Progress on the Potty Front

March 10th, 2010

I can safely say that I have only 1 child in diapers.  Oh, we still put one on him at night but it’s staying dry…and he won’t even let me put a PullUp on him when we go out.  It must be underwear!  He has done a great job of letting me know when he needed to go.  I was at Walmart yesterday with all 3 kids and a friend when he suddenly announced “I need to pee!”  Let me tell you, it was a mad dash to the bathroom.  I was hurting and wearing flip flops so I couldn’t go very fast but I ran through that place as fast as I possibly could and he held it until we got there.  I was so proud of him!

I’ve also tackled the issue of convincing him to pee inside.  He only wants to go outside once a day or so and I’m fine with that for now.  My next big hurdle is getting him to poop in the potty.  He hasn’t done it yet and his daddy promised him a trip to Chuck E. Cheese if he did.  (I was not consulted on this offer, by the way.  I hate that place with a fiery passion.)  We have been awaiting some, uh, movement in that direction for 2 days now but he seems to be holding it.  He doesn’t want to in the potty but doesn’t want to in his underwear, either.  I offered him a diaper and told him it would be OK, but no dice.  We went through this with my oldest, so I’m not concerned yet but eventually this will become a problem that we need to deal with.  For now, I am content with his great track record for peeing in the potty.

And for those who don’t “get it” let me just say that I would have laughed if you told me 10 years ago that having 1 less child in diapers would be a huge triumph.  I never imagined I would become the person who bragged about their child’s bathroom habits!

Posted in Family, Parenting

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Public Breastfeeding

March 6th, 2010

My daughter is still breastfeeding.  I am one of the few women in this country who continues to nurse past the first year. (Many women don’t make it past 6 months!)  I don’t think I’m better than you.  I don’t think it’s the right choice for everyone.  And I definitely don’t believe it is necessary.  But for me, it is easy, it is healthy, and though the acrobatics and the occasional biting episode are frustrating and make me wish I wasn’t still doing this, I enjoy it.  It means I get to sit down a few times a day and do nothing but relax while I snuggle with my little girl.  As a toddler, she is on the move and really doesn’t want to spend a lot of time sitting and snuggling so that time spent nursing is special.

In the years since I started breastfeeding, I’ve had good experiences and bad experiences while nursing in public.  I am always discreet, but sometimes it’s easier than others.  Generally I prefer to sit down in a private space or use a nursing cover but this isn’t always possible.  This is for my comfort, not yours.  If I nurse in front of you, don’t get up and hide in the corner or make a big show of hiding your face.  That embarrasses me much more than the possibility that you might see a bit of my breast, assuming you’re a woman.  Simply avert your eyes until the baby is latched on and continue to talk to me as you would if I was eating a snack in front of you.  That’s really all I’m doing, giving my baby a snack.  If you’re a man, I might ask you to leave the room (or simply mention that I’m going to feed the baby…that’s your cue to leave) or leave the room myself. Trust me, I don’t want you to see me any more than you want to see!

When my younger son was 4 months old, we went to Disney World.  One night during a parade he was hungry and I was desperate to find a place to sit and feed him.  The only bench available was one right next to an older gentleman.  It wasn’t ideal but it was available so I made a beeline for it, only to realize when I got there that I’d left the diaper bag (which had my nursing cover) with my husband.  I managed to get the baby latched on with the man being none the wiser and I was so very proud of myself!  When he realized what I was doing, he was so sweet and completely comfortable talking to me while I nursed and was very complimentary of my decision to breastfeed my child.  It is, to date, the most positive experience I’ve had while nursing in public.

My most negative experience was when two women got right up to my van door trying to see what I was doing in there behind the privacy tint and then proceeded to loudly proclaim how disgusting I was for feeding my child that way in public.  Really???  I made the effort to do it somewhere where nobody could see me and that’s still not good enough?  To me, it is the most natural thing in the world.  God gave me breasts to feed my child.  I am blessed with the ability to make plenty of milk to nourish my babies.  For me to do otherwise would be silly.  (And for the record, I don’t care what you choose to do.  That’s your business and your baby.  Do what works for you!)

There’s a lot of controversy about nursing in public.  In the state of North Carolina, it is a mother’s right to nurse her baby wherever she may be, in any way she sees fit.  Nobody can ask you to leave, to cover up, or to stop.  I appreciate this because it gave me the ability to nurse with confidence, knowing that if anyone hassled me I could tell them that they were breaking the law, not me.  I have never seen anyone nurse in a way that wasn’t discreet.  I’m told there are people out there who practically strip naked to breastfeed, but I’d definitely say they’re the exception.  Most of the time, people don’t even realize I’m breastfeeding because I look like I’m just holding a baby.  There are people who justify their negative opinion on public breastfeeding by exclaiming that using the toilet is natural but we don’t do that wherever we want.  Breastfeeding is eating and really has no relationship to an adult using the toilet.  We certainly don’t expect others to eat only in the privacy of their own home, so why expect a baby to do so?  We make allowances for baby’s in the realm of toileting, anyway.  Ever heard of a diaper?  How many babies do you know who leave the room to use their diaper?

The moral of the story is that my child’s needs will always come before your hangups.  I will do my best to be discreet and keep you from seeing something you don’t want to see, but it is also up to you to behave like an adult and recognize that a baby often has needs that must be met that aren’t entirely pleasant for those around them.

Posted in News/Current Events, Parenting

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Potty Training

March 4th, 2010

My middle child is now 3.5 years old and still in diapers.  My oldest child was similar…it was very difficult to potty train him and once we stopped pushing, he trained himself and never had another major accident.  We decided to try this again, only from the beginning with no pushing.  We gently ask, remind him of the fun things he could do if he used the potty, bought fun underwear, offered rewards, etc.  The only thing we didn’t do is force it.

Well, I want him in preschool next year and that requires potty training.  Plus diapers are a huge waste of money that could be spent elsewhere.  I’m done waiting patiently and today is the day.  My husband is on break so we have 4 days in a row where he can be here to help me make sure someone can attend to potty needs as they arise.

I finally convinced Colin to wear underwear sometime around 11AM.  He wouldn’t put on a new shirt, so he is wearing a pajama shirt, Elmo underwear, and Baby Legs. (Baby Legs are sort of like a cross between legwarmers and socks, they cover the entire leg with elastic at the top to hold them up but don’t have feet.)  He didn’t want to use the little potty we have or the big toilet, so every 15 minutes my husband is taking him out on the back porch and letting him make his potty attempts in a more natural setting.

I am not sure what is funnier…seeing his little bare behind above his striped Baby Legs while he makes his attempts outside or the victory dance my husband did for him when he succeeded!  It’s been a great day at this mama’s house.  And the best part?  No accidents yet!  Maybe this will be easier than I anticipated.  Hope springs eternal in my heart…

Posted in Family, Parenting

2 Comments

Snow…again?

March 3rd, 2010

Like many people, I live in the south because I don’t care for cold weather.  I am content with one snowstorm a year that drops just enough snow to play in, but not enough to keep me home for more than a day or two.  And preferably, that day or two needs to come with a day off for my husband, not just my school age child.  And I definitely need advance notice…at least a day or two!

This winter has been hard for the (many) people like me in this area.  Much colder than normal and more snow than we’re used to have made it rather unpleasant.  Yesterday, we had a winter weather advisory for the evening and overnight.  We were expecting a dusting of snow on grassy and elevated surfaces.  Lee County Schools did not make a decision about school (despite the fact that it looked like the snow was going to be worse than expected) so I went to bed around 1AM.  As I walked through the house, I was surprised to look out the window and realize that the street was white.  There were already 2-3 inches of snow and no signs that it was letting up.  Hmmmmm…do you think they missed the forecast a little?

As I was laying in bed watching LOST (our satellite had gone out around 11:30 so I was relying on the DVR for my bedtime wind-down since my insomnia was bad) the power went out several times, but kept coming back on.  I finished LOST and moved on to The Biggest Loser, but about 5 minutes in the power went off and stayed that way.  This was 2AM.  I called Progress Energy immediately and laid back down, but my bedtime ritual of watching TV wasn’t possible so sleep didn’t come easily.  I think I fell asleep around 3:30, but Violet woke at about 4AM and I was in a lot of pain so I didn’t get much sleep the remainder of the night.  At some point Progress Energy called to tell me the power would be back on by 6AM, but that would turn out to be untrue.  Sometime around 6AM the school called to let us know that the kids were out today (Duh, ya think?) and I dozed off and on for another hour then finally got up because it was just too cold to sleep.  Still no power, and as I look out the window I notice that our trees and bushes are really weighed down with snow and I’m guessing we have an easy 6 inches or more.  It’s not looking good to get heat any time soon…

We got the kiddos up, dressed, and headed out to find a warm place to go.  My preschooler started crying when we told him he couldn’t play outside since there was no place to get warmed up afterwards.  With no TV and internet only via phone, we had no idea how bad it was in Lee County.  Our neighborhood was a mess…lots of trees and branches down.  The roads were pretty bad but we made it down to Walmart.  We walked around for a while, my preschooler crying the whole time, and finally decided to go someplace where they could play.  McDonald’s was packed, but warm, so we got some coffee and sat down to let the boys play…my oldest took off and was content to entertain himself climbing through the play structure.  My preschooler refused to play and continued to cry, stopping only when my husband got him some apples and juice.  That reprieve didn’t last long and then he started complaining that his ear hurt.  Suddenly the whining and crying made sense!  We called the pediatrician who said they could get us right in so we headed over there.

After a quick appointment, an ear infection (his first!) was confirmed and we headed back down to Walmart to get the prescriptions filled.  Stopped at Wendy’s for lunch, then returned to pick up the drugs, only to find out they didn’t have one of them.  UGH!!!  Thus began the hunt for a pharmacy that had it, as well as a place to spend the rest of the day since we had been told at this point not to expect power before 6PM.  We finally obtained the needed medication and landed at church, where I helped get some things together for our big move this weekend.  Sometime around 3PM, Progress Energy called my cell phone to see if we had power yet.  This had already happened at least 3 times and not once had we been able to say yes.  I called the house again and got the answering machine.  FINALLY!  Electricity!  Of course, by this point there hadn’t been any heat for 13 hours so it was too cold to go home right away anyway.  When I finally did return home, I was utterly exhausted.  The lack of sleep and state of high awareness (being out with kids is always much more difficult than staying home with them) I’d been in all day just about did me in.

So here I am, at 8:45, contemplating going to bed.  I can assure you that my bedtime prayers will include begging God to bring spring to North Carolina.  I can’t take much more of winter!

Posted in Family, News/Current Events, Parenting

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Tasty Tuesday — Black Bean Enchiladas

March 2nd, 2010

Two days in a row?!?!?  My pain levels are sufficiently diminished to allow me more time in the desk chair and I currently have 3 children asleep in their own beds.  (It’s Monday night and I’m typing now because I can…no pain, no baby draped on me, and nothing better to do.)  Tonight we had a meeting at church so dinner had to be quick and easy.  I suggested making pizza.  I got quite a few during Super Doubles at Harris Teeter last week and we are all stocked up, but my husband nixed that because he’s planning to do that tomorrow night when I am gone for a chemistry review session before my midterm.  So I had to come up with an idea that was quick and didn’t require purchasing anything.  Since I didn’t have any meat thawed I was at a loss.

Someone commented on a Facebook post by Southern Savers with this recipe and it was perfect.  I had all of the ingredients and it was quick and easy!

  • 2 cans of black beans (drained)
  • 16 oz corn (we used frozen, but I imagine canned would be fine, too)
  • 2 cups of salsa (divided)
  • cumin and garlic (minced or powder) to taste
  • tortillas
  • 2 cups shredded cheese (I used cheddar, but might try something with a touch more kick next time)

Cook beans, corn, 1 cup of salsa, cumin, and garlic on stovetop until warm through.  Mash beans slightly.  Spread other cup of salsa in bottom of 9×12 baking dish.  Wrap bean mixture in tortillas and place in dish.  Top with cheese and cook in 350* oven for about 20 minutes or until cheese melts.

We added lettuce shreds, chopped grape tomatoes, and a little sour cream once we put it on our plates and it was delicious!  I was so pleased with this recipe.  And if you’re on WIC, this is a healthy, well-balanced meal that you can make for very little expense!  The black beans, corn, tortillas, cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes were all purchased with WIC checks.  We rarely eat meat-free meals (my husband really likes meat) so it’s hard for me to manage meals that are so inexpensive without buying meats that are less healthy.  This met my cheap and healthy requirements nicely…and my meat-eating husband liked it, too!

Posted in Food/Recipes, Money/Finances, Tasty Tuesday

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Sunshine!

March 1st, 2010

Because I’ve had 3 good days in a row, pain-wise, because the sun today is lovely and I will miss it tomorrow, and because I don’t want Kelly to unfriend me…I am finally posting about the award she gave me over a week ago!

How perfect is that?  I am definitely ready for some more permanent sunshine and warmer temps!  This will do for now, though.  I’m honored that Kelly chose me and touched by what she said about me…I do not feel like I’m doing a good job with this mom business most days.  Today is NOT one of those days, though.  It’s been one of those days where I am confident and secure in my supermom-ness.  Don’t worry, that will surely change tomorrow when the clouds roll in and we have to worry about being stuck inside all day!

So, here are the rules:

1. Put the logo in your post or within your blog.
2. Pass the award on to 12 fellow bloggers.
3. Link the nominees within your post.
4. Let the nominees know they have received this award by leaving a comment on their blogs.
5. Share the love and link to the person who gave you the award.

These folks bring sunshine to my life. Go check them out — you won’t be disappointed!  (It goes without saying that Kelly is included here, right?)

1. Emily over at All I hear is blah, blah, blah.  She’s someone I “met” locally through blogging.  We now go to the same church and I respect her for SO many reasons.

2. Sarah at Growing A Little Ivy.  God brought us together, I am sure of it.  She is an amazing friend and an awesome mom and I can’t say more because I will start crying.  Seriously, her reflections on mothering and faith move me to tears regularly.

3. Kim at Kim’s Thoughts.  LOVE her movie reviews.  We have very similar taste in movies, so it’s nice to get her perspective.  I don’t get to see movies in the theater much, but I definitely make decisions on rentals based on what she has to say!

4. Jamie at Mama to the Drama.  Funny, funny, funny.  My younger son is about the same age as her son so I can always relate to anything she has to say about the age!

5. Susannah at Painting Chef.  I relate to so much she says.  But she says it much funnier than I would.  I mostly just cussed and whined.  She has a sense of humor about it all that is inspiring to me.

6. Liz at The Suburban Bohemian.  The way we met is what I love about blogging…she sent me an email asking about Sanford because they were moving here.  I hesitated, but decided to answer it because I wish I’d had someone to help me figure out details about the area before we move her.  I’m glad I did, because she is super cool and brings a different dimension to the friendships I have.

7. Melissa at Binkies and Bandaids.  A hard working mom, she is the only person on this list that I haven’t actually met.  But I love reading about her and her kids!  She totally gets the chaos that 3 kids bring like few other people I know.

Sorry, 7 is all you get.  First of all, I’ve exhausted my list of frequently read blogs and second of all I’m starting to hurt.  Plus I need to get in the shower for a meeting tonight at church.  If you have a blog I might enjoy reading, let me know in the comments.  I can always use more reading material for the times I actually get possession of the laptop!

Posted in Blog Info, Me Stuff, Tag! You're it!

3 Comments

Oh, to live in the wacky state of California…

February 23rd, 2010

I have never in my life smoked a joint, had “special” brownies, or otherwise tried marijuana.  Or any other illegal drug for that matter.  I’ve been around people who were and had the opportunity but it didn’t appeal to me.  I did drink (um, a LOT) in my college years before turning 21, so it’s not like I was perfectly legal and well-behaved at all times.  (Because I was soooooooooooooo not.)  It has just never been something I wanted to try.  I got plenty of thrills from alcohol and figured that was all I needed.

Right now, I am in excruciating pain.  From my back (which was better until I went sledding a few weeks ago), from a kidney stone…my left side is one big ball of pain.  Most days I barely move from the couch and my day revolves around heating pads, cold packs, ibuprofen, and Aleve.  On the days I manage to get out, I wear a Thermacare wrap and take more than the recommended dose of anti-inflammatories.  It’s a really awful existence.

And I find myself reading articles about old people using medical marijuana for their aches and pains and fantasizing about how much pain relief I might get from a good bong hit or two.  No, I’m not going to try it.  It’s illegal and I have 3 kids who need me coherent and capable.  But oh, what I wouldn’t give for a few good hours of pain relief…

Posted in Health, Politics/Government

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Being Part of the Solution

February 1st, 2010

One thing I despise is people who gripe and moan about something and never try to come up with a better plan.  There is nothing wrong with complaining but I think it’s important to be a part of the solution if you’re going to do so.  That’s not to say I haven’t indulged in more than my fair share of whining and inaction but I try to look for a way to make things better.

There have been a lot of decisions regarding the Lee County school system lately that have left me scratching my head.  I haven’t been entirely comfortable with my son’s teacher, I dislike how things are being railroaded through the board, and I am furious about the prospect of my child going to school this Saturday due to missing school yesterday for bad weather.  There are multiple days that could have been used to make up this day…there’s a whole list of them on his school calendar.  We avoid planning things for those days because we know they might end up being school days.  Yet I am expected to drop all of my plans for Saturday with a 4 day notice so that he can attend school.  It is unacceptable.

Obviously I am just one person and these are just my perceptions.  But I know others out there are unhappy, too.  Last week Emily mentioned she felt a lot of frustration with the school board.  I’m in the same boat, obviously.  She is contemplating a run for school board and I support her 100%.  When she first made that post I mentioned that was something I’d also like to do eventually, but it just wasn’t something I felt I was ready for at the moment.  For some reason, today I feel differently.  Sadly, I do not have the resources to do it…a campaign costs money that I don’t have and additional demands on my already non-existent time.  I also think I lack the knowledge and information to really do a good job right now.

However, I am going to start learning.  I’m going to try to go to school board meetings, advocate for the changes that need to be made, and get involved where I can.  Because I want to be part of the solution, whether that’s now or 4 years from now.  I’m not happy with the status quo and I’m going to do my best to try to change it!

Posted in Me Stuff, Parenting, Politics/Government

2 Comments

The Mother I Wish I Was

January 28th, 2010

Let’s all pretend I haven’t completely disappeared for several weeks, shall we?

Today I’ve been thinking about all of my (perceived) shortcomings.  Yuck.  Let’s just say that of all the things I am lazy about, the one aspect of my life I regret most is my parenting.  That’s not to say I think I am a bad parent…but just that I wish I was doing more.  For example, I would love to home school my children.  I think it can be a superior option for those prepared to put the time and effort into it.  Especially considering some of the stuff we’ve dealt with this year at public school!

Unfortunately, I’m just not cut out for it.  I’m not organized enough, not patient enough, not motivated enough, not social enough…the list goes on and on.  I guess it’s a good thing I recognize this, rather than doing it and not giving my children what they need to be successful in life.  I have several friends who do home school and I am constantly in awe of them.  They are truly dedicated to it and have children who are well adjusted and intelligent.

I am trying to homeschool my younger son right now, though.  We can’t afford preschool, I’m not impressed with the public option and I’m worried that he won’t be prepared for kindergarten if I let Noggin (NickJr?) educate him.  But just getting him to sit down for 30 minutes every day and concentrate on it is nearly impossible.

I have managed to teach him shapes and colors.  My plan is to work on numbers and letters next.  But I feel like it shouldn’t be this hard for me…that I’m somehow not a good mother because I think this is hard and don’t quite know how to go about it.

There’s nothing like a good dose of “You suck at this!” when it comes to your kids.  But really, do the bad parents ever doubt their abilities?  Probably not.  And maybe for that reason alone I’m doing an OK job.

Posted in Family, Me Stuff, Parenting

3 Comments

Already?

January 20th, 2010

Today is Violet’s first birthday.  I don’t know how this happened…I blinked and her first year was over!  She went from being a tiny little blob to being a walking talking little girl whose favorite word is “up!” and a personality bigger than she is.  She has her daddy and her big brothers wrapped around her finger.  Not me, of course.  I stand strong in the face of her sweet smile and charm.  Oh, who am I kidding?  I adore her just like they do and pretty much give her everything she wants.

She’s very petite, which means people are often surprised to see her walking.  She’s smaller than most of the babies in the nursery at church, which is a little strange because she’s one of the oldest!  She looks just like I did as a baby…so much so that when I had a baby picture of me on Facebook last week a friend was really surprised to find out that it wasn’t Violet.

She loves to eat and we’re giving her more and more table food.  Right now she’s walking around with an empty bowl and a fistful of pretzels, grunting at me to get her more.  She’s outgrown her wheat allergy, obviously!  I’m still nursing her and don’t see that coming to an end any time soon.  That’s fine…I’m in no rush to wean her and give up that connection.

We’re still struggling with her sleep patterns.  She wakes up the minute we try to put her in the crib and screams her head off but if I put her in there awake she screams her head off, too.  Like her older brother, we’re co-sleeping now and expect she’ll be happy in her own bed before her 2nd year is over.

She has brought us tremendous joy and a sense of contentment.  She is a tremendous blessing to our family and I don’t know how we ever got along without her.

Happy Birthday Violet!!!

Posted in Family, Parenting

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  • I am a mom to 3 living in Sanford, NC. I am a wife. I am a student. I am a Christ follower. I am a friend. This is the craziness of my life.
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