Here are some big ones, funny ones and a recent (and very expensive) one.

1. My mom told me that our family was “very fertile.” I didn’t believe her. Lesson learned here: Trust your mama. See also: The Chronicles of Munchkin Land.

2. A boy I knew in college wanted to date me. I told him that I couldn’t date him because I would never date a guy from Ohio, much less marry one. Lesson learned here? Don’t say never. I not only dated a (different) boy from Ohio but ended up marrying him and moving to Ohio.

3. I was dead set on continuing to work at the news station after BigBrother was born. So much so that I was really kind of not-super-nice and possibly judgmental of the expectant mothers in my due date community who were already at home with their kids or planning to stay home after their babies arrived. Lessons learned here are multiple: Don’t be judgmental snot because you know absolutely nothing. Don’t make plans when you know nothing about a situation or how you might feel. Kids change priorities. Really, this list goes on and on. It was one of my Ah-Ha! Moments that defined how I treat other moms (now, not then) and how I offer support to moms struggling with these very issues. Apologies to anyone I was a snot-face to during that time.

4. I like to try new recipes. I was fixing to put one in the oven when my husband told me to switch the vegetables I was planning on roasting to a pan with sides. I looked at him like he had two heads. Who was the chef that day? Me. Get out of my kitchen! You know. I put the pan of vegetables and oil in the oven. Shortly after, the oil, heated and moving, started dripping over the sides of the non-sided pan and landing on the heating element, sending fire and smoke up with every drip. My patient, loving, firefighter husband removed the pan and aired out the kitchen. And switched the vegetables to a different pan. Lessons learned here: When using oil, use a pan with sides. And always listen to your firefighter husband when it comes to matters of fire and safety. Duh, right?

5. I was running late the other day. I put my iPhone in my camera bag/purse, ran around the vehicle, reached in to get some work papers… when I heard something fall from my bag. I didn’t zip my bag when I put my phone in it. I knew immediately. Lessons learned here: Don’t rush. Always zip your camera bag and/or purse. Don’t forget to put the cover back on your iPhone after you change the screen protector. Sure, it fits nicely in your back pocket without the cover, but trust me, put the cover back on it. Don’t drop your iPhone face down on pavement with no cover. And always buy the extended Apple Care. Yeah. I wasn’t expecting this expense.

(Yes, I realize the number of unread emails I had. Always have. That happens in two hours. Crazy.)

I am now the owner of a Fancy Pants iPhone 4. I haven’t had a dropped call yet. I have a crazy protective case on this baby, and no, I haven’t yet let the boys play any of their games or apps since I bought it. BigBrother was shocked at the spiderwebbing of the screen and reminded me that I’m not supposed to drop the iPhone.

Lesson learned there? Listen to and follow the rules/advice you give your children. Ahem.

Lessons I’ve Learned the Hard Way is a post from Stop, Drop and Blog. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? Like our page on Facebook! If you have questions, contact me or hit me up via twitter.

See?

Here’s how all of this came about: I’ve been stalking my upgrade date for an iPhone via my AT&T web account for… months. Originally, I couldn’t upgrade until November of this year. When they released the iPhone 3Gs, AT&T bumped my upgrade date to August 10, 2009. (Also known as yesterday.) Now, we’re leaving for vacation in four days. I figured that I wouldn’t be able to purchase my iPhone until sometime in October as we have a lot of things going on including a radiator repair on our main vehicle. I figured that one month early would be just fine.

And then I won a $250 Visa gift card from All Thumbs Reviews courtesy of BlogHer and Capri-Sun. Not only was I excited but when I did the math, that gift card put us back above where we needed to be with respect to the car maintenance, leaving me free to do what I wanted with said gift card. When the gift card arrived on Saturday, the last possible mail date before the 10:00am open of my AT&T store on the morning of my upgrade date, I took it as a sign and ran with it.

My experience at the AT&T store was fabulous. True, I know the manager but, as a manager, he can’t make the sale. My salesman was wonderful, considerate of my time frame as I had two little boys who were giggly and ready to head to the library and, generally helpful with the sale. Soon enough, I walked out the door with my new iPhone 3Gs. Since then, I’ve fallen in love. Or, you know, as “in love” as you can be with an inanimate object.

I’ve downloaded various apps. (Twitterfon, Facebook, AIM, Klick (for flickr), WordPress and… on and on.) I’ve figured out how to program the weather for our city as well as for my parents town, Pittsburgh (my love), and Emerald Isle, NC (FOUR DAYS!). I’ve added various email accounts. I’ve added pictures from my computer so that pictures from my fancy dSLR show up when people call me. I’m not loving the camera (did I mention I own a dSLR) but I will survive. Really I feel that camera phones are made to capture funny license plates, misspelled signs and embarrassing moments out and about. I’ve upgraded to the 3.0.1 firmware so no one can turn my phone off with a wayward text message.

Did I mention that I’m in love?

(Did I also mention that it was ridiculously hot and humid today, making my hair insanely curly?)

And so, here I am. Four days from vacation with a brand new fancy phone that, in all reality, cost me absolutely nothing. I’m feeling pretty good right about now. The best part of the day, however, was the discussion I had with BigBrother on the way to the “phone store,” as I explained where we were going and what we were doing.

Me: We’re going to the phone store because I need to buy a new phone.

BigBrother: Is your phone broken?

Me: No. It’s just time for a new phone.

BigBrother: Is it an iPhone?

Me: How do you know about the iPhone?

BigBrother: *cue giggles*

And so the two Brothers ran around the house all day yesterday with their cardboard replicas of the iPhone, saying, “iPhone! iPhone! My phone! iPhone!” Interspersing that with, “FIVE DAYS!” But today, of course, it’s FOUR DAYS! FOUR DAYS until our glorious beach vacation.

Be prepared for lots of twitpics from my iPhone. Maybe even a whrrl story of our trip!

I Bought an iPhone 3Gs is a post from Stop, Drop and Blog. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? Like our page on Facebook! If you have questions, contact me or hit me up via twitter.