The five of us accumulate a lot of stuff. Paper, plastic toys, coins, rocks, and so much more find their way into our house and onto every empty surface. Every time I turn around I am organizing a closet, or picking toys up off the floor and then in what seems like minutes later, I am repeating once again.
What I try to work on with my kids is that everything should go back where it belongs. I find that putting something in a temporary place doesn't save any time.
And yet, even I am guilty of dropping the mail on the kitchen counter, or taking off my jewelry in the dining room and leaving it there for days (inevitably it will stay there until I am frantically looking for that specific piece). So, my goal this week is to get myself back into the habit of putting each and every item I touch back where it belongs.
Once I'm back in habit, I will try and convince the kids to practice what I preach. And then maybe, just maybe, when Noah is looking for a charger for his phone, or Luke is searching for a special rock he found at school, they will know just where to find it.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
What a difference a day makes
My girl is potty trained. Last I wrote, she was withholding for the second day, and in case you couldn't tell, I was a teeny bit stressed. Actually, frantic is probably more accurate than stressed, because I was absolutely frantic wondering what our next step would be.
My cousin Cathleen (whose blog I'd love to link to but I can't figure out how to right now) gave me some pointers, and I planned to try one of them, to give Ava special items to use while on the potty. While I went to pick the boys up from school, Ava stayed home with my husband, and when I returned I found her sitting on the potty in our powder room. I decided to join her and within a few minutes she was peeing! She went again a few more times yesterday, and today not only did she go a number of times, three times were in public places and most of the time she told me when she had to go. She even asked to go to the bathroom one more time before bed, to avoid wetting her PullUp.
Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!! is an understatement. I'm so relieved.
And yet...this evening as I moved a load of laundry to the dryer, I saw one of her Fuzzibunz(cloth diapers), and felt this weird pang of sadness. We are not having any more children, and so I will never change one of my children's diapers again. My little girl is a baby no more. I'm sure, just like with other milestones, such as nursing each one for the last time, moving them out of their crib into a bed, or putting away the baby clothes, I will not feel sad for long. However, the thought did cross my mind that I was willing to let her stay in diapers this long because it was one more baby/mama connection to hold on to.
For now though, I will focus on all of the great moments with my big girl, like when she tells a joke and it not only makes sense but is funny too. Or our impromptu marching band this afternoon, with her on drums and me on triangle. Most of all, what I enjoyed today was seeing the sense of pride and accomplishment each time she sat her little bum on the potty!
My cousin Cathleen (whose blog I'd love to link to but I can't figure out how to right now) gave me some pointers, and I planned to try one of them, to give Ava special items to use while on the potty. While I went to pick the boys up from school, Ava stayed home with my husband, and when I returned I found her sitting on the potty in our powder room. I decided to join her and within a few minutes she was peeing! She went again a few more times yesterday, and today not only did she go a number of times, three times were in public places and most of the time she told me when she had to go. She even asked to go to the bathroom one more time before bed, to avoid wetting her PullUp.
Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!! is an understatement. I'm so relieved.
And yet...this evening as I moved a load of laundry to the dryer, I saw one of her Fuzzibunz(cloth diapers), and felt this weird pang of sadness. We are not having any more children, and so I will never change one of my children's diapers again. My little girl is a baby no more. I'm sure, just like with other milestones, such as nursing each one for the last time, moving them out of their crib into a bed, or putting away the baby clothes, I will not feel sad for long. However, the thought did cross my mind that I was willing to let her stay in diapers this long because it was one more baby/mama connection to hold on to.
For now though, I will focus on all of the great moments with my big girl, like when she tells a joke and it not only makes sense but is funny too. Or our impromptu marching band this afternoon, with her on drums and me on triangle. Most of all, what I enjoyed today was seeing the sense of pride and accomplishment each time she sat her little bum on the potty!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Potty training hell
That's where I am right now, folks. My daughter Ava, who will be four at the end of June, refuses to use the potty.
There are many reasons why this is frustrating. One is that she is in complete control of her bladder and bowels. For at least the last six months she has informed me when she has to pee or poop. In the past few months she taught herself to put on her cloth diapers, and when they were wet, she would put them in the laundry room to be cleaned.
She uses this situation as a manipulation tool, waiting until nap or bedtime to poop, specifically to postpone the sleep time. I've tried everything I know, and nothing has worked.
Last week, after consulting a group of women that I'm involved in a positive discipline group with, I decided to bite the bullet and get rid of the diapers. I told Ava that she was big enough now, and that I have faith in her ability to use the potty instead of a diaper.
Saturday night I boxed all the diapers up and hid them in my closet, and moved her changing table out to the garage. I laid out all her cute little underwear and let her choose her favorite yesterday, Hanna Andersson cupcakes. We pushed liquids all day, and had her sit on her little potty and the regular toilet with a seat inserted. As each hour passed, I went from excited to annoyed to worried.
Finally I found myself staring at the clock at 6:55 and could not decide how we were going to handle her approaching bedtime. I didn't want her to think/know that if she held all day, there was a PullUp available at bedtime. Just like Prudence from Once Upon a Potty, she sat and sat and sat. A teeny bit trickled out and we were so encouraged, but then she cried and cried and said she didn't want to do anymore.
Wouldn't you know, the minute I stepped out of the room, she relaxed and practically filled the little potty! I was so excited, we all were, and we did the potty dance and cheered for her, and then we put a PullUp on her and she pooped in it and we didn't even care! I was completely relieved that she had peed, and excited to start today with a girl that uses the potty.
And then...she refused to sit on the potty this morning before we left to take her brothers to school. She refused at school, and she refused at Target. Even armed with the potty insert to put on a regular sized toilet, she was not having it.
We have been home for almost three hours and she has sat on the potty numerous times and continued refusing. She is taking small sips of her ChickFilA lemonade but apparently her will is strong enough to hold 8 ounces of lemonade plus four ounces of water.
It's 12:45 now and we're about to try again. Wish us luck, because I don't want to be in this particular hell for much longer.
There are many reasons why this is frustrating. One is that she is in complete control of her bladder and bowels. For at least the last six months she has informed me when she has to pee or poop. In the past few months she taught herself to put on her cloth diapers, and when they were wet, she would put them in the laundry room to be cleaned.
She uses this situation as a manipulation tool, waiting until nap or bedtime to poop, specifically to postpone the sleep time. I've tried everything I know, and nothing has worked.
Last week, after consulting a group of women that I'm involved in a positive discipline group with, I decided to bite the bullet and get rid of the diapers. I told Ava that she was big enough now, and that I have faith in her ability to use the potty instead of a diaper.
Saturday night I boxed all the diapers up and hid them in my closet, and moved her changing table out to the garage. I laid out all her cute little underwear and let her choose her favorite yesterday, Hanna Andersson cupcakes. We pushed liquids all day, and had her sit on her little potty and the regular toilet with a seat inserted. As each hour passed, I went from excited to annoyed to worried.
Finally I found myself staring at the clock at 6:55 and could not decide how we were going to handle her approaching bedtime. I didn't want her to think/know that if she held all day, there was a PullUp available at bedtime. Just like Prudence from Once Upon a Potty, she sat and sat and sat. A teeny bit trickled out and we were so encouraged, but then she cried and cried and said she didn't want to do anymore.
Wouldn't you know, the minute I stepped out of the room, she relaxed and practically filled the little potty! I was so excited, we all were, and we did the potty dance and cheered for her, and then we put a PullUp on her and she pooped in it and we didn't even care! I was completely relieved that she had peed, and excited to start today with a girl that uses the potty.
And then...she refused to sit on the potty this morning before we left to take her brothers to school. She refused at school, and she refused at Target. Even armed with the potty insert to put on a regular sized toilet, she was not having it.
We have been home for almost three hours and she has sat on the potty numerous times and continued refusing. She is taking small sips of her ChickFilA lemonade but apparently her will is strong enough to hold 8 ounces of lemonade plus four ounces of water.
It's 12:45 now and we're about to try again. Wish us luck, because I don't want to be in this particular hell for much longer.
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