Tricks for Potty Training Boys

So I've only potty trained a boy. I have not had the opportunity to come up with fun lessons related to potty training girls. This will change over the next few years though. ;) Of course, there are many steps for potty training success that you can read in any parenting magazine but these are my personal tips from life experience. :)

1. Make going potty it's own reward~ Yes, it's possible!
~ Let your son pick out a food coloring color. Put a couple drops in the toilet. When he tinkles the color will grow and spread. Watch how proud he is of what he did.
~ Same idea, but with bubbles. Squeeze a little bit of cheap soap in the toilet. When he tinkles he will make bubbles. Now that's exciting!

2. Give 'em a boost!
~Public bathrooms present many challenges, one being the height of the toilet. If he is just a little short to stand at the toilet; have him stand on your feet. Way easier than holding him. And he will be able to relax better than be dangled over the toilet.

3. Up for boys, down for Mommy!
~Priceless lesson. Mommies beware. ALWAYS check the seat before you sit down or you just may sit on a tinkle seat. Or fall in for that matter. ;)

4. Hand Sanitizer
~ It takes more effort than a aerobic class to hold a child up to public sinks to wash their hands. (never mind trying to keep their clothes dry) Hand sanitizer will be your life saver!

5. Keep clothes simple
~No overalls
~Limit buttons, snaps, and zippers on pants. There are plenty of cute elastic options, even in larger sizes.
~Don't let your child's clothes be the reason they don't make it.
~This will encourage independents as well as setting your child up for success.


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Surviving the Stores with Kids

I'll be honest, the thought of shopping with my kids use to send me into minor anxiety attacks. It is SO hard to focus on the safety and happiness of your kids while trying to decide which cereal is going to be the best deal this week. Here is what I have come up with to make shopping with kids a little more bearable and dare I say enjoyable.

1. Entertainment- Allow your child to bring one small toy to keep them busy.~ For younger children this should be a item that can be attached to the cart, so you don't have to keep picking it up.~A special set of toys that get rotated for shopping trips will make the toys more fun. ~They are less likely to ask you to buy something if they already have something.
2. Comfort- Your child will be able to tolerate you shopping trip longer if they are more comfortable.~If you only need a few things maybe the stroller would be more comfortable than the cart.~ Cart covers that be purchased at at retailers like Target and Walmart can make carts more comfortable, protect from germs and usually have toys attached.
~A blanket can also be used in a cart to add padding and comfort.

3. Snacks!
~I have a formula holder with separate compartments that I bought from BabiesRUs that I keep a variety of different snacks for the kids. (Goldfish crackers, raisins, puffs, cheerios, etc) Distracts their focus momentarily. Which is also nice at the check out counter. ;) "Here I already have a snack for you."

4. Picture Grocery List- Did you know that a lot of store websites allow you to print items from their ad that include a picture? Just click on the items you want and print your list. ~Your kids will have fun hunting for the items on their list

5. Shopping Passport- Make a little book that looks similar to a passpart.
~For each place you go (Walmart, Kroger, Post Office, Bank, etc) Write where you went on each page with the date.~Ask an associate to make a special mark in the book for your child on the page (cashier or door greeter, someone you interact with). Many associates may think this is strange, but others will have a great time with it with stickers or little drawings. ~This will give your child a small reward for making it through the trip that costs nothing.

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Once Upon a Child $1 Sale!!!

This is one of my favorite times to get clothes for the kids! Once Upon a Child locations in the Dayton area have all their clearance clothes and toys for $1. Can you beat that?!

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Advice that Only a Mom Could Give

I was asked at a baby shower if I have a blog for all my Mommy tips. My response was, “well kind of. I have a blog, but don’t seem to find time to post anymore.” :) So this post is dedicated to my co-worker’s daughter, Mandy. I hope you find some of these tips helpful and maybe even make your life a little easier. Congrats and good luck!

1. Don’t take lactation consults too serious. (They do this enough themselves.) Your little one knows what the “good stuff” is, so if you give him a bottle even once a day he is not going to “get confused.” (n fact we did this is preparation for me going back to work. When it was time for me to work, Zoey had nothing to do with the bottle. :)

2. How to ward off post-partum depression.

1. Eat snacks. Have easy foods on hand that you can eat with little prep. (Fruit cup, yogurt, pretzels, cheese cubes, sandwich materials, etc)

2. Takes naps. -It’s easy to want to clean or play on the computer, but taking a nap REALLY helps

3. Take a shower every day. No, really. -Some days it is hard to find time for a simple shower, but fresh clothes and a shower really does wonder for the mood.

4. Take small outings. –I’m talking super simple. Just a ride in the car to soak up some sun (if there’s any to be found) and get fresh air.

3. Babies don’t know about designer labels. Save money now and by 2^nd hand clothes. Babies don’t care if they are wearing Gap or Walmart.

4. Use the date stamp on your camera. Having the date right on the picture is priceless when looking back at pictures.

5. Skip stage one food. Stage one and stage two baby foods are the same foods. The stage two food just comes in a container twice as big and is often the same price as stage one food. Yes, some will get throw away at first, but you will get your monies worth.

6. Skip the kid’s meal. There is no point paying for an extra meal for your little one for awhile after they start eating table food. They just don’t eat that much and there is no point and buying a $4 meal for 3 bites of food. Bring a fruit cup, juice box, and crackers when eating out and just share your meat from your meal.

7. Always have an umbrella stroller in the car. You never know when it will come in handy. This will free your hands to do other things, such as banking.

8. Avoid over scheduling. Everyone will be excited to see your little one, but too much visiting will be more than you and baby can handle. It is perfectly okay to say things like, “Today is not good, Afternoons work best for us, or We are really not up for visitors.”

9. Always have your camera handy. Keep it in your purse when you go out and leave it on and nearby counter when at home. You will catch the best moments when you have your camera in sight and in mind.

10. Socks make great teethers. Certainly there are other items that work too, but in a pinch a clean pair of socks stashed in the diaper bag makes the perfect teething relief for your little one. (And when table food is introduced baby carrots are nice for your little one to chew on.)

So 10 is a nice amount to end with. Plus, if I don’t go back to sleep it will be time for another feeding. ;) If I think of other great tips I will add them. :)

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Non Dairy Snow Ice Cream

Non Dairy Chocolate Snow Ice Cream

Ingredients:
*8 Cups fresh snow
*1 Cup chocolate soy milk (sub regular milk for vanilla ice cream)
* 1/2 cup sugar (we used Splenda)
*1 teaspoon of vanilla

Directions:
1. Collect 8 cups of snow (place a large bowl outside while it is snowing for the freshest snow)
2. Mix snow chocolate soy milk, sugar/Splenda & vanilla together
3. Enjoy right away! YUM!

My Review:
For those of you who don't know I am on a non-diary diet while Zoey is breast feeding because of a milk protein allergy. When a friend mentioned making snow ice cream with her kids it sparked the idea that I could make a diary free option. I'm super excited and very impressed with the result. Now I have a tasty ice cream option for those "ice cream kind of day". :)
Ethan got a kick out of using snow to make something to eat. When I told him he could take a taste he said, "but it's snow." He liked mixing and pouring more than eating, but then again that's Ethan, not really into eating much of anything.
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Colored Ice Painting

Materials:
*Ice tray
*Water
*Food coloring
*Craft sticks or tooth picks
*Foil or Plastic wrap
*Art paper or wrapping paper
*Cookie sheet

Directions:
1. Fill the ice tray with water
2. Place 2-3 drops of of food coloring in each ice hole
3. Cover tray with Plastic wrap or foil
(plastic wrap allows you to see through when poking the sticks in & foil holds the sticks a little better.)
4. Poke craft sticks or tooth picks into each hole
5. Put in freezer
6. Remove when frozen
7. Let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes so the ice is a little wet
8. Place art paper on cookie sheet (the area is going to get wet)
HINT: If you don't have art paper use the back side of wrapping paper
9. Use colored ice to "paint" a picture

My Review:
I had Ethan do this activity with my Mom while I was out. However, he did ask to do it again a couple days later. In my book activities that are requested a second time are winners! I was pleasantly surprised how the color actually worked very similar to water colors. We put the ice tray back in the freezer so we can do this activity again at the drop of a hat.

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Words are Powerful

While shopping this weekend something happened that I just can't shake. I feel like I am suppose to share it, so that others may have the same realization that I had.

If you don't know I gave birth to our daughter via c-section about 10 weeks ago. I suppose being self conscious about what how one looks is just something that comes with being a new Mom (again). However, I allowed my own insecurities to effect another person, which I'm having a hard time forgiving myself for.

While standing in the checkout line I caught the eyes of another women. She smiles and says I like your shirt. In the moment I couldn't even remember what I was wearing but thought to myself, "How nice. Maybe I am starting to look a little better in my clothes again" I polity said, "thank you."

What she said next is what took me by surprise. With kindness she asked "Are you going to have a baby?" I was appalled, enraged, and down right shocked! My mouth went before consulting my brain.

With as much attitude as a hormonal 16 year old girl, I shapely replied, Well actually, no I am not. I HAD a baby." I was ready to follow that with, "That really isn't something you should be asking people." (which may sound fine as you read it, but in my head it was not going to be said kindly.)

Before I could get those words out, as if she never said anything and I never spoke sharply, she asked me, "What's your name?" I felt about two inches tall. At that moment I realized that the lady standing before me was not being rude but likely had some kind of mental slowness. (or whatever the politically correct term is these days.)

I answered her, slightly annoyed bruised ego and all "Rebecca."
She replied, "that's a nice name." Then she asked inquisitively, what's your middle name."
This time I answered with a smile, "Ruth. What's your name?" I needed to salvage this human interaction that had gone south so fast.

Even though I was offended by her words that gave me no right to lash out at her. Every time we open our mouths we have the power to build a person up or to tear them down. I want to make the conscious decision to use my words to empower those around me. Because the old saying, "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me," is SO wrong. It should be, "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will destroy my soul."
Compliments cost nothing to give, but can give a person more pride than a trophy. I think as a whole we are all too stingy with compliments. Even if we are on the tightest budget we can give compliments out like we are rich, because when we are filled with happiness that is when we are truly blessed.

If you made it all the way to the end of my story(congratulations), I hope it blessed your heart and will leave an impression on your mind that will last with you. May God Bless you and in turn may you bless those around you with the kind of kindness that only God can show.

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