God Momments / Seeing Me

Image by ~Dezz~ via Flickr

In church this morning we were talking about the importance of hanging out with people that aren't christians. Some folks are afraid that they will be tempted into sin if they hang out with non-chriatians but I actually have found that my sinful behaviors as a young person actually increased when I chose to only hang with other christians. This may seem strange but what happens in my life is christains seem to show compasion for your sinful ways and sometimes they join right in. When I hang out with people that don't hold my same beliefs I have found that they openly question me if I am acting in a way that hipocritical. The best part is their is no hiden agenda just an honest desire to know. I remember one time when I was in college I went to a bar and was hitting on some guy and he said that he didn't think I belonged in a place like this. God was watching out for me. Our conversation turned into one all about God. Not my plan but I am sure it was God's.

Parenting / Potty Training

Image by bcostin via Flickr

I see potty training in stages. Stage 1 is training mommy/daddy to follow a schedule and get them on the potty every 30-45 minutes, track when they have accidents. This helps you to know when and how often they actually go. Then you start putting them on the potty at the times you think they will need to go, still about every 45 minutes. Stage 1 is also about making potty time fun and special with mommy/daddy. We read all our books while sitting on the potty. I reward the boys for just sitting for the whole time I read and they get an extra reward for going. The goal is for them to want to sit. If you take them this often they will go. I also try and let them run around in underwear or nothing at all when ever I can. This helps them but mostly you recognize when they go. Diapers are great but don't help much in potty training. We also have to untrain going in the diaper. I would say do this for a week or two religiously, if going well, keep it up, if not, try again in a month or so.

The other reason to work on stage 1 when they are really little is they haven't really separated themselves from you. Once they get to the: me, mine, and the, I'll do it my way, they often struggle against you in potty training and then you have a behavioral problem on top of potty training.

In this stage I don’t show any disappointment when they go potty on the floor or in their diaper. I use only positive words and encouragement. “Let’s go potty in the potty next time.”

Now stage 2 starts when they actually seem to have made a connection between being wet, what is happening in the potty and your praise. It is at this point that I use both positive and negative reinforcement. Great job when they go in the potty and just verbal encouragement and a little show of disappointment when they have an accident. "Sherman, look at the floor/your pants, they are all wet. Let's try and go next time in the potty. I know you can do it."

Now with Petra she was fully potty training after stage 2.

Now Reye needed another stage, 3. Hopefully you won't need a stage 3. He was 3 1/2 before he was potty trained. He had no interest and I didn't really use stage 1, with me consistently putting him on the potty. He wasn't responding to anything I did. He isn't motivated by praise or punishment. He loved Spiderman at the time and we had loads of Spiderman stuff. I had finally had enough one day at a park. He pooped in his pants, told me he needed to go potty where he dumped it on the floor, pulled up is dirty pants and came out. I was so motivated in my moment of clarity. All of his Spiderman stuff went in jail (laundry basket). I made him collect everything from toys, to shoes, plates, etc. He was horrified. I told him he could have one thing back if he went potty and everything back if he went a whole day.

He was potty trained in TWO weeks.

Sweet Pea Momments / Potty Time

Make a Smilebox greeting

Sweet Pea Momments / 1st Day of School

The Kids had a great day. Everyone was up and ready on time. We all walked to school together and Kay and Reye went off to breakfast while I looked into who would be putting Petra on her shuttle bus to Ed Franz. So often times I don't take pictures and I was so excited that things were going smooth enough for me to take some good shots. After I got Petra on the bus the twins and I went hope to drive over to Ed Franz to join Petra for Breakfast. Why wouldn't I just drive her? Well I want to get her trained to be able to go on the bus by herself. Eventually Kay and Reye will be walking with her to school without me.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Day to Day / No Time to Write

I have 10 minutes before I need to be out the door for football. This has been the story of my life. Everything is so scheduled that I just don't have minute to collect my thoughts and write. I can't believe that it has been so long since I posted last. I have had some ideas but no time. I hope to write about the 1st day of school, and better yet the 2nd.

Life is good. 5 minutes, babies need a diaper change, the table needs clearing and I am sure Reye can't find something.

Sweet Pea Momments / Sprinklers

Image via Wikipedia

What a joy to see the smiles and inhibition on my children's faces while they ran through the sprinklers on the baseball field. Reye had just finished football practice and he was having a blast cooling down on the field. Kay was a bit more cautious and Petra stayed only in range of the mist.

Day to Day / Cleaning

Image via Wikipedia

How do you clean your Shower? I am embarrassed to say I don't really know how. I have had someone else doing it for the past 100 years. At one point I had a sprayer for my shower head and I would wipe everything down and then hose it with the shower head. Well I can do that with what we have now so I just through a bucket of water and get very wet myself. I even take my mop into the stall for the floor. I am sure that this isn't the way it is suppose to be done, but oh well.

Now why I am rambling on about my shower? Well even though I am a SAHM and am trying to pinch every penny I just HATE house work, and how much time it take me away from the kids, so I gave in and am back to having a cleaning lady. The last two times she was to show, today included, she canceled last minute. Now this is a total aggravation at my house because we spend at least two hours getting ready for the cleaning lady. We pick up EVERY toy. Even those under the beds, and in the play room and we wash and dry all the bedding.

It just isn't worth it to not at least vacuum after doing all the prep work. So today I decided I was going to do a better job than the cleaning lady and get it all done today. Well we did it. The kids helped out a bunch.

Kay was under the kitchen table washing the legs and the sides. She found a mountain of chocolate.

Reye washed the food off the walls in the eating area. He was hilarious. "I can't believe all the food on the wall mom. Does the cleaning lady really do all of this?"

Petra washed baseboards.

And I sat and watched TV, ha, ha. I am pooped but happy in my clean, triple mopped floors.