I feel like rambling today.
So here goes nothing.
*Potty training. Where do I begin? Lizzie will turn three in August and I know that she is more than ready to go to the bathroom in the toilet like a big girl. But I just don't know if I have it in me to train her. I just can't do it! Aside from the fact that I don't want my new carpet to be soiled with her accidents that are bound to happen, life with diapers has been amazingly simple. I don't ever have to rush around to find her a toilet. Having her in diapers allows me the luxury to take her wherever I want, whenever I want. When she is toilet trained, I honestly don't know if we will ever go anywhere again. Ever. How in the world does a female toddler use a public toilet without contaminating herself with the most disgusting germs on the planet? If I am ever in a situation where I must use a public toilet, I squat. I don't ever touch the porcelain throne while taking care of my business and I always use my foot to flush. It's quite easy for me because I happen to be taller than the toilet seat. But a 3-year-old? What am I supposed to do? Hold her above the toilet, let her drip, and hope that nothing gets in her socks? Or am I supposed to carry rubber gloves and Clorox wipes with me wherever I go so that I can wipe down and completely sanitize every public toilet that it is necessary for us to come in contact with? Who knows. All that I know is this whole toilet training business is no fun at all. Running a marathon was way more feasible in my book.
*Jon surprised me with an $8 highlighting kit from Wall-mart. He has highlighted my hair in the past, and so I didn't see a problem in having him experiment on my hair again. Well, to put it mildly, it didn't quite work out! I'm not sure what happened, really. He pulled some hair through the little cap, put the coloring solution on it, and I waited. When it looked light enough, I washed the solution out, combed my hair, and admired the highlights. He did a great job! But I apparently didn't wash all of the solution out of my hair. Because when I woke up in the morning, I hardly recognized myself in the mirror! Jon says that it looks fine, but I'm not quite sure. There are no noticeable highlights. I'm almost a full-blown blondie. Almost. Who knows, maybe it doesn't really look that bad. Perhaps I just have to get used to it. But I am a little embarrassed about it! I would put a picture up of myself, but I just don't feel confident enough. Maybe in a few days when I have gotten used to the idea of being an almost-blonde.
*Speaking of confidence, I really hope that Lizzie has a good self-image when she gets to be a teenager. I want her to be happy with herself! How does a mother instill confidence in her daughter? I want her to always feel of her individual worth. I want her to always know that she is a Daughter of God. I want her have the courage to completely ignore the voices of the world (her peers, the media, etc.) that will try to tell her that she is ugly, fat, not tall enough, not good enough, etc. The worldly pressures are so incredibly strong! I just want to protect her forever from anything bad. When I tuck her into bed, I always tell her that she is a beautiful daughter of God and that she is loved. I want her to always believe that. Currently, Lizzie is at a stage in her life where she believes everything that I tell her. When will she stop believing and start questioning? I truly dread that day.
*I don't want my kids to be spoiled brats. Well, let me rephrase that. I guess I don't mind if they are "spoiled". Just as long as they aren't "brats". Frankly speaking, our kids are spoiled. They have so much. Lizzie has so many toys! And she has a million books. No exaggeration. Although, I don't really mind that she has a lot of books. In fact, I think that the books are mostly my obsession, not hers. I get really sick of reading the SAME books over and over and over again. So when I see cheap books, I get them. The Lancaster City Library has 2 huge used book sales each year. And you can also buy used books there every day from 12:00 to 3:00. These books are really cheap - 25 cents per book! (Adult books are 50 cents - still a really good deal). I LOVE going there and I often hit jackpot with the kinds of books that I find! Seriously. I have gotten Dr. Seuss books, classic Golden books, Scholastic books, Disney books, books about the human body (my personal favorite), and many more!
Anyway, back to not wanting my kids to be spoiled brats. How do parents prevent their kids from being bratty? I want my kids to be nice and respectful to everyone that they meet. I want them to share what they have with others. I want them to be grateful for what they have. The question is, how do I get them to behave? Lizzie is a really well-behaved girl for the most part. However, she has been having a lot of tantrums lately. She especially has a difficult time LEAVING places that she doesn't want to leave. Like the park. I get so embarrassed because she refuses to get back in the stroller so that we can walk back home. She screams and does the arching her back thing that most parents are familiar with. The other day we drove to a park on the other side of town that we don't normally go to. I was holding Bryce in one arm and she absolutely refused to come with me to the car. I was really at a loss as to what I was supposed to do! I thought about putting Bryce in the car and then going back for Lizzie so that I could use both of my hands to force her into the car. But the car was far away from the playground! In California, you just don't leave a baby in the car all alone! Besides that, I didn't want to leave Lizzie at the playground all by herself (again, you just don't do those things in CA) while I put Bryce in the car. It was horrible! And it was hot. I finally ended up half carrying, half dragging her to the car. Yes, dragging her. With her screaming the entire way. I'm sure that I looked like an abusive mother and I'm surprised that no one called the cops on me. :) Jon doesn't know why I put myself in such situations. I don't know either. I just want to be a good Mom and take my kids to the park! :)
Okay, I have rambled on enough. It was kind of fun! I'll have to do it more often. :)
A post isn't complete without pictures. Sorry, none of Lizzie this time. Does that make me a bad Mom?
We thought that Bryce might like to try some of Daddy's chocolate pudding. He, of course, loved it. And we got an inkling of what he'll look like in the future with a mustache and goatee. :)
So here goes nothing.
*Potty training. Where do I begin? Lizzie will turn three in August and I know that she is more than ready to go to the bathroom in the toilet like a big girl. But I just don't know if I have it in me to train her. I just can't do it! Aside from the fact that I don't want my new carpet to be soiled with her accidents that are bound to happen, life with diapers has been amazingly simple. I don't ever have to rush around to find her a toilet. Having her in diapers allows me the luxury to take her wherever I want, whenever I want. When she is toilet trained, I honestly don't know if we will ever go anywhere again. Ever. How in the world does a female toddler use a public toilet without contaminating herself with the most disgusting germs on the planet? If I am ever in a situation where I must use a public toilet, I squat. I don't ever touch the porcelain throne while taking care of my business and I always use my foot to flush. It's quite easy for me because I happen to be taller than the toilet seat. But a 3-year-old? What am I supposed to do? Hold her above the toilet, let her drip, and hope that nothing gets in her socks? Or am I supposed to carry rubber gloves and Clorox wipes with me wherever I go so that I can wipe down and completely sanitize every public toilet that it is necessary for us to come in contact with? Who knows. All that I know is this whole toilet training business is no fun at all. Running a marathon was way more feasible in my book.
*Jon surprised me with an $8 highlighting kit from Wall-mart. He has highlighted my hair in the past, and so I didn't see a problem in having him experiment on my hair again. Well, to put it mildly, it didn't quite work out! I'm not sure what happened, really. He pulled some hair through the little cap, put the coloring solution on it, and I waited. When it looked light enough, I washed the solution out, combed my hair, and admired the highlights. He did a great job! But I apparently didn't wash all of the solution out of my hair. Because when I woke up in the morning, I hardly recognized myself in the mirror! Jon says that it looks fine, but I'm not quite sure. There are no noticeable highlights. I'm almost a full-blown blondie. Almost. Who knows, maybe it doesn't really look that bad. Perhaps I just have to get used to it. But I am a little embarrassed about it! I would put a picture up of myself, but I just don't feel confident enough. Maybe in a few days when I have gotten used to the idea of being an almost-blonde.
*Speaking of confidence, I really hope that Lizzie has a good self-image when she gets to be a teenager. I want her to be happy with herself! How does a mother instill confidence in her daughter? I want her to always feel of her individual worth. I want her to always know that she is a Daughter of God. I want her have the courage to completely ignore the voices of the world (her peers, the media, etc.) that will try to tell her that she is ugly, fat, not tall enough, not good enough, etc. The worldly pressures are so incredibly strong! I just want to protect her forever from anything bad. When I tuck her into bed, I always tell her that she is a beautiful daughter of God and that she is loved. I want her to always believe that. Currently, Lizzie is at a stage in her life where she believes everything that I tell her. When will she stop believing and start questioning? I truly dread that day.
*I don't want my kids to be spoiled brats. Well, let me rephrase that. I guess I don't mind if they are "spoiled". Just as long as they aren't "brats". Frankly speaking, our kids are spoiled. They have so much. Lizzie has so many toys! And she has a million books. No exaggeration. Although, I don't really mind that she has a lot of books. In fact, I think that the books are mostly my obsession, not hers. I get really sick of reading the SAME books over and over and over again. So when I see cheap books, I get them. The Lancaster City Library has 2 huge used book sales each year. And you can also buy used books there every day from 12:00 to 3:00. These books are really cheap - 25 cents per book! (Adult books are 50 cents - still a really good deal). I LOVE going there and I often hit jackpot with the kinds of books that I find! Seriously. I have gotten Dr. Seuss books, classic Golden books, Scholastic books, Disney books, books about the human body (my personal favorite), and many more!
Anyway, back to not wanting my kids to be spoiled brats. How do parents prevent their kids from being bratty? I want my kids to be nice and respectful to everyone that they meet. I want them to share what they have with others. I want them to be grateful for what they have. The question is, how do I get them to behave? Lizzie is a really well-behaved girl for the most part. However, she has been having a lot of tantrums lately. She especially has a difficult time LEAVING places that she doesn't want to leave. Like the park. I get so embarrassed because she refuses to get back in the stroller so that we can walk back home. She screams and does the arching her back thing that most parents are familiar with. The other day we drove to a park on the other side of town that we don't normally go to. I was holding Bryce in one arm and she absolutely refused to come with me to the car. I was really at a loss as to what I was supposed to do! I thought about putting Bryce in the car and then going back for Lizzie so that I could use both of my hands to force her into the car. But the car was far away from the playground! In California, you just don't leave a baby in the car all alone! Besides that, I didn't want to leave Lizzie at the playground all by herself (again, you just don't do those things in CA) while I put Bryce in the car. It was horrible! And it was hot. I finally ended up half carrying, half dragging her to the car. Yes, dragging her. With her screaming the entire way. I'm sure that I looked like an abusive mother and I'm surprised that no one called the cops on me. :) Jon doesn't know why I put myself in such situations. I don't know either. I just want to be a good Mom and take my kids to the park! :)
Okay, I have rambled on enough. It was kind of fun! I'll have to do it more often. :)
A post isn't complete without pictures. Sorry, none of Lizzie this time. Does that make me a bad Mom?
We thought that Bryce might like to try some of Daddy's chocolate pudding. He, of course, loved it. And we got an inkling of what he'll look like in the future with a mustache and goatee. :)
He has been making this face a lot lately. I think he's touching his two bottom teeth to his top gums or something. This little boy just melts my heart! That's why I'm having such a hard time weaning him. I want to wean him. It just breaks my heart when I think of forcing him to only drink formula when he doesn't care for it. (He liked it for a very short period of time). He's 8 1/2 months now, so I suppose that I can handle nursing him for a few more months. I really love this little guy!
6 comments:
I can tell that our girls are the same age! Good luck with the potty training. That is something I did not enjoy. Not because of Brooke, but because I wasn't good at sticking to it. With Brooke the trick was to just stick it out. Let her have the accidents and she'll quickly learn that she doesn't like it. Good luck!
Potty training sure is hard, I hadn't really thought of the whole public restroom thing. Good luck figuring it out. You could just have in your purse some of the clorox wipes and you could wipe the seat down for her.
As for how to make sure she knows she valued and loved, I think you're doing a great job so far. I think it's important too, what we say around our kids without even thinking. Things like, I'm fat, I hate how these pants make me look big, or I shouldn't eat cake because it's bad for me, etc. Kids pick up on stuff like that. I'm sure there will be opportunities that will arise where there will be teaching moments. Things when she notices a half naked woman on a magazine and asks why she's dressed like that. And you'll be able to teach her about modesty, etc. Also FHE lessons will be good times to teach lessons on kindness, respect, etc.
I worry about these things too and wonder how my kids will turn out in this world. But I just have to remind myself that I have to do my best and be aware of teaching moments and to make sure that I'm in tune with the Spirit to recognize them and to know what to say and teach.
P.S. I love the future mustache on Bryce. :)
I dont like reading your blog not cus it is stinky or anything but because it makes me miss you guys SOSOOO MUCH!!!! Thanks for letting me know that I am not alone in Potty Training and that my daughters tantrums are not alone!
I felt the same about potty training but I was sick of buying diapers for both. It didn't take too long and when Ethan was learning I would put a pull up on him in case he had an accident. I wiped off the seats with disinfecting wipes and it was fine. Honestly you just have to do it, full throttle, not going back. It is so much nicer now, Ethan just goes and I don't do anything.
I also thought of something that might help with Lizzie and the park. This is something my mom told me about a few years ago. I haven't tried it with Anna yet, because she's not old enough, but I did try it once on my nephew and it worked. Basically, before you go somewhere like in a store, the park, g-ma's house, etc. You talk about what you expect them to do. Like, when we go to the store, you don't get a treat. Or when we're in the museum, we can't touch anything and we have to talk softly. Or when we're at the park, we have to go to the car when I say so, etc. You explain the rules. Then you ask them what they're going to do. They will probably first say the opposite of what you just said. Then you say, no, remember this is what you need to do, okay? It might take a few times, but it generally should work.
You could also bring a timer or your cell phone and tell Lizzie when it beeps, that means we have to go to the car. So you could tell her beforehand, we're going to the park and when this beeps, that means we're all done and have to go home.
Hope that helps! :)
You know how you get little girls to go potty in public places, you get strong muscles first. At first I did not apreciate last year when Tom gave me a kettle bell. Yesterday it was first time when Nina asked to go potty while we were in Sea World, I just held her 30 pound weight way up high above porcelaine throne, it worked out even with number two. Believe and miracle will happen!
It was fun to see you, guys! Hopefully we'll get together pretty soon.
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