Snippets

We've been potty training this week, as if you hadn't noticed. Save for a brief hiatus yesterday afternoon when I thought Phoebe was catching a stomach bug, we've been all potty, all the time, since Tuesday morning. Which means that every twenty minutes or so, we're singing songs in the bathroom while Phoebe hangs out on the potty chair.

About eighty-nine percent of my mental energy is expended on potty thoughts. And it feels like that same percentage of my day is spent doing "potty" things: checking, helping, changing, and washing. Which is what I think you're supposed to do when you're potty training.

When I started planning for this week, I figured I would get nothing done. I made peace with my dust and the smudgy kitchen floor, and I planned to work on only my daily minimum. That meant the house wouldn't spiral into total chaos this week, but I wasn't planning to actually clean. Or cook. Or really do anything but potty train. But now that it's Friday, I can look back on this week and see that, to my surprise, I've gotten a lot done.


I'm starting to take advantage of snippets of time -- five minutes here and there -- that add up to a lot getting done, if they're used wisely. In five minutes, I can wash a few dishes, wipe down the counters, and sweep the kitchen. I've found that it only takes about ten minutes to clean my guest bathroom. All those little, nagging chores can be completed in just a few minutes - here and there - to lead to a lot of productivity.

I'm pretty sure I've linked to these messages before... but these messages on time management have really impacted how I use my time during the day. I'm still working through this, and I've listened to these messages several times now, and I have to pray through my schedule and my list several times a day. But to my friends with small children - and to my friends that are looking to just use their minutes a little better - these are a "must listen".

Time Management
Managing your time with Small Children

Now I'm off to go use this snippet of time before the girls wake up!

Bigness is Contagious

Phoebe isn't the only one doing big things around here. Nora seems to be getting bigger by the minute, too! It's as if she has caught the "getting big" bug and just wants to join her sister.


In just the last week, Nora has:

• started babbling (instead of her typical dinosaur screech)
• started signing "more" very enthusiastically
• started clapping
• started waving
• flipped onto her knees and started rocking... I'm sure she'll be crawling in just a few days!

Nora also got her first taste of "sauce" this week. (Sauce, by the way, is my family's special recipe spaghetti sauce.) She LOVED it, as if any of us were surprised.


It's so much fun to watch babies grow! Whether we're practicing our crawling or potty training, there are some big girls growing up fast in this house!

Notes on Potty Boot Camp, Day One

Today started off a little rocky. Because it was called, "Toilet Training in Less Than a Day", I assumed we'd be completely trained. By tonight. Let's just say my expectations may have been a little high. I also started out extremely stressed out about the whole thing, in spite of my desires for a "fun" day of potty training. By 9:45, I'd had to wash all three (and only three) pairs of training pants I'd bought. By lunch, Michael was having to talk me off the ledge and convince me that we would be sticking with potty training longer than half a day.


I was thrilled when naptime finally rolled around. I took the time to do, well, just about nothing. I prayed for peace, and tried to get my wits about me so that I wouldn't be a raging maniac come bedtime.

And I think something clicked, for both of us. After she woke up, we gave it a few goes. She stayed dry. We had success on the potty. And she continued to stay dry! We made it from the end of naptime to bedtime with no accidents. Although at lunch Phoebe was content to wet her trainers and continue eating, tonight she managed to do the potty dance and avoided an accident. Hooray!

Clearly, I have no idea what I'm doing. But here are some random notes about our first day of potty boot camp:

• Juice boxes are your friend. Phoebe never gets undiluted juice, much less juice boxes. These were pretty much the best treat ever.
  
• Phoebe will do anything for a "Bob Gummy" (a Veggie Tales fruit snack). Really. We have three packs left in a ten-pack box.
  
• Buy more than one pack of training pants, unless you want to do three extra loads of laundry.
• A change of scenery does everyone good. My friend Alicia suggested we move it outside... it was a great place to potty and push fluids. (Was that too much information?)

Tomorrow will be a more "normal" day since Nora will be with us. I'm hoping to ride the success of tonight into tomorrow morning, and con her into eating some of the other fun treats we have in order to stretch those last three packs of fruit snacks.

BIG Day

Phoebe loves to be big. Sometimes, she'll stand up on a chair in the kitchen, stretch her arms above her head, and say, "BIIIIIIIG" in her "big girl" voice. But then, what two-year-old doesn't love to be a little big?

If you've ever had a conversation with me about potty training, you know I've been in no rush. I'm comfortable with diapers, diapering two isn't really that much more difficult than diapering one, and it's much easier to just change a diaper in the van than it is to use a public restroom. I have plenty of reasons that I really don't want to potty train Phoebe.

But Phoebe is ready to be done with diapers.

At least mentally, Phoebe's ready to be rid of the whole changing process. After our most recent bout with staph, she became terrified of diaper changes. Tears, shaky legs, fear... every diaper change has been a major event. But use the potty? No big deal. That, combined with the information from the pediatrician that Phoebe will probably not have these staph issues after she's potty trained, was enough to make me ready. Y'all, staph is horrible.

So today, we're starting potty boot camp. Nora's with Michael's mom and dad all day today... so it's all potty, all the time. I'm praying most of all that Phoebe and I will have fun today, which seems strange -- because I do want potty training to come out of this -- but I want us to laugh and enjoy the process, too.

We're taking the plunge in just about an hour... I'll update at naptime! It's going to be a BIG day!

Happy (Late) Father's Day

Yesterday was Father's Day and, although I had the best intentions, I wasn't able to get written any public praise for my sweet husband. That's a little bit how holidays go around our house, I'm afraid -- lots of good intentions, with a slightly sketchy follow through. In fact, Michael had a sort of rough morning yesterday; fortunately, I think his day improved (swimming and steak, anyone?) and we ended well. But honestly... I couldn't let the date on the calendar dictate that my opportunity to tell everyone else about the Daddy under my roof had passed.

When Michael and I married, we didn't think he'd be a Daddy yet. We were planning to wait four years, a reasonable amount of time, to work and save and wait. God had other plans, though -- and we're thrilled that He did. I can't imagine a man more perfectly suited to being a Daddy than my sweet husband.


While some men dread the responsibility of shepherding a family, Michael humbly and nobly shoulders his role. I know that he often feels inadequate... but I know that God has gifted him with an abundance of grace. Michael consistently seeks the Lord's guidance to love and to lead, and he is one that will repent first and love big. In all that he does as a Daddy, he seeks to honor and glorify the Lord.

But Michael is not a stoic Daddy... no way! Michael brings joy and fun to our lives together. While I have to "plan" fun, Michael is the one surprising us with after-dinner treats, jammy rides, and playful Saturday mornings. He's even the one who brought Mary Poppins to our family, while I was the one worrying about tv-overload. I trust him implicitly to decide what's best... and I'm always thankful when I do!

Michael makes tremendous sacrifices to love and serve his family. He specifically cuts off work to spend time with us at night - even though he is ridiculously busy right now. He includes the girls in his work, from backyard maintenance to Sunday morning pancake engineering. (And if you haven't noticed, the help of a two-year-old can be... sweet.) Michael doesn't demand "me time" or "guy time" or "getaway time"; he consistently lays down his own life and desires for his family.

His girls adore him. Phoebe asks, as Michael climbs into his truck each morning, "Dada home soon?" She hates to say goodbye to her Daddy each day as he leaves for work, and waits eagerly at the door (or gate) when she knows he's going to be coming home. Nora lights up at the sight of Michael, "stomping" and smiling until she looks like she could pop. It already sounds like she's going to say "Dada" first, and rightfully so! And of course, you all know how much I adore my husband...

By watching Michael parent, I learn so much about the Father's love for all of us. When I read, "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God" (1 John 3:1), I am overwhelmed. Michael - sinful and earthly - lavishes his love on his children... and yet, God's love is even greater than I could even imagine. And it is his great delight to lavish that love, just as Michael delights in lavishing love on his girls.

It is a privilege to Michael grow as a Daddy. Michael, I love you! Happy (late) Father's Day!

Guest Posting

This week, it seems like I've put my writing energies elsewhere. I wrote a couple of guest posts over at The Centsible Shopper... feel free to go check them out!

Shopping With Small Children, Part One
Shopping With Small Children, Part Two
Easy Publix Meal Plan, Week of June 21

I've felt pretty "off" all week... here's hoping for a renewing weekend!

Dressing for Breakfast

It’s not unusual for Phoebe to wake up ready for an accessory. She’s usually been awake for a little while before we come to get her, and she can easily see about thirty-seven different baubles and clips from her vantage point. She generally has her mind made up, and we generally indulge her.

This particular morning, Phoebe woke ready for her tutu. And some clippies, since her hair is a terrific frustration for her, as it flits wildly into her eyes. And so she dressed for breakfast.

There’s something about that poof of pink over those happy rainbow jammies that makes even the brightest bowls of fruity cheerios seem dull, don’t you think?