Icey Cream, Icey Cream!

So tonight I had the great idea to bring the kids to get an after dinner ice cream.  Well, really frozen yogurt, but they didn’t know.  I just noticed this cute little shop right around the corner from our house this week and I thought the kids would love it.  It’s was a first…not ice cream, but the going out for ice cream. 

Oh the choices!  I did choose the strawberry banana yogurt for each but they got to choose their own toppings…
Sloan – rainbow sprinkles
Roc, Mad & Jag (all the same – go figure!) – rainbow sprinkled chocolate chips

:)
(LtoR: J,R,M & S)

Yummmm!

Rocco.  And I love seeing Jagger just digging right in with his hand.  LOL!
(by the way, it’s a self serve shop and everyone gets the same size cup – they are only about 1/4 full for our little guys…after all, this WAS just an hour or so before bedtime!)

Madman, my silly nut!

Jagger

It was a great outing and a great family night.  I didn’t even realize until putting this post together exactly HOW normal of a night it was for us.  You see, I often tell Nick…”let’s go do something normal.”  But even when we try to do something “normal” like go to dinner with the kids, it’s just not normal.  Normal to us, sure, but not by others’ standards so we get tons of questions, comments, and stares.  In no way am I easily offended or put off by those types of things AND I do love to see the joy my kids bring to others, but it is a constant reminder of how not normal we are.  SO it just dawned on me, tonight was pretty normal!  It really was.  There was no one else in the shop except the sweet girl working.  She was nice, she didn’t ask ONE question and she didn’t stare.  Just a Friday night eating ice cream yogurt with my family.  Very nice. 

Hope you have a nice and normal weekend

Waving my white baby wipe

Hiya!  It’s been awhile, I know.  But this weekend was definitely worth coming out from under my blogging rock I’ve been hiding under. 

If you are one of my facebook friends, you may already know that I attempted potty training this weekend.  It was sort of last week type decision.  I originally was going to introduce it (we’ve already been talking about it for a while), but then late Friday I decided it was the perfect weekend to do the 3 day potty training lock down.  I had a 3 day weekend with the labor day holiday.  We had Tropical Storm Lee to keep us inside.  And Nick was away for the LSU game in Dallas (GEAUX TIGERS!) 

I had my stickers ready, candy stocked, 4 little potties cleaned, and my notes studied.  The plan requires complete focus, dedication, patience, consistency, positive reinforcement and love.  I was ready. It also requires watching the children very closely (like the only thing you will do) to 1)learn how they communicate their need to use the potty and 2)catch the start of any accidents so you can hurry to them to the potty to finish the job.   According to the plan if followed properly, it will “click” with your child sometime by the end of day 3.  Sounds great, right? 

Before I go any further, let me just say that I consider everyday with my children a blessing.  I REALLY do.  It never gets old to me.  Sure, I may have “grrrrr…” moments at times, but I try to have a positive attitude in most situations.  Having said that, this weekend was probably in my top 5 for the most UNfun things I have ever done.  Ha!  So incredibly UNfun. 

So.  We started on Saturday.  The kids were excited.  I pumped the big boy and girl talk BIG time.   

Who’s ready to use the potty?!? (M,R,J,S)

The beginning of the day…of course they all said they needed to go  -- and of course, no one did!

I didn’t get to take many pictures once the day began, but this one was definitely worth capturing.  Rocco told me he had to poop.  So we ran to the potty and we waited.  He started to get up so I told him to put his underwear back on if he didn’t have to go.  He said “no” and went and picked up some reading material and returned to his throne!  Now, he didn’t really go, but I still thought it was funny!

It starts early!

Another highlight.  My mom came over to fix us lunch so I could stay focused on them.  We had the idea to go out on the front porch just to get some fresh air plus the weather, although rainy, was nice.  The boys slowly made their way off the porch and into the rain.  The fun ensued.  They absolutely LOVED it.  And to be honest, it was a much needed break for me.  There probably was more than just rain falling on the sidewalk, but eh who could tell?

Love those little underoos!

After 20-30 minutes of this, Jagger ran onto the porch to my mom and said, “This is a fun day G.G.!”  LOL.  I’m glad it was for you buddy!

Back to the potty training.  As the day progressed, there were accidents…to be expected. I stayed positive. They kept coming. The kids were fine when I hurried them to the potty. No crying but they just didn’t go on the potty. Although extremely exhausting, I think I could have done that for 3 days until it “clicked” with each of them. But my problem started when one would creep behind the couch or in the other room and do their business and I would miss the accident all together. It would happen so fast. OR I would catch one in the act and be tending to that kid and then the other one, two or even three would start and I would miss theirs. Are you picturing this? They totally ganged up on me! I was missing so many of the accidents.  I made it half way through day 2 before I started waving my white baby wipe.

I need to regroup.  Tweak my “plan” a little.  Be more effective.  Like keeping them confined to one room and definitely having Nick on board and available to help.  Any other ideas from you potty training pros are welcomed.  We will try again, but not this weekend

There have been lots of changes around here lately.  We’ve moved into our new home (hence my blogging break), the kids are each sleeping in their own room for the first time ever, they start a mother’s day out program this week, so maybe we hold off a little on this potty training business.  After all, no kid ever goes to kindergarten in diapers, right?  But as for Mother’s Day Out, diapers we wear!