MommyStyle

As mothers, along with the need to manage our time and our space, comes the need to take time for our selves. I can only speak for myself, but as "une femme d'un certain age" (a lady of a certain age), it's quite important to me that I look as close to my best as I possibly can. So along with trying to design and implement strategies for my home, I am constantly working on my personal style, checking fashion and beauty trends, and looking for resources to help me get the best prices on the good stuff.

In the coming weeks, from time to time, I'll be bringing some of those resources to you. Watch this space.

Inspirational Wednesday

A schedule defends from chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days. It is a scaffolding on which a worker can stand and labor with both hands at sections of time. A schedule is a mock-up of reason and order--willed, faked, and so brought into being.

Anne Dillard (The Writing Life)









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Crockpot Tuesday - "Dump" Chicken

Dump chicken is a cooking concept whereby you place chicken parts and ingredients into a plastic freezer bag, then freeze and defrost for the crock pot or baking pan when needed.  It's a convenient way to have a tasty, well seasoned chicken meal on short notice.

Here's a gold mine of Dump Chicken recipes, as well as a collection of Dump Chicken recipes geared toward those who practice batch or freezer cooking.

By the way, dear readers, you may have noticed that here at NeatnessCounts, we eat a lot of chicken! And you'd be right! Although I personally do not eat red meat or pork, we will be bringing some delicious non-chicken recipes your way soon!

Enjoy!

Top image courtesy Recipe Goldmine.

OrganizeYour....Potty Training?????????

I have the unfortunate distinction of being the mother of an almost four year old who is not yet fully potty trained.

This situation is partially the result of a deliberate parenting decision.  With C., I was personally determined that he WOULD be fully potty trained by the age of three.  His daycare teacher at the time asked me if I would like to start potty training him in late June, when he was a little less than two years old.  I agreed, and everything was going along swimmingly for a couple of months, until that particular teacher left the school and a less experienced teacher took her place.  This teacher and I did not see eye to eye, so potty training was not consistent between home and school.  One Christmas trip to Disney later, the schedule was so kaput that potty training was too. 

While at a Memorial Day barbecue, C. noticed that the little girl of the house, who was quite a bit younger and not even really very verbal, was able to go poopy on the potty.  C. informed Hubby P. that he had to use the bathroom, went poopy, and was trained from that day on, at two years eight months old.

When E. came along, I decided not to even consider potty training him before he turned two years old, and in fact to sort of let him "train himself."  I joked that I wouldn't start to train him until he asked me, in an English accent, "Mummy, I think I would like to use the potty now."  In discussion with his teachers, we started training him around age three.  I thought by starting a bit older, he'd be fully trained in a matter of weeks.

Fast forward nine months.  E. understands what to do, but he just doesn't feel any compunction to do it consistently. But at least I am not totally alone - the child care center director's son is the same age, and is having the same issues.

So I write this post to pass along the benefit of my experience on how to plan, or "organize", your potty training experience.

Earlier vs. Later. As you may surmise from my stories above, it can be difficult to determine the right time to start potty training your child.  In general, I think it's best to wait until the child shows interest in the bathroom and seems to understand what goes on in there.  There are many books available which will try to convince you that you can potty train your child in as little as one day.  It certainly can't hurt to read these books, and they may even help you, but in my opinion, kids get trained when they are ready, and not a moment before.

Boys vs. Girls.  None of my mommy friends have ever expressed any difficulties in training their girls.  It seems to be as simple as telling the little girl: "Today you can wear Dora underwear (or Barbie, or pink flowered, or whatever she's into) but you have to keep it dry and clean.  Most of my friends who are parents of boys reported that it was relatively easy to train their boys to go "#1", but #2 took a longer time.  Boys tend to hide and give other cues when they have to go #2, and seem to be afraid of what will happen if they do "it" in the potty.  So this piece of the puzzle might take a while to fit, but it's usually one of the very last pieces.

Consistency is Key.  Whenever you decide to jump in, you need to be consistent from that point on.  As a first time parent, I was unaware of how convenient diapers were.  Once you start potty training, whenever you go out you have to carry change(s) of clothes and be aware of where every "potty" is in the vicinity.  And once you put your child in underwear, they should wear it full-time, with the possible exception of night time (night dryness comes last).  For this reason, I think it's best to start potty training in warmer weather if possible.  This makes it easier to change clothes with a minimum of inconvenience to you and less discomfort to your child.

Clothing. Potty training is also the point where you have to let go of those cute one-piece outfits and overalls for a while.  Clothes need to pull up and down easily, especially for boys.  Consider starting out with thicker training pants and wait until your child begins to understand the potty habit and can stay dry a little longer, before moving on to the cute superhero or frilly underwear in hopes of motivating him or her to complete training more quickly. Keep track of your child's progress using charts like the free ones available here.  Reward your child's efforts with hugs and stickers.  With C., we learned the hard way to minimize sugary rewards to one M & M for #2 success!

Dealing with Accidents. Bigger kids make bigger messes! I would keep several extra plastic bags and double or triple the amount of wipes I usually carry in my diaper bag for accidents outside the house. I have had several harrowing experiences with messier accidents, the most recent at a water park...don't worry, I figured out what was happening in time!   You might also consider investing in flushable wipes.  For at home accidents, well, sometimes you just gotta pop them in the tub.  

Oh, the Laundry!  Potty training is a laundry nightmare,  When we built our new house, I knew I was pregnant with E., (although I didn't yet know whether he was a boy or a girl) so I ordered the laundry sink.  Between potty training and all the other yuck my boys bring in the house, it's one of the best decisions I ever made.  Laundry sink or no, soak underwear in a bucket or basin with hot water and a splash of ammonia, rinse, then dump the gross water in the commode and launder the underwear as usual.  Even so, there will be times when you will just go ahead and chuck the undies.

E. is coming right along with the potty training, and in fact made great strides just this past weekend.  I console myself with the sure belief that he when we walks across the stage to accept his degree from Harvard University, he will probably not be wearing a Pull-Up!

We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

This is the kid who....

completed the following assignment in October 2009, one full month into fifth grade:

(Assignment is reported exactly as written.)

Science Chapter 7 Lesson 3

1.  Write about a path through the rock cycle from the perspective of a rock.  Begin with the following types of rock: igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic.  Be sure to include details about the forces and processes that change the rock you have chosen.

Hi!  I'm a igneous rock.  I was just cooled down and formed into rock.  Ow!  Water's being forced against me.  I'm being weathered and now I'm sediment.  Now I'm being pressurized and all of the sediment around me is being cemented together.  Now I'm a sedimentary rock.  I'm sandstone and I'm all gritty.  Whew!  Now is the room getting smaller?  Gawd, it's boiling in here!  Ah! All this pressure hurts!  Eggegeh, ahhhh! I'm glad that's over!  Bye-bye, sedimentary rock, hello, metamorphic rock! I'm igneiss and do I look good! I've got black stripes and a gray surface.  Whoah, I'm being sucked into a volcano.  Ew, I'm magma and now I'm all liquidy.  Whoah, this baby's gonna blow!  Wheee! Oof! Ahhh, now I'm back to being obsidian, a igneous rock.  Bye!

He received 100% on the quiz.  The teacher commented, "Great job!  You followed all of the directions!"...the only kid in class who did!

Image: Low Brown Karate Test, April 2008.  Image courtesy Hubby P.

What are you doing with the kids this weekend?

Have you ever seen that commercial with the three moms of infants on a "playdate"?  The moms are chatting away about how much the kids are enjoying playing together when the camera cuts to the three babies, blissfully sleeping in their infant carriers.  That "playdate" was for the moms!

Yakini commented on my post last week about my mother's group, saying she wished she had something like that to go to with her baby son Chase.  When I first had my son C., I remember wishing that I had a defined support group of fellow mommies to just "be" with from time to time.  Between everyone's child on a different schedule and each mom's differing parenting philosophies, I remember feeling a bit isolated.

The mother's group I belong to, Jack and Jill of America, Inc., (more on this in a future post) is for children aged two and up.  But I would encourage any mom of an infant to look to your own resources to make your own little support group.  Chat up other moms if you take your child to daycare, swimming or music classes.  I actually think it's easier to coordinate meetups when you each have one child - there are fewer scheduling and naptime conflicts.  Consider purchasing simple social cards such as those available at TinyPrints or VistaPrint (where you can order free cards from selected designs, just pay shipping) to simplify exchanging contact information.

Mommies of infants can meet for a morning coffee date at the bakery or the park.  A couple of hours of girlfriend chat between babies' naptimes will do wonders to recharge you.  For toddlers ages two to about four, consider meeting at a play place like Chuck E. Cheese - but be sure to go at 9 a.m. when they open.  Normally I personally consider places like Chuck E. Cheese a headache waiting to happen, but the kids love it!  There is usually have a small contained area with activities which are suitable for smaller children.  At opening time, it will be deserted enough that you can relax, and your child will be ready to go home before the birthday parties start and it gets chaotic!

So, why not reach out to that nice mom you keep seeing at morning drop off or Gymboree, and ask her if she'd like to get together with the kids this weekend? Maybe she's looking for a supportive mommy friend too.

Thanks for the support, Yakini!  Be sure to check out Yakini's blog, The Prissy Mommy Chronicles, at http://www.prissymommy.com/.  It's about her experiences as a new mommy to Chase, with some girly stuff thrown in.  I think it's great and I bet you will too!

Image courtesy bestofbakingsoda.

MommyFit

Workout

A workout is 25% perspiration and 75% determination. It is one part physical exertion and three parts self discipline. Doing it is easy once you start. A workout
makes you feel better today than you did yesterday. It strengthens the body, releases the mind and toughens the spirit. Workout regularly and your problems
diminish as your confidence grows. A workout is a personal triumph over laziness and procrastination. It is the badge of a winner and mark of an organized, goal oriented person who has taken charge of his/her destiny. A workout is a wise use of time and an investment in excellence. It is a way of proving to yourself that your have what it takes to do what is necessary. A workout is the key that helps unlock the door to opportunity and success. Hidden within each of us is an extraordinary force. Physical and mental fitness are triggers that release it. A workout is a form of rebirth. When you finish a good workout, you don't simply feel better, you feel better about

YOURSELF.

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