How to train a stubborn and strong willed 2.5 year old.

If this were the title of a book, and it probably is , the pages should be blank. In fact I have come to the conclusion that potty training books are like any of the newest diet fad books you see in the bookstore. They may work for a few people but most likely they will end up on the bookshelves at the nearest Goodwill.

If I have learned anything in the last few months and especially in the last few weeks, it is that I am not potty training my kid. I have only an ounce of control over this situation AND, the most important thing I've learned is to be ok with that. We have had a lot of success in the last few days. Or he has rather. But it is because he gets to decide just how much he cares about using the toilet. Some days he tolerates using the potty because of the cool underwear with his favorite Disney characters on them and the candy he knows he will be rewarded with but then there are days that he's just over it and could care less what the reward will be.

It's a hassle for him to potty train. It takes more time out of his play to sit and use the toilet than it does for me to change him. Even though he didn't pee his pants yesterday, he only peed once on the toilet and that was after a major melt down and a lot of bribery. He held his pee for hours out of sheer stubbornness.

 It just didn't feel quite right to pressure my son to use the toilet to the point that he was so irritated that he threw a fit. If my son is anything like my husband and I, he will resent with a passion anything that anyone pushes on him, including potty training. This morning when we woke up I brought Henry a pair of his favorite underwear and a diaper and asked him what he wanted to wear. I asked twice. Both times he decided on his diaper. So I've accepted that today, or at least this morning, we will not be doing much other than talking about sitting on the toilet.

At this point I realize that my job is to gently remind him about all of the rewards of potty training, to often ask him if he would like to use the potty and to cheer him on in any success.

With all of the ways to connect with other parents via facebook, pregnancy and parenting forums, play groups, etc., it becomes easy to compare yourselves to other mothers and compare your child to other kids. There are days where I worry that I am letting Henry down by allowing him to have his binky and continue to be in diaper. Worse than that, there are days that I worry what other's think of Henry and I because I allow him to continue to do those things. Ultimately it doesn't matter because the chances that my son will become a 25 year old binky sucking, diaper wearing member of society are extremely slim.

Knock Off Ocean Water

I'm a fan of Sonic drive in. I knew when we got to Georgia that I was going to have to be careful with how much I indulge myself on their delicious burgers and drinks. So far so good. But the other day as I'm sipping on my favorite drink, Ocean Water, I realize that the coconut flavor isn't as strong and that it tastes just like Sprite. And then I realized it was Sprite. With blue dye and coconut flavoring. Maybe I should have been disappointed at the lack of magic but instead I was thrilled. And even more thrilling was learning that Sonic sells their little rabbit turd shaped ice by the bag. Super fun to crunch on.

 So today I went to Walmart for the ingredients, stopped by Sonic for a bag of ice (Just 1.99 a bag btw) and as I type this I am sipping on my very own and much less expensive Ocean Water. I even added some blue food coloring for authenticity. I like mine better because I can add as much coconut flavoring as I want. And I want mine super coconutty!

PS.I realize that I am probably the last person in the world to discover this simple recipe but thought I might share anyway.

Settling In

The boxes are almost all emptied. Just a few mirror packs that need to be hidden away in the closet remain and empty boxes that need to be taken to the trash. Henry is loving his new room and our worthless cat Charlie is extremely content and comfortable.

The new apartment is smaller than our last place and doing without our things for nearly 5 months made me see things a little clearer when our stuff arrived. We have taken 2 large car loads of STUFF to the local Goodwill.

Today we took a drive over to SC and walked around a lake, soaking up the sun. I felt the last of my seasonal depression evaporate into the air and leave me, hopefully for good. We've only been here a few weeks but I know I'll be happy here. I like new places. Fresh starts.

The only trouble is making new friends. It's difficult for me. Depression gone or not, the anxiety is always there making me paranoid and overly cautious. I was so blessed to meet Margaret, Desiree and Meghann in California. They were, and still are, each a necessary element in my life. The perfect balance of happiness in friendship. I still haven't come to terms with how long it might be before I see them all again.

I may or may not be screening other women for possible friendships. -____-

Do you think it's appropriate to write an open letter on a military spouses facebook page advertising for 3 friends that are as charming,open minded, hilarious and kind as Triple MD? Yeah...I didn't think so either. Even If I did sing it like those kids from Mary Poppin's looking for a new nanny...