. When you reach in your dresser for clean undies and find a row of baby dolls sleeping comfortably on them, tucked in and covered with them. 4. When the songs that get stuck in your head are no longer rock from the 80s, but theme songs from Thomas and Bubble Guppies instead. 5. When you find you’re singing every thing you say.
~ Vanita, After Bedtime Blog
1. There are legos in *every* nook and cranny of floor space and furniture. 2. The entire house is never clean all at once.
~ Jessica, Close Enough
1. When your wine rack has turned into a storage shelf for your kids’ puzzles, lunch bags, markers and other assorted arts and crafts crap; and 2. When you consider the artwork that your kids bring home from school legitimate decoration for the house.
~ Christine, Love, Life, Surf
When their bedroom and bathroom doors stayed closed all day while they are at school. Then I don’t have to look at the disaster the tornados made!! When you walk into our home and see huge piles of laundry begging to be folded. I guess A messy house in general, because they won’t do their chores on time!
~ Wanda, Recreate and Decorate
Thank you all for your so very funny (and true) #YouKnowYouLiveWithChildren moments!
What are your #YouKnowYouLiveWithChildren moments?
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hahaha! These are excellent and so so true. My favorite might be Vanita’s and the comment about the green crayon on the wall. Thanks for including me too!
Christine @ Love, Life, Surf ‘s last awesome post..5 Lessons on Injury
I LOVED Vanita’s. Especially the one about dolls being tucked in underwear! Thank YOU for contributing!
Twitter: LauraORourke
says:
When you go out on your own for the first time in forever and realize that your purse is stuffed with diapers, wipes, and a nursing cover, but no lipstick.
Haha! I’ve been out without the kids and have found diapers and an empty pacifier holder in my handbag.
Ha! Totally. Love the underwear covers for dolls.
For me lately it’s that I have to check the toilet seat for pee before sitting down. Every single time.
Robin | Farewell, Stranger ‘s last awesome post..First Day of School Nerves
Oh, ewwwwww!
I remember this and I wish I had answered … but I was taking a mental break …before I break and go mental. So now that im back… #youknowyoulivewithchildren when the toddler you are potty training decides to take a poop in her panties while you cook dinner and you choose to keep cooking shaking your head you will be scrubbing panties before you eat…when your toddler decides to take a nap before dinner but you are too wiped so you let her and deal with consequences later..you are afraid to look under the couch knowing you will see half eaten food with lost toys…when there is a box of unwanted toys to giveaway and gets played with and never given away… when my table centerpiece is a cup with crayons and a bowl of small pieces found that get lost again…when there is glitter all over the floor, carpet , walls…when they use up all the towels in the bathroom….i could go on…
love your blog Alison, just wanted to say that
Alma ‘s last awesome post..Silence speaks when words cant
Alma, so much of that is hilarious!! Well, the pooping notsomuch
And thank you, for loving my blog. That means SO much.
Awesome! Those are so funny!
Thanks for compiling this.
Bonnie Way ‘s last awesome post..Announcing… Baby #3
Thanks for playing!
What an adorable post =)
Jamie ‘s last awesome post..The WINE Marketplace at the #lacountyfair
Thank you Jamie.
Twitter: WorldMomsBlog
says:
When you find the toilet paper roll completely unraveled!
Jen
Jen Burden @WorldMomsBlog ‘s last awesome post..BRAZIL: Pre-concepts
Haha!! Yes, that’s happened in this household too. Also completely empty boxes of tissue. And tissue everywhere.
Twitter: fromtracie
says:
This is so much fun. I love that first one – I’ve watched more accidental episodes of Good Luck Charlie at 10 pm than I care to admit.
Tracie ‘s last awesome post..Writing In The Quiet, Dark Morning
Thanks for playing! I too, have watched more children’s shows than I care to admit
Some of these are hysterical because they are oh so true!! Love it.
Barbara ‘s last awesome post..A day in the life…sans mots
I laughed through it all
Twitter: tatterscoops
says:
Hilarious response you got here, Alison and oh so true! For me it’s when you want to take a million pictures of a little person doing oh so mundane things hahaha.
Maureen | TatterScoops ‘s last awesome post..Wedding Bells
Haha, yes! I am so guilty of that
So many of these made me laugh out loud.
Lady Jennie ‘s last awesome post..Appointments in Paris
Me too!
What a fun post! I knew I was a parent when I found I could just NEVER get the house picked up. There’s always laundry or dishes or picking up to do. It.Never.Ends.
Leslie ‘s last awesome post..It’s Football Season!
I know that feeling so well!
I nodded my head all the way down this list. Yes, yes, yes! I too take take baths and showers without bothering to remove leftover toys! I too find princess jewelry left on my body! The single sock! The legos in the dark! The little people walking around my house in crazy get-ups! Oh, all of it. It feels good knowing we’re all in this together. Yay for that!
sarah @sundayspill ‘s last awesome post..don’t you know I still have the baby?
I know, yay!! I giggled when I pictured you with princess jewelry on you.
Twitter: copilotmom
says:
This post had me smiling. I can relate to so many of these. The writing on the walls, the toys, the socks and laundry; children do live here.
Kim@Co-Pilot Mom ‘s last awesome post..14 Years
Isn’t it wonderful, that we’re not alone?
I had to laugh out loud at the first one! Happens to me every single day. And the LEGO!!! And Lego is really expensive, so I do not want to vacuum it, even though I really should.
Mirjam ‘s last awesome post..Nature’s breeze
Do you think my children will forgive me if I NEVER buy them Legos?
Twitter: FotoFriendlyMom
says:
I love this! Thanks for the mention! I hope I get to wear fairy stickers and a matching fairy bracelet to the store someday
How funny!
MamaCassie ‘s last awesome post..11 Month Update on 9/11
Thanks for contributing! The fairy stickers one made me laugh out loud.
I’d say when you’re missing something important, like the car keys, and the first place you check is in your shoes….and they’re there!
Christine@TheAums ‘s last awesome post..3 Ways Potty Talk Has Helped My Parenting
Haha that’s too funny!
OH my gosh, the one about the wine rack, so funny! Although mine is still stocked out of necessity!
Elaine A. ‘s last awesome post..Lunch Love & Fun
You do what you have to, to survive
I have done the TV one more times than I care to count. Funny how we get used to the cartoon noise in the background.
Jessica ‘s last awesome post..Essence of Now: Expanding Our Brains
I know, right? I once watched an entire episode of Timmy Time while the toddler was doing something else.
Twitter: fiercedivablog
says:
I so, so relate! stepping on Legos – turning on the TV at night and it taking a while before I realize it’s a Kids’ show —- and that I can turn it off!
ilene ‘s last awesome post..Boot Camp
Those damn Legos!
Twitter: happymomsusan
says:
lego lego lego
The floor is always sticky somewhere and all the cereal boxes have cartoon characters on them.
susan ‘s last awesome post..Five Minute Friday – Focus
Seriously, Legos need to die.
Okay, not really.
BUT. Why are there always stray ones and why do we always have to step on them?
Twitter: happymomsusan
says:
But then I remember why I own legos. Remember the blissful silence that comes with a new Lego box?
susan ‘s last awesome post..Thankful Thoughts – Dear Hubby
Excellent point!
Love all you mamas commiserating with me on the Lego situation. Terrific post idea, Alison!
Thanks Jessica! (also rather clever since I didn’t have to write it, hah!)
Twitter: mrs_KarenC
says:
I am so glad I put my drink down…these are all so funny because they are true. I LOVE it… and life is so much better with them.
karen ‘s last awesome post..Focus, wedding dress, and soy ice cream
Good thing I gave a warning, would want spilled drinks all over keyboards
Twitter: lemondroppie
says:
I can definitely relate to the unmatched socks all over the house. My girls pull off their socks as soon as they remember they are wearing them! I also seem to find little scraps of paper and kleenex all over the floor after they play…
Ginny Marie ‘s last awesome post..Background of a Profile Pic (literally)
Oh yes, the scraps of stuff – same here!
Love all of these and have experienced most of them! Your initial inspiration caught me though – I came across a pink shopping cart holding a swaddled Elmo the other day, right in the doorway between kitchen and living room. And, like you, I left it there all day, just moving around it as if it was supposed to be there
Tricia ‘s last awesome post..Weekly Gratitude #41 – teachers
See, we barely notice these things anymore
Twitter: RealInto
says:
LOL! There are some really good ones in there. I especially liked the first submission. So true!
Carli ‘s last awesome post..Poppy Seed Projects: Review & Giveaway!
It’s happened to all of us!
Twitter: ashleytaylor76
says:
I think the running theme of LEGOs is HILARIOUS because boy can I relate! I missed this question which is a total bummer, since I see no one mentioned anything about naked Barbies on the kitchen counter…clearly, a void I could have filled!
thedoseofreality ‘s last awesome post..The Stars Are Just Like Us
Haha!! That’s hilarious. A picture is required.:)
Twitter: krrobi
says:
Sweet.
Love number 1 !!! x
My Inner Chick ‘s last awesome post..730 Days, Mercy, & Creme Brule
Because we’ve all done it!
Twitter: CourtneyKirklnd
says:
Oh man. I could go on and on with this one.
I do the same thing with Noah’s toys. I don’t even bother to pick them up until he goes to bed anymore. I just step over and around them until he’s asleep. Otherwise, I figure I’m just wasting time cleaning them up when they are going to end up back in the floor.
Courtney Kirkland ‘s last awesome post..Our Week via iPhone- week 3
I know! When the toddler was younger (i.e. before the baby was born), I would pick up after him all day. I knew it was pointless but I couldn’t help myself
I know I live with a child because there is evidence all around of me of someone eating all my food. Wrappers, plates, crumbs, napkins, cups….and someone keeps stealing my clothes. Seriously, not cool, girl-child. I told you to stop growing up!
Kristin ‘s last awesome post..5 Tips for Mud Runs
Haha, too cute!
All of these are so true! My addition: When you walk to a different bathroom rather than move the potty seat….
Natalie @MamaTrack ‘s last awesome post..She is My Girl
Good one!
Twitter: KalleyC
says:
Funny and so very true post. Legos are not fun. We have the larger one for preschoolers, and they are everywhere. I’m constantly trying to put the up and hiding the boxes somewhere (then feeling guilty after I hide them–never ending cycle.)
KalleyC ‘s last awesome post..Sunday Prayer: In Due Time
My toddler loves scattering the blocks around. Just for fun, you know.
Natalie (Mommy of a Monster) used to host a weekly meme: You Know You’re A Mom Whensdaze (here’s a link to mine, if you’re interested: http://www.lettersforlucas.com/category/whensdaze/). And I never had trouble coming up with a list. Ever! Thank you for including one of my favorite here.
Being a mom is so many little annoyances and challenges, but it also the sweet and tender moments too.
Tonya ‘s last awesome post..Ripped Away, Ripped Apart
Thank you for contributing and for sharing your list!
1. You find tiny socks, quarter-machine rings and little bottles of Gatorade by the armsful when you clean out your car (OK, so one of those could be mine)
2. When you buy a box of cookies/junk cereal/granola bars, the next time you often see that box is when you pick it up off the floor and put it in the recycling bin
3. You classify hair accessories by two all-inclusive categories: Those that hurt when you step on them, and those that don’t.
Eli@coachdaddy ‘s last awesome post..Five for Friday: Kids shows I kind of hate.
Haha, too funny!
Hee! Ohmygoodness, love!
(Mine is the pointing things out in the car like, “Look! A truck!” when you’re all alone! Ugh.
Love the hashtag and post idea, girl!
Galit Breen ‘s last awesome post..A Tiffany Tween Room
Haha, you’re adorable. xo