Almost Ten Years Later We are a Diaper and Pull Up Free House

While everyone has been potty trained for at least two years, I have still had one in pull ups at night.  It is funny, two of my kids night trained at the same time as they day trained with no problem and two were nowhere near ready for nighttime training for a couple of years.  These two, even when committed to night training had to work really hard to make it a reality.  They are both really heavy sleepers.

Eliza Claire is my last to night train.  We decided about three weeks ago that it was time to wear big girl pants at bedtime.  We've tried before but after a couple of nights of multiple accidents have decided she wasn't ready and we should try again later.  This time she made it the first night with no accidents and then several nights with minor, needing to change her pants but not her bed, accidents.  We told her that if she could go five nights in a row with no accidents she could pick a new toy.  She chose a Playmobil Ghost Pirate Ship as her reward toy. Call it a bribe, call it a reward, call it an incentive, I really don't care.  I was willing to do what was necessary to motivate the girl.  And, at the end of the day the ship cost about the same as six weeks of pull ups, I'm OK with that.

Her siblings have been so cute and supportive.  They cheer and dance for her on mornings she is dry and console her on the mornings she's had an accident.  We have kept this a totally positive, upbeat experience and the whole family has rallied around Eliza Claire.

We did have one day where Rehm was trying to figure out what he needed to work on because he wanted a reward.  I reminded him that he had already gotten a reward for night training.  It actually was a great opportunity to talk about how we don't keep score in this family. As parents we recognize that he and his siblings are each individuals and are treated as such. So just because one child is working toward a reward does not mean we will be buying rewards for all of them at the same time. 

We have been keeping a reward chart on the fridge.  Early last week she had made it three nights with no accidents and was getting excited that she was going to get her pirate ship soon.  Alas, she had four nights of accidents in a row.  Luckily in the three weeks we've been doing this we've only had to do middle of the night sheet changes twice.  And, by we I mean Michael as I usually sleep through those.

It is actually a good thing that she had a set back because I ordered her pirate ship from my favorite online Playmobil source while it was on sale. Due to the bad weather last week, it got stuck in the Dallas area for almost a week.  It should arrive today. As of today, she has had four dry nights in a row.  If she can stay dry tonight she will get her pirate ship first thing in the morning!  Then she will probably spend most of the day in the bath playing with it.

I know we will have a few more set backs along the way, but it sure is nice to finally be completely done with all things diaper related. 

Jenn

Best Seat in the House

I came downstairs this morning to find Ruby watching TV from this spot. Yep, that's a stool on top of the coffee table. She is now safely ensconced in a proper and safe chair.

Crazy Saturday

I was reading one of the blog books to Charlotte as her bedtime story last night.  The post we read chronicled a "typical" Sunday.  It was fun to look back on it so I thought I'd chronicle today as it was a bit crazy.

I woke Ruby and Eliza Claire this morning at 7:30.  One or both are usually up by then and if not I'm usually not up to wake them.  They both loved having Mommy come wake them up and both woke with smiles on their faces and giggling.  They had an 8:00 am date with Grandma and Grandpa for a fundraiser pancake breakfast.

I came downstairs to find Rehm making homemade waffles for him and his sister.  He loves making waffles and I'm all for him doing something nice for his sister so this was great.  As soon as Charlotte was finished eating she and I left for her 9:00 am basketball game.

Michael and Rehm joined us for part of Charlotte's game and then left before it was finished to get Rehm to his 10:00 am game.  Charlotte and I were going to the gym after her game but she decided she didn't want to go so I took her to Rehm's game and dropped her off before heading to the gym.  Grandma and Grandpa dropped the twins off at Rehm's game.

While at the gym Charlotte's friend's mom called and asked if she could come for a sleep over tonight.  Charlotte was thrilled with the prospect and we had nothing on the calendar so we excepted.

After Rehm's game and my very quick workout, I met Michael and the kids at Target.  We switched cars for the second time of the morning and he and Rehm went to buy baseball cleats at Academy while the three girls and I stayed at Target for a birthday present.  I was going to pick Charlotte up an overnight bag because she needs something for sleepovers but I didn't find anything I she liked that was affordable, so if you have any suggestions of a place to get a cute overnight bag for a girly girl that won't break the bank please share!

We met back up with the boys for lunch at Double Dave's because the kids had been begging, actually they had been asking politely but frequently, to go there.  After lunch, we all came home.  Michael immediately left to take Rehm to a baseball clinic, thus the need for shoes, and I went to get showered and decent for my date with Eliza Claire - a birthday party at Pump It Up for one of her classmates and something "special" with mommy.

While I was getting ready, Eliza Claire made a card for her friend "Abigirl."  Her name is Abigail but Eliza Claire insists it is not and insists everyone in our family refer to her as "Abigirl."

Eliza Claire and I left at 1:45 for the party.  After the party we stopped on the way home for ice cream (her choice) as our "something special" to complete our date.  I wonder how long our Baskin Robins has been closed.  I didn't know it was no longer in business and that is where we headed.  Lucky for us there is a still open Berry Cool Yogurt across the street so we were still able to have an acceptable frozen treat.  I kept referring to the yogurt at ice cream and Eliza Claire made a point to correct me every time.

By the time we got home, Michael had finished chipping all the limbs we cut last weekend, picked up Rehm from the baseball clinic and dropped Charlotte off for her sleepover.  We had a quick dinner, some time playing video games and put everyone to bed.

Except for lunch, all six of us were never in the same place and won't be until tomorrow.  Seems kind of strange.  Overall, it was a really good day.

So what did you do today?
Jenn

Because I Love My Girls So Much

They saw these "beautiful" flowers at Sam's today and fell in love. Feeling extremely nice I bought the flowers for them while secretly cringing.  They think I'm the best mom ever!  I think I can appreciate that while they appreciate their flowers.

Funny Twin Milestone

For the first time ever Ruby and Eliza Claire are pretending to be each other. Given how different they look and act it is quite comical. They even went as far as to wear each other's clothes. 

Jenn
Sent from my iPhone

Pinewood Derby: Perry Style

I am always amazed at what Rehm comes up with for the Pinewood Derby.  Usually he has a definite idea of what he wants his car to look like.  This year he was having a hard time coming up with ideas.  After browsing online pictures of Pinewood Derby cars we came across this picture and "knew what we were going to do today."

We had a lot of technical difficulty this year which made this the most expensive pinewood derby car to date.  Michael and Rehm usually go over to one of the other pack member's house to use their band saw.  This year we missed one work day and the other got canceled due to rain.  Michael rented a portable ban saw ($30) and they proceeded to ruin their first block of wood.  After buying a replacement block ($10 because the only one available came with a bunch of other stuff) and some new hand saw (no idea what this cost or what it was but know it wasn't a hack saw because we already have one of those) they were back in business.  Going the hand saw route and letting Rehm draw out the design led to an interesting Perry.  After sanding and painting and another trip to Michael's for eyes and weights ($6) Rehm had a Perry the Platypus that he had very obviously made himself with very little parent help.  Total cost of the car was estimated at about $55!  As always though the experience and learning are priceless.

First coat complete

Trying out some eyes for size

He's Perrryyyy!

Perry the Platypus!

He's Perrryyyy!

A-gent P!

 


He did win a trophy for being second fastest in his den. He was hoping to win a design trophy, but alas, he did not. 

Only one more pinewood derby car ever to do in this house.  Right now that makes me very happy.

Here were some of my favorite weighting solutions.  Some of these totally cracked me up.

The yellow car ended up being really fast.  Love the washers on the green car.

Yep, some random rocks glued to the top. I think the quarters were taped on.

Yep those are random tools rubber banded to the top of this car

Spanish Tortilla

I have always loved a good Spanish Tortilla but to make them always seemed like too much work for such a simple dish. The thinly slicing potatos and then browning them always seemed to take forever and be messy. Then I came across a recipe in Food Network Magazine that changed everything.  This has become one of my quick, go to meals when I need something everyone will eat. 

Spanish Tortilla - This has a few additions/changes from me in typical Jenn style

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion halved and thinly sliced (or diced or cut however your family will eat it)
3 or 4 cloves of garlic minced
Salt and pepper to taste
12 large eggs
1 cup water
1 8.5 oz bag of kettle cooked salt or salt and cracked black pepper  potato chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium or large ovenproof skillet.  Add onions and garlic and season with salt and pepper.  Cook until onion is soft. 

While onion is cooking beat eggs with water.  Lightly crush your bag of chips and then pour into the egg mixture.  Stir to combine.  Let stand stirring occasionally until onion is done cooking.  Stir in onion mixture.  In skillet add last tablespoon of olive oil.  Pour in egg potato onion mixture.  Cook about 5 minutes.  Place skillet in oven and cook 30-35 minutes until top is golden and slightly crisp.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

At our house we usually have this with salsa, fat free sour cream and shredded sharp cheddar cheese sprinkled on top with a side of Spanish rice and black beans (whole or fat free re-fried).

Even Rehm who eats nothing and will not touch an egg or an onion with a ten foot poll will eat the Spanish tortilla - I think the potato chips enticed him to try it.

If you are a Weight Watchers person, this is 8 points plus points for 1/8 of the tortilla. 

Eliza Claire Quotables

Yesterday I was driving with the girls in the car. As I approached an intersection Eliza Claire said, "Mommy, go faster!"
"I'm going as fast as is safe to go right now." I responded.
"Well, Daddy drives fast like a race car driver!" Eliza Claire proclaimed.
*******************
Today Eliza Claire looks at me and asks, "Mommy, did you know my feets have names?"
Me: they do?
EC: Yep!
Me: Well, what are their names?
EC: Fussel and Cecil!
In case your curious Fussel is her right foot and Cecil is her left.
*********************
On the way to basketball practice, Ruby and Eliza Claire were arguing about a CD in Eliza Claire's room. Eliza Claire insisted that Ruby gave it to her and Ruby insisted that Eliza Claire stealed it.

Gave...Stealed...Gave...Stealed...Gave...Stealed...Gave...Stealed...Gave...Stealed...

For some reason it cracked me up.
Jenn
Sent from my iPhone

Happy Belated Birthday Howdy

I can not believe he lived to see another birthday!  Howdy, our wonderful smooth coat collie, turned 13 on 1/10.  I never thought he would live to see 12 much less 13!

Howdy is a sweet boy.  He has always been a very laid back dog and never gotten in to any trouble. He likes to be in the same room as the people but he doesn't really want too much attention.  He's content to just lay on the floor and sleep as long as his people are nearby.

His favorite treat is ice.  When he was younger he always came to check on anyone who sneezed.  He doesn't do that anymore.  I'm not sure if it is due to difficulty getting up or difficulty hearing or both.  He does not like people to touch his feet for any reason.  Ever. No matter what. 

For the last couple of months he has started a habit of following me around with his head against my knee.  It is really sweet, but it is also frustrating when trying to cook dinner or vacuum, especially given his frailty.  But I know it is one of the things I'll miss about him when he is no longer here.

He has had arthritis for about five years now that needed periodic medication until about 18 months ago when he progressed to daily medication.  In the last 15 months he has gone from a 90+ pound dog to a 60 pound dog.  He is frail, he falls down frequently, he can't stand for long, a lot of times he needs help getting up, he has accidents in the house about once every two weeks. I think he sleeps about 22 hours a day, he's mostly deaf, starting to have sight problems and maybe even some dementia. But he is still a sweetheart and I'm glad he keeps proving me wrong.

Happy Birthday Old Boy!  I hope its a good year.
Jenn

Photo Challenge: Eyes

The LENS photo challenge at Home Is Where You Start From for this week is titled "The Eyes Have It."

I had a hard time choosing a photo for this as I had several that I liked.  This is what I finally decided on.

Why I'm Glad my Kids Have a Dad: Reason 137

I'd never let my nine year old use the chipper/shredder but his dad will. Honestly, when I rounded the corner and saw him I about had a heart attack.  But, at the end of the day it is good for him to have responsibility, even for things that can be dangerous, obviously with proper instruction and supervision.

This Moment - Photo Challenge

The LENS photo challenge at Home Is Where You Start From for this week is titled This Moment and described like this: "a photo that captured a moment you want to remember, it can be a special event, a milestone, an ordinary moment your heart wants to remember, a moment that captures how ordinary your ordinary is...it's really up to you."

This photo from April 2008 immediately came to mind.

Just look at how much she likes him.  And she must love him a bunch if she's willing to share her crackers. 

Jenn

Cheap "Art"

I had a photograph I took while visiting family over the holidays printed on an 18x24 stretched canvas. They were on sale at Winkflash this month. It turned out perfect.
 
This will not be it's final home. This is just where it will live until I figure out where I want it. It was the only place I could find that I didn't think the kids or pets would mess it up in the meantime. And yes, I stood in a chair to take this picture.

Diet Coke Mentos Soda Gyser

Rehm got the contraption to do this experiment in his stocking. It took me a while to remember to pick up the two liter of Diet Coke for him.

The Circus

We went to the circus with the kids for the first time on MLK day.  The last time Michael and I had been to the circus was when we were dating.  This was the Shiner's Circus, so while a three ring act, it was smaller and more intimate than a Ringling Brothers production.

My kids knew nothing about the circus or what they would see.  I guess it has been too long since Jo Jo's Circus was on Disney, though the older two really did love that show back in the day.  We still have the lunch box to prove it.  The funny thing was the week before the circus, before we even knew we were going, Eliza Claire had bought a Playmobil dog circus act.  I had to explain to her what dogs did in the circus so she knew what all the pieces were for.  The figures in the Playmobil set have much more modest costumes than the ones we saw at this circus.  Speaking of which, is it really necessary to have every female in the show in as few of clothes as possible?  I mean really, what is the point?

Our seats were great we were on the third row of risers.  The arena is not huge - big enough to be home of a local minor league hockey team and to host concerts and Disney on ice but only really one tier of seating.  We were dead center facing the center ring.  It was perfect.

While on the whole I like the circus, there are aspects I don't like or that make me nervous.  I really, really don't like the large cat acts, this circus had tigers.  I have too vivid an imagination and I was sitting there watching the tigers and thinking about what I'd do if they decided they didn't like their handler.  Or what I'd do if one got out.  I mean, I took my kids to the circus to make lifetime memories but what if our show was the one you hear about every so often where someone got mauled.  Those are not the kind of memories I want to make with my children.  I like the elephants, the acrobats, the clowns.  None of them make me too nervous.  But I don't like the tigers, and motor cycles and human canons.  I know they all do this stuff everyday, but it just makes me nervous that I'll be watching the one time they screw it up. And yes, I realize that sometimes it is the elephants that go crazy.

Don't all animal handlers look like this?  Through the whole cat act I kept thinking "she's herding cats" and almost giggling at the absurdity of it

Doesn't look to thrilled about the whole process

As the show started, I had the thought "So how do you end up working at the circus? I've never heard anyone say 'when I grow up I want to be in the circus!'"  So who decides to choose the circus as a career? Or do you choose the circus as a career?  Or do you wake up one day and wonder how you ended up as a circus entertainer?  That then led to wondering how long they work there? And, what they think about the constant travel? And, what they do when the retire from the circus?

All of this got me thinking about the animals and what they think of being in the circus.  And what kind of conditions they live it.  I'll be honest, I pretty much assume they are well treated and don't mind.  I like to think they are treated like my pets, as part of the family and that they enjoy what they do.  I know that is probably not accurate but I also know these animals have never know any other life.  They were not stolen out of the wild and then brought to this life.  They were born to it.  I truly hope they are treated with love and kindness and as much affection as I treat my pets. 

This thought process of course took some of the joy out of the circus for me.  But my kids, of course, were not thinking any of these things and they loved almost every minute of it.  Eliza Claire's favorite was the Elephants.  Ruby's favorite was the dancers (this thrilled me to no end given the wardrobe and the nature of some of the dancing).  Rehm's favorite was the human canon and Charlotte loved it all execpt the human canon.  In fact the three girls were so freaked out by the idea of the human canon that I had to take them out of the arena before the act. Part of me was sad to miss it.  But part of me was glad I didn't have to convince myself I wasn't going to see the dude smash his head into a rafter or something.

Eliza Claire looked like this through most of the show. A little uncertain but OK.

Ruby spent most of the show on her Daddy's lap.  Charlotte was sitting on the other side of our friends that went with us so I don't have any pictures of her but I promise she really was there.

The really "big" excitement of the entire three hour event was the elephant that pooped right in the middle of its act without ever pausing in its performance.  Of course this part of the act was when the elephant was facing the opposite side of the arena so we had a very up close and personal view of the elephant backside while it was doing its business.  Did I mention we had really good seats?  Did I mention this was not a quick or small occurrence?   The kids were thoroughly amused and grossed out at the same time.  And with it being twenty feet away there was no way to not watch it.  Be warned, if you see my children and ask them about the circus this is what you are likely to hear about.

This is not the pooping elephant but this gives you an idea of the view we had for the "show"

All in all it was a fun afternoon and a fun family event (minus the scantily clad acrobats and dancers). 

Jenn - The Nervous Nellie

Why Do I Blog?

I seriously asked myself this question today when I was blogging yet again about vacuum cleaners.  It's not like anyone cares a thing about what kind of vacuum I have, or why I'm in the market for one or anything else.  So why do I feel the need to write about this trivial stuff and then share it with the rest of the world?  The more I ponder this the more I realize I have no clue. 

I do know that part of the reason I blog is to preserve the family history.  This is my version of a baby book.  I do have the blog printed as a book every year.  OK, I'm a couple of years behind on this but catching up is on my to do list.  There are definitely a lot of things that when I go back and read them I totally don't remember them but am so glad I recorded them for posterity.  I found Rehm reading the blog book from 2008 recently and he loved it.  He kept telling me how funny it was. 

Another part of why a blog is for sanity.  When the kids are really crazy or something ridiculous happens I start thinking about how I'll write the post about it and it usually helps improve my mood and outlook on the situation because I know in hindsight it will be comical instead of annoying, frustrating or infuriating. 

But then there is the really random stuff that the kids are not going to care about 20 years from now and really isn't important now and I wonder why I bother.  And I really don't know.  And then I start wondering why I have a public blog.  Why not have a private one or not share it with anyone.  What is the point?  Especially when we are in a day and age where privacy is a real issue and where my children are getting old enough to care about what I share on the blog.  I just don't know.  But every time I think about making the blog private I always hesitate but I'm really not sure why. It's not like I'm making money off of blogging.  It really is just my hobby.

So if you are a blogger, why do you blog? And if you are a reader of Mayhem Mania, why do you read? 

Jenn

Cooking Helpers

Ruby and Eliza Claire are at the age where they love to help in the kitchen.  I always try to encourage their interest and find something they can help with.  Tonight I mixed up a batch of bread dough.  Lentil Curry Bread dough to be exact.  Both Ruby and Eliza Claire wanted to help.  But what they really wanted was to like the beater of the mixer.  One ended up with the paddle from the mixer and the other ended up with the spatula.  Ruby called hers a popsicle and Eliza Claire called hers a lollipop! I thought these were funny names for their respective utensils and loved that they compared eating lentil bread dough to eating a dessert/candy. 

I hope my kids develop my love for cooking and continue to enjoy trying new and unusual things.  And I hope in a few years to be able to pass some of the cooking on to them.

Vacuum Cleaners, Again!

After my wonderful experience with vacuums earlier in the week.  I decided Wednesday to go buy the Bissell Clearview Helix I returned on Tuesday.  I got it home and the first thing I noticed is the box opened differently.  The first one I got was supposed to be opened from the top.  It was hard to get things out and part of me wonders if the broken handle happened in trying to unpack the box.  The new one was supposed to be opened from the front.  It was much easier to get all of the parts out of the box and of course, I found nothing broken.

The first thing I liked better about the Bissell over the Hoover T-Series Rewind was the tool storage.  Everything seems to have a more secure place on the Bissell.  Then I turned on the Bissell.  On bare floors it feels self-propelled.  The Bissell advertised that it had side edge cleaning, and it really does.  With the Hoover, I had to go around the base of all the cabinets with the crevice tool to get the crumbs it missed.  I did not have to do this with the Bissell.  The last thing I liked better about the Bissell was the hose attachement.  It has a rigid 18 inch or so long piece with a handle that you pull out.  It was much easier to use and manuver than the Hoover hose.

I have no idea how long this vacuum will survive and honestly my expectations are low.  But, the Bissell Clearview is definitely a better and cheaper vacuum than the Hoover T-Series. 

I know you were all waiting on the edge of your seats for me to make a decision on the whole vacuum thing and I know you will sleep much better know the Bissell is the better choice.  Yeah, I know you all really don't care and I have no idea why I feel the need to share this stuff.  Oh well. 

Jenn

Today Was a Good Day...Mostly

I made my first loaf of bread from Healthy Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. The kids got me the book for Christmas because they want me to make even more bread than I already do.  Today's loaf is the master recipe sprinkled with flax seeds. It was really yummy. My next things to try will be the Parsley  Garlic Knots, which also use the master recipe, and the Lentil Curry Bread. I cooked the lentils today but haven't made the dough yet.

I love days when things come in the mail. Today was a great day as three different packages arrived. First was my new compost container for the kitchen.  I had a crock several years ago but the lid got dropped and broke so I quit using it. Then we quit composting for a long time.  We started back last summer and since then I've been using a Gladware container and that just wasn't working for me.  I hated it sitting open on the counter.  It was small.  And the cats kept stealing broccoli and other things out of it and making a mess on the counter.  I found this great copper coated stainless number at gardeners.com.  I really like the way it looks, I shouldn't be able to break it, and it holds so much more than the Gladware did.

The second package to arrive was a box of Playmobil stuff - all little stuff (cats with climbing tree, dogs with person, pediatrician's office, vet with dog, snowman with boy). I will admit that we now have plenty of pets for our Playmobil families. The box arrived partially open and I was afraid it would be missing items. Surprisingly, it was not. I ordered from Ridge Road Station. They seem to have good sales and free shipping. This is my second time ordering from them and I've been pleased both times. I do check prices against the Playmobil site as occasionally a "sale" item isn't really marked down.  But overall, I find I can save quite a bit using their site.

The last thing to arrive was new lids for our Thermos Funtainer Sipsters. Did you know you can get replacement lids and straws for about $2 a piece? Given the price of the Sipsters this is a great way to extend their lives. You do have to call (800.831.9242) - can't do it online but it is so worth it. Some of our bottles are three or more years old and on their second or third lid.

In other news I bought a vacuum cleaner today. But, it, of course, deserves it's own post.

The Bigs brought home report cards. Unfortunately, one child had some explaining to do. I'll just say, at our house effort is key, and in a couple of subjects it was lacking.





Jenn

Insightful Conversation with Eliza Claire

This morning I came downstairs to find Eliza Claire sitting at the table eating cereal.

Me: Good morning Eliza Claire. Is Daddy still here?

EC: No, he left right before you came downstairs.

Me: Did he make your breakfast?

EC: Yep!

Me: You sure have a good Daddy.

EC: Yep! And I'm sure he loves you very much!

I am so blessed to have a husband who does love me very much and who shows his love enough that his four year old daughter can see it.

Jenn

Sent from my iPhone