Potty Time

Decker is potty trained! He has by far been the easiest one of the four boys to master this task. I know that he is very young. I know this is not possible for most newly-turned 2 year olds. I also know that we will have ups and downs.

As a preschool teacher, I have parents constantly asking me how to potty train their child. Then there are the  parents that send their almost 4 year old to me for 2 or 3 days a week, hoping that I will be able to do it for them. I have a secret for all of these parents....

Stop buying Pull-ups and diapers! Your child knows that you will change them. They know that they can continue going about their day without having to take a break to go potty. When I was younger, I potty-trained fast. Do you know why? Answer: In the 80's we wore more cloth diapers and felt the poop and pee and thought it was nasty!

There is nothing worse than having to change a 40 pound child with a huge poop. Why are you doing this to yourself? If a 3 year old is walking up and telling you that they have a dirty diaper and need to be changed, then throw a pair of underwear on them. Who cares if your child knows the whole alphabet and can speak spanish if they can perform basic life skills, then something is wrong.

As I am finishing my potty rant, I would like to add that some children do have developmental delays that prohibit them from mastering certain tasks at such an early age.

What is Up With My Blogging?

As I was reading a post by Lisa Murphy (aka The Ooey Gooey Lady), I thought about my own blog. I thought about how it is a bunch of crazy ramblings. I thought about how there is really no particular topic that I stick with. Coupon blogs are a dime a dozen, early childhood blogs are here and there, and the amount of mommy blogs is off the charts.

To separate any of the items on my blog and just focus on one, just would not be me. I am here and there in my real life. I am a mommy, a wife, a sister, a daughter, an aunt, a teacher, a foodie, an extreme crafter, couponer,  and organizer. To focus on one topic would only make me have 20 different blogs and burn me out. My life is a hectic mess of goals, projects, and must-do lists.

The realization is this, I love to take care of my family. I am always down to make a good meal. I thrive in an early childhood classroom. Crafting is an obsession and makes me jump from project to project. Finally, my boys are my life and they dictate the majority of my time. I love that I am able to log family events and important ideas when I can. Hopefully I will become better and possibly benefit other moms in my position.

Sick Kids Rant and Rave

 In the wake of my insane 2 weeks of battling the stomach flu with all of my boys. I have washed sheets, scrubbed carpets, and bleached all surfaces multiple times. While I realize that parents have to work to pay their tuition. I also realize that a sick child will not participate in daily activities, not enjoy time with their friends, and contaminate the whole room. I have 4 children, when we get sick, it is an epidemic. We infect my parents, my brother and his wife, and then we all pass it back to each other. Come on folks, use some common sense when we drop off children in the morning. Here is my checklist:

1.  Have they thrown up today? If yes, STAY HOME!
2.  Do they have a fever? If yes, STAY HOME!
3.  Were you in the emergency room last night? If yes, STAY HOME!
4.  Have you been prescribed an antibiotic less than 24 hours ago? If yes, STAY HOME!
5.  Does your child have diarrhea? If yes, STAY HOME!
6.  Are your child's eyes full of green gunk and you had to pry them open? If yes, STAY HOME!

I am the world's worst about hating my children having to miss school. Sometimes that one day is very important. It is not worth the health of the rest of the class, the teacher, or the class' families.

As I am proofreading, I realize that I am a tad bit dramatic. I must say that this does not apply to my classroom this year as my children have not came to school sick at all. In fact, I have yet to call a parent to pick one up for illness. Maybe because I have so many health professional families this year?

Black Friday

I am having a debate with myself over going or staying in. We have bought all of our presents for our boys and nephews, but it sounds so tempting. Most of the gifts we have bought this year have been purchased through awesome online deals or the huge Target clearance at the end of the summer. It is not a good deal if no one is going to use the item or if it is so cheap that it breaks after a few days. While it makes sense for me to stay home, I cannot make any guarantees. I guess it will depend on how chaotic my house is on Thursday night/Friday morning. My guess is the long lines, crazy shoppers, and crowded roads will be less insane.

Homework Havoc

As I am now approaching the 1 hour mark of my 8 year old sitting at the counter doing his homework, I am growing more and more frustrated. Was he not at school for 7 1/2 hours today? I find it hard to believe that in 7 1/2 hours there is still more time that my child needs to be sitting at home during his free time filling out ditto sheets (this is a totally different rant).

While this is not the typical for A and his teachers are usually very kind about the amount of work they send home, it is still very frustrating. I remember walking in the front door and straight out of the back one, disappearing until dusk. I am saddened that my children are not afforded this luxury as they are inside studying. If I wanted my child to sit at the kitchen table and do school work, then I would homeschool. It would be a much easier schedule, we would get to go out of town more, and I would not have to worry about the negative influence of some of the other children. Hmm the more I think about it, the better it sounds.

Duggar Dilemna

Am I the only person who feels bad for the Duggar family? Who cares if she is having her twentieth baby?!? They pay their bills and lead a happy, Christian life.
I can remember the excitement of my first two boys births. I had loads of help, was surrounded by family, and everyone was anxious to meet our newest addition. Every precious moment was treasured as well as every coo or grin.
Then I remember my third child's birth. I stayed alone at the hospital (we lived in South Carolina), had no visitors, no help, and my husband only wad there for the delivery and then to pick me up. My neighbor had to watch my older boys while I was in labor and James ran home 30 minutes later.
Even worse is having a fourth child in your hometown and having every person question ask you "Again?" when they see you. I had no friend visitors once again although I was only in the hospital for 24 hours. (They pretty much push you out of the door ASAP if you have over 3 children)
My point is that all babies should be celebrated no matter how many you have. The Duggars are not asking for money or assistance. My family does not receive money and assistance. Just because someone chooses to have a large family does not make the baby or family less special. I could not imagine life without these 2 sweet little boys.

I think they are even cute in a blurry Iphone pic!