3 Day Potty Training, Yes Please!

If you are not the least bit interested in potty training, pee, poop, sticker charts, and a princess toilets, then maybe you should check out the blog another day (this will not be reading material for ya)!

What a week!  Two weeks ago, I stated that I would begin the potty training with Sophia.  I was a little nervous about it, but I figured the girl is 3, and it is time.  I had a lot of information from girlfriends who had recently done this with their children and it looks like they all survived and their kids are doing what they need to!  So, 2 Monday's ago, I put Red in panties and every 20 minutes would drag her to the potty.  She would sit and whine and nothing would come of it!  I know!  I even showed her a sparkly chart that I had created and glittery stickers to put on whenever she mastered the task, then I showed her all of my M&Ms and Skittles, and NOTHING!  She wanted nothing to do with my dazzle me chart and handfuls of sweets.  Like any defeated mother would do I took my handful of sweets and ate them while rethinking my game plan.  During this rethinking time I cleaned up 3 accidents (which happened to be moments after we left the potty after our 20 minute intervals)!  Geez!  So, I went and got out our trusty size 6 Pampers and put them back on Red... she could have cared less.

So, after a recent post I had done on how I was going to potty train the tot, a friend sent me an email telling me about this super genius mother who had written an ebook about, 3 Day Potty Training.  Umm, yes please!  3 days and she will be going to the bathroom, okay, now we are talking.  I read the book, a little skeptical, but I read it.  My friend had read it and it worked with her children and she had given it to her friends and not 1 of them had not been successful!  So, either I try the technique and have Red potty trained or not try the technique and Red not be potty trained.  So, I try.

So, I read Lora Jensen's words of wisdom and the whole time, I was like DUH!  She says that if your child is 22 months of age, they are ready and this will work!  Hello, Red is 36 months!

 Last Monday, Red and I said goodbye to her diapers and hello big girl panties!

I will not lie.  There were accidents.  In fact, the whole first day there were accidents.  In fact, every hour there was something, but I just stayed positive, kept reminding Sophia to tell me when she had to go (so much that she told me many times, I KNOW!!)  After a sappy phone call to my momma after the end of day 1, oh, woe is me!  She will go to college in diapers.....

Red ran into the room and said she had to teetee in the potty!!!

Well, she did!  We cheered, there was dancing, I even teared up (I'm a sucker), there were glittery stickers, and Skittles, and the Hungry Hungry Hippo game.  It was bliss.

Ten minutes later.... she pooped in her panties... but I just clung to that 1 success!

Day 2, no lie, it was hard.  The first part of the day, there was a lot of soap and blotting on my carpet.  Late that afternoon, the girl finally got it!  After her nap (which she slept in her panties) she woke up we tee-teed, and then the rest of the day was good!  There was even poop!

Day 3, we left the house for 1 hour, and she did not go in her panties!  I had the potty in the car and that worked for her!  Yes, there was probably 2 accidents, but she was getting it!

So, in 3 days, girlfriend had it figured out.

We still have about 2-3 accidents in the day, but that is okay, she is still learning her body and figuring this all out.  I could not totally throw out the diapers (like the technique says to do), she sleeps in one at night, but it is pretty dry in the mornings.

So, would I tell my friends to read this?

Yes!

Did it work for us?

Yes!

Will you have to totally devote yourself to your child for three days?

Yes, I thought I already did that, but this is constant time with the child.  No checking emails, talking on the phone, cooking, laundry.  Just sitting with your child, playing, reading, talking, coloring, the whole day and night (never left her side)!

Side note:  we did go to church on Sunday, I was told by Sophia's teacher that she was not in fact ready for panties at church!  She went through 3 panties and 3 outfits, in fact she came home in some sad put together outfit that had been given to the nursery and another child's diaper!  I really thought that she would be able to do the potty thing at church!  It's a tot size pot, and being able to see that her friends do the same thing would help, but sadly it did not!  We are still working on this, but I am positive that when college comes along we will be out of the Pampers!  Yes!

3 Day Potty Training by Lora Jensen!  Read it!  Live it!  Love it!!

If you try it let me know if it worked for you!

What's happening?

 1.  I love a good t.v. show.  Last week, I mentioned The Hatfields and the McCoys... well, I loved it.  Next week, I am anxiously awaiting the "new" Dallas.

Did you ever watch this?

Will you be watching??

2.  Nap times at our home used to be a time where I would shower, do some laundry, get a jump start on dinner.... NOT ANYMORE!  Over the past few months, I have been on a reading frenzy!  I love to read, but since having children, I lost the energy and focus it would take to even read a book.  So happy that I have got it back, but the problem now is that my nightstand is flooded with books!  It is looking a little library-ish on my side of the bed!  My brothers sweet girlfriend has even let me borrow her NOOK and I am reading as many Janet Evanovich books as possible before she comes to my house to confiscate it!  So, have you read anything that is in the pile to be read or something that should be in the pile?  Please let me know!

3.  Red neck Riviera here we come!

I am so ready for vacation!  I even started writing out my "to pack list"!  Now if I can just figure out how we will all ride in the car, comfortably, for 13.5 hours!  Y'all, start praying for us now!!  That long in the car with Red and Baby Bear!!!  OYE!

4.  What happened to my baby??

It seems like she was just born yesterday, and now.. (sniffle sniffle) she is going to be 3!  How did this happen?  My baby is a big girl!!

With the birthday approaching, I am getting ready to start planning!  I am thinking Strawberry Shortcake or a Disney princess party (Rapunzel).

5.  Not such an insane week.  It seems like I have fallen off of the "insane train", have no fear, I will be jumping back on the "insane train" tomorrow.  Sometimes, ya just feel like working out, and then sometimes you just feel like baking a strawberry cake with vanilla icing and sprinkles and eating that for a few days.  I am not proud of myself, but honestly, I am a fabulous baker and I needed to feed my family!  Ha!

Just some stuff....

1.  You should be watching this!  Hatfields and McCoys.  Kevin Costner... Bill Paxton... it is a win

win people!  Go watch this mini series, it is super- fantastic!!

2.  While you are watching Hatfields and McCoys you should be eating this!

Not Yo Mama's Banana Pudding! 

It is just wondermous in your mouth!!  Make it... Devour it.... Sleep happy with your full belly!!  It is so easy to make too!

Simple directions!

1 box french vanilla pudding

2 cups of milk

(mix these things in a bowl, real good)

cream cheese package (yum, who knew this stuff was so good??)

container of cool whip... umm cool whip

(mix these two things in a bowl, real good)

Now this is where it gets tricky!  You fold the cream cheese whip mixture in with the pudding milk bowl... It will get really creamy fluffy looking.

Lay out your Nilla Wafers... cut up some bananas.... pour on your mixture... then as if that was not enough I layered on some cool whip.  It was so good.  The time to make was about 9 minutes (but I am super fast and not so concerned about making it look like a pic from a cookbook)! Ha!  FYI, you do not have to put cookies up around your dish like a retaining wall, I just started pouring my left over mix into the bowl (to use all of the yumminess and it started going over the side of the dish... so the cookies made for a nice barrier!)

3.  I am still doing Insanity even though I enjoyed mucho amounts of the pudding.  The workouts are still very hard.  I am still  not doing them full out (meaning, when they are jumping or jogging in place I am slow skipping and shuffling to avoid peeing my pants so much).  Even with the skipping and shuffling I am still feeling a burn, still glistening like a pig, and waking up very sore in the mornings.  I did take 3, yes 3 days off this weekend.  What?  It was a holiday.  I was on vacation.  All in all, I have done the workouts for 6 days, eating much better (have had no white breads, no more waffles (tear), limiting my cokes and cookie intake, drinking the water (which does not do a thing for me, I just feel like I am drinking spit... I do not love water... miss my cokes), I can do about 21 push ups before my arms give out, and I no longer dry heave after or during the workouts.  Now, on the 15th I went to the doctor (strep throat) and weighed in at 144.7, on Sunday I weighed myself on old broken garage scale and weighed in at 155.... hummm, I think I remember why that scale is called old broken garage scale.  So, I do not know if any weight has been lost, but I feel better so whatev!

4.  The countdown to the beach is on.... July come on!!

 The beach.  The sun.  The sand.  All of those happy people.  Being with family.   Swimming.  The sharks and whales??  (Sophia is very sure that we will see these things while being at the beach.  We tell her oh yes, we will see those whales and sharks, but really we are thinking, Lord have mercy, no big fish please!)  It is sure to be another fun filled family vacation....

5.  Janet Evanovich

Do you read her books?  I read the above book yesterday, and I really enjoyed it (seeing as how I read it in a day).  Yes, I still played with my children and did laundry then made a three meals people!  I read it before the kids would rise in the morning, read a few chapters during nap time, and then could not put the book down after everyone went to sleep.  Now, I must see the movie that recently came out... ya watched it?

I just started book # 2, Two for the Dough

Yes, it goes on.  I think there are about 19 books out there.  Cannot wait to check them all out!  I will for sure have a busy summer.

I just finished these 2 books, and if you are a reader, you should too!

6.  Did I mention that my husband and I are going on a date tomorrow night.  My SIL is keeping the kids so we can go out, alone, and not change diapers for a few hours.  Bless her heart!  My niece was over last night (she will be assisting in the baby wranglin' tomorrow) and she said that we (Aron and I) need to go out real late to the restaurant, so we will be alone no other people there!  I looked at her and said, "what?  do you think that we want to be alone with one another??"  Secretly to myself, I was thinking yay!  Alone time with Aron and we could even have a conversation or just go take a nap!  HA!  Maybe we should even go and see a movie?  I still wanna see my boyfriend in The Lucky One, dreamy child actor, Zac Efron....  Wish we would have gone to the movie last night, seeing as how my dream rocker boyfriend Steven Tyler (yes, from Aerosmith) was in town at the Promenade!  I woulda even offered to purchase him a coke and popcorn (grande size, of course)!

7. How fer-och is this this lil guy??

I have a FB friend, Rhonda who had this guys cousin in her yard!

I- WOULD- DIE!!

Anywhos, this is not her picture I got this little rattlers pic from the Internet, but still, it was a Rattle Snake!  Wha?  I live in Arkansas, I had no idea that these guys visited our area.  We have cows, chickens, goats, the Gentry Safari, famous for Wal-Mart, but Rattlers?  Uh, no way Jose!  I guess I thought these critters would slither to our state line and not be let in (by who, I do not know, but just was unaware that they lived here).  I should move to a snake free environment... ya know of one?

Lil Red.... The Reader

Lil Red is a reader!  I feel like I read this book, Polar Bear Polar Bear, constantly to the kids, and yesterday I just looked Sophia and said, "I have already read that book today, you read it."  She just picked up the book and started reading it to me and her brother.  I was so shocked!  She is like a little sponge!  Yes, I know she did not read every word, but she is trying really hard!  I just love love love it!  Then I knew that I had to get it on film for her Daddy, Honey and G-Daddy, Aunties and Uncles, and then Mossy and Bucky would for sure not want to miss out on this!

Enjoy a reading from, Eric Carle's, Polar Bear Polar Bear

50 Shades of Red

If you have been reading this blog for awhile, you may know that I am a fan of reading. I love books. I love to ask people what they are reading, then I like to ask if they have read something that they would recommend for me to check out. Over the past few weeks, I have been told, by a few people, about this book... 50 Shades of Grey. The people, who have talked about this book, have just made a few of these comments....

- Oh, girl, you will just love it.

- I could not put it down!

- I have tried to get it at the local bookstore and I couldn't find it anywhere... everyone is reading it!

- Such a great book

- Love it!

So, all in all, it seems to me (from what I have been told), that this is a book that I would love and that I would be voraciously reading. Great! Sign me up, thus my hunt for this book has begun.

To tell you the truth, I think that I may have brought this book up to my brother (who works for a bookstore in our area). I found it odd that he did not really say much about the book, he just looked at me funny. I did not notice this at the time.

I have even spoken about this book to my mother (who had not heard of the book) and to a few friends. "Oh, yes, I just can't wait to read 50 Shades of Grey."

Last Thursday, my girl friend, was in labor, and I was on my way to the hospital to sit with her and her family. I had no kiddos with me, thus the perfect time stop at the bookstore. Heck, I could possibly read a few chapters before the baby would be born.. WINNING!!

I walk in the bookstore, it was about 7:30 in the evening. I am walking all over the store looking for this book. Can't find it! I was so upset. I noticed there was a ever so friendly and all knowing worker of the book store establishment giving a book to another book store patron. I waited my turn, these college kids were looking over their book about taking the MCAT. I was looking at them, like la tee dah... thems are a bunch a smarties! Anyways, I am next in line, and with a big smile on my face and in an ever so pleasant voice I ask, "hi, could you please tell me if you have the book 50 Shades of Grey?" He looks at me, and the nosy worker bee behind him says, "is that in our EROTICA section?" I totally froze up! I suddenly felt like I was under water and all I could hear was blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah! The college kids stopped reading the MCAT book, and were now checking out the 30 something lady who was so eager to check out the EROTICA section of the bookstore. I started getting hot and felt my face turning 50 shades of red!! I could feel my hands getting sweaty and the deodorant on my arm pits was certainly NOT strong enough for a man and definitely not this woman. It was a slow death! I even had a flash of the upcoming church bulletin or even a write up in the Democrat... Good Girl Gone Bad... One Day Reading Dr Suess and the Next Day Reading Erotic Novels!!

During all of these thoughts, I am sure I was standing there mouth-breathin'! The lady, who answered my question (SO LOUDLY), walked from behind the counter, and motioned for me to follow her. So I did. With my head held high, I followed her to where no girl (not me) has boldly gone before. She stopped before we got there and said, "Oh, here it is. It is part of a trilogy." All I could do is look and shake my head yes. I said, "thank you" and picked up the book. I held it close to my chest (made sure that the cover was nestled against me), took a turn into the self help books, and placed 50 Shades on the shelf, and speed walked outta the store! I am sure they thought I stole the book! Haha!

Anyways, my friend (who was over at my house the other day) was talking about the book and told me that she was on chapter 7 or something..., she said it was very racy, but I guess it was not stopping her. I just acted like I still knew nothing about the book, and just said... "ooo- I cannot wait to read that!"

Then, this morning, the author, who just looks like a nice SAHM, was interviewed on the Today Show. They were calling her book.... mommy porn, and that it is a BIG book for women my age!

Geez Louise!

Lawdy Gee at the Thoughts... (11 of them)

This is just gonna be one of those posts that, well, has no topic. In fact, I just have too many topics in my head so onto the blog they go!

1. With my mornings, days, and evenings being filled with my mommy, wifey, and any other duties that I am tackling for the day, I have been finding minutes here and there to READ! Yes, if I ain't sleeping, feeding, washing, cleaning, or loving on my people then I am curled up on the couch (which now has a big deep impression of my boo-tay) reading a book. Over the past few weeks I have read so many great stories, that I thought you may want to go out and grab one for yourself!

In case you are living under a rock and you have not picked up the latest issue of Teen Beat, Zac Efron is starring in this movie coming out this next week. This book, The Lucky One, by Nicholas Sparks. Yes, Sparks has written yet another tear jerker and I was on board and loving this book the whole time. I will not be the girl that tells you what happened in this book, but I will tell you that I read it in 2 nap times and 1 night before I went to bed! Could-NOT- PUT-It-Down! If you are wanting to read a story about people finding love in an unconventional way... check it out! (and yes, if we are twit or fb friends, you might be aware of my new found celeb crush on Zac. He is H to the O-T, Hot yal!

The next book I read is, The Secret Life of Bees. Honestly, I have had this book for at least 2 years in my closet, but never felt the pull to open it and read it. Well, I am glad I came across it, while looking for a flip flop, cause people.. it is good stuff. I love Miss Lily and found all of the bee facts (above the start of each chapter) interesting. Seriously, it is a great book!

Heaven is for Real (not that I had any doubt), but I found this book very exciting! I am already pretty pumped out about heaven, but to read about a 3 year old boys' account of the most wonderful place ever, the people he saw, and even the things they wore, left me with chills. So glad my sil handed this book over to me last year!

One of my BFF's (that is best friends forever, for those of you that are not up to date on childhood acronyms), Lindsay, called me a few weeks ago and was telling me about this book, My So Called Life as a Proverbs 31 Wife. Yal, I was so excited to read it just from hearing my friend Lindsay talk about it (she even hand delivered it to me right after our phone call). If you have not picked up your BIBLE lately, Proverbs 31 is the longest proverb ever, telling of the characteristics of what a God loving God fearing, wife, and mother, woman should be. The author tells funny stories about things she did in her own home (from showing kindness to her husband, being the wife with so many millions of things going on that she was still able to have a dinner on the table when her husband came on, to going back to work when her husband was unable to find stable employment. There is even a challenge that you can do in your own home. I did the challenge and could immediately feel a difference in the temperature of my own home! Read it. Love it. Live it yal! Love me some Sara Horn... thank you so much for writing this book!

So, there ya go. I have been on a reading kick!

RIF (another acronym) Reading is Fundamental!

2. Sorry, I did not think that # 1 thought would be so long, but it was. That comment was not part of #2. I am really excited about our dinner tonight. Chicken tacos (outta the crock pot)

Boneless skinless chicken in the crock pot- 4-6 pieces

empty a packet of taco seasoning over chicken

dump a jar o salsa over the chicken and seasoning

crock pot setting 4-6 hours on high

The chicken will be falling apart when you pull it out.

Put it on a tortilla or a taco shell. Add your favorite toppings (cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream, onions, jalapenos.... whatev!)

Your Sunday could be a lil bit better if you made Pollo (that means chicken) Crockpoto (that just means crock pot) Taco (this is just taco). Make it. Eat it.. Enjoy it.. Your family will Love it!!

3. My daddy is going to China tomorrow and then Vietnam later in the week. Praying for safe travels for him. Geez, I will miss him! (As I type this, I realize that this should be #1 request, but I am unsure how to place it above pollo crockpoto tacos and books). So imagine it is #1.

4. I am the playgroup coordinator for a group of women from my church. I just realized that I totally FAILED to organize playgroup for last week. Oops! Hopefully, those women and their children got together and played somewhere. Really, I could be the worst event email sender ever! I try. I promise!

5. I have fed my children chicken nuggets way to many times this week. Seriously, if they could talk and have deep conversations with me (which they do babble and stuff, but I don't get it... all of the time), I think that they would throw the nugget plate across the room and then demand a mommy that is more concerned about them having a more well balanced diet that would exclude the nugget of a chicken.

6. Did yal watch Grey's Anatomy last Thursday? Do yal watch Grey's Anatomy anymore? Well, I still watch and am so sicked out by Owen (the chief) who slept with some other woman... really cheated on Christina (the heart thoracic surgeon or is it thoracic heart surgeon). Anyways, really Owen, ya ain't that attractive and you are just making me crazy. Also, I am patiently waiting for McSteamy doc and lil Grey to get back together. So, if the Grey's writer... Shonda something or other could make that happen a wee bit quicker.. I would appreciate it.

7. As of late, I have started watching a MTV show, Awkward. I heart Jenna Hamilton and Matty. Does anyone watch this show. I know that I am way to old to be watching this show and too old to be watching MTV, but it makes me feel young again, and with two toddlers, saggy boobs, and a loss of my young girlish figure, the funny love stories of high school kids makes me laugh!

8. Today, I took both children with me to the Wal-Mart. Hold on... I need a moment. Apart from the crying because Brayden got his finger stuck in the front of the cart, some smashed strawberries underneath Sophia's feet, a cough attack in mid walk (which left me unable to cross my legs) and then caused me to pee my pants, and a 1/2 eaten bag of EL Fudge stripped cookies, I would say that the grocery shopping trip was a near success. Women (and men if you read this blog), sing praises to the women with multiple children in their shopping carts at the store, they probably would appreciate the extra encouragement. Do not stare at them and roll your eyes as if they could be cast an extra in a drive thru town circus. In all of that chaos, I ran into a woman that I had not seen in years, years yal, like when I was younger I just knew for positive that I was gonna marry her son (that obvi did not happen because I met my hunka hunka burnin' love), but I saw her and she just looked the same as I always remember her. She was probably thinking... glad my son didn't hop on that bus! Ha! (I normally hate looking a mess and running into people at the store, but today, I guess all of that went out the winder).

9. Does anyone home school anymore? Is this a thing of the past? I am trying to think of things that I could do with my lil red. We do letters, few numbers, talk about animals, colors, and shapes. Just curious.. does anyone know of a really great curriculum for pre-school/ toddlers? Anyone? Anyone?

10. My list of Things To Do is ever increasing and not a lot of crossing things off of the list. Are you like that? Well, my projects include: paint laundry room (Aron wants red, but I am not loving that idea), paint bathroom cabinets and the walls, make my backyard look like something P.Allen has had his gardening gloves all over, paint bedroom, when the funds allow it find a new comforter (our other one wreeks of 2006, and has a few stains that could be old baby spit up or spilled coca cola, and with its last wash has come undone on two corners.. it's a mess!), then paint my kitchen cabinets!! Did I mention there are 29 cabinet doors and 13 cabinet drawers that are in my kitchen! That's a lotta work, but I am a woman with big dreams of a kitchen with the most beautiful painted and distressed looking cabinets ya ever could see!

11. Lil Red has fallen asleep on my lap as I type out #11. She smells like soap and pepperidge farm cheddar goldfish. I really do love her!!