night time potty training: HELP!

Miss Kennedy has been potty trained since the week she turned 2. At night time, we've always put her in a Pull-Up, but as of recently I have really noticed that she seems to rely on them out of laziness rather than use them accidentally.

For the past couple weeks, I had been trying to prepare her for the switch into wearing undies at night. This is the routine we worked out if she doesn't get out of bed to go potty while wearing underwear:

1. First off since you're not wearing a Pull-Up, if you pee it's going to get all over you and your pajamas, your blankie, and your bedding. "Does that sound very fun to you, Kennedy?" Puh, no mom!

2. If you get your pajamas wet, you're going to need to change into clean clothes and since your bedding is wet and I am NOT changing the sheets at 2am you'll have to make a bed on the floor.

3. If you pee on your 'second' bed, I truly don't know what we're going to do.

4. When we wake up in the morning you have to pull your bedding off your bed and put it into the washer.

*Still working on a more permanent, simple, reward system for waking up dry with no accidents but currently she has her eye on a triage call card I use as a bookmark which I have promised her as soon as she has ONE dry night*

I don't know if I'm being mean, but this seems like a totally appropriate sequence of events.

Starting in June/July.. basically since we've moved Kennedy has had a few streaks where during the day she has done poorly with accidents. When it happens, it will happen two or three times a day; I don't know if my frustration negatively affects her or if the groove of her day is too hectic for her to take 3 seconds and listen to her body. She's had two bladder infections in her little life, and one of them was within the past year so she is able to recall how much fun they are! No symptoms. Just a seemingly busy girl getting familiar with her new surroundings.

So, let me bring you to this past week. Each night I let her sleep in a Pull-Up urging her how important it was to get out of bed to go pee.  I didn't want to completely get her of Pull-Ups cold turkey, but she didn't get out of bed once in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. 

Friday night I'm putting her to bed. Bath, teeth brushed, potty, and Pull-Up. We were lolly-gagging around having fun and also cleaning up her room, so it was a little bit before she was actually in bed. She asked if she could play on my phone for a little while and I gladly let her do so to wind down a little more. When I told her it was time to put the phone away and to try to go pee one last time for bed.. she walks into the bathroom, which is 5 feet from her bedroom, turns around and comes back into her room to tell me, "Um, I accidentally peed in my Pull-Up..".

ALSKFDJAOWSIEJFALSDF#$&^*OIN

She was WIDE AWAKE. We were talking in her bed and playing around on my phone. She wasn't even remotely tucked in and sleepy. I was furious; I first yelled at her which made her upset and that was not my goal. I composed myself and tried talking to her. "Why, why, why Kennedy! You were wide awake!" I don't know.

She never really did explain herself, but that was night one of no Pull-Up. It really showed me just how lazy they had made her. Do I understand? Not even a little bit. Yuck, kid! To make her feel a little better about the situation, I told her I would come and wake her up to go to the bathroom before I went to bed.

First check: COOL, 2-3 hours later and she's still dry! We get her up to go potty and I'm certain she'll be golden!

Wrong. She had an accident some time after that. She tried being sly when she came to get me: "How come my bed is wet if I didn't have an accident?" ERRR! Now please go change.. After setting her make-shift bed up on the floor she fell back asleep and stayed dry for the rest of the night.

I feel this is going to be a huge challenge for her. When I ask if there's anything I can do to help, or what is going to help her get to the bathroom in the middle of the night she says, "If I run?" I guess I'm asking in a way in which she feels like I'm quizzing her. There are so many options but so many have major pros and major cons.

Any advice out there? It'd be greatly appreciated.

No slumber party parlor tricks over here.

Leia

things I'm thankful for: a list

• my family

 

• my friends (yes.. I KNOW! Hands down this is the weirdest photo we've ever taken together..) 

•  my job

• books, books, books!

• spaghetti

• James Franco

• How I Met Your Mother (hands down the greatest television show ever made)

•  cherry coca-cola

• Earth and being from the high five of America (well, during Spring, Summer, and Fall)

• my cell phone

• my education (Eastern Michigan and their entire cluster fuck of parking)

• Emagine and their comfy, reclining seats (and their creepy CEO who made it all happen; what's that weird basket in the seat next to him? I haven't the slightest clue!)

• stores that make your dreams come true

Yes, most importantly I am thankful for my family. My husband and two little daughters mean the absolute world to me. Most times when I read someone's description of how their family makes them feel, it makes me wonder if I'm doing it all wrong. Yes, I would do anything for the three of them and my life would never be the same without one of them in it.. but there are definitely things I'm not thankful for: waking up 2-3 times a night to find Piper's paci for 1 year and 2 months; or when your 4 year old talks back or says "duh" in response to a statement.

And yes, there are materialistic items on this list and I feel no shame. I feel that these ancillary items make my life exponentially better. If they were to disappear it would be hard on me for a while (okay, if James Franco disappeared I might have to call it quits). What's life without being thankful for some guilty pleasures?

Overall we had a good Thanksgiving. We had three stops on our list but decided that two would be enough. I hope everyone else had a wonderful holiday, and hey, if you don't celebrate I hope you took advantage of some awesome sales!

Sorry we're one month late, Canada!

Leia

"week off"

Woo-wee has this semester has really worn me down. So much harder than I was actually expecting. I try not to complain because these were things I conscientiously added to my plate but LORT, I am exhausted. Piper hasn't helped me at all with this. I don't know what to do to help this kid sleep at night!

With this week being Thanksgiving, I had class only one day! Hooray for no Monday morning labs and no Thursday lectures! And if I'm being honest, I skipped two of my classes on Tuesday. I went in late and missed chemistry and I left late, missing math. My brain and will power has gone out the window this week. Hence why this post isn't even a mid-week meal share. And all five readers wept themselves to sleep.

So for the most part this week has involved some quality time at home with my family which consequently leads to me struggling not to call in sick to work all week.

So now we're patiently waiting to have our fill between two Thanksgiving dinner's tomorrow! Hopefully everyone has amazing feasts with your loved ones!

Turducken, anyone?

Leia

shine bright like a cubic zirconia

About two weeks ago, Kennedy had mentioned that she wanted her ears pierced while she was out shopping with Brendon and she discovered a pair of Sophia the First earring and necklace set. To my knowledge, the girl has never even watched Sophia. I'm hoping that she is a character talked about at pre-school and I am not so horrible or busy to even notice what television shows she watches during her down time..

Being the wonderful dad that he is, Brendon purchased the Sophia the First earring set and found an at home ear piercing kit online. At first I thought it was the most absurd idea. You're fuckin' jokin' me, right? We're not actually going to pierce our baby daughter's ears with something purchased from Walmart.com are we?!

She was so excited when the kit finally arrived. First off, I think it's mean and hilarious that they try to advertise it as gentle. Then came all the questions:

"Will it hurt?"

"After we can put in my Sophia earrings?"

"It feels just like a shot right?"

"There's going to be a needle in my ear after?"

"The hole will be there forever?"

After answering all her inquiries we started the process of cleaning her ears and setting up shop.

November 17, 2015: okay, the easy part is out of the way!

After getting her ears marked and pulling the rest of the pieces out of the box, she started to get squeamish. This is something that I expected her to do because I think it's a right of passage to cancel on your mom when you get to Claire's to get your ears pierced the first time. But coming from the girl who got four shots last month and didn't even cry I hoped that we could talk to her through it and get it done. 

Even after dad talked her through everything again, and that it would be done in a matter of seconds we couldn't convince her to go through with it. Once she saw the little needle point of the earring in the piercing gun, she had one of those: "oh shit, I think I left the oven on" moments and tried to scurry out of the room as quickly as her feet and legs would carry her. This is where I'm glad that we had the kit at home. We weren't 'burdened' with a trip to the mall to have to come home 'empty handed'. Now we had the kit at home and if she changed her mind it would be an easy thing to fit into our schedule.

*4 hours later*

After her bath, we talked about it some more and various deals were conjured up. No, it wasn't essential that she get her ears pierced, but I knew that she was just being fearful and that she would love and be happy with the outcome. 

BOOM! One ear is done.

She regretted her decision immediately.

Some tears were shed and she was upset. She didn't want her other ear pierced and she wanted us to take this one out. Twenty minutes later we had success. And boy was she proud afterwards! Like I knew she would be.

When I picked up her from school the next day her teachers told me how excited she was to show all her classmates. I hope she wasn't coming off as a little show off. We all no NO ONE likes a show off.

Mrs. Miller: "Kennedy was so excited to show everyone her earrings today!"

Me: "I thought she might be, hopefully it wasn't distracting!"

Mrs. M: "Nope! We asked her if it hurt and she said, 'yeah, I only cried for a minute though.'"

We're now on day 4 of cleaning them and so far, so good! She does a really good job of leaving them alone when we're not cleaning or checking to make sure there are no long strands of blonde hair wrapped around the posts. I think that was the most annoying part of having new earrings. Why did hair ONLY get tangled when they were fresh? As if our hair adjusts to earrings being there or something.

And then in other news, we had our first snow in Michigan today! I was promptly woken up at 8am by Kennedy whispering that there 'are so many snowflakes outside!'

I had to leave for work around 3pm and she had been out to frolic in the snow three times. At least one of us enjoys it!

Winter is coming here.

Leia

mid-week meal share: garlic chicken farfalle

This recipe is one of my favorites! The recipe itself is easy, but you have to use multiple pans and kitchen tools to get it done. Be forewarned! There is major kitchen clean-up after this little diddy - about garlic chicken farfalle; it's no chili dog but I think Jack and Diane would love to suck on this, too. Hahaha, I kill myself. If you didn't grasp that tidbit of John Cougar Mellencamp... I say good day!

Cost effective: $35, a touch more expensive than most things I share - still much cheaper than dining out (BUT this is for ALL ingredients, pre-cut/packaged green beans, and Texas toast)

Easy to concoct: you will need to be able to multi-task

Nutritious: carbs, carbs, carbs

Here's what you'll need for this one:

 per the recipe: 

16 oz Farfalle

1 pound chicken (not pictured)

1 pound bacon - crumbled

2-3 cloves garlic (minced)

1 tbsp pepper

1 cup heavy whipping cream

½ cup butter

½ cup shredded parmesan

Lawry's mesquite marinade with lime juice

per my adjustments (I made double the amount of sauce because.. WE ARE GLUTTONS):

16 oz mini Farfalle (or other small shape pasta)
1 pound chicken
1 pound bacon - crumbled
1½ tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp pepper
1 tbsp kick'n chicken seasoning
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup butter
1 cup shredded parmesan
1½ cans of cream of chicken soup
½ can of Swanson's chicken broth

The only thing I didn't double up on for the sauce was the bacon and pepper. I just really hate running the risk of a creamy pasta turning out dry. Tips from the blog I took the recipe from indicate that 1 tbsp of pepper is really peppery and to add it slowly and taste in between dashes because if you aren't a fan of pepper it could potentially ruin the dish for you.

1. Start up your crock-pot! I spray mine first with Pam for baking. Combine 1½ cans of cream of chicken soup and ½ can of chicken broth. Add chicken to crock-pot and cover with soup mixture.
2. Cook on high for 3 hours. If you do not have a crock-pot this recipe is still possible by baking the chicken in the oven. I only use the crock-pot to better shred the chicken.
3. Cook bacon, let cool, crumble, refrigerate.
ONCE YOU HAVE 30 MINUTES LEFT ON CROCK-POT TIMER:
4. Boil water for noodles.
5. Wait for water to boil and add noodles. No, I know you guys don't need instruction on when you put the noodles into the water, but I just wanted to make sure you waited until the next step! So, I'm hoping you're reading each step on it's own!
6. Combine in a saucepan: heavy whipping cream, butter, pepper, (kick'n chicken), shredded parmesan cheese, garlic, and bacon. If you plan on having sides this is when I would start cooking them up as well.

 7. Continuously stir/whisk, and once the butter has melted heat for 3-4 more minutes.
8. Trip over Piper because she keeps opening all the drawers. Please let me know in advance if you need to borrow her to complete the next steps.

9. If you don't have an extra hand in the kitchen this is when you're going to drain your pasta and remove the sauce from the heat so you can shred the chicken! (THANKS HUSBAND!)

Awesome chicken shredding tool

10. Once the chicken is shredded combine your sauce, noodles, and chicken!

11. ENJOY! And yes, there will probably one critic in the bunch.

Le RUDE.

And like I said, clean-up after this one will be a chore. Believe me, I would have used paper plates but we were all out. Truthfully though, it was nice to have out real plates and fixin's for a change.

This is one of those recipes that I personally tweak each time to try and make it better. I think I got it spot on this time around, though. It wasn't too spicy and there was the perfect amount of sauce. At what point do you feel it's appropriate to call a recipe your own? I would never want to claim something as my own, but just from this post alone you can find three different ways to make this dish and each one is different.



Still scrubbing that pot..
Leia

enter the rumpus room

Yesterday I had early morning anatomy and chemistry lab, but when I got home I thought I would try to tidy up Piper and Kennedy's bedrooms. Things that really need to get done are: sorting through clothes that Kennedy and Piper have outgrown, narrowing down a list of new clothes that Kennedy will need and pulling out clothes we've stored and kept safe for Piper; and sort through toys that are missing pieces or that are no longer developmentally appropriate for either one. Let me start off my complimenting the wonderful help I had!

KENNEDY'S ROOM BEFORE:

KENNEDY'S ROOM AFTER:

PIPER'S ROOM BEFORE:

PIPER'S ROOM AFTER:

Anyone else when you're trying to clean and organize, you get sidetracked? One minute you're throwing away all your socks that somehow lost their match and the next minute you're looking at your middle school yearbooks that you didn't even realize you still had? Well that's me, so yes, there are still things I need to accomplish in both rooms. Piper's room will take more of my attention. Piper's toys are currently residing in the play room and in the garage. I still haven't gotten around to bringing most of the toys into the house because I want to sort and get rid of stuff before letting the unnecessary things even enter the house. Because you know if they enter, Kennedy will find them and not want to part with them and then the whole ordeal of disposal will have to mimic that of a Seal Team 6 special mission. 

Kennedy's room: I still very much want to get some artwork for the wall above her dresser. I've also been debating about painting that wall white because with the geo pattern accent walls I feel hanging art on a pink wall might be too much all at once. I still need to organize and setup her more 'breakable' items on her dresser. We also need to set her fish tank back up, and replace her fish since they unfortunately did not survive the move.  RIP: No Name and No Name.

Piper's room: So her room is really only a disaster zone when it comes to her dresser and closet organization. Up until now she has been "living out of a suitcase" the past few weeks because I didn't want to mix stuff that currently fits her in with the stuff that doesn't fit her or that is now out of season. So consistently there had been two laundry baskets in her room. One for clean clothes, and one for dirty clothes. Super lazy but also on a highly restrictive time schedule. Now I can proudly say there is only ONE laundry basket with clean clothes.. I just need to.. put them away.. maybe tonight before bed? I would also like to invest in some artwork for the wall above her dresser as well but I don't want to re-invest when she "grows up" in a year. Storage in her room is an issue. I've been on the hunt for a storage solution that isn't too clunky but that is also durable enough to withstand the weight of a toddler and the destruction of a toddler.

Does anyone have any suggestions for their favorite, and affordable, storage options?

But, being kids, their rooms are in constant chaos. It's one of those things that I don't particularly care about. Kennedy isn't really to an age where we make her do chores but on occasion I will have her tidy up her room. Mainly if we are having a party/family get together or if it becomes too unruly. Piper's room is less of a headache because she A) doesn't spend time in her room alone and B) doesn't have most of her toys and play things in there to clutter the space.

Would it be nice to have a Pottery Barn setup each and every day? Of course! Do I want to take the time to make it happen? Of course not! Is keeping a Pottery Barn appearance fun for a kid? Absolutely not. I have to remember at times to let them be little and that the tidiness of their rooms and the day to day appearance doesn't really affect my life. Remember, we're trying to keep on track that average is okay; we aren't fashion home blogging stay at home mom's with clean rooms all the time! 

Mr. Clean, Mr. Clean!

Leia

the 'joy' of neighborhood kids

First let me be clear: I love the fact that Kennedy has friends in the neighborhood to play with and occupy dull time with! In our old subdivision there were no small kids that lived within our proximity and since there was no park there wasn't a central area for us to hang out to potentially meet anyone. So, needless to say having kids knocking on the front and back door during all waking hours is something I'm still adjusting to. The family who lived in our house before we did had three small kids who were friends with the kids in our neighborhood and we met them all because no one seemed to have realized a new family had moved in?

THE GOOD

• When I'm busy around the house, Ken doesn't have to wait for me to "make time" for her.
• Kennedy is active and they spend almost all their time burning off energy outside (I'm going to lose my mind once it starts snowing).
• She gets to know the kids in her pre-school class on a more personal level. Well at least one of them whom I'll call A since I did not ask her parents permission to include her in this post.
• We as parents get to experience trusting her behaviors/actions from afar.
• There are plenty more good reasons.

Let's talk about A. Oh how I wish Kennedy could have known her longer; like those friends who've been friends since they were babies. Yes, I know this usually happens with cousins or the children of close friends. Well, Kennedy doesn't have ANY cousins her own age and Kennedy had already turned  2 by the time any of my friends had babies. And let's be honest it's the most exciting thing to envision your best friends daughter being your daughter's best friend but a two year age gap at that time is massive. And so I get off topic! Back to A!

The dynamic between these two is wonderful! Kennedy is one year younger than A, but it goes mostly without notice. They don't fight or get snippy with each other, they share without having to be told to, they end their play dates when they are told it's time to come inside/go home without quarrel, and to make it even better A's backyard is practically our backyard so if they do happen to be playing outside we can usually see and hear all that goes on. Unfortunately Kennedy now wants a gerbil thanks to the one A has. I told her maybe one day in the future but gerbils are the one rodent that really scare the shit out of me. I probably got bit once as a kid and my brain was never fully to forget the experience. Sorry, Ken!

THE BAD

• Knocks and doorbells all throughout the day; without fail it begins precisely when Piper closes her weary eyes for a nap.
• Knocks and doorbells even after you've told them that Kennedy can't come out and play.
• Bickering while playing because the age gaps are just far enough apart to have different developmental skills.
• Kids that play in your yard after they're told Kennedy can't come out right now.
• Kids that refuse to take no for an answer.
• Kids that question why you're telling them it's time to go home.
• Having Kennedy pick up bad playtime manners from kids who have bad playtime manners.
• There are PLENTY more bad reasons but I've already taken up too much time.

Now, let's talk about B and C. Again I did not ask their parents permission to discuss them in this post so let's just follow alphabetical suit. Oh how I sometimes wish these kids lived on a different street. Even if they can see through the back door (the sliding glass door that leads onto our little deck) that we're sitting down and eating dinner they will continue to knock. And knock, and knock, and knock even if you politely smile and hold up your plate of food. They were good friends with the kids that lived here before us so coming over to play is part of their normal routine.

Yes, we have days that are wonderful and they don't fight and when Kennedy doesn't get annoyed with them. Most often than not though, I want to pull my hair out. Unbeknownst to dad, Kennedy had excused herself from playing with B and C and decided to take it easy in the playroom. A knocked on the door and I invited her inside if it was fine with her mom - who confirmed with a wave from their backdoor across the backyards. So needless to say, when B an C invited themselves over, dad let them in because he assumed this was a prior arrangement between the girls. One broken owl figurine in Ken's room and a broken window screen in the living room later, it was time for them to set sail. GUH! It's so infuriating to have children that aren't yours come into your house uninvited and have them destroy things! Yes, I could have sent them home right away but I thought I would let them all test the waters after being separated for awhile.

Overall, I was just fed up and wished all the kids could be like A.

Luckily I had plans with my gal pals later in the day and this kept me going through the insanity that is neighborhood children. We had planned on a crafting afternoon that involved friendship bracelet making! Yes, this is serious.

November 15, 2015: Chelsea hard a work on a bracelet. Bad photo you say? Brittany brought over alcohol!

Okay, so the photo quality more-so had to do with me holding a fidgety Piper and wanting to get a quick shot of this finger-weaving action! But as the caption says, Brittany brought some adult beverages with her! Chelsea brought some embroidery thread/yarn, Caytee brought herself and I made dinner. It was a great end to my day as I haven't had a lot of down time to accommodate for friend time. We chatted, had some drinks, ate a delicious dinner, and laughed through one of the worst Lifetime movies ever. If you and your friends are looking for a good old fashioned chuckle, I implore you to watch A Wife's Nightmare. The plot escalates quickly and suddenly and you find yourself adding details the movie so clearly forgot.

Now that the ladies have departed, the girls are in bed, the mess is cleaned up and my homework is done I can hit the sheets.

Ding dong!

Leia

mid-week meal share: TAKE OUT

This weeks meal share brought to you by: "Oh, shit! When was the last time we went grocery shopping?!"

The best meal I've been able to put together over the past week was cinnamon rolls for a late breakfast yesterday, and I still consider that to be an accomplishment because everyone was happy and can you believe that Kennedy's tiny tummy even wanted seconds? Hardy har. 

Cost effective: no

Easy to concoct: extremely

Nutritious: maybe, but most likely not

The list of ingredients for this one is short, and hey! You don't even need to go to the store to get them!

cell phone

OR computer with internet access

menu from your favorite take-out/delivery place

cash or credit card (so you need this for every recipe but.. be cool!)

1. Navigate the internet, or your junk drawer, for a menu that tickles your fancy.

2. Place an online order for delivery or pick-up or call your order in using that cell phone I said was needed.

3. Pay for your order online with a credit card, or select the cash upon delivery if they have the option to do so.

4. For the unfortunate ones that live in a less metropolis, like us, you'll need to get in your car and go pick it up, but for those of you that can sit down on the couch? Do that now!

5. Eagerly wait.

6. And voila. Food prepared and brought to you by someone else. If only it was paid for by someone else though, too.

Drunken noodles, pad thai, and nogi rolls. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.

7. Dig in, y'all!

We went with one of our favorites. No Thai. OHMYGOSHGIVEITALLTOMERIGHTMEOW. I was proud of myself because I tried something new and now it will be the one thing I get until I try something new again. When it comes to food I have a comfort zone. Especially when it comes to eating out or ordering. I know what I like so why would I chance ordering something different and not liking it?! 

Obviously, eating out is not always the best choice because it's not easy on the wallet nor is it good for the body. It IS good for the soul, though. And on some occasions, like all this week, that's all that matters.

Choose wisely.

Leia