Potty Time!

Well, we are still working on the potty training, still not as diligently as we should be, *sigh*

Had to make potty time a little more exciting, so I told her she can earn stickers to put on her puppy dogs! Putting stickers on a piece of paper lost it's appeal quickly! So of course she wanted to "show Clifford how go poop and pee pee". And who doesn't want to draw pictures while they're doing that! Oh my child!




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Clean-up

Today baby girl and I spent some time cleaning up our mess of a yard from hurricane Irene! Thankfully all the giant trees surrounding our house are still standing, but their branches, limbs, and leaves were thrown all over the yard like lawn darts! So we decided to help Daddy out by cleaning up what we could. She is such a great helper and gathered as many sticks as she could!




We also thought there was a stick attached to "mommy's car", but quickly found out it was a stick bug! So cool, don't think I've really seen one like this before!




Saying prayers for everyone affected by the hurricane! We were very lucky to have only lost power for about 24 hours. Our neighbors right down the street (must be different power grid) still don't have any electricity! They have heard they probably won't until Friday morning! That is about $50 a day in generator costs only to keep the freezer running!

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Recipe of the Week: Chicken Chili

Bracing for the impending hurricane, I decided to make a huge batch of chili so I wouldn't have to worry about cooking much over the weekend. Did a quick online search and found this recipe for Main Line Chicken Chili. I picked this one pretty much because it seemed really easy!

Although you can find all this and directions for cooking by following the link, here is a list of ingredients and a few suggestions!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken meat, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained (retain half the liquid)
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained (retain half the liquid)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup mango salsa
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• ground black pepper to taste

*I used 1 1/2 lbs of chicken, but felt it could have used a little bit more!

*I accidentally bought the "Italian recipe" tomato paste and tomatoes, still tasted great though!

* I couldn't find mango salsa, so I used pineapple peach chipolte salsa, I would suggest using maybe 1/3 cup salsa instead of 1/2 cup.

Just needed to throw everything in the crock pot, cook on high for 1 hour, then on low for 3-4. It was so easy and so yummy! Well at least I thought so! The hubby thought it needed "more fat", so I might try to make it with steak or ground beef next time. Had a little bit of a strong salsa flavor, but that definitely made it good too! I froze 1/2 of it for dinner in the future!

Ready for Irene!

Yes, we got suckered into all the hype about this hurricane! We did our grocery shopping on Thursday night, and Friday we prepped the backyard and deck for high winds!




We probably did way more than we needed to, but it was easier to just put everything away and not have to worry about it later.

Friday afternoon I made some chicken chili (so yummy, I'll be sharing the recipe in a later post) so that I wouldn't have to worry about cooking to much this weekend! And cause I wanted to try a new recipe!

Saturday morning we took the dogs for a long walk since they will probably be penned up in the house for awhile. Shortly after we got home it started raining! So we started some of our rainy day activities! A new favorite, Hello Kitty Bingo! Says ages 4 and up on the box, but it is perfect for a 2 year old!




It's one of the first games she actually played correctly instead of just playing with all the pieces!

As you can see in the picture we played with many other toys all morning as most of them are thrown all over her room! Sure is going to be a long weekend in the house!

But the very very best part of my day was that my "little baby" fell asleep in my arms WHILE I was reading her a story! She never ever does that anymore! Made my day! :)

I then got to clean the house and do laundry while both my little loves took naps! You can be certain I will be napping tomorrow while someone else is cleaning :)

Stay safe everyone! Looks like it won't be as bad as they thought! Just ALOT of rain! Thank goodness for a bouncy house that fits in our basement!


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Potty Train Your Toddler: Update

Many of you may have read about our first few days of potty training! (If not you can check out Day 1 and Day 2 Here ) It has been about 3 weeks since we "officially" started, so I thought I would give everyone an update on the past 3 weeks!

After week one, we continued with the same plan we had been using. We used pull-ups at home, and rewarded her with stickers. The stickers worked well, we ran out and I had her pick out more, hoping that would make her excited about it!





We followed that routine for about 2 weeks, but unfortunately we were not as attentive to the potty training as we were the first week. We would stop a few times throughout the day, usually the same times everyday (after she wakes up, after nap, before bath) , but we didn't really stop her during playtime like I think we should have. I also didn't have her use the potty when we were out and about either.

So now that we are in week 3, she will almost always go when we put her on the potty, but it does not bother her one bit to pee or poop in her diaper. She will not stop and tell us she has to poop or pee. I have also not been stopping her playtime to try and go potty. I feel that if I become more attentive with it, she would be able to do it, but I have felt like we are always on the go, so I haven't been the very best potty trainer!

I have created a new "boring" sticker chart, which she is not all that excited about anymore. I may need to figure out a new reward plan to get her excited about it again! Hopefully we can get back into the swing of things soon!


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A "Peary" Perfect Day

Another gorgeous day in PA! So we decided to head over to Weaver's Orchard for read and pick storytime. We hadn't been there for awhile cause it had been so hot, but today was the perfect day! We had such a great time!

Ready to go! 

Yum! 

I am now looking for some pear recipes! Not sure what we are going to do with all the pears! Next week is Apples for anyone interested! Check out their website for more info!


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Recipe of the Week: Frittata

Made this for breakfast last week! It was sooo yummy...or at least I thought so! I thought Alissa would love it, but she wasn't a huge fan.  I think mostly because the veggies were still a little crispy and she has huge texture issues when it comes to food. But the hubby and I loved it and ate the whole thing!

Frittata (from Cooking for Baby by: Lisa Barnes)

6 large eggs
fresh herb of choice, 1 tsp. minced
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup onion finely diced
3/4 cup diced/grated veggies/meat of choice (precooked or quickcooking)
1/3 cup cheese of choice, crumbled or grated

Preheat oven to 350, In medium mixing bowl, whisk eggs, herb, salt, pepper, and 1 tbsp. water.

In large OVENPROOF frying pan over medium heat, melt butter.  Add onion and saute until soft, about 3 minutes.  Add veggies/meat, if using, and saute for about 3 minutes until soft and to warm through.  Shake pan to spread veggies evenly in pan.  Remove pan from heat and pour in egg mixture.  Sprinkle cheese over top.

Veggies!

Bake frittata in frying pan until center is set and cooked and edges are browned and pulling away from sides of pan, 10-15 minutes.  Remove from oven, let stand for 5 minutes. Cut into wedges, squares, or triangles.

Fresh out of the oven! 

Suggestions:
1. I used zucchini, red pepper, onion, broccoli, and mozzarella and cheddar cheese, and basil when I made this this week.  But you can really add whatever you like to eat with your eggs! I have used goat cheese in the past which was yummy too!

2. I added extra veggies, and EXTRA cheese, and of course a side of ketchup!!!! :)

3. Reheat for a yummy lunch!

This recipe is from the book Cooking for Baby: Wholesome, homemade, delicious foods for 6-18months by Lisa Barnes.  I love this cookbook! It has great recipes for feeding your little one.  And obviously has great recipes for the whole family to eat! The book offers great tips for introducing solids, and information about key nutrients for young babies! Although most of the recipes are pretty simple, it gave me so many ideas for purees and other baby food that I never would have thought of! 

Gorgeous!

It is such a beautiful day! We decided to have our snack on the go today!


Had a great walk with my sweetheart! Love the "fall" breeze! Felt great about getting some exercise! Then of course came home and helped myself to tastycakes to completely defeat the purpose of getting exercise! But they were oh so yummy! :)


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Sweet Old Lady

My husband had to work ALL day today, so I made plans to run some errands with my baby girl. We ran some errands in the morning, had a nice lunch at Panera Bread, and came home for naptime. Ran a few more errands after nap, with our last stop being the grocery store. By the time we got there we were both exhausted from the long day and very ready for dinner. As we get in 4 person deep checkout line, I felt the exhaustion and hunger set in even more and so did Alissa. Then the sweet old lady in front of us turns around to talk to Alissa. She then asks me if Alissa is allowed to have a balloon. I wasn't sure what she meant exactly, I thought maybe she was going to get one down for her to play with for a few minutes and then I would have to pry it away from her. But I said "yes". She picked out a cat balloon and shared with us that she had just rescued a cat that day. She then said "let me pay for this and then you can have it sweetie.". It was so sweet of her! She handed it to Alissa, and the first thing Alissa said was " I Looove it mommy!" It was adorable, but I then reminded her to say thank you to the nice lady who gave it to her. She then says "that little man give it to me!" referring to the cashier since he had handed it to the lady. It was so cute and the nice gesture made us forget how tired and hungry we were. Amazing how something so simple can really make your day so much better! I talked with Alissa about buying something for someone else at the grocery store the next time we are there, to kind of "pay it forward" and help her understand that SHE is not going to get a balloon everytime we go to the store!


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"Some more please!"

Love hearing my daughter say this about something she's eating! (she's not a very big eater) however, normally she says it about cookies or chicken nuggets. Snack time yesterday afternoon was cucumbers and avocado, and she asked for more of both of them!!!



After feeling like we had been eating really unhealthy lately, I was so happy! She never eats her whole plate of anything, let alone asks for more of anything green!

But does anyone have any ideas for other healthy snacks or lunches?? Find we end up eating the same foods all the time and tend to get tired of them!


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Guilty?

Got to meet up with some great friends on Tuesday for dinner! I was so happy to see them and was really excited to get out and be "Cadi" instead of "Mommy" for a few hours.  In order to be on time for dinner, I had to pretty much rush out the door the second the hubby walked in.  Since I was going out for dinner I didn't really make much for the two of them.  Had a few leftovers in the fridge, but not a whole lot to eat.

So of course 20 minutes before I was leaving, the "guilt" set in.  I quickly got some ground beef out and browned it for them and decided the hubby could do what he wanted with it, he mentioned making "Cheeseburger omelets" or something like that, or he could through some seasoning on it and make tacos.  I figured it was better than nothing.  I quickly steamed some peas for my baby girl, and figured the hubby could handle the rest.

I left thinking, do I really have to feel bad that there was a night I didn't have dinner ready for both of them? Then of course 1/2 way through dinner, I get the text telling me that "she is miserable".  He hadn't intended to make me feel guilty, he was just letting me know they were having a rough night, but of course the guilt set in, again.  I thought, he worked all day and then I left him with miss cranky pants and he had to make his own dinner.  I really truly felt bad that I was out enjoying myself with friends while he was probably working his butt off to keep her happy, make dinner, and do bath and bedtime.  He was so willing to let me go out, and he was more than happy to spend the night with his baby girl, but I still thought how could I do such a thing???

It wasn't until the drive home that I talked myself out of the guilty feelings. I tried to remind myself that I had a great time catching up with my girlfriends and I really need the time for myself sometimes too.  And seeing that baby girl was asleep when I got home and everything went fine, I felt a little better.

It is amazing how when she was an infant I would feel guilty about leaving her, this time when I left I felt guilty about making my tired, hardworking husband take care of her while I had fun.  Although, I was able to talk myself out of the guilt that night, I still feel it quite often. I know I need some "me" time once in awhile, and she needs some "daddy, daughter time" too.  But just can't seem to stop thinking because he works long hours everyday that I shouldn't leave him with miss cranky all night long! How do I break this??

Mmm mmm good!

One of my absolute favorite foods, besides ice-cream, bruschetta!!! Love it! Although I usually don't add the mozzarella to it like I think "real" bruschetta is supposed to have, it is still so yummy just like this...



The best part about it is buying it ready- made at Giant!! Slice a baguette and toast it in the oven for 5 minutes (or buy those ready made too). Perfect snack, lunch, appetizer, or sometimes even my dinner. I also love spreading it over some grilled chicken! I also often use this as an app for parties! Yum!


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Strasburg Railroad

Took a spur of the moment trip to Strasburg Railroad this weekend! I had never been there, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I had heard a lot about it (mostly about the "Day out with Thomas" events they have).  We finally had a weekend without any plans, so the hubby actually suggested we take the trip.

We hit tons of traffic getting there, so we ended up taking the longer scenic route, hoping baby girl would maybe take a quick nap while we drove.  Took us about an hour to get there, and of course she didn't sleep a wink.  And as we pulled into the parking lot it started pouring! Thankfully we had missed the 1:00 train we had hoped to make, so we had some time to kill before the next train left at 2:00 and we waited in the car until the rain stopped, which thankfully it did! Had a great afternoon riding taking the train ride, walking through the shops, and having an icecream cone.

Here are a few bits of information for spending the day there! The train ride was $14/ person (I bit expensive for a few mile ride up the tracks and back).  You can purchase tickets for various prices depending on if you want to sit in the President's Car or eat dinner on the train (which looked really fun, but need to purchase tickets in advance to make sure you get them).  There are shops, small rides, and a little restaurant right at the station.  The train also takes you past Cherry Crest Farm and on the ride back you can get off at the stop to walk over to the farm (which looks amazing).  The weather wasn't fabulous and Alissa was tired so we didn't stop while we were there, but plan on going back to visit the Farm.  They also have a choo choo museum right across the street, which also has an admission fee.  We didn't visit the museum either so I am not sure what that is like.  But we had a great time there and my daughter is now obsessed with trains (also thanks to My Gym for having the electric train ride all week).

Sleepover

Having a sleepover with Alissa's puppy cousin, Spencer! Excited to have another puppy with us for the weekend! And he is great with Alissa! Not sure how thrilled he is about playing dress up with her! But he was a good sport! :)

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Recipe of the Week: Catching up!

Since I haven't posted recipes for like 3 weeks, here is another one for you to enjoy this week! Dinner tonight was Asian Sesame Salmon, garlic and olive oil green beans, and rice, so yummy. Well at least I think so. The rest of the family isn't a huge fish fan. Alissa ate some, but pretty sure she got a huge onion on the first bite so then wasn't thrilled about eating anymore. And the hubby, well fish isn't really his thing! haha

Asian Sesame Salmon
(made with McCormick Recipe Inspirations)

1 recipe inspirations asian sesame salmon package (or the same spices used in it)
1/3 c honey
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 lbs. salmon fillets (we just use 2 fillets cause that is all we eat)

1. Mix honey, green onions, soy sauce, and all of the spices except red pepper in small bowl. Stir in red pepper to taste (we don't use the red pepper). Place salmon in baking dish. Spoon mixture evenly over salmon.

2. Roast salmon in preheated 375 degree oven for 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily, basting occasionally with honey mixture.

Chopped!

Got a new chopper a month ago and have only used it a few times since then, mostly this past week! I had been using a hand chopper, similar to the slap chop or whatever they are called, but the blades were getting really dull and it was not chopping anything anymore!  I hate chopping veggies! I think because I never really learned how to chop them properly so it takes me forever!  So I thought for only a few dollars more I will try an electric chopper.  Here is what I got:

I bought it from Kohls, and with Kohls cash and coupon I spent $18! Bought it online and with a few other items I also got free shipping! 

So far I like it.  It is very very similar to my BabyCook  (other than it doesn't steam the food too).  But it chops really well, is small and easy to store, and is easy to clean.  I have found it is a little difficult to get nice chunks of veggies like shown in the picture because it chops so well. Definitely ended up with mushed onions instead of chopped onions the first time I used it!  But it has a pulse button, and once you master that it makes things a little easier.  I am sure they have some that work a little bit better if you want to spend a little bit more. But for $18 it gets the job done! 

Recipe of the Week!

Well, I guess I should probably title this recipe of the month, since I think it has been that long since I have posted a recipe for you all! I hope to bring you a new recipe each week from now on, but I won't make any promises! Birthday party planning has officially taken the spotlight away from blogging! But here is a great meatloaf recipe that I made last week, and usually make quite often as it is something my husband will actually eat.  He calls it "my signature dish".  It is from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook and is very yummy! I do modify it slightly though, so here is my recipe! 

"MA, THE MEATLOAF!!!" 

2 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup milk

2/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs or 2 c soft bread crumbs (2 1/2 slices)

1/4 c finely chopped onion

2 tbls fresh parsley (usually don't use fresh and it still tastes great)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried basil 

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef 

1/4 c ketchup

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1. In medium bowl, combine eggs and milk; stir in bread crumbs, onion, parsley, salt, basil, and pepper.  Add ground meat (I often only use about 1 lb. cause I usually freeze the beef in 1 lb. bags, I add a few extra onions and bread crumbs to make up for it).  Mix well.  Lightly pat mixture into an bread pan.  

2. Bake 350 for 1 to 1 1/4 hours or until 160 degrees inside.  Spoon off fat.  In a small bowl combine ketchup and brown sugar; spread over the meat.  Bake for 10 minutes more.  Let stand for a few minutes before cutting.  Makes about 8 servings.  

We love this recipe and usually will have leftovers for the next day.  I usually make some kind of potato and veggie with it.  But we had some corn on the cob and sweet potatoes leftover from when my sister was visiting, so that is what we used this week!   

Potty Train Your Toddler in 3 Days: DAY 4

As I ended Day 3 completely discouraged, I contemplated what to do on Day 4. Should I keep following the "3 Day Plan", try something different, or try nothing at all? I decided to follow the same plan at home, but wear diapers when we went out. Here is how it went.

She woke up with a really full diaper, so when I took her to the potty first thing in the morning, I didn't expect much to happen.  But after sitting for a few minutes she ended up pooping! To most people a poop would not excite you first thing in the morning, but to me it was probably the most exciting thing that could have happened! haha.  We followed the plan with stickers, hurrahs, and flushing the poopy.  I decided to follow the "naked" plan for the rest of the morning.  Although, there were no accidents, there wasn't anything happening on the potty either.  After a few hours, I knew she would have to go soon.  So we went upstairs, sat for awhile, read some stories, played some iphone games, and finally some pee pee came out! woo hoo!

I thought she would be good to go for a little while after that, so I started gathering our belongings for a day at the pool.  As I walked into her room to put her shoes on, I heard the dreaded noise of the drips falling VERY hard on the carpet.  I cleaned up the mess explained that pee pee needs to go in the potty and then decided to put a diaper on her until we left.

Spent the afternoon at the pool where I decided to keep a swim diaper on her, wasn't sure I was ready to try and master the pool potty training, or did I think she was ready to use the potty's at the pool.  I put a regular diaper on her to go home because she usually falls asleep on the way home, and she did.

After nap time, I decided to try a Pull-up diaper that I had bought awhile ago and forgot I had.  Although it wasn't following Fellom's plan, I just felt it might work better for OUR plan.  I continued to take her to the potty every once in awhile and sit with her for a few minutes until she went or wanted to get up.  She kept the pull-up diaper dry for the whole evening and did all her business on the potty. She was also really excited about the pull-up diapers because they had a princess on them.  So every time we pulled it down, I would tell her to show the princess how she goes pee pee on the potty.  She thought it was funny.  For us finding new ways to keep her interested in the potty has kind of helped us through the process. I had even reminded her tonight that we were going to My Gym tomorrow, and the first thing she said was "I take my potty with?"  I was so surprised that she was thinking about her potty that much!

It was then bath time, and she usually is really good about going on the potty before bath. But tonight nothing came out.  So she had her bath, I put her diaper and Pj's on and told her to pick out her stories. As I walked back in her room she said "Mommy, I go on potty."  At first I assumed she wanted to take her stories there to read them, since we have been doing that ALOT lately.  But just in case she really had to go I rushed her into the bathroom pulled jammies and diaper off and put her on the potty.  She peed almost immediately.  Although, there was a little in her diaper also, I was so so so so proud of her! As I went back in to start our story time, the phone rang and I quickly answered it. After about 5 minutes on the phone, I heard her say "Mommy, I go pee pee."  I thought she might just be playing a game now, to get out of going to sleep, but just in case I was wrong, I hung up the phone, rushed her back to the bathroom and she sat on the potty. After about a minute she peed again! I couldn't believe it!

I was so proud of her and so glad I somewhat stuck to the program today! As I thought back, I realized this was probably really our "DAY 3" anyway because Day 1 was only a few hours of potty training.  The day went really well, and the one accident was not nearly as discouraging as the 7 or more we had the day before.  I wasn't sure how I would feel about using the pull up diapers, but I think they almost helped her a little bit.  Before the pee would just start pouring on the floor, and she wouldn't know what to do.  With the diaper on she feels the pee pee and realizes what is happening and that she has to get to the potty.  I will still probably continue to use a combo of pull-ups and bare butt while we are home, and use diapers or pull-ups when we are out, depending where we have to go! We aren't quite there yet, but I am so glad to not being feeling so discouraged about potty training!

Potty Train Your Toddler in 3 days: DAY 3

Day 3 had arrived! Was actually pretty excited about it at the end of Day 2. But didn't sleep much, and woke up feeling awful and not really in the "Let's get excited about the potty mood." But I knew we had to keep going. So here is how the day went as we started our Day 3 potty adventure!

When Alissa woke up we as usual, took the PJ's and diaper off , and as I did that I noticed that the diaper was warm and wet, so I assumed she had just gone in her diaper. So we didn't go right into the bathroom. I felt that I had been to pushy about going on the potty on Day 2, so I hoped to let her explore everything on her own. As I got myself ready for the day she was playing back and forth between her room and our room (naked of course). I heard her little feet walk into her bathroom, and then heard her yell "Mommy my stuff!!!" Wasn't sure what that meant so I went running to see what was wrong. She was indeed in her bathroom and Mommy hadn't put her potty back together after cleaning it the previous night and she apparently wanted to sit on it! I was really proud and happy that she headed into the bathroom on her own and was ready for the potty (unfortunately the potty wasn't ready for her). After I put it back together she sat there for a little while reading books. And went pee pee! Followed with the routine of hurrahs, excitement, stickers, and flushing her pee pee in the big potty!

After that I was feeling really optimistic about the day! We headed downstairs, potty in hand, and got some books and toys out to play with near the potty. She played while I made some breakfast, and I didn't prompt or say to much about going on the potty and she really didn't seem to interested in it. (This was completely different than Day 2, where all she wanted to do was sit on her potty). We ate some breakfast and I thought it might be good to have her try and sit on the potty again. She kept responding "No just play toys", so instead of making her sit down I let her play on her own. She stayed dry for most of the morning and maybe sat down on the potty once or twice, but didn't seem to have to go.

We even had time to play dress up while we waited for pee pee

As it was getting close to lunch time, I knew she would have to go again soon, but she really was wanting nothing to do with the potty. So instead of forcing it, I decided to just let her go there on her own. I gave her a few reminders, and then, although I should have known better, asked her if she wanted to sit on the potty. She of course said "No" and continued playing with her toys. About a minute later I hear the little drops falling on the hardwood floor, followed by "Uh oh, what I do?" I tried to follow through with the staying calm and not yelling about the pee pee, but as I looked over and saw the pee pee seeping through her toy basket and falling on all the toys she had out of the basket, I almost unconsciously let out a scream! Not really yelling at her, but just yelling cause the pee pee was falling all over the only things in the room that could not really be cleaned very well! I should have just gotten over it at that point, because the fun was just beginning.

To make a long day seem short, she pretty much had accidents all day long, she did go on the potty about 3 times. We had her sitting on the potty several times throughout the day and she just really didn't want to stay there like the day before. She seemed like she had lost her patience for "waiting for the pee pee" like we had on Day 2 which in turn also led to me losing patience. I only spent about 1/2 the time I did on Day 2 really pushing her toward the potty and trying to get her excited about being on it. I thought I was doing that too much on Day 2, but now that I'm reflecting on today's events, maybe I should have been as pushy today, although I am not sure it would have helped, as she seemed to have a different agenda anyway...

Our potty chart at the end of Day 3, happy that we at least have some stickers on Day 3!

Overall, today was a little discouraging. It was what I had pictured potty training would be. She was not excited about the potty at all, and I felt like I really had to pull teeth to get her to sit for a few minutes. Spent much of the day cleaning up messes. Now as the weekend ends and we don't plan on sitting in the house all week, I am a little worried about venturing out and whether to diaper or not to diaper and just pack a ton of extra clothes! I plan on continuing with the potty training at least when we are at home. I am not sure what my plan is for when we are out and about yet. She definitely doesn't seem like she is ready to tell me when she has to go pee pee at all. So we are taking a few steps back, but not going all the way back to the beginning. I also plan to try the more vigorous "Potty Train your Toddler in 3 Days" again, but think we might need to give it a little more time. We'll see how Day 4 goes, as I hope to continue with somewhat of the same plan for the next few days. I'll keep you posted!

Potty Train Your Toddler in 3 days: DAY 2

Day 2
I was actually excited for Day 2! Day 1 (or the 1/2 day) had gone much better than I had expected and Day 2 was a Saturday! That meant I had a potty training partner!!! Woohoo!

I had to leave for a dentist appointment before baby girl woke up, so the night before, I gave my husband a quick guide to potty training! And from what he tells me he actually followed it!

When she woke up, he made sure to take her diaper off and let her play in just her pajama shirt for the morning.  First place they went, however, was the potty.  He sat and read stories with her for a little while, but she seemed as if she didn't have to go.  ( I am thinking she probably went in her diaper before she got out of her crib or else she probably would have had to go pretty badly).  So, potty in hand, they went downstairs and Alissa played while Daddy made some breakfast.  Before eating he had her sit on the potty to try to go pee pee again, but had no luck.  So he put her "big girl pants" on her and they sat and ate breakfast.   After that they played and he made sure to remind her about going potty, and took her to sit on the potty several times.

As I arrived home about 2 hours later (made sure to do a little shopping and get my Starbucks after the dentist), she still had not gone to the bathroom on her potty.  I knew by this point she was probably getting close to the point that she had to go.  And I also found out that my "potty training partner" had some fire company duties to attend all afternoon!

So as he left, I had her sit on the potty and we played Mrs. Potato Head, read some books, and even managed to do puzzles all while she sat on the potty.  Not sure if playing while she is sitting on the potty is again the best idea, but she doesn't seem to mind sitting there, she enjoys my attention, and she gets to play with her toys.  As we play I keep asking her if any pee pee came out or if she can try to go pee pee while she is sitting there.  She will sometimes stand up to check what is in her potty, and if nothing is there, I often ask her if she wants to sit down and try again or if she wants to take a break.  We spent a few minutes going through the motions and she eventually pee peed! Had our big Hurrah Party, put our Elmo sticker in the Saturday Column, and did some more cheers!

This climbing stuff is so much easier without a diaper

I then decided to head outside before the rain started so we could get some fresh air.  I only put some capri pants on her and nothing else.  We played outside for about 45 minutes.  I did keep reminding her she didn't have a diaper on and to tell me if she thought she had to go pee pee.  I also joked with her telling her she could pee pee in the grass if she had to, just like Star and Joules (our dogs).  But she stayed dry the whole time we were outside.

When we went in the pants came off, and we tried to pee pee before we sat down to have a snack, which was unsuccessful.  As we sat and had our snack I noticed she wasn't eating a whole lot, and was getting very antsy sitting in her chair.  Took her out of her chair and walked over to her potty with her.  She sat for a little while reading a book, and I could tell the pooping had begun.  Went through the same steps, hurrahs, sticker, more hurrahs.  I let her have 2 stickers this time since she did pee pee and poo poo on the potty.  After this potty event however she remembered that we empty the potty and flush the pee pee and poo poo, so she actually asked to go back downstairs and "flush the poop, Mommy!"

I did put a diaper on for nap time,  I think she went again right before nap, she took a good nap, and when she woke up (with a dry diaper), we went right to the potty.  We again had to sit and read for a little while, which she loves, but she did go again! At this point in the day she was using the potty so much more than I had expected and hadn't had any accidents! But, I had really been prompting her so much and making sure she was sitting on the potty a lot, so I decided for the rest of the afternoon and evening to back off a little bit and see how she did.


SHE WAS AMAZING! Pretty much followed the same routine as Day 1.  Let her play, would give her a few reminders, but I didn't take her over to her potty nearly as much as I had done all morning.  She went back and forth on her own. We took the potty all over the house with us.  Even bounced in her bouncey house for awhile which I thought might make her have to pee pee and may cause an accident, but she stayed dry! She went poop and pee so many times on the potty I lost track and I realized I didn't have to be "in her face" like I had been.  The evening was relaxing (well the potty training part), and she stayed dry ALL DAY!!!!

Putting her Elmo sticker on her chart

We did take her to the potty and sit with her a few times, but there was maybe one or two times that she went and sat down on her own.  But as bed time was getting closer, she wanted to watch a TV show and have a snack.  I know how distracting that can be and thought it might be a good idea if we put her pajamas on with her diaper while she watched TV.  She had her snacks and juicy and I knew after that she would probably have to go pee pee before bed.  Sat down on the potty with her, read her a few stories while she sat, and she peed AND pooped before bed time.

This day has been completely different than I had expected! I had braced myself for clean ups, planned on doing lots of laundry, had the towels and cleaning supplies ready to go,  and never needed any of it! I am so incredibly proud of her! However, I am now realizing how much I really did prompt her or take her over to the potty throughout the day.  I think we spent like 1/2 of the day sitting on the potty.  Although, we read MANY good books, I feel like I needed to just let her be a kid a little more, and accept the fact that accidents may happen and not constantly be reminding or asking her about the potty.  Good thing I still have Day 3 to work on that! :) She has also not gone potty at all when my husband is with her.  I am not really sure why exactly, I think it has to do with patience (his, love you hunny), or maybe she just hasn't had to go at those times! But unfortunately, he has some more fire company duties to attend to tomorrow too! I am hoping to have him take over completely in the afternoon and see how it goes (maybe I can even get out of the house by myself for the afternoon :) :) ) But so far the progress is great! And it seems like (fingers crossed) we are headed in the right direction!

End of Day 2! 

At this point, I don't see her being completely potty trained in 3 Days (have to go back and reread parts of the article about that).  But I feel like we are off to a great start and I really am not concerned if it takes more than 3 days.  I really just wanted to "test" the theory and see if it would work.  And for the most part seems to be.  We'll see how tomorrow goes!

Potty Train your Toddler in 3 days: DAY 1

Yeah you read that correctly, 3 DAYS!!!!! Got an email from Babycenter.com (which I had signed up for long ago, and often don't agree with or don't read 1/2 the emails they send), but the title "Potty Train your Toddler in 3 Days" got my attention.  I for some reason hadn't really been rushing into potty training our daughter. Mostly for selfish reasons like I knew it would take a lot of time and attention throughout the day and was also content changing her diaper instead of cleaning up accidents.  She had also not always been thrilled about sitting on the potty and for awhile would get upset if we asked her to sit on it, so I felt that maybe she wasn't ready.    

When I saw this email, I thought, I guess it is time to really start this process.  We had been slowly introducing the potty and she had gone to the bathroom on it a few times before, but more just by chance than actually understanding the idea. I honestly only briefly read the article, skimming, for what seemed like the important details.  And in turn kind of came up with my own plan for potty training, using some of the ideas that were shared in the Baby Center article and some ideas I had heard from friends and family. I hope over the next few days to share our "3 Day" experience with you. 

Day 1 

I am not sure that I should really count Thursday as Day 1 because I really only started the process 1/2 way through the day, but we'll count it anyway.  We had a busy morning with My Gym class and a few errands to run in which she wore a diaper.  During her nap time I came across the article and decided that since we had a free weekend ahead of us it might be the perfect time to give it a try! (They suggest you have 3 days that you can pretty much stay at home to start the training).  So after nap, we took her diaper off and the adventure began.  

Using advice from Julie Fellom (babycenter article) I left Alissa run around with only a t-shirt on for the rest of the evening.  They also recommend you have a potty for all the rooms you are going to be in, we however, only have one so we took it with us wherever we went.  She thought this was funny of course.  But it really got her interested in the potty and she was excited to use her potty in her playroom instead of just the bathroom.  So while I made dinner (made the mistake of choosing a time consuming meal) she played in her playroom, pretty much naked.  Every 10 minutes or so I would go in and remind her about her potty and she would usually end up going over to sit on it for a few minutes.  I got some books out for her to read while she sat there, and she also ended up eating snacks while sitting on her potty (not sure if that was a good idea or not, but I guess we'll find out, live and learn right!).  After about 30 minutes of on the potty off the potty, I heard "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!".  As I responded "Yes, baby?" and looked over, she was on her potty! I ran over and asked her what was in there thinking that she hadn't done anything and as she stood up she says "Ooo, What in there? Peepee!" And there was! I was so impressed because I was kind of tied up with dinner and wasn't paying as close attention to her as I would have liked.  

So after I got done praising her, giving high fives, and making a REALLY big deal about her pee pee in the potty, we went upstairs to put an Elmo sticker on her new potty chart. I had coincidentally bought her a Sesame Street Potty Coloring Book earlier that day that came with stickers and a chart. We are also planning an Elmo party, so Elmo is a pretty big deal in our house right now. I wasn't sure if stickers were going to work as a reward, but I tried to make a big deal about how cool they were, and let her put them on the chart herself.  We hung the chart on our bathroom door where she can reach it.  She put her sticker on and seemed to be pretty excited and proud of herself.  

We went back downstairs to continue playtime and dinnertime.  Since she had just gone pee pee I didn't go in to remind her about the potty as much.  Fellom says not to ask them if they have to go because they will almost always say "No".  So I would just remind her she didn't have a diaper on, and a few times had her take the toy she was playing with over to her potty and play while she sat there.  Pretty sure she put Mrs. Potato Head together a few times while sitting on her potty.  I also started bringing her favorite books over and she sat and "read" those for a little while.  But for the most part, I let her do her own thing as I did mine.  

After about 45 minutes since the first "peepee", I see her sitting on her potty again reading her book. But this time I could tell she had her "Poop face" on.  Although I was so excited that she was sitting there pooping on her potty and I hadn't even prompted any of it, I left her have some privacy.  I also wanted to see what she would do when she was done.  As she finished, she looked out at me and yelled "Mommy, Mommy, Ooo, What in there?" I walked over and asked her the same question, and she replied "Poooop!".  We did another 5 minutes of yelling (good yelling), praising, and high fives.  Went upstairs, added another sticker to our chart, did some more high fiving, and went back down to finish dinner. 

When my husband came home from work, I handed the potty training hat off to him because dinner was STILL baking and I wanted to make sure that we didn't just spend our whole day potty training and actually ate something too! Alissa showed him her stickers and we praised her some more.  As they played together, she decided she wanted to play games on our cell phones.  She began the game playing sitting on her potty, but it is often easier for her to set the phone down on a surface to play on it.  So she got up, stood at the bench next to the potty and played her games.  Next thing we know, in a kind of disappointed voice she says "uh oh, What I do?".  Thankfully we have hardwood floors! We used the advice given on the Baby Center website, and simply told her that peepee and poo poo go in the potty and that we would wipe the pee pee up.  She seemed a little discouraged, but wasn't upset about the accident, which I am hoping is a good thing! 

Despite the one accident, we followed the same routine for the rest of the evening.  She played in only a t-shirt the whole night. I did put "big girl undies" on her while she ate dinner just cause I felt it was a little more sanitary, and didn't really feel comfortable making my poor kid eat her dinner pretty much naked at the table, haha.  After dinner, she went upstairs for her bath, took her little potty with her, and went pee pee one more time on the potty before her bath! It did take a pretty long time for it to happen though, we do alot of reading together while she sits there! We then put a diaper on her to sleep, and tucked her into bed! 

I was so happy with how the first night went! Although it was only a few hours, I guess I had just expected pee pee or poo poo to be everywhere! I was thrilled to find that wasn't really the case and that she seemed to be pretty excited about it.  

Stickers from Day 1 

However, as I went to bed I realized that I had made plans to visit friends and family the following day, which was an hour drive, a lot of running around, and we would be out and about ALL day.  I decided to leave her in her diaper for the day, because of our crazy schedule.  We could resume our potty training on Saturday! Which we did....stay tuned for the Day 2 post! And if you have any questions about anything we tried let me know! Or any suggestions, we are always up for those, especially any suggestions on emptying/cleaning out the little potty??!!  That's always a good time! haha Or feel free to share your potty training stories in the comments or on Facebook!!! 

Coupons!

So...growing up my Dad would not take us anywhere unless we had a coupon to use! We only went to a restaurant if we had a coupon to use, most groceries were only purchased because we had a coupon, and any kids activities required a coupon as well.  If he were here today I know he would totally be on this website...http://thekrazycouponlady.com/.

Got an email from a friend with a link to the site today, she also reminded me that my Dad would love it! Which is so funny that my friends also remember all the funny things he did.  Although, I am not quite a "crazy coupon lady". I usually will not buy clothing (especially kids) or diapers without a coupon.  Groceries, well I haven't quite ventured into the grocery couponing just yet.

I may be the last person to find out about this site and I have only checked the site out for a few minutes, but have signed up for some great coupon deals for things like paper towels, toilet paper, and other household products.  Registered for a free potty training kit (needing lots of help with that) and I also got a code for a FREE mini photo book!!!! (look under Freebies) Check it out and let me know if you find any other good stuff on there!

3 years!

Celebrated our 3 year anniversary yesterday! Made some last minute plans for my BIL and SIL to babysit so we could grab a quick dinner! Had heard a lot of people talk about Emily's in Mohnton and we drive past it just about everyday, so we decided to give it a try.

Very cute inside, but we decided since it was finally not 100 degrees out, we would sit outside on their patio to eat.  Since live right down the road and know how bad the bugs are at our house. we probably should have known better.  It wasn't too bad out there great little view, very relaxing. quiet, and FILLED with flies! They were everywhere.  Of course there wasn't anything Emily's could do about it, it just goes along with the territory!

Relaxing (with the wrong glass of wine), but relaxing none the less! 

We started our meal with drinks (they brought me the wrong wine, but quickly fixed it for me) and a really yummy appetizer. This was the best part of our meal!
 

Crab and Fontina Cheese Dip

I ordered Lobster Pasta and my husband ordered Beef Tenderloin topped with crab for dinner.  They were both good, but for the price they weren't fabulous.  The pasta was a little under seasoned and the peas weren't cooked enough.  My husband had tons of crab shells in his meal.  They looked gorgeous though! 

We decided not to have any dessert.  We had a nice evening though.  The food, like I said, wasn't terrible, but was pretty expensive for it to not be perfect! The atmosphere was great (minus the flies). We were expecting it to be more like an upscale bar and grill than a fine dining restaurant.  I would say we'd give it 3 1/2 out of 5 stars! We are probably more likely to visit our Anniversary spot from last year Bistro 614 in West Reading the next time we go out.  We love it there and usually go there for our fancy dinner celebrations!

My hubby also surprised me with this awesome lounge chair for our new deck for my anniversary gift! It has a cushion with it too, but due to the rain I don't have it out! 

And well since my husband buys everything he wants, when he wants it, all he got for our Anniversary was a new coffee cup, new sneakers, and a Happy Birthday card since apparently I can't read! :) LOL

Children's Place vs. Gymboree

Spent Monday morning at the Coventry Mall in Pottstown.  Went specifically to find an anniversary gift for my husband, but of course had to visit at the children's stores too! Started at the Children's Place because I had an email coupon.  Found some great bargains and just some great buys!

Terrible picture, but I got all of this for $40! 

I also had a coupon from the mail for Gymboree, so I decided to venture in to see what kind of sales they had.  Found a few things on the sale rack, a little summer dress and a pant outift.  (sorry I don't have a picture of them).  Of course go to pay for them, use my coupon, and my total is $32!!!! And I also didn't realize until I get home that the pant outfit I bought is one piece (looks like it should be two).  That usually doesn't work well for Alissa cause I often have to roll her pants cause she's so tiny! 

Children's place is the winner!!! (My opinion of course) I do think the Gymboree clothes are a little better quality, but when the kid wears them twice and then you pack them away in a box, who cares!!! The Children's Place clothing also runs smaller and is more petite which is perfect for my baby girl! Will probably end up returning at least one of the Gymboree outfits if not both of them.  If you haven't already, sign up for Children's place emails to get some great coupons! 

Family Getaway Part 4

My sister and her family decided to spend Thursday and Friday of their vacation at our house! I was happy to have them over, and found that it was a little easier to have all the kids at our house with all the toys, Wii, and bouncey house! We had a great steak dinner Thursday night, and Friday we decided to visit Weaver's Orchard (see previous blogs for more info on Weaver's) to pick some blueberries and raspberries.  

We had a great time, although by the time we got there it was a bit hot! So we filled our bucket as quickly as we could.  I also learned how much cheaper berries are when you pick them yourself! :) We also spent some time in their market buying some baked goodies! 

When we got home we waited for our lunch delivery from Cali Burrito in Allentown (thanks to my awesome niece Mindy).  Then we headed to French Creek State Park to swim and Kayak.  

That night my sister, her husband, and my nephew went back to my moms, but one nephew and one niece decided to spend the night with me. (My hubby was away taking his National Fire Certification Test, and he passed woohooo!) Saturday I took them all back to Emmaus and spent the day at my moms house with them.  

We went shopping at the The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley (love it there).  Had some icecream, Dede bought all the kids a toy, and then we headed to Saturday night church at LifeChurch West (love it there too).  Tried to leave Alissa in the Nursery for the first time in a long time and it didn't go so well.  She spent most of the time screaming and when they paged me she was so upset and so sweaty, I felt so bad about leaving her.  Still working on the separation anxiety (for both of us).  She does great when I leave her at home with anyone, and she doesn't cry when I leave her in the nursery until she realizes that I'm gone.  I'm so used to seeing kids clinging to their parents and crying cause they don't want to stay in the nursery, but Alissa isn't like that.  She walks in as independent as can be, starts playing, I sneak out and then she comes looking for me to show me something and I'm gone.  Then she freaks out! Any suggestions on what to do??

Sorry went off on a tangent there! After church we ordered Thai food (my favorite) from Thai Thai House in Emmaus.  Very yummy and I could not believe how much Alissa loved it!  Anyone know any good Thai places in the Tri County area??

Was very sad to leave Saturday night, but was happy to go home to see my hubby who I hadn't seen all week.  Can't wait until the next Family Getaway, maybe in Florida next time :) 

Family Getaway Part 3

Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom: Allentown, PA 

Spent last Wednesday afternoon at Dorney Park with the family! Grew up right down the road from Dorney and spent MANY hours with friends there and made many great memories! I was excited to take Alissa.  We got discount tickets through the company my mom works for which was another plus! And kids under 2 are free! 

Seeing that it was a hot summer day, I expected the place to be crowded! We were pleasantly surprised when we saw many empty parking lots as we pulled in! Before we even entered the park Alissa saw the "horsies" also known as the carousel.  So that was the first ride we went on. 

We spent a few hours in Planet Snoopy, the kiddie area at Dorney, and it was great entertainment for a 2 year old (ahh can't believe she's almost 2) and a 4 1/2 year old.  They have a great Snoopy Show and many more rides than they had the last time I was there.  My niece who is 8, of course wanted to go on the bigger rides so we had to split up for a little bit.  

I was sooo surprised at all their safety precautions/regulations though.  I guess it is a good thing they are very strict about the rules, but it was definitely almost a  little over the top as far as height requirements, safety restraints, etc. Someone had to come around and open our seatbelt on every ride we went on.  Defintely think the safety belts are a good thing, but it took a lot of time for the attendant to open every seatbelt at the end of the ride! (Seeing that we were riding rides such as the kiddie cars that go around in a slow circle).  But I guess better safe than sorry! It was very different from the experience we had at Hershey Park.  

We then decided to spend our last hour or so at Wildwater Kingdom, hoping that most people would be heading over to Dorney Park at that time, and we would have to worry about changing to go back on the rides.  First thing we saw when we walked in was the wave pool. My sisters kids (who are excellent swimmers) wanted to run right in! That was until they saw the sign that said "If you are under 48" you need to wear a life vest".  Well needless to say that didn't go over well with my nephew, which then led to meltdowns from very tired kids. We did put life vests on and try the wave pool for a little, then decided to check out the rest of the park.  We found some great kiddie pools with cute slides (which

Alissa hated of course).  But she loved the fountains! 

However, after a few meltdowns and injuries we decided it was time to head home! We had a great afternoon, probably should have tried to get there a little earlier so the kids didn't get so tired by the end of the afternoon.  But all in all, I would recommend this park to anyone with kids! I suggest a weekday visit, as we barely had to wait in line for any rides (and really wouldn't have had too if it didn't take so long to unbuckle seatbelts).  Check into local businesses to see if they offer any discount tickets also! Otherwise, just like any other amusement park it gets a little expensive! 

Family Getaway Part 2

My sister had planned to visit us from Florida sometime in August.  But made some last minute changes and decided to visit us for a week in July instead.  So after spending some time in the Poconos we drove down to the Lehigh Valley (Emmaus, great little town where I grew up) to spend time with my mom, sister, brother, nieces and nephew.

Alissa adores her cousins so much and I wish they didn't live 1,000 miles away! Every morning while we were at my Mom's house, she would wake up and say "downstairs see Cael and Cole" (short for Nicole).  In fact she is still doing that even though they are at home in Florida! Watching them play together was just so amazing to me! And watching my 8 year old niece be my little helper was so awesome! We spent time hanging out at my Mom's letting the kids play, as well as, taking them on various other adventures!

We spent Monday at my sister's girlfriend's house with her family and lots of kids! Great to have friends for Alissa and for Mommy to have some adult conversation!

Playing with her new friend Carter 

The next day we went to Emmaus Community Park to swim and play at the playground.  It had been many years since I was swimming at that pool! It is such a great pool, with 2 water slides, a diving board, huge swimming area, and huge kiddie pool, and the playground is awesome too! The pool was a bit dirty, but I think it was mostly because we had some storms the night before. But it brought back so many great memories! If you live in the Emmaus/Allentown area check it out! 

The kids were exhausted after a day of swimming and sun, and I was on my own with the 3 of them that night! Honestly, was kind of dreading it because I was tired too and wasn't sure how well everyone would go to sleep for me! But they were sooo good! My sister got to visit with her girlfriends and I got some time with the kiddos! And bedtime was a success, of course with some help from my little helper and awesome story reader! 

We all got some shut eye after storytime! (and after I finished The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks, great book!)  We all needed the rest for Wednesday's adventure....Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom!