Not Everyone's Mama

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Ok moms, I need some help.  You remember how hard it’s been to potty train Alyce.  (Remember the whole, Alyce, why don’t you go on your potty? I don’t love my potty. I’d love a pink potty. Bought a pink potty, she didn’t love it either thing?)  She just turned 3 in December for those who are just joining us. We finally have her in panties all day and she’s dry.  She hasn’t had one accident for 2 weeks.  She loves her pink potty finally.

The problem is that when she has to go poo, she runs into me and says, I need a diaper!  And I say no, go sit on your potty.  No, I need a diaper.  So I take her to her potty and sit her there where she proceeds to do absolutely nothing.  If I give in and put her in a diaper, she’ll immediately go in it.  If I make her put her panties back on, she’ll hold it until she goes in those.

She knows she has to go, otherwise she wouldn’t run to me asking for a diaper, but she won’t go in the potty.  What do I do?  You’d think after potty training two others I would have this down, but I don’t. 

I suppose I should just be grateful that she’s peeing in her potty after the battles we’ve had over that, right?

I don’t want to reinforce this behavior by putting a diaper on her when she asks, but I’m not a big fan of cleaning out stinky undies in the toilet and then the sink either.  Not the highlight of my day. 

Lord help me, only one more child to potty train.  And he’s a boy.  My last boy wasn’t potty trained until 4.  That was tough.  Jordan is one of the smartest kids I have ever seen (did I share that I got a letter asking him to take these tests at a college near by because he is in the top 5% of his class?  It’s like the ACT for elementary kids.) but he just didn’t get potty training.  I’m not looking forward to potty training Christiano just because of my potty training experience with Jordan.  Katiana was a breeze.  At 2 1/2 we put her in Dora undies and told her not to pee them or she’d drown Dora.  She pee’d them once and was horrified that she got Dora wet and never did it again.  I’m a sadistic kind of mom aren’t I? In my defense, I was just about ready to have Alyce and I so didn’t want 2 in diapers.  I’ve had 2 in diapers for the last 10 months and not cheap I tell you.  I should buy stock in Pampers diapers and wipes.

(Here’s an OT – Have you ever used cocoa butter stretch marks?  I think I mean to say Cocoa Butter for stretch marks?  I never found one that actually worked for me.  I think I’m cursed by genetics.)

And on to a subject that is much more important than potty training my children.  I know you all have heard about the earthquake in Haiti, send a prayer up or a thought or whatever it is that you do for a group of people who already lived a life that was so much harder than anything we could ever imagine.

Estimates of the number of dead from yesterday’s quake in Haiti are now running into the hundreds of thousands. AP photographers have captured the devastation. (Jan. 13)

If you want to help in a financial way here is some information taken from this site.

Just a day after a devastating earthquake hit Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, people are scrambling to provide disaster relief. Those who want to make an immediate contribution have been given a quick and easy way to do so. By texting “HAITI” to “90999″ a donation of $10 will be made to the Red Cross and charged to your cell phone bill.  Other contributions can be made on the Red Cross and Mercy Corps web sites.

If you check the Red Cross website, this is a legitimate way to send help to them.

If you happen to be a medical personal with an ability to get away, they are looking for surgeons, nurses, and other medical persons to help too.

I wish there was more I could do to help.  My heart hurt for the people of Haiti before the earthquake, it is broken for them now.

And the Ricky Martin tweet of the day is about the Haitians too.

The image is linked to the English version.

Also, please know that the free UPS shipping to Haiti rumors are false.

Hug your loved ones close.

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or window shop that is. Because I’m a mommy to 4 and I don’t like to spend a lot on myself, but I still love to look and then I hmmm and haw over it until I finally break down and buy something that I think I can’t live without.

Let’s go shop for a bit and dream of what I we want to get.

Let’s start with the fact that I haven’t owned a watch in years.  And though I use my cell phone for a watch, it just doesn’t look that good hanging from my wrist, plus….orange doesn’t go with everything.

Isn’t that beautiful?  And it’s two toned, which tie my jewelry together.  My wedding set is white gold, my other rings Pato has bought me are yellow gold, and yes, as a former jewelry store manager, I know you don’t mix tones, but, I don’t feel so good if I have one two toned piece that ties the 2 together, plus, my kids don’t care if I wear white and gold jewelry.  Doesn’t bother them if I wear white after labor day either.

Here’s something I actually should invest in because they aren’t expensive and they make my life easier –

That’s right, I’ll admit it.  I don’t have an electric can opener.  I still twist my green beans open.  I just never think about it at the store and it’s not until I’m opening a can of mushrooms that I think, you know I really should get us an electric can opener.  And that one is pretty.

And someday, when we have a house, I’m going to fill it with stuff like that and tell me kids never to lay their dirty fingers on them to be very gentle with mommy’s pretty things.

And this.  I drool over other people’s bed sets.  Know why?  Because I’ve been cosleeping for 6 years with probably 2 more years to go before Christiano is in his own bed. What’s the first rule of cosleeping after don’t do it if you’ve been drinking or taking medications that don’t allow you to operate heavy machinery?  Get rid of fluffy pillow and blankets.  I haven’t had a nice bed set on my bed in 6 years.  Ok, honestly, I haven’t had a headboard or frame in 6 years either.  We took the mattress and springs off and put them on the floor when we had Kat.  We didn’t want her to roll off a high bed ever.

So, my bed is on the floor with a sheet and a fleece blanket or an old thin quilt so I don’t have to worry as much about suffocation.

The things I have given up for my kids. 

One day I’m going to have a picture of a whole new bed set to show you because all of my kids will be in their own beds.  Nobody getting sick on my bed in the middle of the night, diapers leaking, etc etc etc. 

Someday, I will whittle down my window shopping list. Or it’ll keep getting bigger as I keep finding more things I must have.

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So, now we’re off the pictures of snow and onto cherished possessions – quirky ones.  Today’s picture is this –

Yep, that’s a plastic dolphin.  Out of my whole dolphin collection that’s one of my very favorites.  (I have hundreds of dolphins, crystal, glass, copper, ceramic, lots and lots.)

Want to know why it’s my favorite?  My little brother, when he was a teenager worked at Taco Johns. (Might I recommend their meat & potato burrito and their taco bravo if you’re ever near one?)

Anyways, now that I’m done drooling over burritos, I can finish my story.  They had these little plastic dolphins for their kids’ meal toys.  Josh grabbed one and gave it to me one day.  It just touched me that he remembered that I collected dolphins (16 – 17 year olds are not known for thinking of much more than themselves, I know, I was 17 at one time.).

So that little plastic dolphin has a special place in my curio cabinet amongst all the sparkly crystal and the beautifully painted ceramic.  I <3 that silly little dolphin so much.

Wonder if Josh even remembers giving it to me.  It’s been 13 or so years since he gave it to me.

I’ll have to email him a link to this post.  Love ya J!

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