Potty Training for DumMommies

Fast Track: Results in 3 - 7 days

Not-so-fast Track: Results in 365 days

I have mastered both tracks, having one twin who trained in a week and another who trained over the course of year.

This Christmas break one year ago is when I attempted the whole potty training gig with the girls for the first time. It was a little early (they were 2yrs 2mos.), but with three kids in diapers, I was highly motivated.

I thought it would be Lobaby who would catch on quickly. The truth was they both did. Our first "outing" in big girl panties was all dressed up to the Christmas Eve service at Northview. I was a nervous wreck.

"Please don't potty on your pretty dresses!"

"Do you need to go potty?!"

"Be sure and tell mommy if you feel the potties coming out!"

I whispered in their little ears. And we were successful! I was a potty training rock star! Or so I thought.

About one month in, Lo started to revert. I was so resistant to it. In denial about it. But, I was finally at my wit's and patience' end, and back to diapers she went.

Over the next few months we tried again. I tried my old methods. I tried new methods. But the truth of the matter was, she could care less about big girl panties.

For the months after that, I was mad about it. "She knows what to do! Why won't she do it??" I thought.

It was a battle. And she was beating me. And I hate to lose.

I finally accepted that it had to be her decision. She was going to have to want to do it. To care that her friends weren't in diapers. To care about being a "big girl."

Meanwhile, Jilligirl trained like a champion. Seriously, almost too good to be true. I told her that this is what big girls do and she bought it. I offered her stickers and marshmallows and she ate it up. At 2yrs and 2 mos, she had less than a handful of accidents and has been in her sweet little pink roos ever since.

So, this is yet another example of how my precious twin girls could not be any more opposite.

Around their 3rd birthday, I thought we'd give it another go. No success. But, I did realize something really important. A positive to all my potty-training failures.

At every attempt, I learned something new about my precious Lo. Every time we would try and fail, I would get insight into her personality.

Jilli is just like me. I get her. She is competitive and easily motivated. She embraces change and jumps into new things without fear.

Lo is very different than me. She isn't competitive. She's hard to motivate. She likes to do her own thing and she doesn't usually care what the other kids are doing. She's so quirky and funny. And it makes me nuts and I love it!

The upside to potty training over 12 months, is that I see her differently now and have a better appreciation for her quirks.

I realize this is just the beginning of my tough lessons in mothering, I just hope that they don't all take 365 days to learn.

Facebook: Time for a Time Out

I'm taking a break from Facebook. I've noticed my productivity GREATLY decrease recently and wasn't able to put my finger on it. And then I realized that I leave FB open 24/7 and check it every few minutes while on my laptop. I'm not sure how many minutes a day this all adds up to, but it's my focus that it steals more than anything.

I'm torn, because I also believe that Facebook is an amazing tool. I am a VERY relational girl and the fact that I've connected with friends I never even thought I'd see again is nothing short of thrilling for me.

But, I've fallen behind in about every way a girl/momma can fall behind (ever since I got hooked on that dern Twilight series and was TOTALLY out of commission for like a month)(after I read book four), and it's time to catch up.

My blog is another area where I've fallen behind and I'm looking forward to catching up with you all. I've got a few recipes up my sleeve and a few mommy issues to vent about and all-around cuteness (via my babies) to share. So, for those of you who haven't totally given up on my blog, I hope I can earn back your devotion :)

So, my beloved FB friends, I will only be gone temporarily. And until then, I'll miss our random chats, status updates, photo uploads, wall posts and notes. But, hopefully before we meet again, my to-do list will be more than half to-done.

Toenails and Time-crunch

Three Little Monkeys (Sept 08) Twins 24 months, LT 2 months

Little (Growing) Monkeys (Feb 09) after their bath! Twins (almost) 29 months, LT (almost) 7 months

I know I say it a lot, but it's the logistics of care that are required for three little girls that blows my mind. Little Toothache will be 7 months old tomorrow, and you'd think I would be fully adjusted to it by now.

But, it's when I'm on the phone with a friend and I say "yeah. I'm dressed and one of the three girls is dressed, so I think we'll be there in like 30 minutes?" Then, 45 minutes later we're in the car and it just took twice as long as I predicted it would to get from point A to point B.

On Sunday, I gave all the girls a bath. Big girls first. Then baby girl. I think I started about 10:30am, once all was said and done (including clipping three sets of toenails, then three sets of fingernails), it was after noon! Seriously 90 minutes to bathe?!

I don't know where the time goes. But it goes fast. When anyone asks me, what did you do today? I'll stop and think. And maybe I can only list one or two things. But, the REST of my day was filled up with these lovely logistics.

Some day I know that I will truly miss my girls needing me for every ever-loving thing. In fact, it made me a little sad yesterday when Jillian was able to reach into the pantry and pull out her own snack to eat.

But, honestly, it made me a little happy, too.

Almost there...

Today was a really good day.

It marked the end of the second leg of my training with Cindy (btw - check out her new website - my hubby designed it and it's sweet!). And time to weigh in.

Since I started working out (late Sept 08), I've lost:

19 lbs.

10.75"

6.8% body fat

So, then, after my weigh in and wicked work out, I came home and was inspired to try on my "goal jeans". And they fit! (Doing a hilarious happy dance!).

To celebrate, I found the most hideous picture I have of myself from my trip to OKC back in Sept. and compared it to a picture from one of last weekend's birthday parties. Um. Sianora double chin!

Tomorrow, I'll pull out and hang my "ultimate goal jeans" in the closet. I'm almost there, folks!

Thanks for cheering me on!

Farewell, Sweet Jeremy

Our great friends, Aaron and Beth Shelby, welcomed a beautiful baby boy into the world yesterday at 11:17 a.m. He was breathing on his own at birth, which makes him 1 in 10,000. They said that only 1 in 10,000 babies diagnosed with Trisomy 13 have a live birth.

But, a short 71 minutes later, he took his final breath and went to be with Jesus.

Last night, our Life Group gathered with Beth and Aaron in their hospital room. The mood was relaxed. Beth and Aaron were emotionally exhausted and so we just sat with them. Beth shared her labor story with all the girls. Just like any new mom would. Aaron shared the experience from his perspective.

They were even willing to let us see and hold Baby Jeremy. He was bundled in a blue blanket, with a hand-knit blue cap on his head. He looks a lot like Beth.

This is all a new experience for me. I've never been this close to a family facing such a tragic loss. Something that leaves me with so many questions for God. But, as I've said before, it really feels like a priviledge to journey with the Shelbys.

We've known the Shelbys for 3 years now and shared in life with them through our amazing Life Group. This couple truly amazes me. Yes, they are sorrowful. They have a million questions. But, their faith in God has been completely unwavering.

I'm also thankful today for my Life Group. I've learned about myself in the past few years, that I am completely a relational person. I love nothing more than to share my life, to know and be known, by my close family and friends. My friends are such a gift to me and today, I'm especially thankful for them.

One group member posted about our gathering last night and I couldn't agree with her more. I love doing life with these people. We're a group with such diverse backgrounds and I learn from them every time we're together.

So, even though I'm crying a lot of tears today, I can't help but feel grateful.

To God, for his faithfulness, that even though none of this makes sense, He will make it beautiful.

To Friends, for good people to share in the good, bad and ugly.

For the Shelbys, and their example. I know that we all can follow their lead in this and learn a few things about faith, love and hope, in the process.


I'm sure many of you reading know the Shelbys and so if you feel compelled, a memorial fund has been set up in Jeremy's honor to help cover his funeral costs.

1. Memorial Fund

* ALL Donations will go directly to the Shelby Family to cover funeral expenses. If the financial blessing outweighs the cost, the remaider of the proceeds will be forwarded to the trisomy 13 charity of the parents choice.

* Donations are being accepted at all FORUM CREDIT UNION branches. Just go into the branch and give them jeremy's name and tell them it is for a memorial fund....After the funeral services...all money will be released to the Shelby's so please make your contributions prior to that date. All donations will be anonymous. Here is a link of all their locations... You must copy and paste this link: http://www.forumcu.com/locations/default.aspx

2. Fashionthropic T-Shirt in memory of Jeremiah has been designed and about Half of the total cost goes directly to the shelby's to help them cover expenses...This is a GREAT way to help out and have an item to remember him by.....check out the link: http://skreened.com/fashionthropic

New year. New me.

Yes. It's just what you think it is. It's the standard reflection post. A look back on all the stuff that happened in 08 and how it's gonna be better/different in 09.

Actually, I'm just going to skip the reflection all together and jump right to my hopes for 09:

1) Reach fitness goals.
I'm about half way there. I've lost about 15lbs so far. I'm starting a "Biggest Loser" contest with a good friend this week. Let me know if you want to join in.

2) Read more.
Read more for fun. Read more for personal growth. Read the Word. At work right now, we're discussing what getting into the Word looks like for the congregation and how as a church we can foster this discipline in them. I'm thinking more for myself about how I can work to make scripture come to life in my own life. How I can discover it in new ways. I think I'm going to start with the book, How to Read the Bible for All its Worth. Sounds helpful, right? Here are a few other books I hope to read this year: Grace-based Parenting, Parenting From Your Strengths, Three Cups of Tea, Tangible Kingdom, 200 Pomegranates and an Audience of One, Blue Like Jazz (can't believe I still haven't read that one) and others (still working on my full list).

3) Get better.
Get better at the mommy thing. Get better at the wife thing. Get better at the Christ-follower thing. Get better at the plate-spinning thing. Get better at the work thing. Get better at the priority-setting/time-management thing. Get better at the relationship thing. Get better at the family thing. Get better at the house keep-up thing. The focus thing. And the blog thing :)

4) Grow my heart.
This could fit in with other goals, but is important enough to be its own. I think 08 was a big heart-growing year for me. I'm learning to love bigger, better and more generously. Sometimes I think of myself as a girl on the verge of greatness. Great generosity, kindness, boldness. The important things. But, I carry around all my excuses, selfishness, laziness, desire to acquire, etc., that keep me living on the verge and away from making the big leap. In 09 I'd like to see (in the words of Elvis) "a little less conversation, a little more action please."

And one more, very important goal for 2009...

5) Don't get pregnant.
I love my babies. But, 3 in 2 years is quite plenty for now.

Are you setting any goals? Are you bold enough to share? Let's hear it!

Happy New Year to all my bloggy friends and family!

Our Cotton Candy Girl is Dedicated

Baby C is about the sweetest baby in the world. And Saturday was all about her. We had C dedicated at our church. The ceremony was special. I teared up as they read about her and showed her pictures. I was so proud.

She is such a gift. And truly a miracle. I am so grateful that she is here.

Afterwards, we had dessert at our house with family. It was a really special time and it felt good to just focus on our baby girl for the evening.

My beautiful family. I'm stinkin proud of this group.

Andy and I during the dedication ceremony. Check out the family on the left. She had twin boys younger than my twins and a baby, older than my baby. If I had to guess, it looks like she had 3 boys, in 12 months.

Needless to say, they had their hands full. I so wanted to reach out to them and say, can I help you?, hold something?, somebody?

I remembered that I had seen this mom while at a work meeting in Capstone, before C was born. I was so distracted watching her out the window. She whipped out her triple stroller and was loading kids into it from the back door of her mini-van.

I remember during that meeting wanting to run up to her and say, "I have twins too, and I'm about to have a baby! And I'm scared out of my mind! It looks like you're doing it! Let's be friends!"

I didn't get to meet her that night, but I'm gonna look her up. I'm sure we'll have some stories to swap.

The Countdown Begins

I can hardly contain myself. I've been training with Cindy for a month and a half, now. At two months, I get to get back on the scale, reassess my body fat percentage and take my measurements.

And I'm excited about it! Crazy, right?

In the past, when I've needed to get in shape, I've always tried the same things. And the same things have only worked half-heartedly. I've been fortunate to never truly struggle with my weight, but I've always felt like I wasn't quite meeting my potential either.

Which reminds my, Cindy has a great new quote hanging in her gym now that says, "Don't let your mind cheat you out of your own potential." Or something like that. It's a good one though, right? And so true.

Here's what I'm doing different:

• NOT getting on the scale (I've never thought I could handle this, because I'm obsessed with numbers, but really ignoring the numbers has been a huge key to my endurance)


• Scheduled workouts


• Strength training (this is my primary focus at Cindy's house and my homework is the diet and cardio)(I've never known how to do the strength training stuff, but I have muscles in my abs now that I don't think I've ever felt there before)


• True accountability - Cindy is a great teacher and motivator, she makes me feel good about my best, whatever that happens to be on that particular day.

Now that it's cold outside and I don't have a gym membership, I'm trying to get creative with how to get in my cardio. So, last week, I checked out some DVDs at the library. There wasn't a huge selection, so I ended up with (don't laugh) "Dancing with the Stars: Cardio Dance" and a Biggest Loser workout.

Honestly, I haven't tried either one, yet. But, I'll let you know how they go. I know my husband is dying to know.

I've still got some work to do. I've still got that waterbed effect on my gut (moms, you know what I'm talking about), but I just had a baby four months ago... so I guess I'll give that some time.

But Saturday, Nov 29 is the day. Thirteen days and counting...

First trip to the ER

We took Baby C to the hospital today. The flu was just getting to be too much on her little body. They hooked her up to an IV and replenished all her fluids and calories. It was amazing to see the transformation. After a 30 minute drip, she was alert, cooing, laughing and smiling.

We were thankful for a new invention they used on her that shone a light through the bottom of her hand so that they could quickly and easily spot a vein. I think even the staff were surprised with themselves at how well they inserted her IV. She cried for only a minute and quickly fell asleep in my arms after it was over.

She was fascinated by the pink and purple tape around her hand. She's at that stage where she's just noticing and reaching for toys, so it was cute to watch her little mind at work, pulling at that tape all afternoon.

I was thankful for her sweet temperament. God has blessed us with some sweet babies.

And during my first trip as a mom to the ER, I learned some things about myself, too. I learned that I can (and should) trust my gut in making decisions for the care of my children. I felt calm, collected and confident as Baby C's mommy today. I knew what we needed to do, when to ask questions and when to push back. I felt proud of myself.

She's still not out of the woods. The trip to the hospital just got her tank full to hopefully ride the rest of this bug out at home. She's on a diet of electrolyte fluids for the next 24 hrs (she was on it for the prior 24hrs, too).

Please continue to pray. We really appreciate it.

Pray for my baby

Please pray for my baby. She's been pretty sick since Wednesday.

We've talked to the doctor this weekend, and we're watching to see if she needs to go to the hospital (in case of dehydration). Just flu stuff, nothing more serious than that.

I would appreciate your prayers.

Here's an extra cute video of her to put in your head so you don't forget to pray!

Something's gotta give

My baby girl is home sick today. We were on our way to dinner downtown last night with family and she threw up in her car seat.

The picture reflects what she's doing most today, but we're keeping a close watch on her fluid intake and any signs of fever. It breaks my heart.

But, my motivation to post this morning is less about my sick baby and more about thoughts that an unexpected change in my schedule have provoked.

Over the past few weeks, I've been struggling to figure out a few things. Mostly, my schedule.

I'm a firm believer in being a mom first. I have a part-time job, but I am happy to say that my work is done while my girls are either at school (two mornings a week) or asleep in their beds. It's a pretty sweet deal. It's work I'm passionate about and doing the work fuels my passion.

But, I also lead my adult couples Life Group, co-lead a high school girls Life Group and currently work out three times a week with a personal trainer... and over the last week, I hit a wall. And come face-to-face with the reality that something's gotta give.

I'm not sure yet what it's going to be and ultimately, it may be nothing.

See, I'm working on this new process in my life. I listened to a really great podcast the other day from Mosaic Church out in LA. I can't even tell you exactly what the speaker was talking about, but it was a single point that he made that really stood out to me. He said he was talking to a busy mom, and she was telling him how she was seeking "balance" in her life.

He challenged her by asking where in the Bible she heard that God calls us to "balance." He said, it's nowhere in the Word. Jesus wasn't balanced. Paul certainly wasn't balanced. God doesn't call us to find balance.

He calls us to find rythmn. Although at the moment I can't remember where in scripture he found this, but it's made a lot of sense to me, nonetheless.

I'm a convicted girl. And one of my convictions is that I shouldn't push my convictions onto others. But, let me say plainly here that I am convicted to never use my kids as the reason why God can't use me in this season of my life. I don't think that my kids excuse me from making myself available to God.

YES! I am a mom first. Which means, the majority of my week is focused on my girls: nurturing, disciplining, feeding, dealing with poop. And they will always be my priority.

I want my kids to see me serving. Using my gifts and passions and getting fuel from it.

But, somewhere in the last week, I must have missed a beat. Things are feeling out of sync.

I know I'm going to have moments like this. Where I'm just plain over it. I want to quit every commitment I've made and stay at home and not feel so stinking rushed all the time.

But, for me, that will only feel good for like a week.

I need to take a minute (a mommy time out, if you will) and sometimes in life I just need a good friend to tell me to SLOW DOWN. But, most of all I need to have some serious heart-to-hearts with Big G.

In the meantime, maybe I should wear a sign: White girl, desperately seeking rythmn.

Tag-erific!

My friend, Danielle, tagged me in a game of Random Facts.

My job is to post seven random facts about myself. So, here it goes...

1) The temperature in my car must always be set on an even number... odd numbers just don't feel right to me. Sometimes my husband will drive the van and set it at an odd number just to bug me.

2) I am not a morning person.

3) I like my fingernails to be really short. I absolutely HATE dirt under my fingernails.

4) I overanalyze.

5) I have convinced myself that Qdoba burritos are a healthy food, despite the 800+ calorie price tag.

6) I dream of someday having a garden in my backyard, where I can grow organic produce and herbs. The problem, I don't have a green thumb. I hope I get one in the next couple years, because I think this would be a fun project to do with the girls, too.

7) I always looked forward to chicken nugget day at school... the warm wheat rolls, cheesy potatoes, nuggets and honey for dipping. Yum.

Now, if I were truly dedicated to this game, I would post 7 people to tag... but it's getting late and I'm pretty tired, so here are 3 people... no, better make it 4 (it's even) people I tag to join the fun:

1) Nicole A.
2) Shannon
3) Jaime
4) Beth

Workout Workup

So here's the scoop on my quest to get my body back.

I'm still working out with Cindy. She's so great.

I really think accountability has been the key for me this time. I'm such a goody-good and I like to be the teacher's favorite. So I do my best to do EVERYTHING Cindy tells me to do.

Which means, I'm working out between 4 to 6 times a week. Watching my portions. Counting calories. Not eating after 6p.

The funny thing about not eating after 6p; I thought I would be starving, and for a few weeks I was awful hungry, but she told me it would get better and believe it or not, it has!

So here's the most exciting news...

For the first time since January (when I started to show with Baby C), I fit into REAL jeans. No more elastic maternity waste bands!

I pulled them from my closet, took a deep breathe, got them over my booty and started to zip. Those jeans went up and on with very little muffin top.

It's time to celebrate... maybe with M&Ms? Probably not. Don't want to get too cocky.

Buff chick

Two pregnancies and two years later, it's time to get it in gear and lose some baby weight - and then some.

I started a week ago working out with my new personal trainer, Cindy Sams. She is so great! A spunky, little package of abs and biceps that is totally kicking my butt.

I met Cindy on the Discipleship Walk last year... ironically, we worked in the snack room together. She is funny, honest and has a great story of her own (weight loss, major injury). I instantly liked her.

For my birthday this year, my husband surprised me with a training package with Cindy (I had requested this by the way, my husband wasn't trying to drop any hints).

So, all this month, I work out with Cindy three times a week and do cardio on my own another three times a week. I'm watching my portions, no eating after 6p, etc.

I'm not going to tell you my starting weight. But, my goal is to lose 35lbs. I'm not supposed to get on the scale. "It's all about inches and your clothes fitting better," Cindy says. But, I'm not sure I'll be able to not at least peak every once in a while to see my numbers going down, down, down.

This is the first time I've ever worked with a trainer and I love her ability to push me, keep me focused and accountable.

So far so good. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Momma went to OKC!

I had the awesome priveledge of going to a great conference called MinistryCOM in Oklahoma City, where I also had the awesome priveledge of presenting a breakout session at the conference.

The breakouts went well. I had a lot of positive feedback and even a positive online review.

I met a lot of great people. My team had a super productive brainstorming session. We got to know each other a lot better. I got to see some of my family I never see. I got to sleep in a BIG bed, all by myself, ALL NIGHT LONG!

I really missed my babies and I was ready to come home. But, it was a great trip for lots of reasons.

I got to hear some great speakers. Scott Hodge and Jon Acuff were by far, my favorites. Scott is from The Orchard church in Aurora, Ill. And the completely hilarious Jon Acuff is author of the popular blog, stuffchristianslike.net. This blog is not only hilarious and insightful, but so well-written. If you're a fan of his blog already, then you'll be totally jealous to hear that I caught some Skittles during his talk.

I thought it a bit immature to ask him for my picture with him and my Skittles, so I just got this "jr. high-esque" photo of me and my Skittles, with Jon in the background.

Yes. A much more mature choice. I agree.

The bonus for going to OKC was that I got to stay with my aunt and uncle, the Wileys. And I got to see my awesome cousins, Kara and Kyle, and now I have a new cousin-in-law, Crystal!

We all went to dinner on Friday night to a fun place called Pops! It's a new fixture on historic Route 66. It's a gas station, but also a diner, and they carry every kind of bottled soda imaginable. I think I had some kind of pomegranate flavor. Out front is this fancy soda bottle that measures 66ft tall. Clever, huh?

Yummy, pomegranate soda! I was thirsty!

And then I got REALLY thirsty!

Working on the house

If you remember my post back in May, you'll appreciate these photos much more. Now that I'm no longer pregnant and now fully recovered from having the baby, I've got new energy to work on the house again.




We finally finished Baby C's room. It's so precious. I chose the words "Believe in Miracles" because all babies are miracles, but Baby C was an unexpected, even a once-thought-impossible miracle in our lives. Seeing this above her bed brings tears to my eyes.




We also worked on the girls bathroom. All three of the girls will share this bathroom. We're thankful it has more than one sink and a REALLY big mirror :)

If you never saw this bathroom before, imagine totally white walls, no shower curtain, no rugs, and no wall fixtures.

We went with a soft yellow (taken from the yellow in the rugs) (the yellow doesn't look very soft in these photos, but believe me, it is) and I loved this wall decal that measures their height.

I had a lot of fun with the wall shelf that we recycled from the guest bathroom at our old house. I found this cute tissue paper flower set (by none other than Martha Stewart) and had fun making the flowers on top of the shelf.