The prayer of a toddler

Dearest Lainey, 
After testing every nerve in my body at dinner last night and almost laughing at the fact that I said you were going to get a spanking if you did not listen, you single-handedly reminded me of all of the goodness that comes with being your mom.

To listen to you as you say your bedtime prayers has got to be one of the most wonderful moments ever. While I ask you nightly if you want to say bedtime prayers, I never force you.  But last night when I asked you, you said "okaaaaayy." 

So I started it off for you...

Mom: "Dear God..."

The rest was all you.

"Dear God, 
Thank you for my Nana.  
Thank you for my Grandpap.  
Thank you for my Steboo.  
Thank you for my Hammy... And Auntie M.  
Thank you for Gilby.  
Thank you for my Jeffrey.  
Thank you for my NeeNee.  
Thank you for my KK and my Noley.  
Thank you for Mommy... for Daddy.  
Thank you for CaCa.  
Thank you for Pap airplane.
Thank you for Torwie and Becky and Dee Dee."

Then I asked, "Is that all you want to thank God for?  He's always listening."

To which you replied, "Thank you for my toy."

I then said, "Well let's ask God to keep Nana healthy and make her strong."

You repeated.

I also said, "And one more thing -- we should ask God to keep Jeffrey safe when he is on his adventure in the ocean."

You asked, "On hims boat?"  

"Yes, on his ship in the middle of the ocean."

And without hesitation you closed with, "Aaaaammmen."

My little girl, your prayers warmed my heart like no other and almost brought tears to my eyes.  It is amazing to me how kind and sweet you can be underneath that terrible two's exterior.

You truly are a blessing.

Love always,
Momma

Things I used to splurge on...

The other day, I caught myself saying, "Well... I'd really like to find some new, awesome, yoga pants or leggings. Since I wear my leggings so much, I need some good, quality ones." 

Do what?! Who is this person who once said that yoga pants or running shorts do not an outfit make!?

Before I became a mom, my spending/splurge list looked kind of like this:

- Designer handbags
- Fancy shoes
- Pedicures every 2 weeks
- Fancy manicures to go with those fancy toes
- Lots of sunglasses
- Heels for each outfit
- Concert tickets
- Nights at the bar

But when you become a mom...
that list tends to change.

No, the spending and splurging doesn't necessarily stop, although it does slow down.  What really changes, though, is what you splurge on.

If I am going to splurge on myself, it's usually on something like this:

- A haircut...yes, you read that right... a hair appointment is a mom-splurge these days!
- A pedicure... oh, but I assure you they are not bi-weekly anymore!
- Ballet flats
- Salon shampoo/conditioner
- Anti aging skin care
- Yoga pants or leggings

Or if we want to look at household splurges, they tend to look like this:

-  Preschool tuition... ok, so it's not a splurge per se but it's a huge chunk of change!
- Tickets to see characters from Disney or Nick Jr *live*
- Dance class tuition
- That toy you couldn't leave behind in Target
 - Redoing spaces in your home to be more toddler-friendly

But you want to know what the cool part is?  

I would have it no other way.

So, what are some things that ya'll splurge on?

xoxo,
Linda

Potty Training: Prep

About one week ago, Lainey came up to me and this conversation occurred:
Lainey - I go to potty?
Me - Do you need to go?
Lainey - Yes, momma!
Me - Do you want to go in the potty?
Lainey - YES! 

And so she did.

And the rest is history...

Just kidding!! That was just the beginning!!

After the song and dance of praising a big girl, we headed to Target to officially start the potty training adventure.

Potty Training Shopping List

1. Potty seats for all of the bathrooms - We chose the Prince Lionheart WeePod Basix - They only had gray and blue; so I got gray for the downstairs bathroom, which has gray walls, and blue for the others.

2. 3M hooks to hang them all on next to toilets - Lainey got to pick the one for her bathroom while the other two bathrooms got plain hooks.

3. Pull Ups - I have also purchased some cloth training undies because these are a little big on Lainey. But she seems to grasp the concept of not peeing on Minnie or Cinderella, so I am going to stick with these for a little while.

4. Potty prizes - stickers, little candies, a monster truck and a couple of small puzzles - I haven't made an official jar or anything yet, although I do like this...but I have another idea.

I had one of these Thirty-One room organizers sitting in a closet, and decided to use it for the "potty center."  I am going to clip a laminated potty chart to it and use the pockets to hold some extra pull ups, wipes, and some of the prizes/stickers.

Some of you may know, I am not a huge fan of characters -- I don't particularly like them on clothes, bedding, or anything really. (Yes, I almost cringed at the Hello Kitty hook, but she liked it and it made her even more excited... pick your battles, folks.) So I took it as a personal mission to find a non-cheesy potty chart! It took some scouring on pinterest, but I found one! You can download it, here, if you want to use it in your home.  It's customizable so you can put your child's name on it.


So far, she's doing pretty well! I try to ask her every hour or so and she almost always goes when I take her.  And she's starting to ask to go! At school, I am sure it is trickier for her teachers since they have a dozen children.  But I am overly pleased and impressed that they are at least taking her so she can try.  

Tip: Adjust the water pressure in the faucet you think your child will use the most often.  Since Lainey insists on washing her hands by herself, we turned the maximum water pressure down in the sink she usually uses so that it doesn't create a giant mess or anything.

For now, no horror stories of potty training at {the nuthouse} - I probably just jinxed myself, didn't I?

xoxo,
Linda