Time Warp

Then

Now

TMI Take 2

Warning: this is a post about potty training! If talk of #1's and 2's bother you, or you think it's a silly thing to blog about, come back for another post.

Tuesday
8:30 #2 and then Diaper free
8:40 Asks for diaper
8:41 sing ABC’s*
8:50 sing ABC’s
9:00 sing ABC’s
9:08 wondering how much longer she’s going to hold it...
9:10 sing ABC’s
9:15-9:25 sat on potty while listening/watching “fire truck”
9:35 Sang ABC’s and played with warm water while sitting for 5 minutes
10:10 let it alllll out outside. And watched it.
10:40 back inside
10:45 ABC’s
11:00 ABC’s and lots of water to sip on

11:10 #1 on the floor- few drops on the potty
11:15 ABC’s
11:24 #1 on the floor (stopped midstream)
11:28 Asks for diaper
11:30 interrupted #1 on the floor
11:30-11:40 played with water on the potty
11:41 successful #1 on the potty! Sam wanted to play with the water
11:42 called Daddy to tell him the good news
11:57 #1 at the kitchen table
12:19 Diaper on
*this is what we do when we sit on the potty

Wednesday
11:15 diaper free (after playdate) Samantha decided she wanted to sit on the potty while she ate her applesauce
11:25 snack all done, got up from potty. I told her when she went pee pee on the potty she could have her diaper
11:26 started #1 on the carpet, quickly back on the potty. She stopped, and then finished on the potty!
11:27 diaper on
6:15 sat on potty and made mommy sit on the other potty
6:30 put on panties (baby was not happy) with diaper cover (baby was much happier) and ate dinner
6:45 still dry after eating and washing hands!
6:55 Sat on potty
6:56 #1 in potty chair, Sam sprung up and exclaimed, “all done! WATER!!” and pointed to her success
7:15 panties on, played until 7:30. Diaper on for bedtime

Thursday
9:30 getting ready for Kindermusik and Sam wants to wear her panties.

When it is time to leave I put on a cover. As we are leaving I notice she is VERY wet. Diaper quickly replaces the panties.
No more panties for the day

Friday
9:20 diaper free, sing ABC’s
9:30 Sam asks for panties. I tell her when she pees she can
9:35 ABC’s
9:38 Sam runs to potty (unprompted) sits down and pees!!!!!!!!!!!!


9:40 Sam watches her favorite Youtube video

Sat-Sunday
Mommy worked two doubles and so daddy had to participate. She was very good about #1’s, but daddy was quite grossed out about #2 on the floor

Monday
Mommy tries to take her to mom’s group in panties with a timer set for every 20 minutes. The problem at this point is that Sam knows how to go #1 on the chair, but she sprinkles and then JUMPS up to celebrate before she’s done, resulting in either 10 celebrations in 15 minutes, or an accident when she just can’t hold the dam any more

Tuesday
Mommy is getting very frustrated. Every time baby sits down to pee she says “OW!” and jumps up. Mommy is out of patience by 9:30 and realizes that she needs to eat breakfast. She tells Sam “we go pee pee in the potty” and leaves her in her room unattended, fully expecting to clean up a lake in a few minutes.

9:35 Sam walks into the kitchen carrying her potty chair and shows me a very stinky mess, “poopy mommy, poopy.” She looks very concerned, but my celebration helps her realize it’s a good thing. After lots of high-fives she asks for “tries” (french fries).

Thursday-Tuesday
In-laws are in town and are on board with helping us continue while they are visiting. Sam has very few accidents, and is pretty much trained for #2. For #1 she still has trouble in new settings (ie not at home with mommy).

Wednesday
I'd call this round a success! She only wears a diaper when she's sleeping now. We're pretty much done with cloth as she had a really hard time distinguishing between her panties and the diaper. This is fine by me as I am so ready to be done washing diapers (although I'm currently washing panties, but this is much less and now there is an end in site!).

Friday

This morning she iniciated #1 on her own for the first time AND EMPTIED HER BLADDER. This is HUGE, folks. She continued to do it all day. We no longer have to ask her to go unless we are about to leave the house. And she stays dry for about an HOUR. I tell you, I'm on cloud nine, I'm so proud!

WOOOOHOOOO!

Now it's time for the teddy bears.

Adventures in Potty Training

After a successful (ie dry) morning with a trip to the library for Story Time, a long car ride in the rain and fun splashing outside I felt confident leaving her unsupervised in her room while I made lunch. Within minutes I hear, "Uh oh, sippery...sippery *WAM* SIPPERY!! MOMMY SIPPERY!!"

I couldn't help but laugh as I help her get up from the puddle.

Constructive Criticism from a Toddler

As we are potty training, Sam is usually bare-bottomed when we are at home. Today I thought I could get away with wearing capris.

Apparently not.

At one point Sam tried to sit in my lap.

As soon as her bare bottom touched my calves she jumped up and yelped, "OUCH!"

She then inspected my legs, trying to brush off the pricklies.

Still confused she asked me, "Hot?"

Not hot, Sweetie, but your point has been made.

TWO!

Samantha at 2-years-old

Weighs 23 lbs even

Loves washing hands

Loves anything water

Screams at her toys/clothes/food/mom/dad at slightest frustration

Takes one 1 hr nap (GR!!)

Wakes up from her nap screaming and CRANKY every day, and screams at the slightest irritation for at least an hour; Why? Because she's still tired, but heaven forbid she go back to sleep after 60 minutes

Loves to run

Loves the wind, thunder, rain, clouds, stars, moon and sun

Speaks plurals and possessives correctly (Samantha's Carseat, Mommy's babies, Daddy's coat, mommy's shirt)

Tilts her head, scrunches one side of her face and signs "work", empathizing with me whenever I'm getting my uniform on

Likes to pretend she is a baby (asks for pacifier, lays on the floor and does a fake "waaa")
speaking of fake, she has the fake cry/tears down to a science. Makes me look like a horrible mom to strangers who can't tell the difference!

Lets me put in pigtails now, leaving them in all day

Favorite foods: watermelon, noodles, chocolate chips, asparagus, ice cream (dairy free), eggs, soy cheese chicken when daddy cooks it, french fries and rice

"Yucky" foods: real cheese, chicken when mommy cooks it, coconut milk, leafy greens

Can now tolerate real yogurt and butter

Wants to try a bite of everything at least once- even when Mommy and Daddy insist that she won't like it!

Favorite shows are sesame street ("Street") and Signing Time

Order of adult preference is: Mimi, Mimi, Mimi, Mimi, Mimi, Papa, Mommy, Daddy
(This, of course, is before Grandma and Grandad's visit. This will probably change very quickly when they arrive.)

How old are you, Samantha?

Fly on the Wall

S: "Mommy!"

Me: "Samantha!"

S: "What?"

Cue confusion.
Then chuckles.
At least 10 times a day.

Hey, Sherlock Holmes...

Could I Borrow Your Magnifying Glass?

Just for a few seconds...




Ta dah!...oh, wait...



Ah, there they are!


Maybe we should just stick with one for now...

Worth Her Weight in Gold

You know you've got a great babysitter when

1) Mommy is in the room

2) Mommy takes out the camera


and your child doesn't even notice!

Easter Flashback

Easter '10

Easter '11

"Say, 'Jesus'!"

One Man's Trash...

After four months of doing this couponing thing, both my philosophy and process have evolved quite a bit. Originally I was only going to clip for things I already purchased on a regular basis. But I soon realized that there are many items that I could get for free with the coupons when they went on sale. Then Walmart started their "cash back" policy, where they give you the overage in cash when the coupon is more than the item. Then there were the deals where if I had a coupon for item A then I would receive a coupon/store credit at the store, which would then lead to getting desired item B for free as well.

Very quickly I understood why all the coupon ladies were saying they clip every coupon they find. But I don't have time for that. Or the desire for the blisters that would result. After several weeks of collecting massive amounts of coupon inserts and making a huge mess in our living room every week, I've finally come down with a system that has saved me loads of time finding that-one-coupon-that-will-get-me-the-item-i-really-want within seconds.

So, if I haven't bored you already with my newest obsession, and you are interested in maybe doing this yourself, the process in 10 simple steps:

Step 1 (roughly 1 hr): Go to your local recycling center and look through the newspaper bins.

Some may call this dumpster diving. I can see why, as technically the newspapers are in dumpsters and it may look like I'm diving when I'm on my tippy toes, teetering on the edge to grasp the insert peaking out...but let me ask you this- would you reach into a clean dumpster full of paper to pull out a $1?
$5?
The way I see it, I'm pulling money out of the bins. Those little pieces of paper may only be worth .55 or $3, but they add up quick!

So when do I stop?

Generally when the handles on the paper bag break, or I can no longer feel my fingers.
Just depends on the week, really.

Step 2 (20-30 min): Go home and sort the inserts into piles according to week:

Step 3 (1 min): Pile them up in zig-zag fashion
(there's another word for it, but I can't remember)

Step 4 (5 minutes): go through one insert of the first type and pull out the coupons that you would will most likely use:

Step 5 (5 minutes per weekly insert): once you know which coupons you want out of an insert, pulling all the same coupons goes very quickly:



Step 6 (3 minutes per weekly insert): put all the inserts together of the same coupon and clip all the coupons at once- this is the real time/hand saver:


Step 7 (30 seconds): Gaze at husband as he ooos and aaaah at your progress. Then put him to work by putting the coupons in piles relatively close to your coupon file categories:

Step 8 (???): repeat steps 4-7 until you've reached the end of your pile

Step 9 (2 minutes): Pile inserts again in a zig/zag pattern according to type (Red Plum, Smart Source). Remember, we are keeping these until they expire, so that we don't have to clip every single one for those occasions of an awesome (free) deal.

I hope to find some cheap/free horizontal file thingys soon, as digging to find an insert is a little cumbersome...


Step 10 (10-20 minutes): File coupons

Viola! Your weekly couponing trip is done in 3-4 hrs.
This may sound like a lot, but if you are saving yourself $40/week, that's like earning $10/hr (tax free by the way)

A few other tips:

• I learned a few days ago that the insert's date is actually written on the crease in veeeeery tiny print (the 3/13 was me in paintbrush for personal reference):

• Each week you get faster and faster. And once you get to a point where you have enough of a type 'clipped' you won't need to do anything more than just add the whole insert to your stash. If you need more, you know you have it and can go get it later. I'm hoping to get this down to just 2 hrs eventually.
  

• I find dumpster diving is most lucrative on Tuesdays- most people have brought Sunday's paper and the bins haven't been collected yet and are quite full

• If you have a really great radio program to listen to, it goes by very quickly, and you can strengthen the brain cells that may have atrophied during the week while caring for your offspring

• You can easily involve the offspring by having them "match" the piles when you are sorting and when you are pulling inserts (Please note that this will add time onto the activity!)

Happy Couponing!

Oh, and if I see you while dumpster diving, I will be giddy to see a convert, but please consider this:

It was my idea first, therefore I get first dibs.

New Addition

Kahlan recently became a big sister!
While meeting my nephew, Samantha decided to make herself comfortable...

Kissing Cousins

Dec '09

April '11

...and both are still just as bald!

Lip-Smackin' Good!

Spring Fashion Show

I recently went to Take2 to get Sam's summer wardrobe. For $65 (I'll admit, I went $5 over budget) I got the following (the sketchers shoes were from GoodWill for $3):

But who likes to see clothes laying on the floor? These clothes need a body!

Mommy has a jumper to match!

Believe it or not, her thighs are almost too big to get into this skirt!

Samantha calls this her "apron"

12- month dress used as a long shirt

4th Outfit

Handmade!

Easter Dress

Still had tag on it!

There was more, but I think she started playing with the wall...

Today I...

Enjoyed watching my daughter hear thunder for the first time

Made $.58 on a ream of paper

Discovered my child to be ASLEEP in the car when we came home from "buying" said paper
(before lunch, mind you)

Now has $34.99 in rebates coming in the mail in the next 4-6 weeks

Enjoyed our family's favorite pastime as a family for the first time in months
(grocery shopping!)

Bought groceries, which included 10 bags of my favorite brand of broccoli florets, 3 jars of our favorite pickles, 4 jars of my favorite jam, 5 loaves of my favorite bread, 4 bags of my favorite chocolate chips, and stayed under budget

Watched my daughter eat a slice of onion

Watched the same daughter spit out a raspberry and tell me strawberries were "yucky"

Heard the word "no" more times than I have in my entire life combined

Decided NOT to buy a yogurt maker

Decided to make yogurt in our crock pot at 7:30pm
(yogurt makers will know this means I will be up laaaaaaaaaaaaaate tonight)

Calculated the saving of making my own yogurt
(less than 1/3 of the cost of Yobaby!)

Savored a glass of locally made milk




What did you do today?

Adventures and Goofy Grins

Shopping has become a daily event here at our place, particularly because it makes for a very happy toddler. Here are a few steals from the past week:

$8.38

$3.86

$21.68

$20.98
($11.16 just for the stinking cheese- and it was on sale!!)

$13.76

$Free!

These were quite the ordeal at the counter as I had to convince the cashier that I wasn't trying to scam her. I was at CVS (where they are usually very up and up on the couponing thing). When the lady realized I had enough coupons to cover all the eggs she stopped scanning, picked up a coupon and said, "This is for the wrong size, these are all for 9 oz bags."
Thanks to this lady, I knew that it was on the coupon and searched the fine print myself to find it. After this, she scanned a couple more and then stopped again to read the fine print on the coupon, "You can't use all of these, it says 'one per purchase.'"
Amidst keeping Samantha from pulling all of the candy off the wall which was ever so conveniently placed at her level I replied with a smile (and inner pride for not backing down), "Actually, it means one per item purchased, not per transaction. So I can only use one coupon for each item." Still frowning, she finished the transaction.

And Sam still thinks they are just pretty toys!!