I believe the word is: Pyro

We love birthday candles!  It was Dad's birthday last week (as in my husband, not my father) and we made a cake with peanut butter frosting and lit candles and sang.

After that, every day Miriam wanted to light the candles in the left over cake AGAIN and AGAIN.  We would do it maybe once a day.

2 days ago, she caught herself on fire and cured herself on the desire.

It was quite simple.  I was kneeling down holding the cake with 3 lit candles.  She was trying to blow then out and not getting it.  So she leaned in/I said get back(hands holding cake remember?)/her hair lit on fire.  In the next instant I - feel immediate panic while setting down cake/hair flares a tiny bit(more panic)/I reach out and extinguish the fire.   Really quite quick and just small bit of damage to her hair (I was slightly concerned about her eyes, but seemed to be fine).

She pointed at me and said, "Mommy blow out candles?"  as in - Mom, YOU blow out the candles now. No more cake candles.  Worse than when she was one and we were singing to her and all of a sudden she reached out and pinched the flame on her one candle out before anyone could stop her.   Once I get my pictures back I'll have to put that picture up for y'all.

Wipe, pull up your pants, flush, and WASH your hands

Someone asked me what my secret was on the whole potty training thing. Is it excessively wrong that the first thing I thought was "Well, for starters my child is whole YEAR older than yours."? All kids potty train different I'm sure and I've potty trained Miriam a little later than I think most moms hope to. But I really figured I would dole out no advise. Because the whole subject is a sore spot in the mommy world. My sister in law texted me when my niece was 16 months old to say that she pooped and peed in the potty. I really wanted to vomit at her feet. It didn't even occur to me that hey- we should potty train- until my daughter was almost 2 ( please note she is over 3 - took me long enough right?)
and I have no secret. We DO everything. We cheer, we give high fives, we put a sticker on her star chart (for which she'll get a toy when she fills it), AND she gets a peanut butter M&M. It may sound like overkill but it works for us. And it's still hit or miss. Like today she actually went potty at the doctors office(big step for us) but came home and peed on the floor.
Some other things only sort of worked for us. Like when we decided to go straight to underwear (sorry pull ups) she could not have cared less when we took her to pick them out. Once she started wearing them though, having a plethera around for her to choose her next pair was helpful.
I'm not sure why we're half on and half off. But I am sticking to my guns on the underwear, even though I am super tired of resolve and feel bad for my carpet. And we make a little progress each day it seems. Did I mention the pee at the dr office? Instead of wetting the car seat or floor. I was very happy.
So anyways... I know we'll get there and I'll no longer be annoyed at the parents of less then two year olds talking about potty training. Whatever. You need that kid out of diapers? Do what works for you. I have zero advise though. Pull ups did make a DVD with some fun songs, it's a hoot to hear Miriam sing them. That's all I'm gonna say.

I did not use towels and resolve carpet cleaner today

Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy. - Alma 36:21

Yeap that was my feeling today.

After struggling a lot for the last couple days with frustration (therefore, also, with keeping my anger in check).

I have felt like a major failure in many ways.  But today something went right.  

Is it totally silly to apply scripture to potty training? I guess it doesn't matter, this is exactly the scripture that came to my mind afterward.

After trying to sit on the potty a couple of times, it was time for our "physical activity" of the day and I decided to go for a walk and to the park (I still deal with SAD down here, so I needed the sunshine).  Miri was ready to go and I was feeling a little blah because I felt sure she was going to potty on herself on our outing.  So I was prepared with extra clothes and a towel (but it is a bit cold this week).  We got down there, and what do you know she's grabbing at her pants.  So I told her if she needed to use the potty we needed to run home and do it.

And what do you think she did?  Turned around and started running home.  Away from the slide and swings and the horse.  Seriously? So I followed.  After we got close to the road she wanted me to pick her up, so I stuck her back in the stroller AND BOOKED IT people, all the way home.  We ran inside, she went right to the potty, pulled down her pants and PEED in it.  

I am telling you, nothing was so exquisite as my frustration this last week but on the other hand, there was nothing so sweet as my relief/joy at this accomplishment.  

She used the potty all day.  We never had to change clothing.  

Now I know...who knows about the days to come.  There may be setbacks and issues on the horizon (including #2).  

But this was the kind of day that gives you hope.

Potty training = cookies

Didn't I mention something a while back about potty training? Something about being "at it again?".
I don't like it. It's hard. And I'm starting to get a glimpse of the ways that age three is hard sometimes.
I have been taking some steps to making our day seem more organized. Organized makes me happier. I recently downloaded a weekly preschooler calendar and I want to make one for our day. So my kid can get up and see that I expect her to go potty and eat breakfast and then we can color and have story time. And YES tv time is coming up ( nevermind that I tired myself out today and she is now on her third episode of Blues Clues). The daily calendar is not ready yet but I did start some routine things today including activity time(wii) and story time and scripture - which lasts about 10 seconds but that is okay.
And because I think she treats Pull Ups pretty much like diapers we are going forth into underwear during the days only land. Until today we had yet to see that kiddo pee pee in the potty. I sat with her on her froggy potty for 1.5 hours until she finally went so I could celebrate that accomplishment like crazy. I told myself a few times- You are staying right here until she goes potty. Afterwards I went and ate 5 cookies while making lunch. Because I get to do that again. Until she gets it. Which hasn't been today. But we're working on it. She's really been fighting me about underwear ( she really didn't even care about picking out her own). But after going in the potty today she seems content to pick out her next pair to wear. I hope we catch on quick cause I can't go eating 5 cookies after every potty episode. That is going to negate a lot of hard work.

2011 so far

Thus far in 2011....

I feel like a ton is going on!  But mostly it's everyday stuff like done 10+ loads of dishes and lots of laundry.  And picked up toys a bazillion times.  Made 9 dozen cookies (most of them today) and only undercooked 2 dozen.  Only overcooked one.  I've done 10 workouts on EA Active 2.   Worked out like 9 hours at the gym at around 6 step classes and some centergy and power classes.  Chased my daughter around our living room 10,000 times.  Worked Weight Watchers meetings. 

Finished some crochet mittens just in time for snow day in the south.  They arn't awesome mittens but they do keep my hands from getting too cold and wet.  I also made myself blue slippers (pictures coming one of these days). 

Bill got sick the last couple days.  I thought I might be getting it but now I don't know.  We were thinking about braving the dangers of ice on the roads in Atlanta (big deal for those of you that live North, they don't know about sand/salt) and getting more Airborne from Costco.  We'll see.

I've also committed myself to 5 gift projects this year (via Facebook).  But I'm looking forward to that. 

It's only day 11 y'all.  I'm sort of tired.  And my daughter is ready to kick my butt on Just Dance Kids with the Yo Gabba Gabba Get the Sillies Out.  You have no idea how exhausting that dance is.  No idea.

Family Home Evening week 2

This week we are doing lesson 2 in the Nursery Manual called Heavenly Father has a plan for me.  It is also week 3 in the Sunbeam (or Primary 1) manual.  And Miriam started Sunbeam class this week!

As I often do (when preparing a lesson), I headed over to sugardoodle.net and searched around for Plan of Salvation stuff and I found this File Folder Game.  I'm going to color the pieces and plan a treasure hunt game sort of like the Clifford treasure hunt game on pbskids.org.  The dogs follow directions like "Go to the blue ball and turn left" until they get to the end of directions and dig up the treasure.  So I'll just place pieces around the house and well say things like "go to the brown couch and turn right." or something like that, till we've gathered all the pieces and then we'll see if we can match them to the other picture.

*Update, well we actually just ended up playing with the pieces and matching them to there parts.  We talked about what each of them meant but didn't do the treasure hunt.  I'll post a picture when I get it up and working.  We also had to do our family night on Friday because I worked on Thursday.

Next week -that is to say this week (and maybe the week after?)  we're going to talk about how to pray I think.  When we visited Great Grandma in North Dakota I caught Miriam having stuffed animals pray.  But she seems shy about it when we ask her to do it. 

Crafty followup 2010

If 2010 was anything for me, it was the year of learning new crafts.   I noted earlier in the year that I was becoming a yarn junky as I learned to knit and crochet.  Even though I haven't posted about it again, I did in fact continue learning.  Here is a quick picture summary of what I accomplished last year.

Fingerless gloves OR wrist warmers I made for my sister in law.  I also made her a scarf.  She uses that more.

The finished knit washcloth. 

My crochet washcloths.  These go up a bit faster than the knit ones.

Circle Loom hat

With a basket weave top

Bill Christmas present!  I'm quite proud of this one.

So proud in fact that I need to make one for me.  My hat is going to be out of this yarn

I also worked on some sewing.  I have a dress I've been working on on and off all year, but it still needs finishing touches and I haven't taken a picture of it yet.

Major sewing project right after Bill got home for an SCA event. 

I looked up a pattern for these pants and cranked them out in an afternoon. I can't find the page again, or I would tell you what they are called.

Last, but not least there is the quiet book.  Kathy took it home with her after Bill came home and we haven't gotten together to work on it yet.  But I hope (someday very soon) to have a completed quiet book to post.  It's going to be so cute!