Extreme potty training with Josiah

Potty training ran my life for 3 days one month ago ... but the rewards have been GREAT and Josiah's inconsistency in his poo & pee habits are no longer running mine day in and day out! I began the saga for training Josiah back in the beginning of July. I could tell he had been "ready" for quite awhile and he did good for a little while ... but then he began to regress, I began to get frustrated and all in all I realized there was a lot of inconsistency that I was allowing to happen. That's when I ran across the 3 day potty training method and after reading it realized that it was the right fit for both Josiah and I. So after taking a 14 day break from doing anything I put it into practice the last weekend of October.

This is a snapshot of my first day: We got up and had breakfast together. We then took all his diapers and padded training pants and told them "goodbye". We got all his new underwear from the dryer and put them in his drawer. I took him to the bathroom and introduced him to his new weeman urinal and told him that pee and poo were going in the bathroom from now on because he is a BIG boy! Then we went about our day. He made it to the bathroom first thing to go poo - he likes to hold on to mom and put his little head in the crook of my neck while he "does his thing". It's a little stinky but that's what he needs for now ... that's when he told me that I was his favorite superhero - awesome!! The rest of the morning and afternoon was him peeing in his underwear (or rather on the floor) and me rushing him to the bathroom saying, "yucky, now your underwear is wet". I got peed on twice during that time and spent a lot of time w/ vinegar-water and a rag :) I spent a lot of the day saying, "tell mommy when you need to go pee" and "are you still dry?" "Good boy, keep your underwear dry"! Finally at dinner time we sat down for our meal and he said, "I need to go pee" - which he hadn't done for about 2 hours. Chris was home so we made it a family affair and we all went into the bathroom together to see him go pee in his new urinal. And BOY did he go!! He "dumped" it back in the toilet, got his treat and Ellie led the procession out to the livingroom so we could "jump for joy" ... although Josiah refused to jump for joy until we changed it to, "jumping for Penny" (from the movie Bolt). He did GREAT the rest of the evening and when it came time for bed he went pee w/ his daddy and we tucked him in ... prepared for a night of changing sheets ... which never happened! He came out 20 mins after we put him down to go pee one last time and then Chris took him pee @ 3am.

It's been one month since those 3 days and I am happy to say that Josiah is fully potty trained. He has moved from going pee in his wee-man urinal to standing on a stool and going pee "just like daddy". We are working on him going all by himself now - something I remember doing w/ Elizabeth when I first trained her. If he doesn't need my assistance he gets a special treat and he LOVES that incentive! He still has accidents now and then - but mostly just little leaks from waiting too long. It's still hit or miss during the night. Sometimes he'll keep his bed dry all night long and other times he has accidents all thru the night! I decided a few days ago to use the padded cloth pull-ups I used with Elizabeth when she was his age and I have cut my laundry in half!! All in all I am VERY happy to not have to wash cloth diapers every other day - I do not miss the diaper days one bit!

it's been almost 2 weeks ...

since I removed the dvds from the livingroom and put the library books in their place. The first week was a bit tough with Elizabeth asking for a movie every day. Also every time I did her hair she asked for "PBS kids" (which we watch on our computer). I told her we weren't going to watch a movie every day anymore and so when the asking would start again I would sit on the couch with the kids and pull out a book. We've read SO many books over this past week. First of all I am absolutely amazed at the attention span of my 2 year old. We've been reading books for the 4 - 5 year old level and he has no problem sitting there the whole time. They will sit there for 20 - 30 minutes at a time just listening to me read! One would think that with all this reading my house would be messier than before ... the funny thing is that it's not any worse than when I when we were watching anywhere from 30 mins to 2 hours of a dvd per day. After talking to my friend Carrie about this I realized that unlike watching a dvd Ellie and Josiah are interacting with me the whole time we read together. They are getting an extra dose of love that they cannot get with a movie.

We watched a movie on Friday night together (well most of it was together) and since then they have only asked to watch a movie once. Even yesterday when I was doing Ellie's hair she didn't ask to watch anything ... she just played with her toys at the table along with Josiah.

It has been a wonderful transition for us all!

Rain!

I woke up around 3:30/4 this morning to the sound of the rain ... was SO excited to hear it pouring down and wished that I had a window in my room to open and listen even more! Had just drifted back to sleep when Ellie came into the room saying, "mom, you were mad at me in bed", "What?" I replied. "I had a dream and you were mad." I picked her up reassuring her that I was NOT mad and that I loved her. I then took her to the potty, put her back in bed and told her to listen to the sound of the rain that God was sending for her to listen to. Her eyes were wide and her smile got big as she talked about how she couldn't wait for morning when she could put her boots and raincoat on and go jump in the puddles! Somewhere between 4 and 5 she came in yet again and I tucked her back into bed ... then Josiah woke up screaming about his "pee-pee" hurting him ... took him pee and told him to listen to the rain. He was so excited to wake up and go out in the rain that I'm surprised he actually fell back to sleep!

It's so fun to share with my children the joy of weather and change in the seasons!

God is so good

My son loves this song ... found him standing on top of my laundry basket singing this on the top of his lungs yesterday. Such a beautiful sound to hear your children singing praises to the Lord. It truly is a picture of the verse in scripture that says, "...out of the overflow of the mouth, the heart speaks." (Luke 6:45)

I am praising the Lord this morning because he is good. The past year and especially the last few months have been a tough journey for our family. We have been struggling financially in a way that we've never struggled before. We have had to let all of our credit cards go, stop paying on most of our mortgages (we have several investment properties), have lost one property to foreclosure, we are the in process of declaring bankruptcy, have bills due this next week that I have NO idea how we will pay and the list goes on.

Yet the Lord is faithful.

• I began babysitting a little boy at the beginning of summer - that's the Lord's provision.
• A friend called us right after we prayed about our bills a few weeks ago and offered to loan us the money we needed to get through the end of the month - that's the Lord's provision.
• I am on the end of all my tea/coffee and lately I haven't been able to get through the day w/o some caffeine ... yesterday I won a coffee and tea package at a babyshower - that too is the Lord's provision.

Those are just a few of the things that come to mind as I sit here in the early morning, yet the point is not in a list - the point is that HE is faithful and takes care of His own!

All the while my husband works and works to try to see deals close in real estate. He's even going to drive a trailer one day this month and deliver a bunch of packages through a gig he found on craigslist. I'm so proud of him and the way he's stuck to his work even though there has yet to be real payoff AND that he is looking for alternative and creative ways to provide for his family.

I will continue to praise HIM, continue to trust in HIM, continue to "lift up my eyes to the hills" for He is faithful. (Heb 10:23)

I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?

My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

Ps 121:1-3

Pottytraining Standstill (dun, dun, dun)

I would say that Josiah is 80% pottytrained. If we are out and I'm consistent it taking him he does GREAT. And he's 100% going poo on the potty - w/ or w/o underwear on. When we are home & he's naked he is probably 90 - 95% but when he's got underwear on - forget about it! I think we both just get busy w/ the day and forget! But the lights will click for him one of these days ...

The last few days he's been a little stinker by peeing whenever he feels like it ... even if his potty is RIGHT there! It used to be that he would have an accident and I would "find it" now he's been going and telling me about it!! I can't wait for this to be over so I can get my carpets steam cleaned and move on!

I think I probably started him a bit on the young side - would be easier to train them when they are 2 1/2 or 3 - like I did Ellie, but I was just done w/ diapers and having him poo in the toilet is a WAY better trade off!

the Boba Organic 2G

I got to pick out a new baby carrier for my birthday ... the Boba Organic 2G! After having the Ergo carrier for the past 3 years it was fun to try something new! I chose the Boba mainly because it has the foot-rests for a toddler.

Here are the pluses that I found:

• Super comfy ... straps have a lot of padding and make it nice to wear!
• Adjustable buckles that are attached onto the straps. They move up and down easily and won't fall off!
• Adorable, fun designs!
• The hood can come off! A definite plus for those with toddlers who don't need this feature very often.
• The ergo accessories also work w/ the Boba. I have the front pouch & backpack.
• Extremely comfortable (did I already mention that?). I have carried up to 40 lbs without "feeling" it.
• My children (3 1/2 and 2) both love it too!

Cons:

• Cannot be used for a brand new baby (unless maybe you use the ergo insert or a blanket to help keep baby in? Didn't try as I don't have a little baby) so perhaps this is not a con?
• Can only be used on the front or the back unlike the ergo which has a side option ... but I honestly have not missed this feature
• Does not have a pocket in the front like the ergo ... I do miss this a little bit

As for those foot-rests? Well, I found that they weren't too helpful unless we were going on a hike. Otherwise Josiah doesn't want his foot in them - at all! But they don't get in the way and for the times that we hike I use them, but otherwise ... not so much...of course then there was last night and the boots that are just a tad bit big for Josiah - kept them on perfectly!

All in all an AMAZINGLY comfy carrier that I really like and am glad that I have it. We use it all the time (the Ergo has taken a backseat for now) and I would definitely recommend it to others!

Where can YOU find this carrier (and others)? Check out my best friend from Junior High (yes, we go that far back) Amber's site, Heavenly Hold. She is a knowledge of wealth on all subjects related to baby-wearing and has excellent customer service! She is EVEN selling the Boba Classic which is just like the 2G but is a bit less expensive and not organic. Don't settle for the Baby Bjorn ... there is WAY more out there to choose from!

THIS is why my children can't share bedrooms ...

Josiah.

My son "sings" himself to sleep. And the last 3 nights he has fallen asleep on the ground. I've been able to transfer him to his bed on two of the nights but last night I couldn't even open the door to get to him!

Early mornings (usually between 7 and 7:30) he comes out, asks to go pee and then I bring the rocking horse back to his room for him to rock on until his monkey wakes up. This morning I heard him come out of his room so I walked down the hall to intercept him. Instead I watched from the bathroom as he went into our room, grabbed his horse, pulled it down the hall to his room, shut the door and started riding. Yaaay!! He's SO my sweet little boy.

Gotta LOVE the monkey ... eyes closed: it's not time to get out of room, eyes open: come on out!

check out my new blog

I'll be the first to admit that this blog has been a bit messy at times. But that's ok!! I've recently begun a blog about my homeschooling experience ... that's right I'm homeschooling my little kiddos! I thought it would be fun to write about my experience as well - and be a bit more "focused".

I will still write down my random thoughts here but I also want to share with you my homeschooling experience so check it out over at "Schooling that shines".

tara :)

a new way to exercise

I find that working out with two kids is near impossible - without a gym membership and/or childcare. I try, I really do, I'll get up at 5:30 3 days a week for pilates - that might go on for a week or a month but eventually I'm burned out. I tried jogging in the stroller with them - I have a flat now and haven't fixed it yet ;) Trying to find time and the energy to do anything in my "spare" time is exhausting and obviously not working!

This past Friday we walked to a house 2 miles away to get lemons. A gal who is apart of my freecycle group and was giving them away for free - yaay, lemonade!! We started out w/ Jonathan (the boy I babysit) in the double stroller (not jogger, cuz remember that one has a flat), Josiah riding his "tractor" and Ellie on her trike. 1/4 of a mile into it Josiah decided he was done so I loaded him up and hooked his tractor onto the stroller. 1/2 mile into it Ellie decided she was tired so with one hand I pushed the boys (about 60 - 70 lbs) and pulled Ellie (her bike has a handle on the back). For the remainder of our walk every time we went uphill I pushed and pulled, every time we went downhill I got a break! The last 1/4 mile I had Ellie in the stroller w/ her trike and Josiah's tractor riding along and Josiah on my back - I felt a bit like a pack mule! By the time we got home I felt amazing and ready to get out there again!

Tornado Jo

Elizabeth was yelling at us from the other room this evening while Chris and I were getting dinner ready. As we made our way to the livingroom we heard a loud "boom". There was Josiah, bottoms off (which is usual since we are potty training) and t-shirt soaked, the portable white board fallen over on the ground, "I hurt myself" he said to Chris as we walked into the room. That was when I heard the water running ... walked into the hallway to see the toothpaste opened, soap out, etc on the ground. Turned the corner to walk into the bathroom. Water POURING out everywhere. Apparently that is why Ellie was yelling for us to come!

10 minutes and 3 beach towels later I had cleaned up the mess, emptied the entire under-the-sink area, including 4 soaked toilet paper rolls & Ellie's container of hair supplies. At least I got a head start in cleaning the bathroom - it was on the agenda for tomorrow anyway!

Then we ate dinner. The whole time we were eating Josiah was complaining about his tummy hurting. He asked to go pee twice ... the second time he threw up in the hallway. No fever, no other symptoms and he was ravenous right afterwards. Our thoughts are that he drank some of the water, ate some of the toothpaste and maybe even some soap? and then felt "yucky". He certainly keeps us on our toes!

watching movies on the BIG screen

Today we went to the movie theater to see Charlottes Web starring Dakota Fanning with Julia Roberts as Charlotte. Our local theater does children's movies twice weekly throughout the summer for free. A few weeks ago we went to see Curious George. The kids LOVED it! Today was equally as fun. Elizabeth did wonderful, of course. Sat in her seat the whole time, eating popcorn and then having a lollipop. I had to take Josiah out twice to go potty (way to go Jo!) and by the last 30 minutes of the movie he just wanted to run around. As SOON as the credits/song came on Josiah ran right up to the front and was dancing his heart out! Ellie soon joined him, which quickly led to them running circles around the middle seats! We were almost the last to leave! It was a very fun outing for us to do together. I'm thinking about taking them to see Muppets in Space next week ... but we'll see!

Housekeeping

I just ordered the book Organic Housekeeping from Amazon a couple of weeks ago. Cannot WAIT to receive it! I had borrowed it from the library about a month ago, read thru most of it, took lots of notes and realized that I needed to have it in my possession as a "manuel" of sorts! It has helped me tremendously in my housekeeping, my desire to use non-toxic chemicals as I clean and to spend the least amount of time possible doing that cleaning!

A few "items" I discovered that makes my cleaning even easier is Bon Ami cleanser, baking soda & vinegar. I already knew about the latter two but the Bon Ami ... it's amazing! And it's been around since the late 1800's - go figure!

Now that I've got the ingredients I just need to actually put it into practice!! I'm still not yet cleaning my bathrooms once a week ... it will happen tho, I'm determined!

just in the nick of time...

Could hear Josiah "talking" himself to sleep (sounds more like "eh, eh, eh" than real talking. Sounded like he was out and so I went in to grab a stuffed animal that Ellie wanted ... Josiah was on his horse, eyes shut, swaying from side to side - about to fall off! I'm SO glad that I went in at that moment and swooped him into bed. Now that he's in his own bed I'll need to pay closer attention!

Adventures in Potty Training

Whenever we go out of the house Josiah does wonderful going potty! On Saturday we went blueberry picking at a local farm and on our way there he said, "I gotta go potty". We pulled over to the side of the road and sure enough, he had to go!

Yesterday he woke up and had his bm before he even got out of bed. We left the house @ 11ish and were gone until 3ish. While at the zoo Josiah went potty twice and did not pee in his training pants at all! It was great! We got home and after his nap he had only pee'd a tiny bit in his waterproof training pants. The rest of the evening went well. Today I kept his training pants off after b-fast because I knew that a bm was coming. About 2 hours after waking up he started dancing around running back and forth to the potty chair and back to play. Finally he sat on the potty, asked me to "hold him" and he poo'd! I acted too quickly tho ... took the potty chair to the bathroom (while putting him in training pants) and when I came back he had gone more ... apparently he wasn't finished! About an hour later Ellie came inside telling me that Josiah had taken his underwear off ... I looked outside and he had gone poop and decided to take them off. Kudos for not wanting to play in dirty underpants! I rinsed him off in the shower and the rest of the morning before nap he kept peeing in his pants or on the floor with only a couple times in the toilet.

I don't understand it ... at the zoo he'll go more than an hour w/o peeing and then at home I can't even keep track of any pattern! I just need to be his personal assistant and not let him out of my site ... of course then I wouldn't get anything done ... no lunch, the other kids wouldn't be cared for ... but perhaps there is a fine line that I'm not yet walking to get this kid fully trained! Perhaps I'm the one that needs some training!! Only 9 more days before we go out of town ... I better turn up the heat!

Outing with the kiddos

Yesterday we had some errands to do in Simi (the town next to us). I loaded up the kids after Josiah had his bm and off we went. The kids HAD to bring their blankets and when we got out of the truck to go to the bank Ellie insisted on bringing hers with her. Josiah had on his little backpack (with a convenient leash for mom) and kept informing me that he was "Buzz Lightyear"! I told the kids to go sit on the chairs once we got inside and I went up to the teller. Ellie spent her time setting up her blanket so her doggy could sit on the chair safely. Josiah was running around all the chairs and trying to climb up them (on the sides) proclaiming loudly, "I Buzz Lightyear"! I wish I had had a video camera it was so funny - especially when their two "agendas" collided!

On another note Josiah did WONDERFUL out. He never once peed in his underwear and was very responsive when I would set up his potty chair and tell him to go!

in love ...

This is very strange for me to say ... but it's very rare that a "chick-flick" actually causes me to fall more in love with the man I am married to. I think most movies aimed at women and relationships are meant to cause us to envy and want MORE than we currently have. I could be wrong, but that's usually the impression I get. Not tonight, however. I watched 'Leap Year' with Amy Adams (who I absolutely love) and ended the movie really thankful for my husband AND for how the Lord brought us together 10 years ago. It really was a "fairy-tale" story in a lot of ways, and although the road hasn't always been easy I am SO glad to be where I am today!

it was a little gross

Day 3 in potty training Josiah. We met in a park w/ some friends in the morning for Church so I told Josiah he was a big boy and put underwear on him for the day. Every 20 minutes or so I had him sit on the potty and he did pretty good. . . until he had his bm. Changed that and he did well again. Got home and he played in the playroom after naptime. During that time he went all by himself to the potty, carried it to the bathroom AND flushed it down the toilet. Don't get to excited tho ... he must have somehow got some of it out and walked w/ it all the way to the kitchen. Needless to say I cleaned up a lot of poo yesterday.

Day 4 (today). We were getting ready to go to the zoo w/ some friends. I was preparing lunch when Ellie came in to say that, "Josiah went poop"! Great. Spent the next 15 minutes cleaning, wiping, disinfecting (thank GOD it was on the tile). Thought he was done. Went to wash out the potty chair ... he wasn't done. Came back to find yet another pile to clean up. Yuck. The zoo was uneventful. Josiah did great! He peed in his underwear on the way there (but it was a waterproof) and then I just sat him on his potty every 20 minutes or so. He LOVED it ... I could tell he felt like he was big and important like sister Ellie. On the way home he fell asleep, we ended up at Costco and when he woke up I put them in the bed of the truck and then proceeded to get the potty chair out and set up. That's when he said, "I pee in my underwear." Thanks Jo ... at least that's all it was. At home tonight things went well. A couple of accidents and he even ALMOST made it to the potty chair for his bm ... he made it to the paper - good job! Now I just need to make him SIT until he is completely DONE!

I'm not giving up! Gonna press in even harder tomorrow!

no more diapers: day 1 & 2

Yesterday was the day we told Josiah he was a big boy and didn't need diapers anymore - except at night (of course). The day started off good. Caught him "bearing down" for a bm mid-morning. Stuck the potty chair under him, which was met with a little bit of resistance, and then happily flushed it down the toilet! The rest of the day we had a couple little accidents (pee) here and there - but I just kept reminding him that he was a big boy and needed to go on the potty! Caught his second bm right before dinner ... then after dinner I forgot what we were doing and realized he was in the playroom all alone. I ran in to find that he had squished his bm into the carpet - at least it was in the playroom. YUCK! I knew it wasn't going to be completely smooth sailing but this was a bit gross ... But on a good note he was proclaiming to all of us at the dinner table that he was not wearing diapers anymore!

Today has gone better so far. This morning he was dancing around in the playroom obviously needing to go #2. I kept offering him his potty chair and he kept refusing. Finally after about 20 minutes or so of that he laid down on the ground and asked for a diaper. Um ... NO! Stuck him on the potty chair and all came out good! During the first part of his nap he was NOT sleeping and I heard him thru the monitor asking to go pee! Good boy! Then once he was up he was crying a lot and I could tell we were dealing w/ yet another bm. He finally stopped being clingy and I left him in his playroom for 2 minutes ... came back and there it was on the ground - but this time I was smart and put down a covering on the ground!

Almost bedtime so we'll do this again tomorrow! In 17 days we are going on a trip so I must have him potty trained by then!

week one exercise

I feel like I did really good last week! Monday and Wednesday I got up early and did a 40 minute pilates video. Tuesday and Thursday I ran 2 miles in 25 minutes (while pushing 50 lbs). I was going to get up early on Friday to do pilates again - but Josiah was up before my alarm went off (5:40). Those darn 2 year molars! Instead I walked 2 miles (40 minutes) w/ another mom while Ellie had her last dance class.

Now I just need to focus on eating healthier! Been having one to many late night snacks the last couple weeks ... or so.

This next weeks goals? Pilates on Monday, Tuesday and Friday. Run on Wednesday and Thursday. Play with my family at the zoo on Saturday (dad & mom coming down for a visit this weekend)!

30 minutes later ...

and they are STILL eating breakfast! We started out with toast and scrambled eggs w/ spinach & cheese. They were still hungry so they ate a bowl of shredded wheat (Josiah ate 2), Ellie ate an apple and now they are eating a bowl of corn flakes!

Must be going through a growth spurt!

I ran!

After writing about exercise I checked back outside and it wasn't raining anymore It smelled SO fresh and clean out that I just had to get out and run! So once the kids were up I warmed up some frozen pancakes, loaded them up in the stroller and headed out. This was my second run since I got my real running shoes. I did a 2 mile loop in about 25 minutes ... last time I only made it 1.5 miles - so I felt better about finishing the run this time! I had to go up a hill at the 1.5 mile mark and pushing 50 pounds going up a hill is NOT easy - but I just put my head down and pushed through!

One of these days I'm going to push the kids (not run) up tarantula hill ... I'll post a picture of that one when the time comes. It's across the street from my house and it's not easy.

exercise

Since I do not have a gym membership I have to come up with my own things to do for exercise. Sometimes that is exhausting with two kids! Last week I did nothing ... but I have "that time of month" to blame ;) This week I began by planning out what I was going to do ... pilates on Mon, Wed & Fri and running 2 miles on Tues/Thurs. It's raining today, only a light drizzle, but I'm not running. If we lived in Portland or somewhere where it rained A LOT I would go ... but we live in sunny Southern California ... I'm not running. I also don't feel bad ... my plan is my plan - but it's not a law ... and if you really knew me you would know that I create laws all the time for myself and then beat myself up for not keeping them. For instance, I MUST get up @ 5:30 every day to read the Word, prepare for the day (or exercise) and be showered and ready for the kids to be up by 7:30. I did that for awhile ... and that was good. But I'm learning that was a season and the Lord was using it in my life to teach me some valuable things about discipline - but I'm not in that season right now and that is okay!

That being said - I'll still run twice this week ... I'll just do it on Saturday and report back then on how the rest of the week goes!

Lessons learned

This evening I had to run out to Trader's right before dinner so when I got home I was in quite a rush to get the meal made so we could eat "on time". Ellie really wanted to help and Jo just wanted to be wherever she was. Initially I let them help but then I got annoyed b/c it wasn't going fast enough and shooed them out of the kitchen. Josiah didn't care but poor Ellie went away crying, "mom, you told me I could help". I was just so frustrated and at that moment I heard the Lord saying to me, "Tara, she just wants to spend time with you ... push her away now and she won't want anything to do w/ you when you want it" ... ouch! I did NOT want to hear that - and I told him so but I knew I needed to draw her back in and take the time to include her in what I was doing. In the end it was amazing. Both Josiah and Ellie ended the evening thinking that they had made dinner and that ended up being very beneficial because this is a soup they normally don't eat - and they both wolfed it down! They were so proud of themselves for helping to make dinner. In Josiah's words, "mommy, you're a good cook ... Ellie, you're a good cook".

So glad that I listened to God and let my children mess up my orderly life!

"People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them."
Mark 10:13 - 16

ick

This was the day Josiah's diaper decided to fall off and deposit his poop on the kitchen floor. I was busy at the kitchen counter when I turned around just in time to see Josiah put his finger in him mouth ... that's right ... good thing is he didn't like what he tasted and I was officially grossed-out!

I was on the phone w/ my mom later watching Ellie in the backyard. She decided to take her panties off, set up her portable potty (we have the potette plus) and go pee in it. I thought she was just pretending ... until she picked up the plastic bag that was around the chair and brought the pee over to me. At least I know that she could do it all on her own if she needed to!

Hopefully tomorrow will be less exciting ...

another reason I like cloth diapering

like cloth diapering? Let me rephrase that ... I LOVE cloth diapering! Since I've been doing it for 3 years and 3 months now I BETTER like it. I was recently reminded of my love when I left the kids w/ a babysitter for half a day - 1:30 - 8:00. I left her with paper diapers and during that time he was only changed twice!! I was appalled when I got home and counted the diapers I had left out - what?! Now, I'm not upset at the babysitter ... if I had been I would have chastised her immediately ... no, I'm just upset that paper diapers give the "illusion" of the child not needing to be changed! I would do it too! With cloth diapers if the kid is wet, you better change him! I can go a bit longer with an AIO than a regular cotton diaper but I still try not to!

Usually at home I use prefolds or fitteds so that I'm forced to change him more frequently ... part of this is so that he doesn't get comfortable in the pee - ick! When I'm out and about I use the AIO's so that I can go a bit longer ;) Another reason I like it - and this may sound very gross - but when I flush the poo down into the toilet I get to see how my baby is eating/digesting his food, I am intimate with my child's poo - and I'm ok with this (on most days)!

And how about the cost?! Well, I haven't bought a new cloth diaper in at least 9 months - maybe more - and I haven't purchased a paper diaper since December! How about that in savings?! I do buy paper inserts from time to time (makes the poo easy to dispose of, esp when out and about) but other than that my diaper-buying is very minimal.

I STILL use Charlie's Soap and I LOVE it! We use it for ALL our laundry because the actual washing machine has to be free of any other detergents for it to work properly and that would just be too much of a hassle any other way! If you ever decide to try it please give them my name and I'll get some free soap out of it - what a great company! I've also called and emailed Charlie's Soap with questions and they are VERY helpful over there!

Besides Charlie's Soap I also use Oxy Clean Free when washing my diapers - which I buy at Target every couple months or so .... as you can see my costs really ARE minimal!

Today is diaper day so I better get back to that load I have in the washer and get it hung up on the line to dry!

it's official ...

No more pacifier for Josiah!

This is how it happened. As you may know Josiah LOVES his moose w/ the paci attached. It has been that way since he was about 3 weeks old and has saved us many nights of crying these past 21 months. However I knew it couldn't (and shouldn't) last forever so I came up with a plan and was getting ready to go thru with it when he bit thru the paci on the moose right before bedtime 3 nights ago. I sprung into action, cut the paci from the moose, grabbed the remaining pacifier and told Josiah that the moose didn't need the paci anymore. Gave Josiah the paci and the moose and put him to bed. For two days he was only allowed the paci in the crib ... it went well. Okay, so he got a little upset when I would put the paci away and out of his reach in the mornings ... in fact he threw his moose a few times in frustration but he would get over it quickly.

My plan was to let this go on for a week or so and then take the paci away all together. I believe though that the Lord, in his divine wisdom, first of all allowed me to not remember to buy more paci's as back ups AND "hid" the remaining paci from me last night. I looked EVERYWHERE for it last night and could not find it anywhere! Finally I picked up Josiah, his blankie and his moose and told him we were going to bed. He was a bit confused and asked for his paci - I just said it was all gone and after a few minutes he excepted it and fell asleep just fine. He hasn't asked for it since then!

...and wouldn't you know I found the pacifier this morning right next to the sink ... near where I had been looking yesterday!

the sound of the song birds

Some mornings we get serenaded by crows ... not a nice sound - this morning there is the beautiful sound of many birds chirping outside. One in particular can really sing. Aaaah, thank you Lord for the beauty of your creation!

Speaking of birds. Right outside our playroom (which is a sunroom) we have a nest full of baby birds. The children have really enjoyed watching the babies come up for food, seeing their mommy fly over to care for them and watching them go "poo-poo" outside of the nest (yes, my children think that is cool). I'm so glad that they can see God's creation right outside our backdoor.

A few days ago Ellie pointed outside and said, "It's a duck!" Without looking I replied, "No, those are birds"...but no, they were ducks! And out she ran after them! They flew over the fence into my MIL's backyard and I lifted the kids up to watch them swimming around in her pool!

Now before the kids get up I'm going to sweep and mop! Tired of walking around on a dirty floor!

I like tea

I've always enjoyed drinking tea but since having my children I have need just a little bit of caffeine in the mornings and another boost in the afternoons to effectively get through my day. Sometimes I treat myself to a nice cup of decaffeinated tea in the evenings too. Rooibos is always nice. I have a couple of good friends from South Africa who introduced me to Rooibos (pronounced Roy-bos).

My children enjoy tea as well. We've had a couple of tea parties with Ellie's tea set. Complete with milk & sugar and everything ending up all over the floor as well! Tea parties w/ a rambunkcious 21 month old is messy though! I have to have a towel at my side to clean up all this spills!

So does it matter what kind of tea I give my children? I don't know much about it and have really only been giving them the rooibos tea - but I know that there are specific teas out there for children I just don't know if it's worth it to go out and spend the money on them!

I also have some mint growing in my backyard ... need to find a good recipe for making fresh mint tea ... and anything else mint is good for - hate to see it just going to waste!

Early morning bird

Josiah wakes up every morning @ 7am. He talks in his bed for a bit and then calls me after he has had a BM. A few weeks ago I tried getting him up and on the potty right after I heard him. Needless to say he sat on the potty for an hour and 30 minutes after putting his diaper on him he finally went. We haven't tried that again. It seems a shame to me to have to change him every morning when he is so consistent but I just don't know how to get him to transition to going in the potty!

Will the drama never end?

Even in her sleep there is drama. We put Ellie to bed last night at about 8:30. She was up at least 3 or 4 times. First to go potty, then she fell OUT of her bed (which woke Josiah up), then she peed in her bed. Now @ 7:20 she just came out because her "bed isn't perfect" (the night before it was her room that wasn't perfect). I woke up exhausted. I'm so glad that I'll be getting a couple hours of a break today because I need it. Anyone who has children knows that it's nice to get a break when they are sleeping but to get a break when they are awake? Now THAT is golden!

bringing in my 33rd year

Woke up this morning to the sound of Josiah bouncing in his bed. I waited in my bed until I heard him yelling, "right now, right now, right now" followed by "mommy, mommy, mommy". Changed a dirty diaper and rocked him (one of his favorite activities) until Ellie got up 45 minutes later. Breakfast and then we made some yummy granola bars, courtesy of Sugar Plum blog :) Josiah spent most of the morning either crying, being held or chasing me trying to be held. Half way into the granola bars I did resort to a few episodes of 'Curious George' and that helped me regain my sanity a bit once again!

Did Ellie's hair while she watched George and the granola bars almost burned . . . oops. Fortunately they were still VERY yummy! I would prefer them not to be quite as sweet - but I still really liked them! I didn't put any white chocolate on the kids bars :) My MIL came over w/ three bags of clothes for Ellie . . . yaay for grandma's . . . and then took Ellie out for lunch (double yaaay)!

Spent some time w/ Josiah (after taking some allergy medicine) in the backyard. Beautiful day outside . . . I was in a sundress ... it was 75 degrees today!! My birthday friend Kristi called me and we chatted while I rocked Josiah to sleep on the hammock ... wish I had a picture of that ... little baby boy laying beside me with his blanket, Woody on one side and his moose on the other. Precious. Put him down in his crib.

Back to work, tidied the kitchen, worked on some bills and waited for Miss Elizabeth to come home. She took a nap once she arrived home and Josiah woke up in time for me to take another important phone call from another special friend (who doesn't share my b-day tho) - Carrie.

After playing in the backyard we went inside for a snack. Ellie woke up to join Josiah in eating the granola bars. They loved them and Josiah, unfortunately carried his all over the house - unbeknown to me!

Before dinner we made yet another mess in the kitchen by making Sugar Plums, Chocolate-Orange Ricotta Torte. The kids left about half-way through and played outside until they couldn't handle it any more. Then it was another couple episodes of 'Curious George' (did I mention we LOVE that monkey?) and dinner...

Dinner was crock pot corned beef & cabbage w/ carrots. Wouldn't recommend this recipe - although the corned beef was yummy! Kids ate well and then we ate the "birthday cake" and they sang "happy birthday" for me. Regarding the Torte . . . it was very yummy...the picture makes it look a little more dense and I was hoping for a bit more of a chocolatey taste. But all in all it was VERY good, the kids polished theirs down fast. Chris even had a whole piece (and he doesn't like "fruit flavored desserts") and I enjoyed mine as well. It was very light and reminded me of a chocolate "snack" cake I ate once. Yum!

After "teamwork" (clearing the table together) we all hung out in the playroom, mommy folding diapers, Josiah and daddy reading books and Ellie being, well, Ellie.

Put the kids to bed and now it's time for me to get off this computer, tidy up the kitchen and go to bed!

Oh...and my birthday surprises aren't even done! Going to spend time getting pampered at a hair salon on Saturday morning and spend the evening going out to dinner with Chris!

what a day

Chris has been gone for 2 days now and will be gone for 2 more. I don't think I would be cut out to be a single mom - I have to give kudos to the single moms, moms whose husbands are in the military or travel a lot out there - it's a hard job to do it all by yourself!

Yesterday was a bit easier than today. The highlight of the day was picking up a double jogging stroller for cheap and eating dinner @ Carrows in Ventura. Food wasn't fabulous - but the kids ate free and a kind couple sitting near us took care of our bill for us! You can't beat that!!

Today started by me procrastinating my alarm. It went off @ 5:30 and I finally rolled out of bed @ 6:30 . . . Jo was up about 20 minutes after that and Ellie soon after. However I was able to get last nights dishes in the dishwasher and wipe down the kitchen counter before they were up! They started the day by taking out all of my fabric and spreading it all around the dining room floor (where it still sits). After breakfast I gave them a quick bath, got them dressed and put on a short movie so I could do Ellie's hair (it turned out very cute)! At 9ish my MIL came over and we headed out to do some errands before Ellie's dance class @ 10. Ellie had a good dance class and then the kids played at the park until lunch time. We went out to lunch and then "window-shopped" (which I don't enjoy at all) until Josiah started to lose it. By 2pm we were home and I was rocking Jo to sleep. He took a 2 hour nap & Ellie spent those 2 hours by herself in her room. I enjoyed some "me" time on the computer for my break :) After naps we ate a quick snack and Josiah continued to melt down until we got in the truck and headed out for MORE errands (@ 5:30). Now THIS is where the fun REALLY began. We got to the first bank and there was a line. Ellie went right over to the chairs, sat down and began a conversation with a gal who was so patient and seemed to thourally enjoy chatting w/ a 3 year old. It was so sweet and I was SO thankful. Jo finally convinced me to let him off of my back and he went to join the party. The chatted while I waited in line and then Jo came to "help" me w/ my transaction while Ellie continued talking with her new friend. We arrived at the second bank 10 minutes before closing and in my rush to open the door I failed to see that Ellie was behind the door, hit her in the nose and knocked her down. Three of the guys working there RUSHED over to see if everything was okay and one even went to the local Jamba Juice to get some ice for her. Meanwhile my deposit was taken care of and Josiah drew a picture of Nemo to share with everyone. We made it back to the truck with no mishaps and headed over to Daphne's for dinner. Took us awhile to make it inside, however because Josiah was more interested in the really cool fountain/light show to the music that was going on outside. He was so interested that he stood at the window crying while I stood in line to order. Dinner went well and afterwords, while I cleaned up, the kids took their "WetWipes" and proceeded to clean everything in sight. We went back outside to enjoy the water, went home and they were in bed by 8.

I'm exhausted, my house is a mess and I'm sitting at the computer to "unwind" while waiting for Chris to call!

But only 2 more days and as I read back my post it doesn't look quite so ominous - I think I've got it pretty good!

french braiding

I have been practicing my french braiding on Ellie. Today was the first day that I actually french braided her hair w/out her watching a movie to distract her! I can't wait until I can do two french braids in her hair. It's been so rewarding to learn something new! I watched a tutorial online to learn the basics and then just started practicing!!

LONG night

So glad I went to bed @ 9:30 and was asleep before 10 last night! Ellie & Jo were both up and screaming @ 12:30. Ellie hasn't yet realized that it's ok to need to go pee and there doesn't need to be drama associated with it. You just wake up, get yourself to the bathroom, pee & go back to bed. But no she's all out of sorts, comes and gets me and cry's in her "whiny" sort of way the whole time! So I took her pee, Chris tried to take care of Jo but 15 mins after he put him back down Jo was screaming again. I comforted him and put him back in his bed. I thought I heard him say something about a drink when I put him down and sure enough 15 minutes later he needed me again! This time I was SURE he said drink since he was doing the motions for it! He WAS thirsty!! Let him lay down w/ us for a bit then put him back in bed to get some sleep. Ellie was up AGAIN sometime between 1 and 5 because she was HOT . . . I guess she also doesn't know how to take the covers off on her own! Helped her out and then slept until 5 . . . she was up again to pee . . . my alarm went off at 5:30 . . . hit snooze until 6. What a night!! At least I have my Yerba Matte to get me through today!!

It's a new day!

My computer was down for about 5 days and boy did I miss it! Now that it's back up I have a renewed sense of wanting to blog! However I don't know if time will actually allow me to update it very much! The past 2 weeks have been pretty hectic w/ the kiddos. They have decided that sleeping is not a habit they are interested in currently. We've had days with short naps, mornings where Josiah is up by 6am and nights where he screams and wants to "rock!". We are still awaiting the 2 year molars and he is putting everything he can to the back of his mouth so I know that some of what we are dealing with is teething! I must keep it all in perspective and trust the Lord to give me the strength to be the mom I need (and want) to be for them.