How do you like the new format??

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Mandy for creating my new blog layout!! I think it's simply fabulous. Let me know what you think!

If you need a new look for your blog, you can get one and make a difference, too. Mandy will redesign your blog if you sponsor her in Bike MS: a 150-mile bike ride from Frisco to Fort Worth to raise money and help end Multiple Sclerosis (which her mom lives with). For more details, go to the site here!

My Late Night Trip to Wally World

Tomorrow is pajama day at preschool. That meant that I had to run out to Wal-Mart tonight after the kids got in bed so I could get him some respectable pajamas. Scott won't let him go out in his current pajamas because they are getting too small. Unfortunately, all Wal-Mart had were short-sleeved pajamas in his size (5T), so Caleb will have to wear a shirt underneath his pajamas tomorrow.

The other reason I went to Wal-Mart tonight was to get some Cascade. Word to the wise: don't ever try Palmolive Eco+ dishwashing detergent!! Oh my gosh, that stuff has ruined our dishes. I bought it because I saw that it was phosphate-free, which is good for the environment, and it was cheaper than Cascade. But I admit that I did not read the back of the bottle well enough! When Scott started using the Palmolive, I kept asking, "What's that smell? Something smells like bleach." Surely this "eco-friendly" detergent didn't have bleach in it! But oh yes, it did.

I decided to live with the bleach smell until the bottle I bought ran out. But then after a few loads, I noticed that all of my black serving utensils have white film on them. And today, almost everything that we pulled out of the dishwasher came out with food still stuck on it. I'd had it! It's time to revert back to good ol' phosphate-laden Cascade, and Palmolive will be getting an email from an unsatisfied customer!

Potty Training, Day 13

Caleb really is doing well with the potty training. The first few days were hard. We started on a Friday, and it was Sunday before he actually used the potty. He'd sit there forever and do nothing (except say, "Read that story again, Mommy!"). I guess he slowly learned that we meant business and we were going to keep trying, no matter how long it took. He started to pee in the potty 2-3 times a day.

Over the weekend, on day 8, Caleb pooped in the potty. He did it again 2 more times on Sunday, and he's been fairly consistent about it ever since. (I can't believe I'm blogging about Caleb's poop, but...hey, it's a milestone!) Today, he used the potty (pee and poop) 6 times. He did have 2 accidents, but that's good progress. I'm encouraged.

Our biggest problem is preschool. I thought that he'd actually do better at preschool than he does at home, but it's not working out that way at all. The potty at school is one of those miniature toilets, so it's kid-sized, but it's not Caleb-sized. He just doesn't fit on it quite right. So, he's not comfortable on it, and he doesn't want to sit there. On Tuesday, he didn't pee at all from the time he left here at 8:45 until he got home (early release due to the ice) at 12:15. He held it so he could go on the potty at home. The bright side: at least he's learning how to hold it!

Yea, Mommy!

On Sunday night, I was running late to Awana. Yes, this happens often! Sundays are just jam-packed for us. We are at church in the morning from 9 until a little after 1, then we come home, eat, try to get Caleb to take a nap, try to get Isaac to take a nap, make sure I have everything ready for Awana, etc. Before we know it, it's time to leave for church again! Don't get me wrong, I love Sundays and I love serving at my church. I just always end up trying to cram too much into one day!

Anway, we were running late. Scott stayed home with Isaac, who was still napping. I finally got Caleb out the door and we arrived at church about 4:50. Awana starts at 5:00, so I didn't have time to take Caleb to his class before Awana started. So I took Caleb upstairs with me, gave him a ball to play with, and told him that Mommy was going to talk to the boys and girls for a few minutes, and to play quietly in the side of the room. I got Awana started as usual--pledges to the American flag and the Awana flag, announcements, and dismissal to their handbook groups. Caleb waited patiently and watched me, holding on to the ball.

When I was finished and the kids were leaving the room, I went over to Caleb. He held my hand as I led him to the back of the room to get his backpack. He looked up at me, wonder in his eyes, and said, "Mommy, you did a good job with the kids!"

Now that is adorable. My son, the encourager. I think I smiled (inwardly, at least!) for the rest of the night.

25 Random Things

I was tagged by a couple of people on Facebook, so I'm supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about myself. I'm following Mandy's lead and posting them on my blog as well. :)

1. Like my sister, I'm legally blind, but I'm 20/20 with contacts.
2. I'm "double-jointed" in my shoulders (really there is no such thing, but you get my meaning). Basically, I can jump rope with my arms.
3. I get upset when my husband wastes water when he's doing dishes or shaving, but then I take really long, hot showers. Yup, I'm a hypocrite!
4. I think that Charlie and Chocolate Factory (the old one) is incredibly scary. I also get scared of the flying monkeys in The Wizard of Oz.
5. I love the way my son says "hangleberger" instead of "hamburger."
6. I used to want enough kids so I could have my own soccer team. Sometimes I still want a whole bunch. Then I think about being out of the workplace for that long, and I panic.
7. Teaching kids about Christ is one of my absolute favorite things to do.
8. I was going to move to New York on my own in January 2003, but my plans changed when I started dating Scott and we got engaged in December 2002.
9. Both of our cars are paid for, and we're very proud of that (granted, my truck is almost 11 years old, but it still runs fine)!
10. I had my gall bladder removed when I was 22.
11. I believe in co-sleeping, babywearing, breastfeeding, cloth diapering, attachment parenting, and all sorts of other things I thought were crazy before I had kids of my own.
12. I quit my Master's degree in technical writing halfway through because one day during class, I found myself arguing passionately about the proper use of a colon. I figured it was time to reevaluate my life.
13. I look forward to the kids getting older so we can travel again. Next domestic stop: Washington, D.C. Next overseas trip: Italy!
14. I really like Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. Listening to them makes me want to think, write, and drink coffee.
15. I wish I'd learned how to play chess when I was young.
16. I played clarinet and bass clarinet in band, but I should have picked something else. I always hated the taste of the reed. Even thinking about a reed now makes my mouth feel funny. (But my cool big sis played the clarinet, and of course I wanted to be just like her!)
17. I have sensory issues. I can't stand to touch things like velvet, fleece, velour, and other supposedly "soft" things. They give me the heebie-jeebies.
18. I don't like to be really late, but I don't like to be early. I like things to be in full swing when I get there.
19. I am incredibly pleased that I was able to pass down dimples to at least one kid. Isaac has one really big dimple on his right cheek. :)
20. When my blog grows up, I want it to be just like MckMama's blog.
21. I'm still not sure what I want to be when I grow up. Lately I've been thinking about going into the medical field.
22. My hair was really long and naturally straight. Then I had kids, and it got all wavy. I cut it short because I thought it would be easier, but I hate it and am trying to grow it back out again! (Moms, don't fall for the "short hair is easier" trap!!)
23. I like historical fiction. (Katherine by Anya Seton is my fav.)
24. I married my husband 2 days before his 30th birthday (I was 25).
25. It took an insane amount of time to think of 25 interesting things about me.

Potty Training, End of Week One

Well, we started potty training in earnest last Friday, 1/16. We have tried before, but we haven't been consistent with it and Caleb just wasn't too interested. Plus, it was so hard to potty-train with an infant around. It seemed like whenever Caleb needed to sit on the potty, Isaac needed to nurse or he was going to sleep. But this time, I do see progress! I think the big difference is that we are ALL ready for him to be potty trained now.

Here's what we've been doing that's been working. Unfortunately, I learned most of this by trial and error!

It's all about the training pants. Ditch the Pull-ups!
We bought some great training underwear. I've been quite impressed with the Imse Vimse training pants. Here's what I like about them.

• They are organic cotton on the inside and outside, with a waterproof layer (PUL) in between.
  
• They are absorbent enough to hold a small accident, but he definitely still feels wet.
  
• Even when they leak, pee doesn't go running all over the floor or anything. His pants get wet with a big accident, but it's not a huge mess like it would be if we used plain underwear.
  
• Being cotton on the inside, they are cleaning up pretty well in the wash. There are some very minor stains, but nothing bad.
• They aren't bulky, they are comfortable, and they look like underwear. He's proud to wear them!
  

Those Pull-ups are awful for potty-training! He didn't ever feel wet, so he didn't care if he'd had an accident or not. That said, we do still use them during nap times and at night. It will be quite awhile before he is ready to sleep in underwear. We also use them if we're going to the store or somewhere that I know he's not comfortable using the potty yet. We'll phase that out over the next few weeks, I hope.

Don't ask--tell.
I never ask him, "Do you need to sit on the potty?" I say, "Yea! It's time to sit on the potty again!" Sometimes we do a little samba line on the way to the bathroom ("Let's go sit on the potty! Let's go sit on the potty!")

Set a potty timer.
Sometimes Caleb likes to argue when it's time to sit on the potty. He just doesn't want to stop playing or doing whatever he's doing. "No, five more minutes, Mommy!!" To solve that problem, I set the timer on the microwave for 20 minutes or so. When he hears it go off, he knows it's time to go try to potty.

Get into a routine.
We try to get him to go at specific times of the day. First thing in the morning, after breakfast, mid-morning, before lunch, after lunch, before nap, after nap...you get the idea. He still complains when we tell him to sit on the potty first thing in the morning, but soon it will become habit.

Keep a sticker chart.
We taped a sticker chart to the bathroom wall. It came from an Elmo Potty Time coloring book, but you can make your own, too. Here is what his chart looked like yesterday morning.

He gets a sticker every time he pees in the potty, flushes, and washes his hands. He'd get stickers if he told us when he needs to go, but he hasn't progressed to that point yet.

For every 10 stickers he gets on the chart, he gets a small "potty present" (a book that came as part of a kid's meal from Chick Fil-A, a ball, Play-Doh, etc.).


Make a big deal out of it.
When Caleb does pee in the potty, it's a big deal around here. We tell him how proud we are, we sing, we dance, we clap, we give him a sticker or some other small recognition. We try to use positive reinforcement whenever possible.


Ok, so that's what IS working for us. Here are some things that did NOT work for us, so you can avoid our mistakes!

• A potty chair. When we started potty training the first time when Caleb was 2.5, we bought him a potty chair. For about a week, he didn't even want to sit on it. When he finally did, we found that he was way too big for it! So keep that in mind if you have a tall child like we do.
• Pull-ups. I've already mentioned how they don't help because the kid can't "feel" when he is wet. (I do have to say that they are easier for parents, because they pull apart at the sides and make for easy changes. But they just aren't really conducive to potty training.)
• Waiting for him to tell us when he needs to go. Yeah, it just isn't going to happen anytime soon!
  

So, today is technically part of week two, but I have to share what he did today. Today, I was an idiot and set the potty timer and forgot about it. I was in the shower when it went off. Caleb says, "Listen! I hear something! It's time to sit on the potty!"

I decided to take a chance, and I told him to go on to the potty and I'd be there in a few minutes. Well, he did it! He went to his bathroom on his own, took off his pants and undies, sat on the potty, and peed all by himself! I was so proud. He came running back to our master bathroom (sans underwear!), saying "I did it!"

Potty training is not easy, but I can see some light at the end of the tunnel. :)

Vignettes from Lunch

Caleb approaches Isaac, who is sitting in his high chair eating Cheerios, and says in a sing-song voice, "Isaac, don't drop Cheewios on da floor!"

Isaac throws one on the floor.

Caleb picks it up, looks at Isaac. Still in a cutesy voice: "I said, don't drop Cheewios on da floor, little boy!"

Caleb picks up the Cheerios off the floor and throws them in the sink.

A few minutes later...

Caleb, to me: "Isaac wants more banana."

Me: "How do you know he wants more banana?"

Caleb: "Cuz he signed 'more'." Caleb walks over to Isaac, who is oblivious, takes his hands and makes the sign for "more". Then he walks over to the other side of the kitchen, reaches up on the counter, and gets a banana. He brings it back and tries to peel it for Isaac.