Not quite sure how to potty train your little one? Bribe them with Disneyland!
Here's the scoop on the poop (sorry, I couldn't resist!). We have been struggling with Emma for over a year on the second half of potty training. We have tried everything...literally. Can't watch her favorite TV show? No problem for her. No sweets? OK, she can deal with that. She actually asked one day what I was going to take away next. Tell me she is not a bright child! She simply refused to do what she knew we wanted her to do.
Now, before you start leaving me comments about the merits of positive reinforcement, we tried that route too. Sticker charts, candy, heaps of praise, clapping, hugging, parades through the house...yep, we tried it all.
Enter Mickey Mouse. Yes, I told her that if she did not stop pooping in her pants she was not going to Disneyland. OK, I realize that move will not win me mother of the year, but I don't think I was in the running anyway. We were simply sick of dealing with the poop!
You know what? It worked! She is so excited about going to Disneyland that she has decided she is now a big girl and will go in the potty.
Please don't ask me what would have happened if the whole smelly mess had blown up in my face. We won't go there.
Suffice it to say we are even more excited to not have to deal with potty training while at Disney. Hey, maybe it really IS the happiest place on earth!
Doing a little blog hopping this evening and trying to catch up on some favorites, I came across this gem of a quote from Amy and her Humble Musings. A reader had asked how she does it with so many little ones all wanting something from her at the same time.
"I give as much as I can and then trust God for the rest."
Profound in it's simplicity isn't it? That's all any of us can do and yet for some reason I still tend to let myself feel overwhelmed. We've all been there. "Mommy. Mommy. Mommy! MOMMY! M-O-M-M-Y!!!!!!" There are times when I feel like yelling back, "Mommy has left the building!" OK, so maybe I have said that...but only once or twice.
Next time I feel I'm being pecked too death by my little brood, I'll try and remember Amy's wisdom and trust God for the rest. I'm pretty sure He can handle it.
As moms, we really do say the funniest things. Try as we might, at some point we will most certainly find ourselves sounding just like our own mothers.
When I attended Women of Faith a few weeks back, we laughed uproariously at Anita Renfro's Mom Song, set the the tune of the William Tell Overture. Here it is for you to enjoy. Be forewarned - your kids will want to watch it over and over! Happy Friday!
Sep. 24, 2007 - Lord, please put your hand over my mouth!
If there were a hole close by, I would certainly crawl right in and live comfortably for the rest of my mothering career.
Listening to my children play downstairs, I suddenly heard my oldest yell, "Holy crap!" WHAT? Putting on my best indignant mother face, I marched downstairs to confront him. Sitting down, I asked him why he said what he did and where in heaven's name he learned something like that. His reply? (This is where the need for a hole comes in.)
"But Mom, I learned it from you."
Um...uh...well...uh...deep breath. What started out to be a lecture on inappropriate words, turned into an apology on my part. Not sure when he heard me say it, but they are always listening. Solid proof that more is caught than is taught.
Lord, help me be the mother you want me to be. Thank you for a lesson learned today. May the words I speak to my family be uplifting, encouraging and worth repeating. If necessary, feel free to put your hand over my mouth to keep me from sticking my foot in it!
Live slowly and simply, so that you have the time and space to love deeply and well. Hold your children close, as often as possible. Look deeply into their eyes, speak words of life, love and acceptance, into, and over them. Make it your single aim, to be their very best friend on earth. You will in such a very short time be repaid a thousand-fold. Read to them, draw with them, make play dough, take walks, have picnics, make ice cream, tossle their hair, rub their backs, sit beside them, kiss them, kiss them, as you hold them tenderly, close--throughout every single day. Love them.
If you've never had the pleasure of visiting Jewel's blog, you are in for a rich treat. I often feel I've wandered through a field of flowers and taken the time to stop and admire the view along the way.
This bit of mommy advice she offered today spoke deeply to my heart and made me take a long, hard look at my priorities. While my most important aim is to point them to the Savior, the outcome of our longterm relationship most certainly weighs on my mind. How often do I go through a day having heard, but not really listened to my children? How often do I spend countless hours in the same room with them, but am too busy to see what's in their hearts? I may be home physically with my kids, but am I present mentally and emotionally? Not always. Sometimes I'm miles away. I'm afraid I may wake up one day and realize I've missed something important.
I don't often read, much less post, the forwards I receive over my e-mail. I could not pass this one up, because well, it's just so darn true! Read it and tell me you don't agree!
Your Clothes:
1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your OB/GYN confirms your pregnancy.
2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.
3rd baby: Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes.
_____________________________________________________ Preparing for the Birth:
1st baby: You practice your breathing religiously.
2nd baby: You don't bother because you remember that last time, breathing didn't do a thing.
3rd baby : You ask for an epidermal in your eighth month.
______________________________________________________ The Layette :
1st baby: You pre-wash newborn's clothes, color- coordinate them, and fold them neatly in the baby's little bureau.
2nd baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and discard only the ones with the darkest stains.
3rd baby: Boys can wear pink, can't they?
______________________________________________________ Worries:
1st baby: At the first sign of distress--a whimper, a frown--you pick up the baby.
2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten to wake your firstborn.
3rd baby: You teach your three-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing.
______________________________________________________ Pacifier:
1st baby: If the pacifier falls on the floor, you put it away until you can go home and wash and boil it.
2nd baby: When the pa cifier falls on the floor, you squirt it off with some juice from the baby's bottle.
3rd baby: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in.
______________________________________________________ Diapering:
1st baby: You change your baby's diapers every hour, whether t hey need it or not.
2nd baby: You change their diaper every two to three hours, if needed.
3rd baby: You try to change their diaper before others start to complain about the smell or you see it sagging to their knees.
______________________________________________________ Activities:
1st baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Swing, and Baby Story Hour.
2nd baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics.
3rd baby: You take your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaner.
__________ ____________________________________________ Going Out:
1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter, you call home five times.
2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a number where you can be reached.
3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.
______________________________________________________ At Home:
1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby.
2nd baby: You spend a bit of everyday watching to be sure your older child isn't squeezing, poking, or hitting the baby.
3rd baby: You spend a little bit of every day hiding from the children.
________________________ ______________________________ Swallowing Coins:
1st child: When first child swallows a coin, you rush the child to the hospital and demand x-rays.
2nd child: When second child swallows a coin, you carefully watch for the coin to pass.
3rd child: When third child swallows a coin you deduct it from his allowance!
___________________________________________ ___________
I will praise the LORD at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. I will boast only in the LORD; let all who are discouraged take heart. Come, let us tell of the Lord's greatness; let us exalt his name together. Psalm 34:1-3
Thank you all for your kind encouragement yesterday. I am so thankful today is a new day. I am still far from home. I still miss my friends, my church and my life. My reality has not changed, but perhaps my focus has. I will choose today to praise the LORD despite how I feel. I will trust His perfect will to work through this season of our lives.
A sweet new friend read my blog yesterday and took the opportunity to encourage me in a practical way. She caught me after yoga class and invited me to coffee. It was just what I needed to help me through a tough day. Thank you Nikol!
The stomach bug has invaded our home again for the second time in as many weeks. It is 7:30 a.m. and I've been up since 5:00 a.m. washing bedding, floors, walls and little ones. At one point, I breathed a quick prayer asking the Lord to help the toddler fall asleep without her coveted blanket that was being washed. When she didn't settle down, I realized I needed to pray instead for the grace and peace to minister to my children. He will sustain me. The coveted blanket is now clean again and maybe the toddler will sleep...we'll see.
I found Elizabeth Elliott's words in my in-box this morning. The encouragement could not have been timelier.
When I imagine that I want to learn to love God--and to love my husband and others whom God has given me to love--let me test the desire of my willingness to accept trial and grief. If I can welcome them--Yes, Lord!--and believe God's purpose in them, I am learning the lesson of love. If I cannot, it's a fair indication that my desire to love is a delusion.
I breathed another prayer, thanking God for the opportunity to minister to my family in sickness and in health. Motherhood is so many things. Can I accept the good, but not the bad? Not if I'm really going to love. Peace and thankfulness has replaced weariness this morning...for that I am extremely grateful.
Feb. 10, 2007 - "Best Mom in the Universe"? Depends on who you ask
The unconditional love of a child is probably the most humbling part of being a mom. It's interesting how two people can view life, but emerge with such different perspectives. Looking at myself as a mom, I see all I am not...my daily failures, shortcomings and inadequacies. My children on the other hand, look at me and see all I hope and pray to become...loving, joyful, caring, patient and kind.
Focusing on my weaknesses leaves me feeling unworthy of the devotion so freely given by my precious children. Do I really deserve the title of "Best Mom in the Universe"? Hardly, but according to my children, that's just what I am. Will I accept the title and soar to the heights my children have elevated me to, or will I limp along, wallowing in all I am not? It's a daily choice...some days I soar...others I limp. I know which I prefer.
How similar to my relationship with my Heavenly Father. The love He so freely gives is humbling at best. I see daily all I am not. He sees me as He has created me to be. I see a broken pot...He sees a beautiful vessel. Do I deserve the love of the Creator of the Universe? No. Do I deserve to be called His child? No. Is it all very humbling? You bet. I must choose daily to accept His lavish love for me, striving to become that beautiful vessel.
Yes, some days I soar...others I limp. I know which I prefer.
The daily, sometimes hourly, musings of a homeschooling mom of four surviving on prayer, friendship and lots of Starbucks. Some days my cup runs over and some days it all spills out the cracks...and I wouldn't have it any other way.
