Another mama milestone: Pre-school graduation

Well, today marks another big milestone for me as a mama.  My oldest graduated from pre-school (tear).  She clearly didn't recognize the significance of the day as she was shocked I was actually going to attend the graduation....and nearly fell off her chair when I told her I'd be sitting with daddy, and mommom and poppop and grammy and Blake.

Not only could I not be prouder of my sweet little thing, but looking back on these three years of pre-school I am so grateful for all that she's learned.  Of course, she's learned her ABC's and her numbers, how to spell her name, memorize her phone number and where she lives...but equally as important is that she's learned how
to make friends, to stand up for herself when it's not always easy, to get along with everyone, to be kind and compassionate to others, and to trust that I will come back at the end of the day.

She's learned that mommy doesn't know everything and she can actually teach me a thing or two.  (Hello, 8 syllable dinosaur that I still stumble over...)  She's learned that learning can be fun and exciting.  She's learned that she LOVES singing and painting and that dress up is perhaps the best free time there is in her little mind.  She's learned that there will be disappointments, but there will be even bigger and better triumphs.

For as much as she's learned, I've learned and grown so much as a mom just having her in pre-school.  I've learned how to get involved and when to say "no" I've got too much going on already.  I've learned the importance of making three hours super-duper-ultra productive.  I've learned that there are gossip, cliques, and hurt feelings among the four year olds and the four year olds'
moms.  And I've learned shorts are an essential part of every little girls wardrobe.  I've learned how to ask questions to pry even the tiniest bit of information out of a tired preschooler who needs nothing more than lunch and a nap.  Most importantly, I've learned to strap my wiggly and wondering two year old son in a stroller during EVERY pick up and drop off and that 3 days 2's cna't come soon enough. (I kid, I kid...okay, not really).

With kindergarten now just a few months away my yet-to-be five year old can't wait to start the next chapter...

One Thing Two Thing Birthday Party Ideas...perfect for a joint kids party

When my daughter turned two (she's now 4.5...let's not talk about the yearly photo albums as I'm clearly way behind) we had a joint birthday party with her best friend.  Their birthdays are a week apart and it was a big celebration as her little friend and his family were just about to move out of town (tear).

As the moms of these two things we decided on a One Thing Two Thing birthday party and the theme was super fun!  There are so many ideas for a One Thing Two Thing themed party. 

Instead of a cake, we made cupcakes ice cream cones and built a Cat in the Hat cupcake stand out of cardboard and paper.  We made the kids matching One Thing Two Thing shirts out of simple red tanks I picked up for a few bucks at Walmart. I cut out white felt circles, wrote "Olivia is 2" and "Conor is 2" on them, and pinned them on the shirts (that way they could still wear them after the party).

Cleaning up poop: Potty training accidents happen so arm yourself

Poop happens when you're potty training. At the beginning, it happens a lot more out of the potty than it does in the potty.  That means you're left cleaning up poop and pee stains as you navigate your way toward one of the biggest toddler milestones there is.

Since potty training my two kids, I've been asked quite a few times - what products are best for cleaning up poop and pee?  The answer is:  it depends.

Potty Training: Won't Poop? Sh*t happens... eventually

One of my kids' favorites books

Both of my kids were potty trained before they were two and the biggest struggle was to get them to poop on the potty. It's normal. It's frustrating. It's messy. It's perhaps the most common potty training problem out there. But rest assure, my fellow moms...after pee, poop will come. It may take an extra few days, it may take weeks, months or upwards of year -- but eventually your potty trained kid will poop on the potty.

My daughter was one of those kids that would simply wait until she had a Pull Up on for nap to take her after lunch dump. My son, well, he has a harder time holding it. It's actually pretty comical to watch him walk around on his tip toes, run to the potty every other minute, sit down, fart, and then pop back up to an empty potty.   

Potty Training Boot Camp update: One Week Later

It's been one full week since I started potty training boot camp to get my almost 22 month old son out of diapers.  I am thrilled to say it's been a complete success and beyond my every expectation.

A week ago when I stripped off that diaper and said "commando it is" I never dreamed he'd be crying when I put the diaper on for nap...nor did I think he'd be waking up from naps dry and calling for "potty" instead of "mommy." But yes, that's exactly what's happening.

After five days of basically not leaving the house, in the last two days I've been able to leave my underwear-wearing son in the child care at my gym, run an hour's worth of errands, and skip Pull Ups altogether...all while he stays dry!

Potty Training Tips: 10 ways I trained my 22 month old son in less than a week

The Internet has no shortage of potty training tips...many of them from well-intended doctors and other self-proclaimed and actual experts.  If you ask me, when it comes to potty training the best person to ask for advice is a mom who's been through it.  (Hello, nice to meet you!)   That's exactly what I did and with the support of my girlfriend I successfully potty trained my 22 month old son in under a week using the 3 day Potty Training Boot Camp Method.

Now, I'm on the other side and am here to offer you my 10 tips for potty training quickly and successfully:

1. Take advantage of interest: My son started showing signs of potty training readiness around 18 months old.  I made a half-hearted effort to potty train him then, but it didn't work so I quit because come on the kid was soooo young.  However, when at 21 months and 3 weeks old he started pulling off his diaper when he had to pee, I knew I had to take advantage of it -- 6 days later he's telling me when he has to pee and staying dry in his underwear. 
2. Start pre-2 years old:  If possible start potty training your child before their second birthday.  By doing so, you avoid that stubborn and controlling behavior they begin to display... you know, during the "Terrible 2s."

3 Day Potty Training Boot Camp for boys....meet my cadet (Day 1)

Yup, I did it...jumped right in and decided Potty Training Boot Camp was to start today.  I decided this, oh, this morning...at about 7:04.  By 7:05 my cadet was wandering around commando...and that's how he was to remain the rest of the day (except for the two quick trips we had to make to pick up big sissy from pre-school...but more on that in a minute.)

Let me back up a minute here. It's not like I just decided today was the day with no planning.  No, about 3 months ago, when he was 18 months he started telling me "poop" whenever he'd pee or poop in his diaper.   I kinda half-heartedly tried at the time to potty train him, but seriously the kid was 18 months and I was just too lazy to really do it.  I did, however, go out and buy three potties along with a portable foldable potty seat that I could throw in the diaper bag for when we're out and about -- which is a lot! (At the very end of the post I explain which potty seats I've tried and which I like and dislike..I feel like we've pretty much been through every single one on the market.)

Our busy schedule is what really had me delaying the potty training thing because let's be honest here people, who wants to just around the house for 3 days and watch their kid's wee wee..waiting for them to show the signs (oh yes, there are signs) they have to pee.  Certainly not me...plus my Lenten promise is to hit the gym three days of the week and here it is Thursday and I've only been once thanks to a school program one day and a service man giving me a 5 hour window the other day.    But today, when he practically pulled off his diaper as he peed in it I figured I better take advantage or I may be buying diapers for the next two years when I could be saving for my next trip to Hawaii...one can dream, right?

Anyway, off the diaper went at 7:04.  He didn't get it back on until 1 pm when he went down for nap.  At first, it wasn't going so well.  He had an accident and then another and then another.  Since we have all hardwood floors it's not a huge deal to clean up.  Just so happens my kid has good aim and he likes to aim at the few area rugs that I do have....greeeaaatt.    I kept promising if he went pee in the potty he could have that lollipop he was just dying to have.

Then it was time to take my daughter to school.  School's about 5 minutes away, but you know how it is...you get to school, you put the little bro in the stroller, you take them in, you wait for the door to the classroom to open, you chat with your mom friends, you drive home and low and behold it's a 30 minute trip.  Anyway, I wasn't about to put the diaper back on so....I dug through my 4 year old daughter's bin of 2T clothes and found some Elmo "undies." Okay, okay I admit they're pink and purple panties, but whatever.  My kid requests I put a "pincess" dress and crown on him and then takes selfies....are you kidding me, he was thrilled with Elmo and Zoey!

I armed myself with an extra pair of Elmo undies  panties and off we went to school.  As soon as I pulled into the parking spot "oh dear mommy...." Seriously, this is how this kid talks!  I knew before I even got around to his side of the car what I would find.  So I stripped him down and put the new pair of Elmos on and in we went. He stayed dry til we got home.  I put him back on the potty, but he wasn't having it.  He popped right up and starting playing.  You know what happens here right - so cliche.  Of course, he peed on the floor in front of the potty.

By this point I texted my friend who's been encouraging me after successfully pottying training her two boys before they were two.  I said "uhhh I forgot how frustrating this is."  A few minutes later, I noticed the sign she said to look for...his little penis seeming to "fill up." Does it seriously work like that???  What do I know, I don't have those parts.  Anyway, I put him on and low and behold the kid peed in the potty!! I was so excited I think I scared him into stopping early.  We danced around. We sang the pee pee song. We ate lollipops.   Here is his eating his first "pop." >>>

If there's one thing I know it's that in order to get good at something you have to practice.  The only way to practice on the potty is to have to pee a lot...so I was seriously pushing the milk, juice, whatever.  Poor thing peed about 4 more times on the potty before we had to leave again to get my daughter three hours later.  The second time he went he was so proud of himself he finished peeing, stood up and yelled "Ta da" with his little arms outstretched and the first lollipop reward still in one hand!!! Then he ran over to me and gave me a hug and promptly asked for another "teat." That's Blake-speak for treat.

He stayed dry the entire time we left the house to get my daughter.  As soon as we got home I put him on the potty and he peed.  He ate lunch in the nude, played in the nude, and read a story in the nude.  This is 3 day potty training boot camp and if he doesn't get it in 3 days I'm bagging it....so let's just say he better get it.  We're all in here and I'm of the school that nude is the way to go...and I'll tell you why.  At one point I saw him start to pee only to realize it b/c he could either see or feel it on his leg.  He stopped himself and ran to the potty where he finished peeing.

I put a diaper on him for nap, which is, I think what most would agree is the way to go.  The kid took a 4 hour nap, there's no way he's gonna hold it for that long.  When he woke up his diaper was soaked so can you imagine what the crib would have looked/smelled like? Ew!

I immediately took the diaper off and put him on the potty when he woke up and my little cadet was back to being commando for the rest of the night.  He had an accident or two, but for the most part peed when I put him on the potty -- about ever 20-30 minutes.  At one point he was really fighting it when I tried to put him on there, and I realize I guess he just doesn't have to go b/c every other time he was happy to sit there.

Finally, what made staying home all day worth it was as I walked him up the stairs to bed tonight he looked at me "mommy potty." I said " you have to go potty?" And he said "yes!" I put him on there and there he went!

Hopefully Day 2 will bring a #2...but that's a whole different beast I can tell you that from round 1 of Potty Training Boot Camp with my daughter.

More on our potty training success story:

• Day 2: Making serious progress...already
• Potty Training Boot Camp: Days 3, 4, 5 and beyond
• Potty Training Tips: 10 ways I trained my 22 month old in less than a week

For the record...of all the potty seats I've had this little $6 plastic Bebe stages potty that I picked up at Kmart has been his favorite. It's small, doesn't hurt his bum, and his feet touch the floor.  It seems more like a chair to him I think.  Plus, it's the only one that has a pee guard that actually seems to guard me from getting pee all over me!

Bebe Stages Potty seat

The "comfy" insert on the Safety 1st seat gets nasty with pee and can't be cleaned

Portable/foldable potty seat that's good for when we're out and about. When we're home I keep it in one of the bathrooms

'

Summer Infant 3-in-one potty is easy to clean, but pee guard isn't high enough

Extreme Play Date

Well I survived...and so did my poor dog! I don't think she quite knew what she was getting into when we adopted her only four months before my daughter was born. But I remind her, she picked us licking, jumping, even peeing and yes, pooping at our feet on the floor of the shelter. We took her anyway...25 pounds over weight and all. But I digress...because both of us survived our first extreme play date.


Technically, it was our first play group. Six one year olds, six moms, two baby pools, a water and sand table, lunch, and a lack of bathing suits. I have to admit it was pretty stinkin' fun (pun intended...at least three of the babies pooped during the two hour ordeal).

We've only lived in our city for two years and when we moved here we didn't know a soul. Since then we've grown to love it meeting lots of friends, many, I'm sure will be lifelong friends. Some have kids, some don't. Perhaps my dearest friend, Christie, lives just up the block. Olivia and I are so blessed to see them at least once at day. Christie and I have always said it's nice we have each other, and the kids have each other, but we'd like to form a play group. Quite frankly two kids isn't a play group, that's a play date. We've invited other moms we meet to get together, but for one reason or another it never works out. Then about two weeks ago I heard about meetup.com. Turns out it's a great place to meet people with similar interests. I joined a mom and kids group for toddlers. I took Olivia to our first meet up and she had a blast. So did I! We met lots of other moms and babies. Two of the moms expressed interest in starting a play group since our children were all born in the summer of 2008. One of them also knew a few other moms who might be interested and I invited Christie and her son. We planned our first weekly play group for yesterday and I volunteered to host it.

The beauty of it was all the kids are within about 3 months of each other (4 within 2 weeks), all are on the same nap schedule (making planning a time easier), all are walking (that was part of the criteria), three live on my side of town, three on the other side (we'll rotate week to week), most of the moms are SAHMs, one or two work from home part time, none of the moms knew all of the other moms, but everyone knew at least one other mom.

We had two baby pools set up, Olivia's sand and water table, and every toy imaginable displayed in the living room. The kids had a blast and the moms did too! I think we all felt great when we left knowing the kids were all going to take wonderful afternoon naps and being assured that yes, green chunky poop is normal and so is not being able to say "mama and daddy plus 3 words by 13 months" as some baby books set as a milestone.

As for the dog, I put her on crumb clean up duty and she was in her glory...

More Tips on Starting a Play Group
Meetup.com Helps Local Moms Meet
Easy Places to Meet Other SAHMs