The (not so) Dreaded Potty and a giveaway!

Okay, so I just potty trained my son. In 3 days. No lie.

I was dreading this task so very much. My daughter was no problem. She received a doll that happened to being wearing undies and decided right then and there that she wanted to wear them too. And that was pretty much that. Well, the little guy didn't quite follow suit. He had no interest in the potty. This 2 and a half year old (okay, 2.75 yr old... okay, okay, almost 3) didn't even want to just sit on the toilet. Nope. He's a stubborn one. Right about the time I started thinking that he'd never be able to go to school and I'd be buying diapers for an eternity, a friend recommended the 3 Day Potty Training method. (Thanks Beth!!) I perused the website and it just made so much sense to me. I purchased Lora's 3 Day Potty Training e-book, read it through, and made my notes and grocery list of small necessities. (She'll guide you, I promise!) Armed with my plan, I carved out 3 days to hang with the little guy and his not-wanting-to-potty self. I'm here to tell you that my little guy was potty trained in 3 days, probably in the first day and a half really. And I'm talking during the day, at nap, and all night. I even felt confident enough to leave town a week later, leaving him in the care of the g-parents. (They seemed a bit skeptical, with not a single diaper to fall back on, but the weekend went splendidly for all parties!) It was a success!

I know everyone has their own experiences, but this is our true story. It worked for us, with less pain and struggle than I ever imagined. I think this strategy golden. I've been telling everyone about it. Really. If you have a little one in diapers (Did you know that she suggests starting at 22 months?!), you really should read Lora's potty training e-book. She's devised a plan that really does work. She also offers online Q and A during your process. And you're in luck, because she's giving away a copy to one of you and offering a discount too. She's awesome.

To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment telling me why Lara is the answer to your potty training prayers. Make sure you are a blog follower and I have a way to get in touch with you. Please pass this along to the diaper-changing world by tweeting/ button-grabbing/ blogging/ emailing/ facebooking/ etc/ etc. Let me know in a second comment for an additional chance to win. I'll announce the winner in a week from today.

If you just can't wait, enter "perfect" as the coupon code to purchase the e-book now. You'll get a 10% discount when you checkout. Thanks, Lora, for sharing your method with us!!

Overheard At My House: Empty Buckets

Remember this little story? Well, that brilliant bucket-filling concept is working it's magic in my house again, only with the two-year-old this time.

The scene: It's been quite the day, with several timeouts happening and my patience hanging by a thread. I'm finishing up bedtime with my little guy willing myself to read a few books to him before making a break for the door (and possibly some ice cream and/or wine)...

Little guy: "My bucket is empty."

Me: "Oh really. What's wrong, buddy?"

Little guy: "My heart feels sad. I fink (read: think) I need a hug."

I have to admit that I felt completely sucker-punched in the belly after that little conversation, but it was such a good view into his little world. And I cannot say enough about this little book. It seriously makes the most meaningful analogy for kids. After my first encounter with the effects of bucket filling, I went to Amazon and ordered all three I could find with a bucket-filling theme. My little guy has only heard the Fill A Bucket one, and he eats it up. My daughter tend to enjoy the other two more. And I guess it's working, at least at times. I mean, I've been outright floored twice now. I think we'll move on to seriously working on him filling my bucket. All I want is fewer "No!"s and more "Okay Mom!"s.

Oh, how my bucket would spill-ith over!

Our Summer Fun List

It's done. We sat down and made our list. I'm sure we'll add some more as we think more about it, but this one is pretty fun (and ambitious!) looking.

One down, lots to go!

Have you made your list? Link up, so we can share in the summer fun! Just enter your url below. And if potty training is on your list of things to do this summer, then you definitely want to check back next week. I've got something very exciting to share/giveaway!

Don't Go Wastin' Time

This little nugget is a keeper:

Unplugged (sort of)

This summer I want to not only soak up the sun, but I want to spend as much time soaking up my kiddos while I have them all to myself. It seems that the older they get the less down time we have together, soooo one of my goals this summer is to be more present and less distracted. That's good and all to say, but for me I need a plan of action to stay focussed on the ever-important now moments. Two things are working for me so far to help:.

One thing is I've turned off the audible email alert on both my iPhone and computer. Sounds simple, huh? Well, I hate to admit it but it's been a pretty drastic change for me... I'm not tempted to cut a reading session with my daughter short to find out who's emailing me... No more sitting on the floor working a puzzle with my son, only to hear that small "dong" and wonder if I've got a business inquiry.... My phone stays safely tucked in my purse while toting my precious cargo in the car. No more being immediately summoned, whether literally or just in my mind, and taken away from the here and now. It really is sad, but if I'm being honest, it really does take me away a bit from being in the moment. And now, it's not happening. It's so simple! You must give it a go.

The other is having a loosely designated reading time. After lunch we all hunker down on the couch for a little reading time. We each grab our own book and quietly read together. It sounded like a nice thing to try when a couple of friends suggested, but it didn't seem ground-breaking, but I'm telling you, it's wonderful. It's a change from how we would have normally done it. I would have read to my son, put him down for a nap, and started on something, while my daughter watched a TV show for a bit. Aside from getting to read my book (still working on The Help... So good!) in the middle of the day with no guilt, we get to have some low-key quiet time together. Makes for some good discussion and snuggling too. Loving it so far!

Let me know how you're unplugging this summer. Are you doing things any different? What's working?

Fabric-Matted Prints

Okay, so this is so simple and might not even be post worthy, but I hadn't thought of it previously and I had a few inquiries as to where I got the prints on the wall in my daughter's room, so I thought I'd share...

These were little posters that were in the back of her American Girl Friendship book. We tore them out and went on a search for square frames. We couldn't find the exact size, so I settled on these from Ikea (❤!). They are a bit bigger than the print and the matte that came with them was a bit too small. Rather than cut, I just used some fabric and simply wrapped in around the matte and stuck the print on with double sided tape. It was so easy, but I think it just might be my favorite part of her room. I mean, how could you go wrong with some framed quotes?!

Supplies: frames, scissors, glue, double-sided tape, fabric, print.

Cut out the fabric a bit larger than your matte (or just wrap a piece of cardstock if you don't have a matte), and secure the edges to the back with glue.

Tape your print to the front of the fabric.

Voila: You have a cute, little custom piece!

Say Something Sweet

(found this sweet thing here)

Have a sweet weekend! Completing this challenge could only make it sweeter, don't you think. Me? I'll be spending mine with my sweet husband of 12 years. Away. Sans kids. How sweet is that?! Happy Anniversary Hon!

Summer is HERE!!

Member me? Yeah, it's been a while. What's my excuse? Ahhhh.... Well... I don't really have one. I just really don't have a plan for what the summer's going to look like. And you know what? It feels kinda good to be winging it. The first few days have been pretty darn awesome, so I've got high hopes for the remainder of it.

I will soon be making a "Summer ToDo" list with the kids though. I did it last year at the end of summer vacation to try to eek out all we could of what was left of our last few weeks (and keep the "I'm bored" comments at bay). I remember thinking how I wished I'd done it at the beginning. So, after the potty training is done, (Yes, we are in the midst of a 3 Day go of it. So far, so good!) we'll sit down as a family and make our list. Here are some great lists to gain inspiration from:

Charity's 2009 Summer Things To Do

Olivia's 100 Fun, Frugal Things to do with the kids

Summer Plans with Kids

101 Things To Do This Summer

Melissa's 2009 Summer List

Meg's 2009 Version

Jack's Summer ToDos

Wonder what will make our list? I remember thinking how surprisingly simple last year's list was... We shall soon see. Will you make a list this year? If so, definitely share!