Learning the Alphabet Part II

Learning should be fun and self propelled.  I had witness my son easily find interest in learning abouts of things that he came in contact with.   I had yet to determine definitively whether or not I should take a more active and forceful role in my son learning the alphabet. By the time my son had turned two his interests had grown exponentially but he still seemed to lack an interest in learning the alphabet. I did not push.  We were getting ready to welcome our second child and I was focused on getting things prepared for her birth.  I … Continue reading

Keep Calm And Potty On

After a few weeks of relatively smooth sailing as far as potty learning is concerned, Dylan has started to regress. I think that this started some time yesterday, and there were quite a few accidents today. As tempting as it was to tell him that little boys who treat their underwear like diapers will wear diapers, I resisted. Instead, I decided that I would do some research on potty learning regression. The first thing that I learned about regression is that it is quite common. That does not take the frustration away, but it reassures me that this is not … Continue reading

Potty Learning On The Go

Tomorrow, the boys and I are headed out of town for the weekend. We are going to Maine to stay at my husband’s parents’ cottage, which just happens to be located less than an hour from the town where my favorite fair is being held this weekend. The trip would take about six hours, if we drove non stop. I have no idea how long it will actually take us, nor do I have any expectations of getting there at a certain time. You see, this trip could take a while because Dylan is on an important journey of his … Continue reading

The Potty Learning Journey Continues

Today, Dylan took another step in the direction of declaring his independence from diapers. The way that we are approaching potty learning with Dylan is to let him lead the way. Yesterday I casually mentioned to him that we would be going shopping for clothes soon. He asked me if he could get real underwear. I told him that since he was doing well with learning to use the potty, we could get some underwear because we do not go shopping that often and we would want to have the underwear close by for when he was ready to use … Continue reading

Learning When to Zip It

I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve spilled a lot about my kid on this blog. A. Lot. Perhaps too much. Whereas it may not seem like it, I really do filter the information I share with the world about my child. For every one thing I reveal here, there are hundreds of personal tidbits I would never dream of publicizing, and as my daughter gets older, I plan to zip it even more. Even if she becomes an Olympic gold medalist. Ahem. Especially, if she becomes an Olympic gold medalist. You have to wonder if swimming superstar Ryan … Continue reading

Potty Time? Not Right Now

One of the big experiences that parents of toddlers encounter is potty training. This evening, I realized that Dylan really has not started potty training at all. He wants to wear training pants, but he does not want to stop playing outside or whatever else he is doing to let me know that he has to use the potty. He does not even tell me when he needs to be changed. It is probably a good thing that he has not started potty training, though, because I have not yet educated myself about how to do it. I want to … Continue reading

FHE with Small Children-Setting Goals

Have you ever thought about teaching your little ones about setting goals? I don’t think I ever really learned the value of goal setting until I became a missionary. I’m sure in my life up until that point, I had set goals and achieved them, but until my mission, I didn’t appreciate how setting goals can be life changing. We decided to have a family home evening with our little ones on how to set goals. It was a VERY simple lesson. We have been working with our oldest daughter, who is almost 6, on encouraging her to stop sucking … Continue reading

Go With It.

One thing that every mother should prepare for is the unexpected. I hate the unexpected. I am a schedule abiding mom, and like order, and structure in my life. But, the truth is, just about everyday, something un-expected happens when you have a baby. Whether it be sickness, or crankiness, or your baby surprising you when he learns something new, there is always something! So, moms-to-be: beware! But, how do you prepare for the unexpected? Isn’t that pretty close to impossible? I’m still learning as I go. But, like every Mom, I try to think of everything. I think, “Will … Continue reading

Potty Training: Start ‘Em Early

There’s been lots of pooping on the potty going on at my house lately, and no, my husband and I do not have the stomach flu. I’m talking about our 1-year-old. Yep, you heard me – she’s pooping on the potty. Before you start rolling your eyes, calling me one of “those crazy moms who starts potty training a week after her child is born,” hear me out. I didn’t plan to be an early potty trainer; it just happened naturally. One day, when my daughter was about 11 months old, I was sitting next to her on the floor, … Continue reading

Adventures in Potty Training: Day 2

You know how they always say that you can lead a child to the potty but you can’t make him go? What do you do when you are convinced that your young potty trainee would rather hold it in instead of use the potty? The second day of potty training went relatively smoothly, with more things getting into the potty, less things getting on the floor and no things actually getting on me. I see this last fact as a reason to celebrate and a sign that the training will get easier. Once again we had another dry nap. However, … Continue reading