Food Prep Sucks

I spent the entire day washing, slicing, chopping, and dicing. We're having family over tomorrow and my mother came over for a few hours today to help me do a little food prep. We made two huge containers of potato salad, prepped the veggies to make two loaves of meat, made three tubs of dip, and assembled a few veggie trays.

In the middle of the work, my son thought it would be a good idea to throw granulated garlic all over the kitchen floor. He also thought it would be helpful to claim that he had to go "poo-poo" whenever he was bored or wanted attention. Thankfully Grandma was amused by his antics and she willingly took him to the potty whenever he asked for help.

I am exhausted and my feet are killing me. Tomorrow I have to wake early so I can get the house cleaned up before our families arrive to celebrate. I'm hoping that I fall asleep at a decent hour tonight.

Why I Listen to Howard Stern Instead of Music

I like music a lot. One of my great regrets is that I never was able to take lessons to learn to play a few instruments. Yes, I wanted to play specific instruments. My parents said no so I have to satisfy my music lust by listening.

Generally speaking, I prefer to listen to Howard Stern if I'm in the car because I'm becoming a terribly sappy cry-baby these days. A song on the radio moved me to tears this afternoon. A freaking song had me sobbing like I had just watched a Humane Society commercial. You know the ones. They feature a bunch of filthy and pathetic-looking animals, quivering with fear in their eyes, while a sad song plays in the background and the voiceover implies that they will kill these animals if you don't donate today.

Anyway, I wasn't boohooing over a touching song like Dance with My Father by Luther Vandross or The Rose by Bette Midler. It wasn't an achingly painful song like That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be by Carly Simon or You Don't Bring Me Flowers by Neil Diamond & Barbara Streisand. It wasn't even a special song from either of my weddings: Unforgettable by Nat King Cole from my first or I Can't Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley from my second.

The song that moved me to tears? It was Beth by KISS. Um, yeah, I'm embarrassed to admit that you read that correctly.

The longest sentence in history straight ahead: I guess the song made me sad because I had a difficult time trying to get a cake & some cupcakes ordered today and my kid woke early but wouldn't nap so I was exhausted and I bit my husband's head off when he walked in the door this afternoon. Then I stomped out to deal with the order. What I really wanted was to hug & snuggle because I was so frustrated with this cake business.

I know you're probably wondering what baked goods have to do with a KISS song. Well, nothing actually. But the lyrics made me think about how there is something special missing from our home when my husband is gone. He works so hard and he's gone a lot, leaving me alone with our little boy. Don't get me wrong, I adore my son - but I ache for my husband and I miss him terribly when he's at work.

Who knew that KISS could be so deep? These are the same, ah, sensitive souls who brought Western Civilization tender lyrical gems such as Let's Put the X in Sex, Love Gun, Calling Dr. Love, and Lick It Up. If you aren't a KISS fan, you probably think I'm making up the titles of those songs. I am not.

Perhaps I was just feeling mopey and the song brought my melancholy to the surface. Perhaps Peter Criss just co-wrote a sensitive song. Perhaps I should lay off the music until Aunt Flo returns from whence she came. At least I know what to expect with Howard Stern - outstanding interviews, unusual people, and the occasional Sybian ride. The best part is that the only tears I shed are from laughing so hard.

Aunt Flo Visits for FREE

WARNING - WARNING - WARNING: Yep, this is another post about my vagina. Stop reading if you aren't interested in menstrual cups or my period.

I have my period right now and that makes me very excited and very sad. I'm sad for obvious reasons - I'm not pregnant. I'm excited because I'm on my fifth cycle with the Diva Cup. That means that Aunt Flo visits me for FREE from here on out. I'm really happy with the short ROI for the Diva Cup and I wish that I had tried it years ago.

I don't have to buy tampons to deal with my period. I'm ecstatic that I won't have to search the ever-expanding feminine aisle for the specific tampons that I use. I'm thrilled that I won't have to buy a box of tampons each month. I have a septic system and I can't flush tampons, so I'm glad that I won't have to deal with tampon disposal any longer.

I'm handling removal and insertion of the Cup like an old pro these days. I find it hard to believe that I used to have such problems with it because it is so easy to me now. I love the Cup and I'll never use anything else to handle my period again.

If anyone reading this is considering using a menstrual cup, keep in mind that it can take a few months to use it comfortably and feel free to contact me with any questions.

I'm a Believer!

HE WAS COMPLETELY ACCIDENT-FREE TODAY!!!!

It has been exactly one week since my son started potty training. We were out for most of the day and he peed in two unfamiliar toilets without a toilet ring. I'm so proud of my little boy and incredibly pleased with his potty training success.

I mostly followed Lora Jensen's 3-Day Potty Training method. Per her instructions, I had my son help get rid of his diapers and I put him in underpants. No pull-up diapers, no night-time diapers, just underpants at all times.

I'll admit it. I was skeptical that the 3-Day Potty Training method would work at all. I figured that, at less than two-years old, my son would not be trainable. I believed that he'd be on a long & messy semi-diapered road for months to come. Seasoned parents told me that such a young child can't be trained in such a short amount of time.

I'm so glad that I tried this method before doing any other potty training. Weaning from breastfeeding was what I dreaded most about my son growing older and potty training was a close second. I have found potty training to be a relatively easy process and my son seems like he's having a good time learning.

I still frequently remind my son to let me know if he has to go to the bathroom, but he does a good job letting me know when he has to go potty. How does he let me know? He holds his wiener and says, "Poo-poo!" I guess we still have a little more training to go!

Happy Belated Mother's Day

My son only had one accident today, so I'll take a break from chronicling his potty training progress. I'll focus on my motherhood journey since I didn't acknowledge Mother's Day yesterday.

I always wanted kids. I used to love playing with baby dolls. I wished that my parents would have a baby so that I wouldn't be the youngest. I adored spending as much time as possible with my nieces & nephews. I thought kids were about the coolest little people on the planet. Um, that's not meant as a slam against midgets or dwarfs, but I thought kids were cooler.

My attitude shifted around my early twenties and children were nowhere near being on my radar. Kids became annoying and whiny in my eyes. Instead of considering children to be blessings, they appeared to be a hindrance to personal happiness. I had goals and, frankly, children would have stopped my progress for a long time. So I delayed motherhood.

I didn't want children at all when I was married to my ex-husband. I used to tell him that I'd rather cut my (expletive deleted) throat than have a child with him. Before you think I'm a mega-b*tch for saying such a thing, let's just say that he had it coming. It's shocking that we ended up divorced, huh? Honestly, procreating with him would have been the absolute worst decision in history. Well, in my history anyway. So I delayed motherhood.

Children can cost a lot of money and they absolutely do take a lot of effort. For much of my life I either didn't have the money to raise kids or wasn't willing to spend it. I sure as heck wasn't willing to give much effort. I knew that it would be wrong to have a child that I wasn't willing or able to take care of properly. So I delayed motherhood.

I have made a lot of stupid decisions in my life, but delaying motherhood was one of the best decisions I ever made. I had conditions that I wanted to meet prior to procreating. I wanted to be in a solid marriage. I wanted to be financially comfortable. I wanted to be mature enough to handle the immense responsibility.

My mother used to say that I'll never get around to having children if I put motherhood off until everything is just right. My conditions were finally met to my satisfaction and my son is nearly two, so clearly she was wrong. I'm glad that I waited.

I would have had far more energy if I had children in my 20s. The days of easily handling life on less than four hours of sleep are long gone. What I lost in energy I gained in patience, selflessness, and appreciation. The path I chose isn't for everyone, but it was just right for this family.

Motherhood has been a joy and a blessing to me. I knew that I'd love my child, but I never could have guessed the depth and breadth of that love. I wept with joy the first time I saw my darling precious boy. I had been begging to see him for two hours and I finally was moved to my hospital room. Holding my son was like holding my own heart in my hands.

Generally speaking, I'm emotionally cold when people cry, but my son's tears can move me to tears. I feel like I'm going to burst with pride when he masters a new skill. I delight in his silly toddler absurdities.

I do miss earning a salary. I do miss that money. I miss being independent financially. But that money wasn't buying this kind of happiness. We laugh together several times each day and I adore spending my time with my kiddo - even if I don't earn one red cent.

Every day is a special "mother's day" for me. I don't need any special gifts on Mother's Day. Being a mother has been gift enough.

Only One Accident Today!!

My son still wore diapers last Monday. He has been wearing underpants since mid-morning on Tuesday. It has been less than one week since we have started potty training. And. . .

He had only one accident all day today!

I'm happy that my son had so much success with making it to the toilet today. He sure beams whenever I mention how impressed I am with his clean & dry underpants. He seems so proud when we wave bye-bye to his pee-pee and flush it away. He loves being a big kid and washing his hands after he goes on the potty.

He peed in his potty chair. He peed in a regular toilet at a restaurant - without his toilet ring. He had us pull over so he could pee in his potty chair in the back of the car. He peed in our toilet with his toilet ring. I suspect he also peed in the bathtub (eye roll).

His accident came right after his nap. I find it odd that he wet his bed because he has never had an accident during nap time. He was very distressed when he woke up wet. I find that odd too since I've been impossibly understanding and patient whenever he's had an accident. I suppose that he's already starting to like being clean & dry and it bothered him to be wet.

I'm excited about the 3-day potty training method. It didn't work in only three days, but a lot of progress has been made in what I consider to be a very short period of time. I hope that he continues to enjoy great success with potty training.

Potty Training in Public

The big news: He pooped in the potty!

He didn't want to do it, but he did it. He likes a little privacy when he poops (who doesn't?) so I took his pants off and I took a shower. He sat on his potty chair and did his business as soon as I was busy washing my hair. Of course, we celebrated his big success before I resumed my shower.

We were away from the house for nearly twelve hours today. My son did not wear diapers or pull-ups because I dressed him in his big boy underpants. I packed extra clothes and extra underpants, but I was very nervous.

He didn't pee in the carseat and he peed in an unfamiliar house on a regular toilet without a toilet ring. He also kept his underpants clean & dry all day until around 7:00 or so. He caught himself mid-accident once and called for me to take him to the potty. He had two accidents later in the evening, but it was well beyond his normal bedtime and I think he had forgotten that he was a big boy now.

All in all, I'd say that potty training is still going well. I hope tomorrow continues this trend.