Potty Training Time

2.0 is really good about telling me when he needs his diaper changed.  He's been doing that for about five months but until recently, he hasn't had the muscle control for potty training.  When he started telling his Sunday school teachers that he needs his diaper changed or that he wants to go to the potty, it became obvious that 2.0 is ready to be a big boy and get out of his diapers.

As a first time mom, this part of toddlerhood is unknown to me.  I've read books which pretty much contradict each other and are of no help at all.  I've read about positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement (which I didn't really care for), the three day method (another one I didn't really care for), and self guided toilet training.  My head felt like it would lift off my shoulders and float away after all of this.

I have to figure out what 2.0 needs to be successful at potty training.  Thank goodness he's had friends in his Sunday school class to guide him, and by proxy me, to what will work for him.  Here's a list of some of my discoveries:

• The Potty Seat: 2.0's first glimpse of potty training came from a little boy named Thomas in his Sunday school class.  2.0 was a year old and watched Thomas pick up his potty seat, go to the teacher, and tell her that he needed to go to the bathroom.  When Thomas went to the preschool class, 2.0 was beside himself, but thankfully there were other kids that did the exact same thing.  When we looked at potties, 2.0 wanted nothing to do with a stand alone potty chair.  Instead, he wanted a potty seat.
• A Potty Schedule: The one thing I read that I really liked was the idea of taking the child to the bathroom immediately upon waking and every hour afterward.  If I wait for 2.0 to let me know that he needs to go to the potty then it's too late.  If I let him pee in his pull up and feel the cold sensation, it's too late.  But if I take him on a schedule, then he knows he only has to hold it for a short time.  Of course I'll take him if he needs to go and it's not on the schedule.  The schedule makes my life easier when we are out running errands.
• Pull ups By Day and Diaper By Night: 2.0 doesn't sleep well as it is.  Why on earth would I wake him up to go to the potty when I just want him to get some sleep?  During the day I have his attention and he's more likely to learn what I'm trying to teach him.  Plus, the amount of muscle control needed to make it through the night is significantly more than during the day.  Let's take little steps instead of expecting big things from such a small bladder.
• Positive Reinforcement: I was given M&Ms when I was potty training.  2.0 loves Dum Dum suckers.  That's an easy one.
• Underwear Is The Ultimate Reward And Then Some: 2.0 will get to pick out his own underwear when he's ready for it.  I plan on making that a big deal.  I want to take him to Monkey Joes and out for pizza so that he understands how big of a step he's made.  No more diapers should be celebrated right?
• Planning For Setbacks: I know this isn't going to be perfect.  I know that it might take a long time.  I'm planning for issues and setbacks now so that mentally I won't be frustrated when they happen.  I know that I'm going to need pads to keep his sheets dry and I know he's going to need extra clothes because of accidents.  I have to keep my cool so that I don't end up giving negative reinforcement with my attitude.

I'm so excited for this new step and I hope that this works out well.  

The Beginning Of Homeschooling

I've looked ahead toward my son's education with excitement and a little bit of fear.  Will I be able to give him the education he needs and deserves?  What about the subjects that I'm not so great with, like math?  What do I do to keep his attention and make learning fun?  Am I making the right choice?

Last month 2.0 read Green Eggs and Ham to me at the library and I realized that I needed to stop looking ahead because 2.0 needed his education to start now.  There aren't a lot of resources for educating a two-year-old at home, at least not resources that I liked or wanted to use.  I needed something that would grow with him and adapt to him and was easy for both of us to use.  I'm so thankful that I found ABCmouse.com.

I'm not one to use my blog space to promote a product very often.  I hope that gives you an idea of how awesome ABCmouse.com really is.  We signed up for it on March 9.  Normally it's around $8 a month or $79 a year.  When I saw that I could get it for $59 this year, I jumped on it, even turning down a free month to get the deal.  After just the last few weeks, I'm positive that I made the right choice.

ABCmouse.com is tailored for kids in preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten, but they also have a toddler section for kids 2.0's age.  It is entirely internet based and can be accessed from any computer that has an internet connection.  There's a parents section that is password protected so the child can't change anything and the lessons can be customized to fit your child's educational needs.  There's reading, writing, math, social studies, geography.  If you don't want to build a lesson for your child or are intimidated by the process, there is a 'learning path' that your child can use that is designed by educators and child development experts.

There are printable pages for coloring, jigsaw puzzles, books, songs, and games.  I'm amazed at how well 2.0 pays attention and the difference in his vocabulary since we started the ABCmouse program.  2.0 sings along with some of the songs and loves the coloring pages online that we point and click on.  He's not so great with a mouse yet, and being a southpaw, I'm going to have to change my mouse to fit his needs when he's ready.  We do his lessons together and he can spend an hour or more on ABCmouse.com just doing lesson after lesson.

We've only had this program since March 9 and he's almost done with the toddler section!  We're going to do it over again with 2.0 manning the mouse by himself a little more.  Then we're moving on to the level 1 lessons.

Here is a link to ABCmouse.com.  Take a look and see what you think if you have kids 2.0's age or even younger.  Our kids are sponges, soaking up everything they can about the world around them.  This program is giving 2.0 a chance to explore even more.

Weight Loss Update and April's Challenge

I went in for my monthly weigh in appointment last week.  March was not a good month for me.  Between the horrible stomach flu that hit both of my Nathans (but didn't hit me thank God) and the strep throat that knocked 2.0 down for about three days, I didn't get out as much as I wanted to.  I was trying to stick to my diet and that didn't go as well as I'd hoped it would.  I went in to the appointment fully believing that I was going to see my first gain.

Imagine my surprise when the scale said 7 pounds lost!  I've lost 30 pounds on the medication my ob/gyn prescribed to me and I've lost a total of 37 pounds since the beginning of my weight loss journey.  Not so bad if I say so myself!

My ob/gyn placed 30 pounds worth of IV saline bags on my lap and it was hard to imagine that I had carried that much weight around before!  No wonder I was so tired all the time!  I can walk around carrying my toddler and it's the same as what I carried by myself before.  I didn't realize what 30 pounds really looked like.  I'm so proud of myself and I refuse to let anything stop me now.

I have an amazing support system, not just with family, friends, and my wonderful husband, but with some fantastic ladies online.  The challenge we have set for ourselves for the month of April is the 50 mile walk.  We will each walk 50 miles this month and at the end of the month, we'll have walked a total of 500 miles!  I already got my first mile in this morning while grocery shopping.  You'd be surprised how the steps add up while walking around Walmart.

I'm excited to see how much weight I'll lose this month while walking!