I'm Cool Again!

I was perusing the JCrew website the other day to see what the new spring offerings were and lo' and behold! They were selling "classic" Tretorn Sneakers.

Classic Tretorns, according to JCrew

They look too much like the Converse All Stars

and I already have those.

Now these Classic Tretorns weren't the Tretorns that were popular when I was in high school so I did some research and found the type I had on the Lands End Canvas website! So, of course I ordered them!!!

Went with the Navy!

Kickin' it Old School Style! =D

My pink swoosh Tretorns from back in the day.....ahhhhh.

I LOVED those shoes! I wore them so much that they were falling apart.

You know, I have noticed that retailers are showing jeans rolled up at the ankles! We did that in JR. HIGH! Except now it's leggy model types wearing them with high heels. Ah, well...I'll just roll up my mom jean pant legs and wear them with my Tretorns. :)

I'm still cool.

Give me a P! Pee!

We're on day 5 of Potty Training and here's the score: successful trips to the potty = 70%. accidents = 30%.

Day 1 - I really had NO CLUE what I was doing. Friends told me to take him every hour or some pre-determined amount of time but it seemed like every time I escorted him to the bathroom he didn't need to go and then minutes later he'd have an accident.

Spent most of the day in the bathroom with him in the tub. bleh! Luckily my OCD self thought to jot down EVERYTHING with the time that it happened and figured out his "timeline".

Day 2 - Used the timer as a reminder of when to go. MUCH MUCH better. Cheered for the first official potty training poopy in the potty! YEAH Little Man! High Five! (((Smack!))) (wait...were his hands clean?!)

Still won't tell me when he feels like he needs to go so we had a couple of accidents. Also, stopped using the plastic underwear covers because he would be content to go in them and keep playing. Too much like a diaper I guess.

Day 3 - REALLY great day. Like clockwork and he didn't complain....too much. :)

Day 4 - One time he asked to use the potty which is HUGE! And I got a #2 out of the deal! woot woot! :D

Day 5 - Asked to use the potty first thing this morning! Yeah!

We're still using pull-ups for naptime and night diapers for overnight...that challenge will come later.

What really surprises me the most is that he hasn't asked for any M&M's! Amazing! So of course you know I've been hitting the bag...can't wait for Spring Break / Potty Training Boot Camp to be over so I can get back to the gym and work off this M&M butt!

Lessons Learned:

1. The boy will ALWAYS say he doesn't need to go when asked and only tells you he needs to go when it suits him.

2. You don't always need bribes! A big cheer is just as effective. Who knew that cheering for pee and poop could be so much fun! :D

3. Increased water intake can throw off your well planned timing...in a BIG way. :(

4. Always keep your beach towels handy...to cover the couch. see #3 above.

5. Keep a separate trash bag in the laundry room for the "special stuff".

6. If the child disappears and the house is suddenly quiet...it means he's found a "special spot"for going number two.

7. Stock up on movies BEFORE the training begins...you don't want to have to leave the house.

Which brings me to...

8. If you have a Starbucks addiction...(a) learn to make it at home. (b) find a sucker...uh hem...I mean friend, to bring you one so you don't have to leave the house. OR (c) go cold turkey...which I don't recommend because when you're potty training a toddler...the last thing you want is to be cranky because of withdrawals. :)

Hope your adventures in potty training are just as productive! :)

It's Time...

It's Spring Break!

I remember when I was in high school; Spring Break was a time to hit the beaches or the slopes.

Teenagers going to the tanning salons to get some "color" before hitting the beach or getting together all their gear for the ski trip. Everyone looking forward to a weeks vacation from school!

Now that I have a toddler; Spring Break is a 1 week vacation for Little Man from Mother's Day Out to spend potty training! Woo Hoo! 2 weeks of preparation for the big event. Buying big boy underpants, making sure the little potty is ready to go and the big potty has a good insert if the boy is so inclined (you know...so he doesn't fall in), stocking up on M&M's (aka bribes. oops! I mean reward!), discussing the pros of being potty trained. "If you use the potty like a big boy this week we'll go to the Zoo or Pump It Up or (fill in the blank here)! Also used the fact that his cousins play flag football and you have to be potty trained to play sports!

Little Man and the supplies

Someone suggested I do the countdown. So we did the.."In one week, no more diapers!" "In 3 days, no more diapers!" And this morning:

Me: "Guess what tomorrow is?!"

Little Man: "What?!"

Me: "No more diapers, only underwear!"

Little Man: "Oh, yeah!"

Don't know if he really understands the big picture but he did tell a friend of ours that now he can play sports and go to Pump It Up! He doesn't like "poops" in his diaper and is put out when he has to stop playing to get his diaper changed. So, I think he is ready! We've already been practicing, "aim at the square of toilet paper" in the big toilet. May try my brother's suggestion of "shoot at the cheerio in the toilet". We'll see what works for Little Man. Not doing the pull-ups though because he treats those just like diapers.

Will keep you posted on our potty training adventure! :)

Picture Catch Up...

Recently we attended the birthday party of one of Little Man's playgroup friends. A great time was had by all!

Aren't those blow up jump around things the best!

Little Man and his buddy - bubble blowing contest?

Woo!

Ahhhh....

R - E - L - A - X

Sexy?

Everyone has a different opinion of what makes someone "sexy". It can be their look, their profession, their personality, their accent...

For some ladies....it's firemen! hmmm. nah.

One of the bloggers I follow has a thing for Daniel Craig. Says a picture of him can make her giggle uncontrollably. hmmm, I don't know about THAT. Piercing blue eyes...nice. And he IS 007!

Speaking of which...my mom always thought Sean Connery was sexy. The original 007! So smooth!

And of course, the guy voted Sexiest Man Alive at least twice, George Clooney. eh...he's o.k. Really cute dog though!

I used to have a thing for accents...but then I had Little Man and was forced to watch The Wiggles! 4 grown Aussie men in colorful outfits acting silly and singing songs. Kinda killed the Aussie accent thing for me. Anthony (blue Wiggle) was the only cute one anyway.

This is what I see as sexy. The Husband! After a long day at work, he comes home and lets Little Man jump on him yelling, "giddy up horsey! go! go!" and they gallop around the house. I love seeing them together.

Funny how things change as you get older, get married, have kids and really start to appreciate the little things in life and realize just how much those little things REALLY mean.

Love you my sexy Husband!

The Wife

ps - ladies, you're welcome for the fireman photo! :)

{{{Heavy Sigh}}}

This is Little Man's "I'm mad" pose.

The potty training experts say that most kids are ready for potty training by 2 years of age. What they don't take into account is the "Terrible Twos"!

We've tried the SuperHero big boy underpants, stickers, a potty train poster, M&M's and the musical potty (picture of Little Man's throne below) but nothing is working. The other day Little Man said he wanted to wear big boy underwear like Daddy. So, we put on some Spider-Man undies with the hope of potty training success and wound up with 5 pairs of urine soaked underwear before lunch. {{{sigh}}}

Trying to convince a stubborn two year old in the middle of The Terribles that he needs to learn to use the potty is like trying to convince the Tasmanian Devil to take up Yoga and become a vegetarian!

The twos really didn't hit until two and a half....but then WOW! When he's in a mood, look out! It's not all tantrums...he gets stubborn too. When he wants something, he won't take no for an answer and is VERY persistent. Gotta give him credit there.

We've decided that Spring Break is going to be Potty Training Marathon Week. I got some great advice from a friend who got her advice from someone who potty trained 3 boys...so hopefully it will work. Little Man has never been a "by the book" kind of kid so we may have to tweak our methods a little bit to fit him. Will keep you posted! :)

Finally! Some sunshine!

Sunday the weather was SO nice that we decided to take Little Man to the park to fly his Spider-Man kite. We've had the kite for at least 2 weeks, waiting for some nice weather so you can image how excited Little Man was when we got there. "Hurry! Let's fly! Let's fly!" But true to form, 5 minutes after getting it airborne, Little Man announced "I'm done" and wandered off to find something new to do. :)

Ah, well! At least we got out of the house and spent some time together!

Daddy and Little Man putting the kite together.

Check out his cool Transformer shades!

It's up!

See ya later! I'm off to play flag football with the big guys!

My funny Valentine!

Little Man had his first date! sort of. His school was having a silent auction (aka fundraiser) and classroom Valentine Party friday night and I offered to take one of his friends/classmates. This is the same friend who shot him down when he invited her over for a bubble bath. hee hee

It was SO CUTE! I took their picture together before we left her house, then they "read" to each other on the ride over to the school. At the party they sat together eating their ice cream with pink sprinkles and played together before sitting down to sing a song with the rest of the class for the parents.

After the party, we (including The Husband) met her parents and older brother for dinner. On the way to the restaurant they played, "Let Me Throw My Sippy Cup at You and See if You Can Dodge It!" I think she was winning. They were laughing the whole time so I'm assuming there were no injuries.

After sushi (YUM!) we said our good-byes and headed to the car. After I loaded him in, Little Man about lost his mind (crying and yelling) because he felt like he didn't get to say a proper good-bye to his friend...so I pulled up to their car, they got her out and held her up to Little Man's window so he could say good-bye...even wanted to hold her hand for a second before we pulled away. (sniff sniff....how romantic!) =D

I know they're only 2 and we're not making it more than it is.....two kids who really enjoy each others company...but YEARS down the road, if he can find a girl like this who is girly but who can also hang with the boys....I'd be a happy mother in law. :)

Cool shirt!

Friend and Little Man

Ice Cream! But not a lot of conversation. :)

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY EVERYONE!

Catching up with Little Man

A Little Man fix for those of you missing him...

Helping me pick out new recipes to try.

Watching his cousins play flag football.

He REALLY wants to play too.

2009 - School Picture

Our handsome Little Man!

My type(face)?....

I was perusing other blogs....looking for inspiration for a blog topic and this one caught my eye.

This may sound like a boring subject but I've always liked browsing through different fonts...looking for something that really represented my personality.

Today I came across a website that asks four questions regarding your personality and then determines your typeface type. Hmmmm. Mine is Archer Hairline. I think it's pretty neat looking but a little conservative for me...but what do I know! Ask anyone who knows me and I'm sure they'll say I'm SUPER conservative.

What is your type? http://www.pentagram.com/what-type-are-you/

Archer Hairline: Emotional, Understated, Progressive & Disciplined

Modern typeface with a straightforward appearance but one that has tiny outbreaks of elegance and tiny dots of emotion only apparent from closer examination. If you are someone who is outwardly composed but will occasionally run into the bathroom for a quick laugh (???) or a quiet cry before emerging to the world outwardly composed again, then Archer Hairline is your type.

So I'm elegant and emotional on occasion? O.k. But laughing in the bathroom?! I mean...who does that?! I enjoy sharing a good laugh with everyone and have been known to let out a snort in the middle of it. (much to The Husband's embarrassment).

So, you pretty much take the info with a grain of salt.