3 Day Potty Training

I know what you are thinking "yeah right!" I know most think it can't be done. Well, that's because you haven't read the book, you don't know how ready Ledger really is to be potty trained, and having heard the skepticism and seen the looks on several peoples faces when I tell them, HA, you all should know me better than that! I am going to potty train Ledger and I am going to do it in 3 days.

I am actually really excited to do this. I am excited to see him learn and to reward and praise him for a job well done. I am excited that it is going to be me and him for 3 solid days of potty training fun fun fun. I can't wait to have the wonderful end result of NO MORE DIAPERS!! Everything is ready to go and the 3 days start tomorrow morning. I'll keep you posted.

A tiny look at our marriage

me: I'd like a hammock. I think it would go nicely stretched between two trees in the front next to the fence

Cory: Yes it would
me: :) if you love me, you will buy me a hammock
Cory: Ha ha ok

I do love you so a hammock it will be

Prayer for my girl

Sounds like my prayer for my girl...

“First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches. May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Beauty. When the Crystal Meth is offered, may she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half And stick with Beer. Guide her, protect her when crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age. Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels. What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit. May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers. Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen.Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short – a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day – And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait. O Lord, break the Internet forever, that she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed. And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it. And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back. “My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes. Amen.” -Tina Fey

I hate you

Well, it happened, I heard it with my very own ears. Winter told her parents 'I hate you.' I went down stairs to get something from a room in our basement and all over three pieces of furniture is bright green marker. In the past we have made it very clean that 1) markers are only for paper and 2) Winter is responsible for her markers. While Winter was coloring earlier Ledger must have sneaked off and decorated the couch and two ottomans downstairs. I was not too worried about it because they are washable markers and I also take responsibility that he was unsupervised long enough to have done the deed. I called Winter down and asked what happened. She knew right away that she was in trouble and that she was supposed to have been keeping track of her markers. I asked her how she was going to make sure this didn't happen again. She told me she would put her markers away right now and put them up where Ledger couldn't get them. Fine, fine. I came upstairs and told Cory what happened and he was not so happy about the incident and asked out loud "why do we even have markers?" Winter said she loved the markers. Cory then told her that we shouldn't have markers, we should throw them all away so that Ledger can't get them and draw on the furniture. Winter repeated "but I love them!" Cory was not amused and with a more firm tone told Winter the markers would end up in the trash if that's where they needed to be.

"I hate you."


Cory told her that no she didn't and that she shouldn't say things like that, especially to him, her father. She was promptly sent to her room. My mouth was a gaping opening at hearing her say such a thing. Where did she pick that lovely saying up? Who else shouldn't I let her play with? My sweet sensitive girl who usually folds like a house of cards when she meets any resistance just really let one fly. Cory and I both know she doesn't fully understand what she said, but still. I already feel like I keep her from playing with several other children because of different things. One is obnoxious, one picks on her, one is as likely to run down the street and disappear as she is to stay and play with Winter or worse have Winter follower her and then I don't know where they are at all, one I don't get along with her mother, and now I have one that probably is teaching Winter all these wonderful things to say.

UPDATE: Upon talking to Winter she learned 'I hate you' from Nemo, so no more Disney either :)

Children fears and mama tears

I swear this is a happy post, you just have to get through my rant first.

Today completes the first whole week I have been home a full 45 hours during the day with my two children in more than 2 years. Cory recently took a new job that requires him to be at an office during the day, ALL DAY! This was actually my greatest concern about him taking the new job. I know probably sounds totally selfish, but I have very much enjoyed our both being able to work a little from home and a little away from home. Overall I think it helped us both be a little more recharged in life. But now, it's all me, for 45 hours a week, every week, all summer long, add another baby in the fall and Winter starting Kindergarten, and then the dreaded cold, stuck-in-the-house winter time. As you can tell I am really looking forward to that time in life.

I think Cory has a good dose of fear that I might just lock the children in a room and cry for awhile. I am not very good at the whole 'stay at home mom' thing. They drive me nuts and I feel like a bird in my gilded cage. I know what a wonderful rare thing it is to get to be a stay at home mom. I know I should relish in the fact that I get to be with my children while they are young, and I do, BUT... I also need to get the heck out of here sometimes. It is not as bad as it use to be. I think staying at home with one child = my living nightmare (and once upon a time my past situation.) I adored spending so much time with Winter. She was a beautiful, smart, fun baby. She also made me feel like a princess trapped in a tower and she was the dragon keeping me from doing anything ever with no hope of leaving and never never having time to myself. I told Cory that once in an emotional crying episode. He was surprised I didn't delight in the fact that he was working his butt off just so I could be at home with her and not have to do anything besides raise her. After I had Ledger there were more tears. I could not imagine leaving him. The four months I worked from home after he was born were so wonderful to have him close but awful because I couldn't focus just on him (and let us not forget Winter, she also demanded my attention.) When I returned to working at an office full time I cried almost everyday on my way to work, I stopped nursing before I wanted to, and even though I knew he was in the good and capable hands of my fabulous sister-in-law, I pined to be at home with my children. I recently confided in Cory that I think it messed up my bonding with Ledger to be away from him so much during his first year of life. I would have gladly lived in my gilded cage to have that time with him. It brings tears to my eye even now to know I didn't appreciate it with Winter and that I didn't sacrifice more to be home with Ledger. Now is my chance one again...

I think my personality is not one of rainbows and sunshine because I always always ALWAYS forget to just enjoy myself, to look on the bright side, to find a way to be happy with what I have, and that if I don't like something CHANGE IT!! It's hard now because all the changes are happening at once and I am out in the rain fighting them instead of seeing that no one can see my tears in the rain, so I might as well smile. I have another chance to do this stay at home thing and damn it, I am going to do it up right!

Introducing the Jar-o-fun (my let's fill the at least part of the day with an activity so mommy doesn't go crazy and you have some great memories and got to do lots of fun things this summer jar)
You can find lots of list all over the internet but here is what is in our jar:

• Make paper flowers
• Camp in the backyard
• Plan a trip to a water park and then go (this one dad is needed to help wrangle so first we plan, then we go)
• Catch frogs
• Fireworks just because
• Have a movie party (we did this one already this week. Winter invited over 5 of her little friends and we made air popper popcorn, had snacks, and set the couches up movie theater style while they watched Alpha and Omega)
• Walk to the ice cream place
• Go for a long bike ride
• Have a tea party
• Outdoor movie night
• Make melted crayons
• Ledger decides (Winter pulled that one last night for today. She doesn't realize there is one that says Winter decides so as of yet, she is kind of bummed that he gets to pick. He is going to pick feed the ducks which Winter also loves)
  
• Go swimming
• Dinosaur museum
  
• yadda yadda yadda

You get the idea. I also have a partner in the library this summer. Each Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday during the day and at night they have something going on at one of the branches, plus there is always story time.

I still have a job, I am still at the hospital almost everyday, just for now, it is in the evenings. And during the day I am working on Cory's RGWB business and my own photography, but only around spending time with the kids. I have figured out that if I want to get something done I am just going to have a frustrating hard day. When I don't care, yes, the house becomes a mess and I get behind on things, but we are all much happier. I'd rather do 'nothing' with the kids all day and be happy and more importantly have them be happy.


This one was all Winter's idea. She wanted to make our own lemonade. Sparkling sounded delish to me so we did. The first taste didn't have much sugar and her sweet little face puckered up from the lemon juice. She smiled and said 'mmm that's good.' Obviously it was too sour. We added a little more sugar and then she could actually drink it. We drank the whole bottle the same night we made it :)

What are you going to do this summer to keep from going crazy?