Nine years ago today, my hair was in a seemingly impossible up-do of loops and pearl pins, the sun was shining brightly and the ground had miraculously dried out after a huge rainstorm the previous night, and I was about an hour shy of getting married. Not surprisingly, I’m feeling a bit reflective today, so I thought I’d share some lessons (nine of them, actually) I have learned over the last nine years. I hope some of these are helpful to you; if you have other family or partner lessons to share, please feel free to comment in below.

Last night I visited WGBH for a preview of FRONTLINE’s Digital Nation – an upcoming documentary that will explore how the Web and digital media are changing the way we think, work, learn, and interact - and a discussion with the documentary’s producer, Rachel Dretzin. The preview and discussion were truly thought provoking and I found that some of Dretzin’s opening comments really touched a nerve. She referred to her dominant emotion around the current digital age as anxiety, with a feeling that people are “drowning in a sea of emails and text messages.” She also expressed her disdain over realizing that her kids “reach for technology to fill an empty space.”

Today, Sheri offers great tips for encouraging math moments in everyday experiences: “Mathematical experiences are all around us in everyday situations that we don’t even realize, and it’s important to tap into these hidden experiences with our kids. Research shows that developing and encouraging math skills and problem solving at home provides children an advantage in school, as they now are asked at a very early age to understand number sense. Here are some easy and tangible ways to encourage “math talk” in everyday experiences. The truth is that the math opportunities are already there - you just have to notice them and grab the moment to share them with your child.

Today, parent educator Hetti Wohlgemuth shares tips for coping with parent preferences: “Parent preferences happen, even in the best of households. One sunny spring morning my husband took our then 3-year-old daughter tricycling. She soon fell off her tricycle and cried and cried. When Bob tried to help her (and all the way home) she cried, "Mommy! Mommy!" Today, it's Bob who gets the homemade Father's Day cards, the birthday phone calls, and the adoring looks from our daughters while I get, "Moooomm, you're not wearing that are you?" and " Moooomm, you're so embarrassing!"

Growing up, people often commented (somewhat inappropriately it occurs to me...) that I didn’t look like either of my parents (in the way my six siblings distinctly do). But I’ve always definitely felt like my mother’s daughter, so I couldn’t resist participating in the Parent Bloggers Network’s Mother’s Day Blog Blast in partnership with the Celebrity Hand Me Down charity auction. PBN is asking bloggers what they think their mothers handed down to them, and I decided to make this post a family effort, canvassing Jon and Laurel for their thoughts, and following with my own. I hope this weekend will offer you some time to reflect on and celebrate motherhood.

Once upon a time I was financially savvy. My checkbook was perfectly balanced, I paid off my school loans well in advance, and I did my own taxes. Then as the years passed and Laurel entered our lives, it was all about divide and conquer; I focused on domestic jobs and Jon took over the finances. And then one day I realized I was an independent businesswoman absurdly paralyzed by the prospect of dealing with my finances. Given said paralysis, I have a habit of tuning out financial talk, but yesterday, on an amazing call with finance expert Suze Orman, it wasn’t long before I was hanging on to her every word. Here's the amazing advice Suze shared, spanning women in business, student loans, saving for your child’s education, and home and personal finances. Also, at the conclusion is a gift from Suze (expiring at midnight 4/25)!

Today, PPLM Parent Education Program Manager Amy Cody shares tips for parents and teens regarding sexting: As parents, we know that taking certain risks is a natural part of development for teens. However, a recent survey by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and CosmoGirl.com indicates a troubling trend of teens electronically sharing sexually suggestive content (text, photos, videos) with people they know as well as complete strangers. Furthermore, the study showed that what teens are doing electronically seems to have an effect on what they do in real life.

Today, Michelle Stern of What’s Cooking shares tips for keeping the peace during meals: Parents often ask me how to handle family mealtime power struggles. First, remember that you are not alone if mealtimes = stress/whining/arguing/negotiating in your house. Here are some simple ways to get mealtimes back on track:

Today, parent educator Hetti Wohlgemuth shares tips on discipline, consistency, and complementary parenting approaches: Consistency. Consistency. Consistency. Such a BIG word when it comes to parents applying discipline. In our home - where my husband and I shared much of the childcare - it was unrealistic to assume that two such different but equally competent people would do childcare in the same exact way. So is this need/insistence on consistency vastly overrated?

Today, Carole Arsenault of Newborn Nurses offers tips for coping with biting during breastfeeding: “Ouch! Although a teething baby does occasionally bite the breast, it doesn’t mean that s/he needs to be weaned right away. The biting should be temporary, especially if baby has been nursing effectively up to this point. Here are some tips to help manage biting during breastfeeding: