'These are the 8 lessons I learnt during the Christmas period.'

Well thank god that’s all over. The rush and the excitement of Christmas is over. Because I am pooped.

There are lessons to be learned at Christmas, I feel… and I’d like to share with you, what I’ve learned this Christmas.

The first, gratefulness. Like when you’re a 3.5 yr old, and you wake up with both your parents excitedly telling you that Santa has come! And Santa brought you the present you’ve been asking for, for two months, a bike! It’s a bike!

That Santa built till 4am in the morning while wrapping presents and wanted to throw that bike in the bin but knew how much you wanted it…. and have a look Luca and wow!! And they’re so excited for you they could cry… only for you to say, “I don’t want a bike. I want a motorbike. What else you got?” and cross your arms and go back to bed in a huff.

Patience, watching your child play with LEGO and try to connect the pieces and saying “I’ll do it!” And “I can’t do it” so you build it for them, and it’s a masterpiece in all it’s glory… and your child purposefully knocks it over and cries and tells you to do it again.

Sofia asleep in my arms! There were three hearts beating on that couch ❤️ couldn’t fit the caption in so I’ll put it in faces x ????

A post shared by The Mum On The Run (@themumontherun_) on Dec 26, 2017 at 12:38am PST

Acceptance… like how there are some relatives you wanna jab a few times in the face but… you can’t, so you just smile politely and fantasise about jabbing them instead.

Humility… like when you’re electric shavers’ battery runs out as you’re naked about to hop in the shower and your soon-to-be 2 year old sees you looking for battery’s and tries to grab your Public region and shouts “doggy” while pointing to it and your 3 year old also sees you and asks you if there is a baby in your bum. Humility. Maybe it’s humiliation? Same same.

Compassion, like when you ate the last slice of cake and your husband missed out… so you feel a deep sympathy for him, but it’s too late now that it’s deep in your belly, and you’re sorry but you snooze, you lose.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Self-discipline… when you try not to do it again the next day.

LISTEN: Mamamia Out Loud discusses the movies that you should watch this summer. Post continues after audio.

And time.

This is the third Christmas for a little boy that is growing up so fast, the second for a little girl who is growing to be an older sister and not the baby anymore (although she will always be my baby)… that every year they grow up bigger, and might need me a little less, but I’ll always need them.

And you know, I can’t remember the last time when she fell asleep in my arms, a moment I’ll never take for granted and never wish away again. Because I know how precious that time is now, how much those moments count and how time can take them away.

Last but not least, love.

Because I never knew I could love anyone else more than life itself, let alone 3 and 1/2 people, and now I understand why people at Christmas time will use the hashtag #blessed.

Laura Mazza is a mum and blogger at Mum on the Run. You can find more from Laura on the Mum on the Run Facebook page and Instagram.

In 2018 Mamamia is launching a new community called Ladystartups for women who work for themselves or dream of doing so some day. We’re already on Instagram (come join us @ladystartups) and we have big plans to help women grow their businesses, turn your side hustle into a full time gig or empower you to pursue your dream. Tell us what you want and need from us by taking this five minute survey and register at ladystartups.com to be the first to be updated when we launch.