Finally A Potty Princess??? Probably Not

I had plenty of time this morning to answer an ever-growing question. As it turns out, the question finally ended up being "What can you accomplish in 45 minutes?" Sitting there, on the floor as I was, I had plenty of time to contemplate the answer. As the minutes flew by, I imagined I could have cooked an entire meal, cleaned the bathroom, changed the laundry, cut the front lawn, or even watched almost an entire Mike Rowe program. But what can one really accomplish in 45 minutes? Oh yes - waiting for Laura to go pee on the potty for the first time right after she gets up. Yes, that's what one can do with 45 minutes. Sit and wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait some more. Of course you get to reread "The Potty Book for Girls" maaaaany times while you wait. And wait. And wait. And wait some more.

I realize that I have a lot of sitting and waiting ahead of me. Much more than I ever had with Matthew and Jonathan. Apparently boys are quicker to pick up the 'just get it over with because M&M's are waiting' concept. Laura seems to think she can vicariously taste the suckers so why pee in the potty when a diaper will be much more convenient. *sigh* So to circumvent her determination, I thought getting her up right away, before she managed to gel her diaper in to oblivion, would do the trick. After all, who doesn't want to hit the bathroom as soon as they get up??? Turns out, Laura wouldn't.

Yes, we sat there for 45 minutes. Forty-five long minutes. An entire Clifford episode and half of a George danced across our television screen before she jumped up, clapped her hands and exclaimed "I did it!!!" with tremendous enthusiasm. After sharing my joy with her, cleaning her up, pulling on what would soon become a dead pair of Dora pull ups, and beating the feeling back in to my leg, I dug up the bag of M&M's and rewarded her with a few. She was thrilled. She wanted more. I told her to she could have more, just as soon as she went pee pee again in the potty. Then I reminded her once again that if she peed in her pants, Dora's flowers would die. She nodded with the understanding that only three year olds have, as though she knew I was instilling in her the greatest gift even though she had no clue.

A few minutes later I returned to her with breakfast in hand. In that time she'd managed to strip herself of all but her precious Dora pants and her socks. Yes, it was going to be an interesting day. I was beginning to think that maybe the success just moments ago would give her the umpf she needed to carry the whole 'going on the potty' thing to a glorious conclusion. Yeah, I know. I dream a lot.

As she sat down on the chair, ready to dig in to her breakfast, I reminded her once again that it was her job to keep Dora's flowers alive by remembering to go pee pee on the potty. She shook her head with grave agreement. And then she looked down at Dora. Then looked up at me. Her face fell a bit and she said "I sowwy, Mommy. I sowwy." Indeed, Dora's flowers were no more. She'd managed, in just five short minutes, to let Dora's flowers die. Dead. Gone. Killed. Never to be seen again. Well, until the next pair of pull ups steps up to do its duty. Oh well. No biggie. Life goes on. She won't walk down the aisle in diapers, will she?

*sigh*

I'm sure the Lord thinks we won't ever 'get it' now and then, too. And yet he loves us anyway. Through thick and thin. Stupid stubborn attitudes and strong-willed episodes and all. He lovingly waits until we give in, realizing that going the extra mile, although not necessarily the easiest thing, really is better than dragging our heavily gelled buckets behind us all of the time. And he probably doesn't get exasperated while he waits either. Hmmmm... perhaps I need to work on that.

Thank you, Lord, for loving me through my stubborn periods. Help me to do the same with my less than cooperative daughter as together we overcome her love of the diaper. Remind me, hourly if necessary, that this valley will be only for a moment in time before she rises to the potty top having grown enough to let go of her diaper. Help her to realize that clutching what she perceives as a comfort object is really just a gel-filled weight that is keeping her down. And remind me about whatever weight I am hanging on to as well. Let us both grow from this experience. In Thy name, Amen.

What Can You Learn From Robinson Crusoe?

I've discovered that there are a lot of things we can learn from books. You might be thinking that is a given, and that I shouldn't even have to state the obvious, but alas you would be thinking of the 'normal' things one can learn from a book. Since I've been schooling the boys at home, I've discovered that there are other, more subtle things you can learn as well.

For instance, did you know that "Robinson Crusoe" can teach you how to survive on a 'desserted island'? After all, there aren't any restaurants around you know. And Robinson Crusoe is indeed 'quite profishient' at raising food? Who knew that would be required so close to the ocean? *snicker*

Throughout the book we were constantly evaluating his motives, attempting to determine what it might tell about his character. Regularly we tried to come up with some new words that described him as he moved from marooned sailor to a competent builder, farmer and eventually, courageous rescuer and then benevolent master. When asked to come up with a list of words that might describe him, Jonathan chose the following: Kind-hearted, courageous, brave, restoredful, smart, adventurous, selfish, and strong. I guess he sleeps well at night as he wakes up restored and full of something, which is more than I can say about me some days.

I love schooling at home. You never know what you're going to encounter next. And it seems I'm getting educated right along with them. Who knew? LOL

On The Rise?

Okay, okay, okay. I have a unique sense of humor that periodically embarrasses my children. I can deal with that. They'll have to cope the best they can. They're young. They are flexible. And when they finally leave the nest they'll miss it, I'm sure. But an embarrassment to my husband??? Say it isn't so!!!

Alas, it is. You see, my dearest hubby has been to the Dr. more in the past two years than he's ever been in his life. Between a possible heart attack that turned out to be shingles and his Grave's Disease, he's getting used to being prodded and poked in a regular basis.

A few weeks ago he went in to see the Dr. because he was having his first ever, and an obnoxious one at that, case of poison ivy and they just wouldn't go away. They still haven't but that's a whole other issue. Anyway, the Dr. examined him and sent him home with some meds to help and an additional request. Because his blood pressure was elevated, and had been the previous time he'd been in, he was to monitor his blood pressure and write it down. Easy enough. I was happy to share my blood pressure cuff with someone else and really had to work hard not to snicker because my usually very healthy hubby was dealing with the same thing I was and he'd discover it wasn't so easy to remember to take your bp or, heaven forbid, to remember your pills everyday. Yep, this would show him... uh... no.

Instead I discovered that he had 'white coat syndrome' instead of high blood pressure. Here at home his pressures are just dandy. On the low end, even. *gasp* I was once again sailing on my own in the world of high blood pressures. We thought that was the end of it for him. But no.

Yesterday I received a call from Mary indicating Dr. Stone wanted to see Don for a bp follow up. I laughed and chatted with her for a bit and then made an appt for him to see Dr. Stone. Gleefully I shared the news with Don when he came in but alas he was not quite so thrilled. At his request, I wrote Dr. Stone an email. In my own way. To the embarrassment of my hubby. Here's what I sent:

Dr. Stone,

Here I thought I was the one to avoid the Dr. at all costs but I think Don beats me in that department hands down. As always, I totally enjoyed talking with your Mom today when she called to let us know you wanted to see Don regarding his bp. Smirking under my breath I shared the good news with him when he came home. Gosh, who wouldn't want to come in and just say "Hi" to you over a blood pressure cuff, anyway? I know I'm just waiting with baited breath for my chance! But alas, it seems Don would be heavy in to avoidance. Without a word he headed upstairs and returned rather quickly with the following list:

8/10 - 127/72
8/21 - 117/71
8/23 - 126/79
8/24 - 119/69
8/27 - 126/78
PSA - .43

Any person with half a brain would assume that he's trying very hard to avoid seeing you, but then I might be claiming more abilities than I really have so I'll leave that decision up to you. Do you still want to see my wonderful specimen of a hubby next Tuesday for a follow up bp check or can we assume that he'll let you know should things take a rise, unheeded, in the near future?

Respectfully,
Chris

Just what pray tell is wrong with that note??? I fail to see why he asked if I couldn't just write a normal, short note with the measurements and that's all. Isn't that just what I did???

My poor family. Sentenced to life with a woman who happens to have a quirky sense of humor. I feel so for them, don't you?

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like... A New School Year!

YES! A new school year is about to begin. It is one of my favorite times of the year! School starts tomorrow. Tomorrow!!! I know, I know. You all are just as excited as I am. And the boys... their excitement can't be described. They are so thrilled that they have been rendered virtually speechless. Literally. Especially when I told them that we'd be having our annual 'planning meeting' tomorrow morning at 7:30 after they'd had breakfast and made their beds. Oh to see the shocked looks on their faces. It was priceless.

As they digested this news, I could see their wheels start to turn. Soon I was rewarded with their loosely thought out arguments like how could I, a mere schooling-at-home mother, imagine that they needed to get up at such an (and I'm quoting directly mind you) "obscene" hour??? How could I make them actually get up early enough to watch the sun rise? Or better yet, to watch their poor friends, who actually have to go to school every day, get on the bus??? Cruel, aren't I? *rolling eyes* I happened to mention that they normally get up that early on their own, that they know a planning meeting comes at the beginning of every school year, and that in fact our planning meeting had to be productive and reach a conclusion in time to take Matthew to work for the day where he'd be earning money while his friends were in class. Ah, money. Okay, everything is all right with the world once again.

As the day has gone on, I've seen them quietly planning between themselves for the planning meeting. It seems that they've decided what devotions we'll be using (one decision down), they have each chosen an instrument for the year (second problem solved without my even suggesting it as a necessity to a well-rounded education), and they've both decided that my idea of health education (they've seen the Christian sexual education books I've purchased sitting on the table) isn't what they want to hear this year so they are going to loudly protest at that moment in the meeting. I can handle that. I'm not sure I'm ready for them to learn all of that anyway. After all, I didn't learn it quite that early and I came out okay so it must work to wait.

A lot of things work better when you wait. Like tomorrow's meeting for instance. If I'd had this meeting last week without preparing them, they'd have had to make all of these decisions while I watched. They probably would have argued a bit, wanting to make it an authentic meeting and all, and they'd probably have stretched it out until it was time for Laura to wake up from her nap, virtually ending our meeting before it was supposed to end leaving far too many things for another meetings agenda. Instead I told them at breakfast today what was ahead in their week and gave them time to ponder it. Indeed it is good to wait. Tomorrow's meeting has just a few topics left for discussion. Surely we can do that in just a short amount of time.

I think I'm getting smarter at this parenting thing. And I'll keep thinking that. At least until tomorrow mornings meeting.

Milk Does A Body Good... Sometimes

I've had another reason to be so very thankful as I have had reason to be in almost everything that surrounds our little gift called Laura. It seems that part of the reason she's here with us is to remind me regularly about being thankful. And I do mean thankful. Not only is she here, alive and well, but she's not the vegetable that they warned us she'd be. Nor is she even vaguely 'in need of intensive intervention' as they claimed, in writing no less, that she'd be for the rest of her life. Yes, we have much to be thankful for when it comes to Laura. In fact her middle name means "God's Promise" and indeed he is keeping his promise to bless her life.

Laura lives on dairy products. I do mean just that. She drinks several glasses of milk a day and loves yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese and ice cream. On any given day she has at least one meal, and more often two, that are centered around dairy. Her bones aren't lacking. That's for sure. But her tummy was suffering. We just didn't know enough to figure that out.

When she was a baby she was on special formula. We transitioned her off of that on to milk and she's had it ever since. She supplements with pediasure but that's not common, and she loves the stuff. So it never occurred to us that it could be causing her problems. Recently, 'My tummy hurts' was a common refrain. At first I thought it was for attention and Don thought not. Then, over time, he began to agree with my position and I began to move over to his side. LOL The final straw for me was having her curled up in my arms, content at the individual attention while guzzling her last glass of milk for the day, and turning to me 10 minutes later crying because her stomach hurt. I suspected we had a problem - with milk! UGH!

After consulting with her Ped we put her back on prevacid for a few weeks and the complaining did go down some. But it didn't disappear. So we moved on to Plan B. We cut out lactose. The change was immediate. Her breath, which has long smelled like something died in there, didn't smell at all. Her diapers became normal. Regularly. As in all of the time normal. No loosie goosies at all. And not a complaint about her tummy. Not a one. Nada. Nyet. Nothing. I think we have found the problem.

So once again we are thankful. Thankful that she's a normal, healthy three year old with only a lactose intolerance. She's not dealing with something even more difficult to handle like celiacs, and she's not allergic to milk. She just can't digest her lactose. How wonderful is that? She'll be fine. We'll all make some adjustments and we'll go from there. Life goes on. The Lord is so good. So very good. I know. I have a constant reminder living right here with me. :)

Pistols and Daggers and Swords, OH MY!

I recall receiving a note from a friend when I discovered so long ago that David was on the way. My second boy. No little pink bundle to dress in frilly socks and hair bows for me. No. Another blue bundle to love. And my friend knew that I was, if only for a moment, wondering just how much testosterone I'd need to deal with in my life. She sent a poem about raising boys and how much joy and fun it really was. I laughed and posted it where I would see it often while at my desk. Little did I know just how right that poem would be. Boys are a joy and so fun to raise! But I failed to realize just how much testosterone I'd actually have in my life.

David wasn't with us for long but Jonathan soon took his place. I grew used to saying "the boys" when referring to my children and it fit me just perfectly. What doesn't seem to go with my view of life is the ever present fascination boys have with weaponry. Why is it that everything in their world can become a gun or a sword or even a dagger? When I look at a stick I see a marshmallow melter, or even a hiking pole or firewood. My boys see swords, rifles and spears. When I see a small piece of wood I think it needs to find its way to the tinder box. Matthew thinks he needs to find a tool so he can carve a new weapon that the military might actually want to buy from him. *sigh*

The other day we were all playing outside. Laura was collecting 'shicks' to take to Poppa's house so they could burn them for roasting marshmallows. (That's my girl!) Jonathan wasn't particularly in to doing anything that vaguely looked like work so he was avoiding her at all costs, choosing to climb a tree instead. He casually held a stick in his hand and whacked the tree branch with it every so often. Matthew was sorting through the tinder box in search of something. Soon he asked Don if he could have a small piece he found. Once Don gave the okay and disappeared in to the house, Matthew started looking for tools. Within 30 minutes that piece of wood was now officially a dagger. Why? I couldn't really say. I was honestly just glad it wasn't joining the ranks of all of the other lego/pvc pipe/wooden replicas of official rifles, pistols and such he's been making with his spare time lately. But a dagger??? Did we really need another weapon of some sort around here???

Once Laura came along I became dreaming of the day I could hold a craft or cooking party instead of a water or mad scientist party. A time when wooden craft pieces could become creations that the maker intended, not a makeshift weapon to be tried out on the back fence. A time when calm chat would reign over crazed, running, testosterone laiden preteens and teenagers. And then reality struck. I saw it with my own eyes but I hesitated to believe it. So I had to look again. Yes, there it was once again. I saw it. I really did. Jonathan had come down from his perch in the tree and was... *gasp* ...swordfighting with Laura. Say it isn't so!!!

Alas, it is. Laura, for all of her girly girl tendencies, is being raised with tween and teenage boys. Boys who love all things male. I think I'm outnumbered. I think I'll quit planning for craft parties now. Then, if they should happen to actually occur, I can be thrilled beyond my wildest dreams. Yes, that's a plan. I'll work on it....

Tomorrow. For now I'll enjoy doing Laura's hair and dreaming of a beauty salon party I can do for all of her 'dirl' friends. I even have pink lacy hair clips to put in it. I guess I've managed to put a little bit of girly girl in her after all. I think I just heard her say her favorite color is pink. YES! Go girl, GO!

Where's Daddy?

My first conversation with Laura this morning just tickled my heart. Yes, we have a variation quite frequently. But it is usually said with a deep sadness. This morning it was very different. It went something like this:

"Mommy? Where's Daddy?" questioned Laura as she peeked in to our bedroom and found the bed all made up.

"Where is Daddy?" came my usual reply.

"He's at worked."

"Yes, Sweet Pea. He's at work. Why is he at work?" I ask for the umpteenth time.

"He's at worked betause he wuv's us." Her normal reply came quickly. And then she added with so much joy "He wuv's US! He WUV'S US!!!" And she danced down the stairs with a smile on her face and a song on her lips.

How much better can it be than to have a Daddy who really loves us enough to get up and go to work at 5 AM no matter what? It really can't get any better than that. Laura knows it. And so do I. :)

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, We Need A Schedule to Go...

As we get more and more prepared to start schooling at home again next week, I realize that fall is my favorite times of the year. While each season has its high points (yes, even winter - but then the Christmas season ends and you're left with the rest of the winter here - UGH!), fall is really the best time of the year. Warm days and cool nights, fires in the fireplace, the golden yellows, oranges and dark reds that decorate everything, the crunch of the leaves as you walk down the sidewalk, the quiet each day as the neighborhood empties in to school leaving us to our own family time and the routine of life as we head to the holidays makes the warmth of the season surround me. I just love this time of year!

The past few years have seen me far too busy dealing with kids, school, and surgeries to fully enjoy the preparation of the holidays. I'm going to change that this year. My Christmas gene needs to prepare for, and enjoy, a wonderfully marvelous holiday season. So I've been searching for ways to get ready on time, and yes even early. I have found two websites: www.organizedchristmas.com and holidaygrandplan.com. One of them is going to guide me through. Yes, I'll change and adapt it to meet our needs but I need someone else to help me get organized this year. I admit it. I'm open to change as long as I don't have to think it all up myself.

I'm also redoing the kids schedules, their responsibilities and chores, and their attitude charts. Starting next week Laura will get her own chores to do along with her usual 'help' that she is required to give us when we request it. She has already started helping me fold small towels and to match up some of her socks so I think she's ready. Matthew will be taking on more responsibilities as fits his older abilities, and he'll be teaching Jonathan how to do some of the things he's been doing for awhile, too. I think it will take us awhile to get in to the new groove, but it is very much a welcome thing for most of us. I'm not so sure about Laura. :)

All in all, fall is a new beginning. Ours begins next Monday. And frankly, I can't wait! The kids with their noses in books, time with them while everyone else is gone for the day, games, music, piano and guitar lessons... Yes! What a great way to spend our fall! And if it all leads to a prepared, relatively stress free holiday, I'm all for it!

"Stista" and "Waura"

My very precious friend Michelle is dealing with the frustration of having a very sick child and not being able to immediately help make it all better. I've certainly been there, done that far too many times to count in just the past three years, let alone the 14 that I've been a parent. My heart goes out to her as she lives through this difficult time.

Since there isn't much we can do for them given where she lives and where I live, one of the only things I can do is pray. So we're doing that here regularly. This morning after sharing the update from Michelle on Krista's condition, we prayed for them together. Jonathan prayed "Lord, help Krista. She's in bad pain. I wouldn't want that so I know she doesn't because she's a girl. So heal her." and then he remembered to be polite, adding "Please". When it was Matthew's turn he said "Krista needs healing. You love her. You heal. So do it. Today." I could hear the unspoken "Dude Jesus" in his attitude after that but he didn't say it. LOL Boys... I'd tell you what Laura said but I didn't catch anything beyond "Ward"(her version of Lord) and "Stista" but I know she meant every word she said.

We all miss Michelle and the gang when they aren't here and we cherish their visits. So we took a little trip down memory lane today and in honor of Krista, here's one of my favorite pictures:

Little "Dirls" and Their Hair

This morning Laura woke up declaring that today she wanted to be a "dirl". So I tried something new with her hair. Needless to say she's in love with it. And I hope it means less tangles when we go to brush it out later. However, I'm not so sure how it is going to survive naptime!