nutso for potty time

Yes, I am certifiable. I decided to potty train a 23 month old while working full time, planning a massive 2 year birthday party, starting an IVF cycle (more on that later this week), juggling Brian's new job and being generally crazy busy. But hey, who doesn't like a challenge? 

And ya'll, Lila is working her little butt off (no pun intended) at this potty training business. Sister be all about the potty treats! Here are the details on the things that have and have not worked for us in potty training so far: 

• Spend all weekend in the house ala the Potty Training In 3 Days Method.
•  Keep Lila naked from the waist down. This allows her to feel when she is going pee, as opposed to diapers which make it harder to notice. She hates it running down her leg (duh, who wouldn't?)
• Let her roam about the house like she normally would, playing and moving around. We just laid towels all over the carpet in our living room so accidents were not a big deal.
• Have her sit on the potty as often as possible. We watched TV on the potty, read books on the potty, ate snacks on the potty, etc. The first couple of times she actually peed in the potty were purely coincidental since she happened to be sitting there. 
• Act like it is the biggest moment since your first Backstreet Boys concert when she finally goes. We screamed, we laughed, we pointed, we clapped. We told her how proud we were and immediately gave her a "Potty Treat". 
• We used M&M's as "Potty Treats." At first, every time she sat on the potty for a few minutes, we gave her one and clapped about sitting on the potty. Then we just gave her one when she went potty, whether or not it was in the actual potty. Then we only gave her one when she went in the right place. 
• Never make them feel bad for accidents. As soon as she started peeing while standing up, we would run with her to the potty (usually peeing while she ran) and sit down. Eventually she learned to stop if she started, run to the potty and finish there. This is happening less and less. 
• After she went in the potty, we ran to the toilet together, dumped it in the toilet, flushed it and waved bye-bye to the potty and danced around clapping. Yes, we looked crazy but she thought she had just won a Nobel Peace Price. 
• We stayed in the house for two solid days doing this and only put a diaper on for nap and bed. The third day was at daycare and we asked them to do the same. We have slowly been working in more time wearing panties so she gets used to having to give us enough notice to run to the bathroom and pull them down.

Have we put spots all over our carpet? Absolutely. Did she pee while sitting on our bed today? Unfortunately yes. But we are glad we started before she got too old and realized she had a choice in the whole matter. And we realize this age is not the right age for everyone. Lila was giving us lots of signs before we considered it: staying dry in her diapers 2-3 hours at a time (sometimes throughout her whole nap), telling us before she would poop, going to get a clean diaper when she had peed or pooped, and spending lots of time sitting on her potty that was just out to get her used to it. And the day I stop paying half of my salary to Pampers is going to be a beautiful thing. Plus it means I get to eat M&M's all day for "quality control."

spilling onto the screen

Life gets busy. And I get overwhelmed. And I have a choice to make. Do I give up this thing that has brought me such solace and community and strength? Or do I forge ahead, letting my brain spill out onto the screen and knowing that anytime I open my heart it helps me grow a little? 

I choose to forge. I cannot promise it will always be meaningful or insightful or witty. But hopefully it will be some of the time. One of my favorite bloggers Adriel started a second blog where she sets a timer every day and writes for five minutes, unedited, until the timer dings and she prints "Publish." I like it. I like the challenge that exists from letting yourself write freely without any constraints, or worrying that you left a post out from some important event. And then you chide yourself for not blogging your birthday, because what kind of blogger doesn't blog about a day entirely devoted to her? And then you put it off for 2 days or 4 days or a week and then 30 other things have happened and you don't know where to start. So I will write about what I feel like. And hopefully my community will still exist. Here is the recap:

I successfully made it through my biggest event of the year. As a fundraiser, it takes all year to plan one night, one night where 420 people all gather together in a room to eat dinner and dance and bid on auction items and donate money. And you hope they love it and are generous and you kind of have one eye half closed all night waiting for it to be over and to see if all those late nights were worth it. They were. $253,000 raised for my nonprofit, 420 happy guests, lots of sleep for Lindsay. 

My brother had his birthday and it was awesome and I love him so much. He also has a cute new girlfriend that we all get to meet this weekend and I am excited to embarrass him and hopefully not be too embarrassed myself. 

Valentine's Day was super fun, as my sister and her husband and my parents all got together, made our best dishes and had the fanciest potluck ever. Crab cakes, steak, lasagna, and on it went. So much better than being rushed out of a $50 fixed price dinner at a restaurant.

Lila refused to wear pants today. It took 15 minutes, two parents, a dancing Grinch doll singing about how wearing pants was fun, and a YouTube video on my phone distracting her to get them successfully on and buttoned. Oh the joys of toddlerhood.

I surprised Brian and whisked him away for a weekend in Asheville all by ourselves. No dogs. No Lila. No Goldfish crackers filling the bottom of purse. It was delightful and I can barely stand to be back to real life today.

my favorite birthday things

I have been loving all my fabulous new items I got for birthday gifts. I must confess, it was really hard for me to think of birthday gifts for myself this year. Maybe because it was so close to Christmas? Not sure but I am super glad my family knows me and did not listen to my "umms" and "wellll". 

 Grey Area from Sally Hansen

I am in love with this nail polish that I got for myself as a little birthday gift. I saw it on my sister, who is of course 5 million times more fashionable than me, and loved it because it was warmer than a basic black polish. Make sure to cut your nails short or they will look like talons...never a good idea. 

 Skin Sense Massage Gift Certificate

Ya'll know how I feel about massages. And luckily, my husband does too and knows my favorite local spa. I am purposely holding on to this baby until my GIANT 420 person gala is finished next Friday. Then I might move into the spa for a week. Sounds like a good idea to me. 

Dexas Popware Over-the-Sink Collapsible Strainer with Cutting Board
Okay, I am a kitchen nerd. Brian heard me talking about how cool this was one day and when I opened it on my birthday I flipped out more than Kristen Bell and her sloth birthday surprise. Cutting and rinsing at the same time! It is like tuna and macaroni & cheese. Oh wait, those two don't go together you say? Then I am pretty sure we can't be friends. 

 

 Tweezerman Deluxe Metal Eyelash Curler

Oh eyelash curler, where have you been my whole life? Thank God my sister tried to keep me pretty because I am working hard against her with my flat lifeless eye lashes. I cannot believe how much this brightens up my eyes with just 30 seconds.  

Brother PT-80 Label Maker

My inner dork is coming to light. And I like it a lot. Who is up for labeled plastic cups at Lila's birthday party in March???

grilled cheesy goodness

Some evenings you need to feel comforted and remember simpler days. Days of swing sets and mud puddles, with Hello Kitty bandaids on your knee and a warm bath at the end of the evening. Hot tomato soup and grilled cheese may seem simple when served at a dinner table, but it tastes like home and comfort to my family. My daughter, barreling towards two and the independent streak that it ushers in, considers these evenings her favorites. My husband and I know that sitting at our table, practicing dipping the cheesy buttered bread into red broth, teach her more than how to fill her tummy; it teaches her that we are willing to stop in our busyness and celebrate the everyday moments with her. She will only be little for so long, singing “Twinkle Twinkle” in between bites and willingly letting us wipe her hands. Before long, evening dinners at home will be replaced with ballet practice and tutoring. But last night, our family stopped and celebrated our successful day of life with laughter and tomato soup.

one stomach flu away from my goal weight

All three of us have had the stomach flu in the last 3 days. Yes, all three of us. Imagine many people with lots of throw up. Or don't, because it's too disgusting to imagine. Lila and I got it first and after she got over her round, my parents took Lila over to their house for Mimi and G time so Brian and I could alternate pushing each other out of way into the bathroom. We basically spent over 24 hours lying in bed feeling horrible. 

I have never felt so glad to be eating something other than dry toast and Gatorade today. Although soup and plain pasta is not that much further. On the upside, I am down a pants size. 

na na na na, they say it's your birthday

One of my best friends from college, Emily was in town this weekend to help me celebrate my birthday. Oh, did I not mention that it was my birthday this week? Maybe because I keep forgetting. I don't know if it is a mental block to the big 30-1 (30 minus 1 = 29 :-) or if I am just legitimately too busy to remember my own birthday. It's a toss up really. 

It was so fun to have Emily in town to play all weekend and have silly girl time. On Friday she introduced us to the best Chinese food in Durham...isn't it sad when friends who haven't lived in a city for over 2 years know more about it than you do? And then we were simply decadent and went out to Parizade, one of my favorite restaurants, for Banana Rum Napoleon and wine. I was too busy stuffing my face to take a picture but you can bet it was delicious. 

The food tour of the Triangle continued for lunch Saturday at Parlez-Vous Crêpe Food Truck, which was parked in Carrboro for some yummy lunch. We all got a ham/brie/apple butter/ham crepe and then shared a nutella & strawberry crepe. I love me some food trucks and their simple and delicious yummyness! 

For dinner Saturday night, my whole family (including Emily) went out for dinner at 411 West Italian Restaurant where we...ate some more. And I got some fabulous gifts! A new coffee grinder, owl mugs, a label maker (OCD overload!!), a massage gift certificate, new mascara and hair products, clothes and a fabulous new purse. I feel super spoiled and am enjoying my new coffee out of my new owl mug to brighten up this dreary day right now. 

Now my life gets back to normal preparing for my huge annual gala that I run every year and is just 19 days! Yikes! And of course, trying to work off the 10,000 calories I consumed this weekend.

camp anawanna

Did you know that the past year has actually only taken 3 months to fly by? I know, I totally didn't realize my house existed in a space time continuum. Shocking. Perhaps even as shocking as the fact that I am now 1 month and 28 days shy of being the parent of a 2 year old. Say what??? Wasn't I just planning a Fancy Nancy one year old party and worrying about Lila's first bite of cupcake? Obviously when I look at little baby Lila pictures I realize what an almost-teenager I have on my hands now. But the time just does not add up.

 When I got over my shock that my ride in the DeLorean with Doc Brown had obviously erased the past 8 months in my brain, I realized it was party planning time! And is there a better place to waste whole hours of time "researching" party ideas than browsing Pinterest? After much discussion that required multiple bowls of ice cream, Brian and I decide on a girly Camp Out theme. So excited to get everything together for her fabulous party!

Source: etsy.com via Lindsay on Pinterest

We are using printable custom invitations to cut down on cost. This Etsy shop will customize the design with all of our info, send us the high res PDF and we can print ourselves or at Kinkos on card stock. 

Source: homemakershabitat.com via Lindsay on Pinterest

S'more cupcakes will be a MUST at our party. And actual s'mores. And maybe s'more cookies. And then some more s'mores. Perhaps this part of the party will just be for me?

Source: karaspartyideas.blogspot.com via Lindsay on Pinterest

I am in love with this camp themed table! Hanging lanterns will be a very serious part of our party decorations. 

Source: nicolehill.blogspot.com via Lindsay on Pinterest

So maybe this isn't all about the camp theme, but I love this idea of covering tables with butcher paper and having big jars of crayons. 

Source: eventlucky.com via Lindsay on Pinterest

This came from an event planning website and has tons of cute decoration ideas for a camp themed party. I love the flowers in colorful cans and the printable tags on the marshmallow tray. 

Source: flickr.com via Lindsay on Pinterest

I love this sign and I can just picture it blown up and framed over one of the tables.