Day Three of Booty Camp!

Updated!

I continue to marvel at the fact that a mere change in phraseology can make such a huge difference. We now commonly refer to the potty as Youngest girl's "job" and it has made all the difference. I guess because it gives her complete ownership of what is going on with her body or something. She is still not very excited by the whole deal and I still get a bit of whining about it. The most common response is "I'll do it tomorrow."

Ha. Yes, indeed you will. And the day after that, and the day after that. Etcetera, etcetera, and so forth...

But, you will also do it TODAY. [insert evil cackling sound here]


Even with all the whining she is still doing quite well. I'd say we are luckier in the morning than we are when it is the afternoon and she is getting tired and has not had a nap. That is when the accidents are most likely to happen - and they do happen. But, I've been down this road more than once and know that we are making good progress overall.

Today she made really crappy progress (literally). She pooped on the potty for the first time ever! Woohoo!!!!! At first, she did just what she has done the last two days when it came time to poop - she freaked out. She started asking for a diaper or a pull-up and was crying and carrying on. I told her it was just time to do her job. No big deal. So, we went into the bathroom (all four of us, since the older two are fascinated by this process and like to join in) and she did pull down her pants and sit on the little potty. She seemed nervous but then I pulled a trick out of my Booty Camp dufflebag - bribery! This morning at Target we bought some special chocolate chip granola bars and she wanted to try one but I told her she had to wait until snack time. However, I decided to let her have one IF she could go poop. I also told her to just pretend that the diaper was still on. I'm not sure which tactic was the most successful but all of a sudden she had that look of intense concentration on her face and she had poopy success! We were all very proud of her and gave her high fives and hugs (however, not proud enough to actually take a picture for posterity and share it on the blog...don't think it didn't cross my mind for a millisecond but I figured I'd spare you all the intimate details. You're welcome.).

Oh, and how could I forget? She also made nighttime progress last night! She stayed dry overnight and didn't pee in the pull-up once she woke up! I don't know what time she woke up but I got back from my walk at 7:30 and she was sitting on the couch looking at books. I told her it was time for her job and she fussed a bit but when I got her to the bathroom I realized she was completely dry! She proceeded, in short order, to make quite a puddle in the potty.

I'm dangerously close to celebrating that diaper-free household that I so desire!!

Just had to finish off this post with a bit of an update. Youngest one had a completely dry day!! Woohoo! She did need some encouragement to do her "job" but she managed to stay dry all day (even during a 2.5 span of time when she was wearing a pull-up and we went out for a bunch of errands!). I just put her to bed (in a pull-up, just in case) but she is excited that tomorrow she gets to wear some new big girl underwear that we bought at Target (two sets: Ariel and Mickey & Minnie Mouse).

Thank you, Meri

A number of years ago our good friend Meri (or as the kids know her, "Auntie Meri" - which is to differentiate her from "Cousin Meri") bought us a lovely and handy gift - an electric ice cream maker. We have admittedly not used it as often as we would like. Last summer we had every intention of making ice cream and somehow the day-to-day of life got in the way and it never happened. But, we have our dear Meri to thank for the ability to make ice cream on a whim (as long as we have the salt, cream, ice and sugar on hand). And so, yesterday we turned that whim into reality. I sent Rick on an errand to get salt and cream - we already had plenty of sugar and ice and even fresh, sweet strawberries from the farm.

Mixing the ingredients.



Dad explaining the process.


Getting the ice cream maker put together.


Fast forward a few hours later and we had some fabulous homemade dessert.


Thumbs up from Eldest girl!


Middle girls gives it an "almost" thumbs up. This ice cream connoisseur states that the ice cream tasted good but was a "bit too grainy" for her tastes. (We are not exactly sure what made the ice cream a bit 'icy' but we are guessing it was the water content of the very ripe, juicy strawberries...?)


Another positive review from Youngest girl who seemed to think it was good to the very last drop.



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Speaking of Youngest Girl - I was looking at her picture from the trip to the farm and realizing that she could use a bit of a trim. I figured she'd also enjoy having her hair a bit shorter in the heat and humidity. After her bath this morning I took my scissors to her fine, straight locks and this was the result....



It's mostly even - and I didn't even have to use a bowl on her head as a guide.

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In other news on Youngest girl, she has been wearing big girl underwear the last two days. With a modicum of success, I might add. We have had a couple of small accidents and a few tears about not being a "big girl" yet. But, I took my cue from a Today Show segment on a woman who has become known as the Potty Whisperer for her Booty Camp successes (and the fact that she has potty trained her own six kids). The basic concept behind her Booty Camp is to make it the child's responsibility to go on the potty when his/her body says it is time to go. So, I don't ask her if she needs to go, I just give her that "job" to do and make it her responsibility to know when to go. Amazingly enough it seems to be working! (And part of the reason it is working so well is because she really is "ready" on so many levels...she's just been stubborn and I haven't wanted to deal with a fight. This new perspective on potty training removes me as the enforcer which is why I think it works so well for her at this stage of the game.)

Last night she did not even want to change to a diaper at bedtime (great!) but we did wake up in the middle of the night to clean up an accident (not so great, but all part of the process). I think she had been resisting the potty use too much yesterday and thus had the overnight accident and then I put her in a diaper for the rest of the night. Under normal circumstances she has lately been waking up with a dry diaper in the morning but refusing all requests to try using the potty. So, my hope is that once we get the daytime potty use down pat the nighttime use will follow suit pretty quickly. This morning she initially resisted the underwear again. I just reminded her about her new "job" and did not really give her a choice in whether or not to wear underwear. But I did give her a choice of which ones to wear. So, she picked out the pair she wanted and even showed them off to dad once she had them on. I've been giving her plenty of fluids today and she has actually held her pee for quite a long time. I made a couple of references to her 'job' but she has refused all suggestions until recently. After two big cups of milk and one of juice I think it was finally wearing her down. She decided to give it a try and actually peed right away. So far it's been an accident-free day and we are well into the afternoon hours! I might be able to celebrate a diaper-free home soon!

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Or perhaps I'm being too optimistic. As I was writing this post my dearest little one was...ahem...busy in the other room. Just now she walked into the living room with a new pair of underwear in hand and said "I want this pair of underwear." Since she had just peed on the potty a few minutes before I asked for clarification.

"Are you wet?", I asked.

No response.

And then evasion tactic, "I want this pair of underwear."

So, I asked again, this time more clearly "Are you wet? Did you pee in your underwear?"

"No. I have a poop," she answered.

Lovely.

So, we cleaned up her poop and we went over the rules of her new job again. This time making it very clear that proper placement of both pee AND poop fall within her job description.

I have to point out that she actually told me she had a poop. This is a step in the right direction. She never tells me when she poops in her diaper - to the point of outright lying about it when it is quite clear to the entire room, and perhaps the entire house, that there is toxic waste somewhere in the vicinity. She also did not hold it in which seemed like it might become an issue yesterday when it seemed she needed to poop and she was having a bit of a freak-out about the potty. She did not, in fact, poop yesterday aside from a few small pellets. So, she was overdue and I am thankful she is not a 'holder' which can lead to all kinds of bathroom neuroses that I'd like to avoid, thank you very much.

I'm attempting to remain positive here. Work with me people.

Summer sweetness

This morning I took the girls out for a quick trip to a local 'u-pick' farm to get some fresh strawberries. Nothing like fresh, sweet strawberries in the summertime.

I was blog-surfing the other day and happened upon a blog in which there was mention of making delicious ice cream (complete with a cute picture of her little girl in a pink straw hat enjoying said ice cream). It served as a reminder that we need to use the handy-dandy ice cream maker we have tucked away in the basement more often. The strawberries we picked will add just the right touch to a foray into creamy culinary goodness. More on that later.

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In other news: I. am. pathetic.

Not like that is even blog-worthy news. But, I just had to state it for the record. Because it is so true.

I feel like an 80-year-old woman when I try to walk up and down stairs. One at a time. I creak when I stand up from a sitting position and I wince in pain when I try to sit back down. Stationary is good right now. Being still is painless. Movement, however, is not.

And it's all Jillian Michael's fault.

Well, sort of.

Ok, so it's also sort of my fault for thinking I could halt all exercise (aside from my occasional morning walks) for a loooong period of time and then just jump (literally!) right back in.

I tried the Level 1 workout on the above linked workout DVD and it KICKED MY ASS. Seriously.

It was only 20 minutes, so I figured - how hard can it be?

As it turns out...very hard. Ass-kicking, sweat-fest, heavy-breathing kind of hard.

And I'm paying the price of my own stupidity today (and Jillian's ruthlessness, let us not forget her role in all of this! Bitch. Meanie.)

Oh. And the jumping jacks served as a very potent reminder to do my kegels more frequently.

I'm just saying... (three pumpkin-headed babies will do that to a girl, ya know...)

Exhibits 1-3

I rest my case.

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

Yesterday was a great day all around. The skies were blue with white puffy clouds and the forecast did not include rain. That alone would have made it a red-letter day around here because we have been hit with our fair share of downpours and lightning storms of late...and there are more to come if you listen to the weathermen. Rain and thunderstorms every afternoon straight through until next Tuesday - if you want believe those liars professionals . I certainly don't. I enjoyed the mildly warm weather and lack of moisture falling from the sky yesterday. And I want more. I'm sure the plants have been enjoying the soaking rains and we will hopefully be rewarded with a decent crop of tomatoes, beans, and basil, among other things, but if I had to guess the crop would be even better with a little sun in the mix somewhere. I'm no green-thumb so I leave the gardening stuff mostly in Rick's capable hands, but I think I recall learning in elementary school that plants need soil, water and sun to grow.

Not to mention the fact that if I want to see my children grow to adulthood with my sanity mostly intact, we would also benefit from a little sunshine and fresh air! "Go out and play, kids!"

Seeing as our opportunity to get to the park this week look limited, I decided to load the girls in the car for a trip to a park a couple of towns over. This part boasts not only a sprinkler park, mini train rides, a small zoo, a river, decent bathrooms and a snack bar but also a great playground with ample shade. You might be wondering why, after all the talk of sunshine, would I be looking for lots of shade? If you took one look at my pale, freckled Irish skin you would wonder no more. Add to that the fact that for some reason our town decided to place their playgrounds in the middle of big open spaces with no trees to give shade to the climbing structures. Granted they are mostly wooden but they have a fair share of metal and plastic and there are also older slides and monkey bars that are all metal. No shade means that on very hot, sunny days the kids can't even use the playground equipment!

By 10am we were on the road headed for the park. The train was already running when we got there so the girls first agenda item was to hitch a ride on the train and then take a tour through the adjacent zoo.

Eldest and Middle girls cozy on the train. Nice to know that at 8 this little train is still exciting for Eldest Girl.


Mom and Youngest wearing our cool shades and enjoying the ride.


The girls in the zoo checking out the sheep.


...and the chickens. Somehow this was still fun for them even though we have chickens living right next door who used to frequently roam into our yard. (The neighbors now have cats who like to roam into our yard and I think they fixed the chickens' fencing so they are more contained.)


After the train ride and quick tour of the zoo we headed off to the snack bar for lunch and then a short run through the sprinkler park. It was about 80 degrees out by that point so it was warm but not hot. They lasted about 20 minutes before they decided they were cold enough!



The youngest was acting tired by this point and had decided not to get wet. So, she hung out with me on the bench and just watched the action. (She later fell asleep in the car on our way to the girls dentist appointment and I was able to carry her in and place her on the waiting room couch where she slept for a solid 45 minutes. I am constantly amazed at her ability to sleep just about anywhere. I think she takes after me in the sleep department.)

Next stop was the playground which is next to the river. The Eldest is fascinated by nature and by any kind of body of water so she chose to explore the riverbank while Middle and Youngest were on the swings. We never even made it to the rest of the playground because the girls all decided to explore the river a bit more closely.

Youngest girl and I stayed on the embankment while the older two got close enough to find river rocks and splash a bit in the water.

I find it strange that in all the times I've been to this park I have never explored the river before. In fact, I never ventured close enough to realize that the little stream running through the park led to a much larger river. The park is large enough and the drop down to the river steep enough that you can stand at the playground and not even know it is there. And it's far enough away that you can't hear it over the sounds of the children playing. So, if it were not for the fact that Eldest girl is old enough to explore a bit farther afield (and can now swim) I still would not have known the joys of this river. A prime example of how children can lead you to experience wonderful things that you might never have found on your own.



Our time was short on this visit to the park because the older girls had afternoon dentist appointments (they both received a clean bill of dental health, thankfully). I'm thinking that the next outing to this park will include a more thorough exploration of what the river has to offer!

With the park and dental appointments finished the girls and I headed to a local soft-serve ice cream stand and enjoyed a mid-afternoon treat (shhh...don't tell the dentist that I fed my girls sugar so soon after they got their teeth all nice and clean). Then it was off to the grocery store for a quick-trip-turned-major-shopping-excursion. I think I had about 5-8 things I needed to get. But once I got there I remembered about 4 bags worth of stuff we were low on or out of - plus an additional bag worth of 'extras' that were on sale or that I bought because I had three children in tow who were being extremely good and so I was more inclined to say "yes" to a few snack foods.

Last night we took advantage of the weather and Rick cooked burgers out on the grill. If the weather forecast turns out to be true we may not have another chance to easily grill food outside for a while (although Rick has been known to grill even on rainy days - and once he even grilled steaks for Christmas while it was snowing, but it's never quite as enjoyable).

So, that was our day yesterday - a full day and a great one all around. Today we have gray skies and raindrops and the girls have been mostly good about finding a way to keep themselves entertained. It gives me hope that the transition to summer won't take as long as I had feared.

Summer is here...

...and with it come the three H's.

Hostility. Horrific boredom*. Hours of togetherness.

The girls are trying to get used to the idea of being home all day long...together. It's not an easy process, but I try to remember that it is a process. One of adjustment and change - not something that has come easy to eldest girl in the past, but which this year is proving to be even harder on middle girl. Maybe it's an age thing - those preschool years can be rough. You hear about two being a terrible time. And you foolishly think that once you get past those terrible twos that you are going to be on easy street. But, then you hit the trying threes and the mumble-fours (I don't dare use that word on such a family-friendly site). Middle girl seemed to sail through the two's and three's and the attitude and the boundary-pushing didn't rear its ugly head fully until four. She is nearing six and we don't yet see the light at the end of the tunnel. Except in our own little minds where the mantra that continues to hold is: this too shall pass...eventually.

Middle girl is usually, well....in the middle of the fights that have been popping up like a plague of weeds in a well-tended garden. The general chorus of the day is middle girl arguing that her little sister is taking toys away from her, following her around too much or making annoying noises
or that her big sister refuses to play with her and thus she has 'nothing to doooooo.' (Can you just feel the whine in the last part of that sentence?) The eldest and youngest have had their squabbles too, but those seem to be far fewer in number.

This weekend we tried to keep them busy - on Saturday, an afternoon trip to the site of their summer camp experience where we explored the grounds and went swimming, and on Sunday a trip to the movie theater to see Kung Fu Panda (very cute movie, btw) and a game of Monopoly (our latest family craze). There were times they were asked to 'find something to do' because I am not the parent who tries to fill her children's every waking hour with non-stop entertainment. I'm one of those mean moms who actually makes them go play with a room full of toys or enjoy a bit of fresh air and sunshine in our big grassy backyard complete with kiddie pool and wooden play structure - along with the toads, interesting bugs and butterflies. Personally, I want need some time now and again to get stuff done and have a bit of a break. But lately those "breaks" are frequently punctuated by repeated shrieks of "OW! stop it!" and "leave me alone!" and a variety of tattletale phrases.

I do realize this is the transition time between school and summer. A time that I have increasingly dreaded ever since eldest girl started going to school. Once they get into a rhythm things do go a lot smoother, but right now they need a constant referee to their insanity and I'm just ready to throw my striped shirt and whistle in the trash and head for the hills... Or maybe I should just follow Susan's advice and start my day with one of these (she emailed and let me know that they are great for brunch...how early can I realistically start my day and still call it brunch?) and a say a prayer that I can survive this latest transition.

After all, summer doesn't last forever...right?

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*The phrase "Horrific boredom" is a relative term which is defined in different ways by the author and her offspring.

I remembered!

I managed to remember to do the 12 of 12 this month! For those who don't know what 12 of 12 is go check out Chad's site to learn more. And maybe some month you can join in and do your own 12 of 12 post!

Jeanne's June 12 of 12!

Home - 7:44am
Getting my morning cup of cheer! The weather has been seriously summer-like
so I've switched to drinking my caffeine over ice.


Home - 8:01am
R has a loose tooth and shows me how it wiggles.


Home - 8:05am
Morning prep. Rick applying sunscreen on A for her last day of preschool (like, ever. OMG. I seriously had tears on Wednesday during my last chance to drop her off at school this year)


Home - 8:06am
Loose tooth falls out! R holding her tooth to show me! Last tooth she lost got swallowed! This one went directly into her tooth fairy pillow in the hopes of some coins in return. Actually, she left a note last time and the tooth fairy gave her some money and left her a note in return.


Driving to work - 8:18am
Today was a work day. Farms are a common sight on my way to work.


Driving to work - 8:18am
And so is this mountain range. I have a goal to hike from one end of the range to the other before I hit 40! It's a 7-mile hike with lots of ups as well as downs.


Driving to work - 8:26am
This bridge used to be a huge source of congestion, especially during rush hour commutes. They recently completed a road and bridge widening project which allows for a better flow. Before the construction project I would not have considered working on the town on the "other side" but now I rarely see any traffic congestion along this route. The construction project took for-EVER but it was worth it.


Work - 8:34am
I can say much for the looks of the building. But the team of women I work with are beautiful inside and out. I love being back to work and I'm learning new stuff all the time. Great fun!


Due to confidentiality issues (and the fact that I'm not sure I want to out myself at work as a "blogger") I did not take any pictures at work today. It was a busy evaluation day and we were all quite ready to go out after work for drinks to celebrate our friend D's birthday! I didn't take pictures of that either but suffice it to say that we want to go out together again soon!

When I got home Rick was reading bedtime stories. I helped get the girls into bed and then Rick went to work on replacing the engine on his lawn tractor - the old engine (which was a rebuilt one purchased on eBay) blew a rod straight through the thick metal side of the engine. Quite impressive.

Home - 8:19pm
Rick working on said tractor.


Home - 8:20pm
Realizing that I still needed a few more photos for my 12 of 12 I went outside and took some pictures of our gardens.
Happy tomato plants back right, lettuce in front right, and carrots and onions on the left.


More gardens in our new L-shaped raised beds that Rick built last year (he actually built the wall and the adjacent patio from scratch - the blocks are all handmade from a concrete mixture of some sort which he then used to build the wall and lay the patio). We have peas, beans, squash, peppers, cherry tomatoes, and cukes in this garden area. Most are still very small at this point. The stairs in this photo lead to our bedroom and are a fairly new addition as well. We had temporary stairs there for a long time (too embarrassing to actually admit just how long) and now we have nice new stairs thanks once again to my talented husband.


Home - 9:07pm
My current read. I did something I actually don't like doing - I watched the movie before reading the book. But, so far I feel like the movie didn't stray too far from the book. A nice surprise. Of course, I haven't made it too far into the book yet so more will be revealed and we'll see how much they actually changed (or didn't!).



That's all, folks!

Heat Wave

Life is slowing down just in time for this insane heat wave we are experiencing here in New England. The timing is good - no one can move fast in this heat.

Here's what our weather looks like today:














It was 90 in the sun by 7am this morning. Apparently the shade will catch up by noontime.

Lauri and I took our walk this morning and it was mostly pleasant at the start but we were glistening with sweat by the end.

Yesterday, sitting inside enjoying a few moments of the air conditioning, I was reading a blog that I visit regularly. She was writing of cold, gray weather in June and her need for sun and warmth. I was a bit envious of her cold weather - a case of the grass is always greener? - and was wishing I could send some sunshine and warmth her way. Maybe she'd be willing to send a bit of coolness in exchange?

E wanted to go to the park today. She has been out of sorts and I wanted to do that for her. To do something she would really enjoy. But, it's just too darn hot. We had to run errands this morning and she was very patient for a long time. I was enjoying the free air conditioning and would've gone to another store just to prolong the relief from the heat. But she started to whine and I knew we needed to go home. Now she is sad to be home and not at the park. I feel for her but I can't fathom being at the park in this heat and I know she would not enjoy it for long. She has a terrible heat rash on her lower back from sweating in her diaper last night. It looks painful and I'm sure it's part of the reason for her foul mood today.

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Rick and I celebrated our 13th anniversary last week. We managed to get out for a date night on Sunday which was enjoyable and relaxing. We had considered taking a picnic dinner and hiking to some idyllic spot or other but the weather that day was hot and humid. The temperature dropped a bit in the evening but by then we had changed our mind and decided it was a good night for a standard dinner-and-a-movie night. We enjoyed seeing Then She Found Me with Helen Hunt and Colin Firth. Dinner was at a local brew house and the food, the beer and the relaxing atmosphere on the patio were just what we needed. It is hard to imagine that 13 years have gone by and yet in some ways we fit so well together that it feels like we were never separate from one another. We are one and I feel like we have always been. Our love is effortless and seamless. He is my best friend and my heart belongs to him. I cannot imagine life any different and yet I am constantly amazed at how we came to be and how our family has grown in the 17 years that we have known each other. We have crossed a multitude of pathways in our lives with decisions that could have led us away from one another. But somehow we came together and got to know each other and our friendship bloomed into love. And we have followed the same pathway, sharing a life and creating three amazing, beautiful children. Life is good. And it just keeps getting better.

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School is nearly out for summer. A finishes this Thursday and R is done the following Wednesday. I only have two more evaluations to do at work before I'm off for the summer. One this week and the one on the 24th. The month of July is pretty much booked between the girls' summer camp for two weeks followed by a week in Maine at the end of the month. I've never been to Maine and I'm very much looking forward to our first real vacation as a family. The last time Rick and I went on a 'real' vacation was in 1999. We went to Denmark to visit my host families. Since then our vacations have mostly consisted of visiting family in a couple of different locations. A couple of years ago we did rent a condo in New Hampshire but it didn't feel as much like a 'vacation' when you have to cook and clean throughout the whole week. It was more of a 'change of scenery' than anything and it was just as exhausting as being home, if not more so, because the girls were not in their familiar environment and were not sleeping well. I was also 7 months pregnant at the time - reason enough to feel exhausted. This year we are staying at an honest-to-goodness resort with linen service, full-course meals (including lobster!), and a kids' camp for the older two (morning and afternoon sessions). There will be a heated pool, tennis courts, shuffleboard, hiking trails, and sailing. I don't even know how to sail, mind you, but I plan to learn. They have instructors there to teach you. I also don't play tennis and have never even tried shuffleboard, but I'm willing to give them a whirl if the mood strikes me. I feel as though we are all going for a week of "camp" and I couldn't be more excited!

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Time to get something productive done - like laundry. At least the basement is cool. It's so hot out there that I plan to put a movie on once R gets off the bus and let the girls enjoy a quiet activity in the cool of the basement. I'll fold laundry while they watch some 'fluff' - I think we have a copy of Underdog from Netflix which they have not yet seen. Seems like a good plan to stay cool today.