Friday, May 27, 2011

accidents happen...that's what they say...

Okay, this is my first official "hoping this blog can be helpful" blog. Potty training. I speak as a mom who has, yes, two fully potty trained children. Fully, as in, underwear all the time. As in at night. If you are a parent, then you understand the significance of this moment. Felicity has just attained this overnight status in our house this past week. I am a proud mama.

However, potty training is one of this most important things that a person does in the first couple of years of life and, at least for me, it was hard to find good books to help us get through this phase. As a lover of books, I am always up for a book to help us through any life experience. This is my list of suggested books:

1. What to Expect When You Use the Potty by Heidi Murkoff. This is like the gold standard. It basically answers any and all potty related questions your child could think up. It has an illustration of a septic system. It goes through the whole process, even including what to do when you are not at home. And it talks about washing your hands, something that, quite sadly, most potty books for some reason skip.

2. Going to the Potty by Fred Rogers. I am the biggest fan of Mr. Rogers on the planet. His book is just like the man himself, calm and reassuring and very explainitory. He talks about different names for bodily functions, which I liked, and he also goes into what to do when you are out and about and need to use the restroom.

3. What Do You Do With a Potty? by Marianne Borgardt. This is a moving tabs book that both of my girls really love still.

4. You Can Go to the Potty by William Sears, Martha Sears, and Christie Watts Kelly. I like this book because it using really loving language to discuss this issue. The Sears' are big into attachment parenting and this book illustrates this.

5.Too Big for Diapers. This is a Sesame Street book starring Ernie. I love Sesame Street, plus this book doesn't skip over the hand washing step.

6. Everyone Poops by Taro Gomi. This is a book that the girls have always enjoyed. Just because, indeed, everyone poops, I guess.

Now, these books are just kind of fun potty books:

The New Potty by Gina and Mercer Mayer (I have become a Little Critter fan)

Potty! by Mylo Freeman (a silly book)

Let's Go Potty by Moira Butterfield (another book with flaps)

A Potty for Me by Karen Katz (a lift-the-flap book)

The Potty Book for Girls by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (I bought this because I like Biscuit so much, however, I find this book really wordy)

Also, I recommend two DVDs on this topic-Elmo's Potty Time, which is just fantastic, and Bear in the Big Blue House Potty Time. Both are excellent and my girls still like to watch them, even though we are beyond the training period.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

One more thing I'll probably quit...

Okay, here goes. I am under no illusions that anyone is actually interested in my thoughts-this is more of an exercise in writing for myself than anything else. I don't write anymore, which is sad in and of itself. I used to write so much I literally couldn't stop. In college I wrote that it was my cancer-this undeniable thing inside of me, forcing its way out of my fingers. And now I don't write anymore.

I don't do much of anything anymore, except raise my girls. I say that not begrudingly. They are happily my life for right now. I am the most contented I've ever been in my whole life right now, at this very moment. I live in the house I always wanted to live in, with a guy I love, raising two girls that are amazing and smart and beautiful and did I mention amazing? But then what? What do you do when you actually attain everything you ever wanted?

I'm not complaining. I'm not gloating. I'm just trying to find things that validate my life. I don't get a paycheck every week, so I have to find validation in the things that I do. When I clean my house, do the laundry, save money on groceries...that is my validation. I've learned the hard way not to let anything that the girls do be my validation. Their accomplishments have to be their own. Whenever I get up on my high horse about what a great mom I am, God swoops in and pushes me right off.

Mostly I think that I'm going to use this to talk about the books and movies that I share with the girls. Maybe some other stuff. I'll likely quit at some point, because I can't stand feeling like I am obliged to do something. We'll see...