How to Clean Your Toddler's Room:

1. Let your toddler find a container of Vaseline amongst the diaper changing items in their changing table.
2. While you are cleaning another room, let your toddler smear said vaseline onto everything he/she can touch.
3. Go check on your toddler because he/she "is just being too quite...they've GOT to be getting into SOMETHING."
4. FREAK OUT because you just found 8 ounces of vaseline all over everything that you just cleaned from this morning's chores.
5. This is the tricky part! Gather soap, warm water, a wash cloth, and a large package of wet wipes and proceed to remove (hehe good luck) all vaseline from all areas of your toddler's room.
6. Viola! Clean room!

How to Have Fun Potty Training: Day 3

Stats:

Attempts on the Potty: 18

Accidents in the Undies: 4 (HOW AWESOME IS THAT!?!)

Successful Potty Trips: 7 (YAY!!!!!!)

I have to be completely honest. If you'd told me that Austin would have those kinds of stats by "Day 3" of this 3-day intensive potty training adventure, I would have been disappointed. My expectations at the beginning were this: Austin would give me fits the first two days resisting my insistence on going peepee and poopy in the potty. I would be completely exhausted from fighting a defiant 2-year-old by day three. The whole potty training ordeal would be a thorn in my side. But on day three he would finally give in and totally submit himself to the potty everytime, telling me when he needed to go.

Every expectation BUMPED!

Sure, "Day 1" was hard and tiring, but it was the first day. Every first day of something new is always kind of confusing and tiring. But "Day 2" brought consistency and new accomplishments! It became a fun game to see how many pieces of candy Austin could get. And I never even realized that I was HAVING FUN until "Day 3".

Ahh. Good ole "Day 3". It was a great day. Only 4 accidents! And three of those were before his nap when we were outside playing in the garden. Well, Austin was playing in the garden. I was pulling weeds, not paying attention to Austin's cues. But that was the slight disappointment about Day 3. Austin still doesn't come tell me when he needs to go potty. I have to read his cues. We'll be working on that in the next few days. Nevertheless, I still had fun! I've LOVED watching him closely, reading his every move and facial expression. I've loved neglecting chores to play with my toddler all day long. I've loved his bright, happy, dramatic reaction to the simple act of having a successful potty trip! Its been so much fun watching him learn the past 3 days.

I know we're not done. We still have a long way to go...like using verbal signs to communicate when he needs to go and making it through the night. But I'm grateful for "Patty's Potty Plan" and all that its taught both my little tike and myself. By the way, if you noticed, the number of attempts has decreased over this 3 day period. That's because we no longer have to go every 10 minutes. I've gotten pretty darn good at reading his cues. :)

I hope you've enjoyed reading about our little adventure. I've sure enjoyed living it...surprisingly.

God Bless!

- Kate

How to Be Gleefully Happy About a BM: Day 2

Our Potty Training Adventure, Day 2 went better than anticipated! :D Wanna see the stats of the day?
Drum roll, please...

Attempts on the Potty: 19
Accidents in the Undies: 10 (Two better than yesterday)
Successful Potty Trips: 5 (WOOHOO!!!!)

Yesterday morning I was kind of disappointed that I kept catching him AFTER he'd peed his new britches and got ZERO successful trips to the potty before his afternoon nap. I went through an ENTIRE pack of toddler undies before lunch! I was really beginning to question my motives and Austin's readiness.
But TODAY was a totally different experience! Today lifted my spirits as I reminded myself why we are attempting this at the ripe old age of two, and this morning I caught him THREE times before he wet his drawers. He got to munch on 3 M&M's for going #1 in the potty 3 times before his nap! AND he only had 3 accidents before his nap...as opposed to SEVEN yesterday morning. What a fantastic leap!!!
By the end of the day it seemed as if he was actually starting to grasp the whole idea of potty training as Brett and I constantly reminded him to keep his undies dry and go in the big boy potty. I'm so darn proud of my little guy! I KNEW he'd get the hang of it. :D

Tomorrow's goal: 6 successful potty trips and only 9 accidents. I think its do-able, don't you?

How To Drive Yourself Crazy: Day 1

Today was the kick-off for a very important lesson in Austin's life. Potty Training. :) I've been thinking about it for a few months now. Austin's been showing interest in the potty ever since he was about 20 months old. As for the readiness checklist? Yep, he's totally there. Which is quite a relief for me because he's already in the largest size diaper they make!

Back about June, I called a lady here in Mountain Home who has 9 children with whom she's used one certain approach to potty training and its worked for all 9 of them. SURELY it could work for Austin.

The Plan:
A 3-day Potty Training Intensive, to sum it up. Go cold turkey on the diapers. All underwear, all the time...no training pants. Give the child as much juice/water/milk as they want all day long for 3 days straight, but cut them off an hour before bedtime. Take the child to the potty every 10 minutes. Have them sit on the potty for 2-5 minutes. If they go #1 they get 1 small piece of candy. If they go #2 they get 2 small pieces of candy. If they go #0 they get none. Sure, its bribery, but by the 3rd day they begin to realize the ultimate goal.
This woman always starts her children at about 22 months. I figure its not too early to at least try since Austin is now one month past two years.

My Plan:
A slight variation. No training pants, BUT diapers at night...because I am NOT expecting a 2-year old to make it through the night the first few days of potty training. One thing at a time for us. We'll tackle nights at a later date...like 6 months down the road, later. ;)

Day 1:
Oh, Dear. How do I sum up Day 1? Ok, lets do stats...
Attempts on the Potty: 31
Accidents in the Undies: 12 (UUUUGH!)
Successes on the Potty: 1 (Yep that's right, ONE!)
This morning started out pretty tough. Austin did not fully understand what was expected of him. Which, I totally get that. Picture yourself in diapers all your life where you get to let loose anywhere, anytime. How awesome is that!?! But then one day, Mommy tells you "no more diapers!" WHAT?!? What are you doing to me, Woman!...you might think. ;) Then on go these strange, light-weight, action-figure covered, diaper-looking doodads and you all of the sudden get told "No, we don't do that anymore" when you've gone whoopty in your new tighty whities!
So, needless to say, I'm not surprised we had TWELVE accidents and only ONE success today. In fact, I'm THRILLED we had A SUCCESS today!
(Side note: I did actually explain my expectations and what we were doing to Austin long before we threw him into his new super-hero undies. He acted pretty excited to be able to wear them, too.)

Yes, today was hard. It was hard trying to get him to go to the potty every ten minutes. It was hard to try to get him to potty IN the potty chair. It was hard having to clean up twelve messes on the floor/rug. And it was hard trying to get Austin to understand why we were doing things differently today. But I know he'll come around.
Austin is a super smart kid. He's always been ahead of the game. He smiled early. He laughed early. He talked early. He walked early. I don't push him. I gently encourage him. And if he wants do things that 3-year old children are doing, by golly, I'm going to let him try. If he doesn't catch on in a week. I'm more than happy to let him stay in diapers a little while longer. But I'm not going to hold him back because someone else says he's not ready or not old enough.

So, I'll keep encouraging him. :)

PS. Tomorrow's goal: 2 Successes on the Potty! ;)

Worm Science

I was talking to my sister-in-law the other day about worms of all things. ;) She and I have been trying to use worms for our buckets of compost for the benefit ofour dear Mother Earth and our own families' health by gardening organically.
Her problem was that her worms had crawled out and my problem was that they had died in my compost buckets. We also have a common problem with worms crawling into our garages when it rains and shriveling up and dying. So, not only can we not keep them in our buckets, but we can't keep them out of the garage!

Well, I had a great idea to set up a bucket of dirt in the garage, so whenever it rained I could save those worms and either use them in my garden or for when we go fishing. :) I seemed like a great idea at the time...until it turned hot, REALLY hot. The garage was scorching by the time the afternoon sun got to it and the worms were suffering. Not to mention, they really didn't have much in the way of food and water...so I didn't know until later.

Brett and I did a little research...Brett found the links and I read up on how to care for my worms. (hehe...that sounds funny) I was pretty surprised about how much I learned (that I wasn't doing) about my worms!

Here's what I learned...

Worms LOVE cool, moist dirt. If kept in a bucket, they need to be placed in a cool, dry, shady area with a holey lid on top. On hot days, put ice chips on top of the dirt. This will keep the dirt (and worms) cool as well as provide much needed water for them.

Also, worms need to be fed. (I thought worms just ate dirt! Nope! They need nutrition just as much as we do. How bout that?) Food worms love: pumpkins, watermelon and canteloupe rinds, fruit (except for citrusy fruits like lemons, limes, and oranges), crushed egg shells, banana peels, and veggies (except for onions and garlic). But feed in moderation. Unfortunately worms are not like us on the food side of things. More food does not equal fat worms. Neither does fatty food either...so don't try it. You'll only get dead worms. ;)

A little extra something you can add for your worms is shredded newspaper or damp paper towels. But don't use too much. Its best to layer it dirt/worms/paper/dirt/worms/paper. The worms will eat right through the paper and the paper will help keep the dirt cool and moist.

You could probably have a seperate bucket for compost than for your worms and feed your worms out of the compost bucket. This could actually be something you set up in stages for your garden! I'm thinking I'm gonna try this for my own garden.

Stage 1: Compost Bucket - put left over food (minus bones, meats & proteins) in a bucket mixed in with top soil to let the food decay.
Stage 2: Worm Bucket - put some of the decaying food into the worm bucket to feed the worms and creat super nutritious gardening soil.
Stage 3: Garden Soil - transfer much of the soil and worms into your garden to create healthy, hearty, tastey veggies and fruits!

And the best part of all...if your worms are healthy and happy, they should quadruple every 27 days! Worms will produce a small cocoon every 27 days out of which 3 baby worms will emerge. Isn't that great!?!

I'm really diggin my new pets...now that I know what I'm doing. ;)

Austin Swims!

My little baby is starting to swim all by himself...well, with the help of a life jacket. But he's the most adventurous little tike I've ever seen!

Go watch this video on his video blog...

(Click Here)

Did you see him!?! Isn't he awesome!?! Well, the video doesn't quite do it justice. Just as Austin asked, I got in...after I turned off the camera and put it in a safe place. ;) So, when I did he clung to me for a little while, but then started letting go little by little. Eventually he was pushing off of me with his feet and swimming towards the dock all by himself!!! This little guy is taking to swimming like a fish to water! I gotta say, I am one proud mama. :D

SCREECH, BAM!

Recognize the sounds in the title of this blog? I gotta say, its been years since I've been in a car accident. And the last time I was, it was all my fault. This time...it was not.

Brett and Austin and I were on our way to the grocery store when it happened. All three of us in the car. My thoughts were on Austin the entire 500 milliseconds as it occured. We were approaching an intersection just 100 yards from a red light, so thankfully we were only going about 20mph or a little less when we hit the guy. He had a stop sign. We did not. He stopped at the stop sign. He did not see us, so he began to pull his 70's model full-sized Ford truck through the intersection. I gasped! Brett swerved to try and miss him, but it was too late. Our left front end met his right front end with unexpected force...a force that would later prove to be enough to put all three of us in pain. The entire half second seemed like it took a full 30 seconds. Slow motion...just like the movies. The few seconds following, silent. Then Austin says "Boom! Truck." :) My observant little 22 month old.

Brett and I looked at each other, then at Austin, making sure we were all ok. Everyone was fine, but then adrenaline was still pumping through our veins.

The next few minutes were full of calling the police, the insurance companies, moving the cars, and talking to a couple of Mountain Home police officers.

A few people stopped to see if everyone was ok, an affirmation to what I already knew, that we have good people surrounding us here. One of those people was a really sweet old lady in a minivan who offered us a ride back home. Austin and I gratefully took the offer. Come to find out, she lives not one mile from us. The kind officer who took Brett's statement turned out to live not one mile from us in the other direction. Its so nice to see neighbors taking care of neighbors around here. You don't see much of that these days...even in the South.

So, the sweet little old lady took Austin and me back to our house where I put the carseat in Brett's car and returned to the scene to pick up Brett.

On our way to get groceries after the accident (ya gotta move on with life, right) I was talking to Brett and he was saying how repentant and sorry the guy who pulled out in front of us was. My heart went out to him. A simple mistake will cause him grief and inconvenience for the next few weeks. Now, granted it will cause us the same grief and inconvenience, but I still felt bad for the guy.

Later on, Brett went to the hospital to get checked out. He was in a lot of pain. He took the brunt of it, being in the driver's seat. Everything checked out except for a bit of swelling in his back and neck. Austin and I will go to the doctor on Monday just for precautionary measures. I'm sure everything is ok with us, too. We just want to be certain since we're both feeling the effects of whiplash already.

All in all, everything is ok. We're ok. The car will get fixed. It will be worth less...much less, having been wrecked now, but we are ok. The other guy is ok. Everything is fine and we have good people all around us. :) We are blessed!

Struggles of a Stubborn Woman

I am a stubborn woman. Ask my husband, he will confirm it. I used to be a stubborn teenager (and before that, a stubborn little girl). Ask my mom, she will confirm it. If things don't go my way I stress out and question whether or not I'm a good person, teacher, wife, or mother. Sometimes I'll cry or even throw a hissy fit. :P The latter is more fun, but the former is more mature...so I alternate.

Lately, I've been having a major problem...because of my stubbornness.
My problem is my calling in church. I HATE PRIMARY! Maybe I should rephrase that. I HATE BEING IN PRIMARY! Primary itself is actually a GREAT program for the children in the church. The problem is that I don't do well with other people's kids. I never babysat as a teenager for a darn good reason. Other people's kids stress me out. I don't know how to relate to them, nor do I want to. Back in February I was called as the Nursery Leader. AAAH! The only thing worse than the combination of me and other people's kids is me and other peoples TODDLERS! Have I already said "AAAH!"? Because, "AAAAAAH!" I hardly feel like I have a handle on MY OWN toddler! What the heck was the Bishop smokin when get got THAT revelation!?! hehehe...I had to laugh at that one.
So, because of my stubbornness and my fear of other people's TODDLERS, I've been carrying around this grudge, this resentment for anyone associated with this calling. I've been snarling and snapping at everyone who asks "so, how's your calling?" Poor, poor innocent bystanders. I'm not one to hold back much. I don't put on a facade for the sake of saving face. I'm not two-faced. What you see is what you get with me. And when I'm in a foul mood, its pretty obvious. Embarassing sometimes, yes. But you can never accuse me of being fake.
(BIG SIGH)
Today, I've had a change of heart...a big change of heart. I someone at church opened up to me today. This woman was not someone whom I thought would ever do such a thing with me. I am her Visiting Teacher, but I'm intimidated by her, so I never make the effort to go visit her...much less, call her. She told me that she had once been in my position...with a 10-month old...while pregnant. And she endured it for a year and a half! WOW! I was floored.
I sat there thinking for a while. My heart was softened. I thought to myself, "surely, if this woman can do Nursery with a 10-month old and a baby on the way for 18 months, surely, SURELY, i could handle 9 more months of Nursery with my own toddler." (Bishop promised I would only have to be in there for a year.)
Every begrudging feeling, every ounce of resentment melted away. Replacing it was a love and respect for the women in Primary and a new understanding that the man who called me to this position was listening to the Holy Spirit.
I knew then that it was time to submit my will to that of Heavenly Father's. Hard as that may be for me, I knew it was the best thing. :)

Who knows, maybe this calling will help me become a better mother.

Anyone for Lunch?

Isn't he the cutest little boy ever!?! Gotta love a yogurt covered smile. :)

Easter Pictures!!!

You absolutely MUST go to this website and check out the fabulous pictures that the oh so awesome photographer, Jaren (soon to be) Beavers, took of our little family!!!

CLICK HERE!

Thoughts...

So, Brett and I are sitting here in the our hotel room in Branson, Mo taking a little mini-vacation during spring break. Meemaw (Brett's mom) is back at our house watching Austin for us.
Its been nice not having to chase a toddler, tame his tantrums, and pick him up every 5 minutes...but, by golly, I MISS HIM!!! I think about him every 30 seconds and wonder what he's doing, if he's having fun, and wondering how many times he's gone looking for me. My heart just yearns for his little embrace. My shoulder longs for his resting head. My cheek longs for the softness of his. I wonder how long I'm going to last. :)

On a lighter note...we're having family pictures taken by Jaren Froyk (soon to be Jaren Beavers) next Wednesday morning! I love taking pictures!!! I think it's so much fun. And this girl is an awesome photographer. Check out her blogsite.
Tina, my friend and the girl I teach dance for, uses her for our dance recital pictures. She's super sweet and great to work with. I'm really looking forward to our appointment.
So, check back soon because I may have some pictures posted...or at least a link to where you may see some. :D

Mother's Day Out

In the next couple of weeks I'm going to be putting Austin in somewhat of a pre-preschool for one day a week. Its a place with a Christian curriculum and they actually have lesson plans for kids under 3 years old. So, it makes me happy that its not just a day care center and that he'll be in a Christian environment. And its on my way to the gym! I also like that we can just do one day a week, because I don't know if I could handle any more than that emotionally. I already feel guilty that I'm considering one day a week. Afterall, I'm supposed to be a full-time mom. I'm supposed to be able to teach him his ABC's, 123's, shapes, colors and all that good stuff, all the while keeping the house clean, cooking supper at night, and keeping myself in shape...somehow...right?

Well, it'll be great for Austin to learn how to play with other children. And I get some time to workout, sew and clean up the house without feeling like I'm neglecting my son. :) Hot bikini bod, here I come! HAHAHAHA!

Hello. My name is Leslie, and I'm addicted to Facebook.

You don't have to be Catholic to observe Lent. In my opinion, everyone who celebrates Mardi Gras should observe Lent. It is the sole purpose of Mardi Gras. You fatten up on "Fat Tuesday" before you begin your 40-day fast on Ash Wednesday. And everyone who parties hard on Mardi Gras could stand to benefit from Lent, I think. Now, of course, because I'm not Catholic, I don't do the whole Ash Wednesday ritual. I don't go to church, have ashes spread on my forehead in the shape of a cross and confess my sins. I do more of a private contemplation, instead. I think about what I'm giving up, how its going to make me a better person, and what else I can change to better myself.

This year, I'm giving up Facebook for Lent. I know its not the traditional type of food or drink one usually gives up for Lent, but I think it'll do more for me than...say, giving up chocolate (oh the horror!) or caffeine (though that wouldn't be half bad). I'm giving up Facebook because it has taken over my life. I find myself surfing my friends profiles and playing Farmville more than I clean house. I'm shirking in my responsibilities as a Mother, a Wife, and a Homemaker. Those three things should be top priorty to me, yet in the past months, Facebook seems to have been #1. So, for the sake of reprioritizing, Facebook has to go. And when Lent is over, I hope to be in a solid habit of putting Austin, Brett, and my home before anything else. Of course I'll still get on to see what my friends are up to and to post the occassional few pictures of Austin, but I won't let it rule my life like it has been. I'll limit myself to once a day AFTER my responsibilities have been met for the day.

So far it hasn't been that bad. I do find myself tempted to just take a peak, but I stop tell myself that I can do this. I'm a person with great self-discipline when I put my mind to it. And I haven't really missed it that much. :) So, here's putting my mind to it for the next 37 days! Wish me luck! :D

How much do you know about Mardi Gras?

Growing up in Louisiana, I was taught all about Mardi Gras. Did you know that there is more to the cajun holiday than just beads, dablooms, and high-energy parades? Did you know that it's actually a predominantly Catholic holiday?

Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday." Its the day before Ash Wednesday where people gorge themselves on sweet bread (King Cake), alcoholic beverages (if they aren't Mormon), and the company of good friends before they begin their 40 day fast of their choosing in similitude of Christ's 40-day fast. Following the 40 days is, you guessed it, Easter! :D And we all know about Easter.

There are 3 colors that traditionally represent Mardi Gras, they are Purple, Green, and Gold. They are symbolic of the gifts the Three Kings brought to Jesus Christ when he was born. Gold represents gold, obviously. Purple represents frankencense. And Green represents myrh. I've also heard that they represent Justice, Faith, and Power, but I don't buy that.

The King Cake that is so popular this time of year is a sweetbread baked in the shape of a circle in representation of the path to the Christ Child that the Three Kings took to confuse King Herrod. There is also a baby that is always hidden in the cake. This obviously represents the Baby Jesus, being hidden from King Herrod. A modern, fun tradition: the person who finds the baby in their slice of cake typically holds the next Mardi Gras party...or brings the King Cake to the next party. :)

So, now you know the typically unknown facts about Mardi Gras!
I'm craving some King Cake...

Happy Mardi Gras!

PS. For the record...the act of showing boobs in exchange for beads is something only performed by tourists.

Reflections

Once upon a time, in a land far far away...ok maybe just 8 hours from here, I used to want to be a beautiful princess adorned with a diamond-studded tiara, matching earings, necklace and bracelet, and wear fine silk gowns everywhere I went. It's true. I was a shallow teenager with only two things on my mind...beauty and boys. My two sole purposes for anything I ever did as a teenager were to make myself beautiful and make myself more attractive to the boys. (ugh)
What changed? When did I stop caring about whether or not I was the most beautiful girl in the room? Was it marriage that changed it? Parenthood? Or just plain maturity?
I no longer have this sneaking urge to go primp and preen myself in front of the mirror. I'm appalled at myself for ever having that urge!
Do you know what I want now? I want to be honest, humble, gentle, kind, and patient. None of those things have anything to do with beauty. Sure, I still care about my appearance. That's just part of being raised in the South. It's just not my biggest priorty these days.
Hmmm...maybe that's my new year's resolution. :)

This is why I haven't blogged in a while...

My friend posted this as a note on her Facebook page. I've never heard or read this poem before but it dawned on me when I read it...I may not be a great house-keeper, but it matters not as long as I'm a great mother. :)

Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing and butter the bread,
Sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(lullaby, rock-a-bye, Lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(pat-a-cake, darling, and peek-peek-a-boo).
The shopping is not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there is a hullabaloo.
But I'm playing "Kanga" and this is my "Roo."
Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?
(lullaby, rock-a-bye, lullaby loo).

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
For children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

Ruth Hulburt Hamilton, 1958