Girl Talk!

Weekend Wrap Up!

I get on blogger probably 10 times a day to stalk every ones blog.. And I never have enough time to write a post, and if I do have the time I can't think of anything to write about.

Yes, I can sit and talk about the funny and ridiculous things Landon does and says everyday, and how big Layla is getting.. but I don't want to bore everyone.

So on to my weekend.

Friday night Dane had to work overtime. and with me working at 7am after watching the midnight movie of Breaking Dawn, I was EXHAUSTED. I made sure Landon didn't take a afternoon nap so he would be ready for bed early. Well he must have been just as tired as I was because he was asleep at 6:15 and Layla was asleep by 7! I'm pretty sure I was asleep 2 minutes after her!

Saturday the kids and I headed to the mall to look for momma something to wear for her hot date that night. Landon was absolutely HORRIBLE in the mall. I was about 2.5 seconds away from sitting on the floor in JcPennys and just crying. I was

so embarrassed! After trying on about 5 dresses I decided on one (thanks to the help of Kendra!) After the mall we headed over to Old Navy for their outerwear sale. Here is what I got:

2 coats for me & 1 coat for Dane. my total: $32! Very excited!!!!

Saturday night I had a hot date with my bff, Cassie! We went to the Morton's Steakhouse in Clayton for her work Christmas Party. It's official, my bff has taken me to a nicer restaurant than my husband ever has!!!! Valet parking and all!

(stole this picture from her blog)

Who said moms can't be hot?!?!?! ;)

I had a great time! She works for an amazing company and has one of the nicest bosses I've ever met!!!!

Sunday Dane & I headed back to the mall (brave after yesterdays experience) to get the kids Christmas outfits. We walked by Santa a few times and Landon was TERRIFIED the first few times, but after walking by and talking about him he seemed to have warmed up a little bit and said he would get his picture taken with him if Layla did too. We'll see how that goes. Hopefully a little better than his picture with the Easter Bunny...

lol poor kid!

After nearly 3 hours of searching for the kiddos Christmas outfits, we finally decided on them! Yess!! Then we headed back to Old Navy for their sweater sale. We got 7 sweaters for less than $50. I thought it was a good deal!! (Should have took Sarah up on her coupon she offered me. shucks!!!)

Today I went to Wal Mart and did all the shopping for our Thanksgiving dinner and I got a new scale! Very excited because I think the scale I've been using has been lying to me. On my good week I gain, and my bad week I lose. Definitely throwing that POS in the trash!! Probably not the best week to get on the scale and start my diet seriously, but if I put it off til next week, it's only another week until my goal!

My sisters & I planned a sisters weekend in February to go to see Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan..We got tickets the morning they went on sale. Our tickets were OK. But we figured this will probably be a once in a lifetime trip (I have a feeling were going to get wild and our hubby's aren't going to let us go again! haha!)

So we found some really good tickets online. And although we are paying a arm and a leg for them.. we are FRONT ROW CENTER. Seriously, I'm going to be drooling the ENTIRE concert. I heart Luke Bryan!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Hope everyone had a great weekend! I'll try and start blogging regularly again! :)

Later!

to my Landon & Layla

Roller coaster mornings,

roller coaster nights.

Waking in the darkness,

to make sure you're alright...

Little hearts beating,

Little breaths breathing...

Remembering when

I breathed

with you,

for you....

Stroking baby princess hair,

smelling sweet & new...

Darling little angel face,

can't believe you're you...

Tiptoeing into little prince's kingdom,

careful not to disturb his dream..

Of playing the play,

and living the day of life...

In the sweetness of who he is...

And who he'll become,

and what he'll make of me...

And as they breathe...

I breathe with them.

And as they live,

angels among us,

I live with them.

And as they laugh...

My soul is soothed..

I laugh with them...

And when they cry...

My heart is heavy...

I cry with them.

And as they grow...

Part of me looks toward

the future...I glow.

And a part of me yearns

for the past...I mourn.

Yet, we move on together...

And as they sleep...

Night after night...

I look over them...

I pray for them...

I love them...

I thank God for them...

Love,

Mommy

Did you know?!?

Did you know that if you put a wooden spoon over a pot of boiling water, it won't boil over?

• You can use coffee filters to clean glass, CD’s/DVD’s, computer monitors and even your iPad.
• Pour some baking soda into a coffee filter, wrap it up with a rubber band and stick it into smelly athletic shoes to absorb the stench.
• Use a coffee filter to pour oil into your car engine without messy spillage.
• In case you run out of dryer sheets and you’re in a pinch, just apply a few drops of fabric softener to a coffee filter, rub the sides together and stick it in the dryer.
  
  

• 
  

• Stash a few marshmallows in a box of brown sugar or the sugar bowl to prevent the sugar from hardening or clumping.
• Make ice cream cones less messy by sticking a few marshmallows in the bottom of the cone to prevent the ice cream from leaking out.
  
• Eat three or four marshmallows to sooth a sore throat. Greg has actually used this a few times but I’ve always thought it to be quite odd. Come to find out, there’s a scientific reason as to why it works. Apparently, the gelatin is very helpful when it comes to relieving irritation and soothing pain in your throat. And I’m sure it’s a lot more tasty than nasty throat lozenges.

• You can brighten up your white tennis shoes with a toothbrush (one used for cleaning of course) and some whitening toothpaste. Just scrub and rinse.
• No caulk on hand? Use a bit of (white) toothpaste. This works really well on small pinholes and white woodwork.
• Use a spot of toothpaste to remove stains from carpet. Just brush it in the carpet, rinse and the stain will come right out.
• Remove hairspray residue from your hair straightener or curling iron with a tad of toothpaste and a soft cloth. Since toothpaste is abrasive, you may not want to use this on ceramic models.
• Overnight blemish cream. It works. Enough said.
• Toothpaste can soothe pain from minor burns (that don’t involve an open wound). Ithas been said to temporarily relive the pain and actually prevents the wound from opening.
• Use toothpaste to remove scratches from leather. Just dab some toothpaste on the scratch, wipe it off with a soft cloth then wipe the area with a damp cloth. Be sure not to use whitening toothpaste, as it might bleach the leather.
• Get rid of the nasty onion smell on your hands by “washing” them with toothpaste.
• • 
  • 

Potty Training 101

I know I am not the only momma going through this right now..

So I thought I'd share a few things I found online to help anyone who is trying to figure out this whole Potty Training thing too!

(keep in mind- these aren't my words..just advice I found to hopefully help us!)

:)

1. All About the Bribes

Two words: Mini M&M's! Promise that each time your kid goes potty, she gets two or three, but if she wipes herself (a huge challenge for us) then she gets four or five. This makes a big difference since I think one of the reasons kids don't like to go is because the business of learning to wipe is kind of yucky.

2. Daddy Does It

After a couple of failed attempts, I tried a new technique while Mom was away on a well-deserved weekend with her friends. We covered the couch and chairs with plastic and bought "manly-man" underwear -- just like Dad's. We spent the weekend in underwear and T-shirts, making a game every hour or so to see who could go to the restroom. There were very few accidents and just blocking out a weekend made for very little stress. It's still one of my favorite memories.

3.Target Practice

Getting my son to learn the standing-up thing was hard, so we turned it into a game. I put five Cheerios in the potty and told him to aim at them when he peed. Every time he did it right, he got to pick out a prize from a bag of goodies I picked up at the dollar store.

4. Heap on the Praise

I've heard all the tricks -- stickers, bribing with toys, special underpants. But you have to pick something that's consistent with your parenting style. I didn't use rewards elsewhere, so I didn't want to start here. What did work: Lots of undivided attention, positive reinforcement, love, affection and pride when my kids were successful. Making a big deal about small steps of progress is key.

5. Little White Lies

My middle son was stubborn when it came to #2 on the potty -- absolutely refused, no matter the reward. So I finally told him that when we flush, the poop goes out to the sea to feed the fish -- so if he didn't go, then the poor little fish wouldn't have anything to eat. My son, being the compassionate, sensitive little do-gooder he is, felt it was his mission to poop to "save" the fish. (After all, Nemo and Dory were counting on him!)

6.What's the Frequency?

I wish I could take credit for his training, but the amazing teachers at his daycare did the hard stuff: Putting him on the toilet every 20 minutes, without fail. We just followed their lead at home. And I think the fact that he saw his classmates going on the potty made him want to also.

We found that our son simply was not interested in remembering to go on his own, so we found the Potty Watch, which he loved. You program this wrist watch to play songs and light up at 30-, 60-, or 90-minute intervals; then it resets itself and starts the countdown all over again.

**I know someone that had success with the potty training watch.. I might need to invest in one!!! $10 is definitely worth the shot! http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4033754

7. The Naked Truth

Once my kids were interested in the potty concept -- around 2 to 2 1/2 -- we let them run around naked before bathtime and encouraged them to use the potty. Then I let them go sans pants at home for extended periods of time (they did really well remembering to go as long as they didn't have any clothes on). After they mastered naked-potty use, we worked our way up to clothes (first just underwear, then eventually pants). This method was extremely painless -- very few accidents or setbacks.

8. Figuring Out the Fear

Our first son began peeing on the potty at 18 months, but he was scared to do "the other." After offering many rewards and becoming very frustrated, we turned to the doctor, who explained that some children view bowel movements as a literal part of themselves and are afraid to watch them flush away. (This made so much sense because he was a very analytical child.) After showing him a children's anatomy book and explaining how the digestive system worked, he started going #2 the very next day!

9. Sticker Shock

Every time each of our toddlers used the potty, I decorated their outfits with stickers. At the end of the day they showed off their rows of stickers (which looked like an army general's stars) to their father. So they got double the praise for their potty training successes, and I got an inexpensive and easy way to reward them.

10. Patience Is a Virtue

When I thought my daughter was ready (around 26 months), we went to the toilet every 10 minutes -- even if we were out. We slowly worked up to 15 minutes, 20 minutes, etc., and after a day or two, she could pee on her own. Poop was a different story -- I had to goad her with M&M's!

11. Find the Right Bribe

We tried Cheerios, M&M's, potty charts, cheerleader rants and screams, but nothing worked. My son has always been obsessed with cars and trucks and luckily, the movie Cars had just come out. My husband scoured the local stores to collect all the figurines featured in the movie. We saw the movie, then we told my son that every time he went potty he'd get a car. It was magical. After 15 cars, he was totally potty trained. I'm sure Disney would be so proud.

12. Go for Broke

Just go cold turkey. My 2-year-old seemed ready for potty training but none of the "tricks" were working. We picked a Saturday, put him in big-boy underwear and braced ourselves. He went in his pants four or five times within the first hour; we kept changing him and telling him that he needed to use the potty instead. After a really long day, he got the hang of it and was all potty trained by Monday. He still had the occasional accident, but making the switch once and for all really seemed to work.

13. Location, Location, Location

We found that the kiddie lids that go on top of the toilet were too intimidating to use right away. (Plus, since they usually need a step stool, it can take too long for children to reach the toilet in time.) So I started my 2-year-old daughter with a mini-Elmo potty seat, which we kept in the living room, since she spent the most time there. We gradually moved it closer and closer to the bathroom, and eventually worked our way up to a Dora seat that went right on top of the toilet.

14. On the Road

My daughter was terrified of the automatic flushers in public restrooms, so I started doing this trick. Put a Post-It note over the sensor and it will prevent the toilet from auto-flushing. After she's all done, wiped, and left the stall, you can remove the paper to let the toilet flush.

Do you have any tips?? Please share!!!

Landon will be 2 1/2 next month and I really would LOVE for him to be potty trained before he is 3!!!

Seriously. Planning my child to turn 3 just SCARES THE HELL OUT OF ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ahhh!!!

Wordless Wednesday!

bahahahahahaha

Dear..

Dear thugs of Cahokia and surrounding cities that come to the town to cause problems,

My lovely husband is on call this weekend, and we have a babysitter for the SECOND time this YEAR. So please be a dear and stay the hell out of the town this weekend. We don't want any problems to where he would have to be called out.

Thank you,

The Wife of a Hunky Police Detective ;)