We Have a Breakthrough

We have 2 little boys running around in jocks!

I can't believe my nappy days are almost over. If you have read this post 'The dreaded 'IT', you'll realise that this has been a year long battle!

I had tried to toilet train the boys, in different sequences, 3 additional times since that post. The last time, just after our Wiggles concert, was Mans' triumph.

It took him about a week to get 'accident free' and then, with help from a box of matchbox cars that were once his uncle's, we managed to move him over to the toilet. We had a battle with Number 2s being held until he was wearing his night time nappy but that seems to have stopped now and he has been going out of the house for about a month with no nappy on!

As much as it was obvious that Mans was ready in December, it was just as obvious that Linc was still not ready. 2 weeks ago I tried Linc again and within 2 days he was taking himself off to the potty. He's so independent with everything that he does that I suppose it shouldn't have shocked me that TT was something he was going to do independently as well but I was gobsmacked. Now, 2 weeks later, we have very few accidents (only when he's super engrossed in something), no issues with Number 2s, we're transitioning to the toilet and he's shown signs he can hold it out and about as well.

I'm so proud of them both. I kept telling myself that you never hear of a teenager that isn't toilet trained but I was really starting to think that I would still be struggling with Linc as he headed off to Primary School. I thought for sure that Eva would be TT before Linc. He proved me wrong!!

I can say through the whole experience that I have learnt 3 things.

1. A reward system is a must. Stickers for Number 1s and a little bit of chocolate for Number 2s was our method but only because Mans had such issues with Number 2s that we had to up the reward ante and as I mentioned, we also used the secondhand matchbox cars as rewards too, when Mans showed resistance to the change over.
2. It is completely obvious by the 2nd/3rd day if your child is ready. I kept reading that you never start TT and then stop. I say to that BULL! Stopping when I realised they weren't getting it and continuing it when I realised they were was the best thing I could have done. For that reason Eva is back in nappies. I am not going to rush her because...
3. Every child is different! Just like a lot of breastfeeding success has to do with the child, so does TT. You can't rush them. You can't make them do it when you're ready and its convenient.

Unfortunately, once you have children, you live in a dictatorship and you can start an uprising and squabble with the rule but long term, they always get the reign back. But cuter looking dictators I've never seen!

Toilet Butterflies

A quick, no fuss craft activity
What you need:

• An empty toilet roll - I sprayed them with Glen20, but I'm anal like that.
• Some scrapboking backing card (That I had lying around, because now that I have something to scrapbook about, I don't have the time), cut into some semblance of butterfly wings
• Pipe cleaners
• Glue or sticky tape
• Something to decorate them with - We used felt tip pens but you could use glitter glue, cut up magazines or old wrapping paper, or paint.

Decorate
Pop a hole in the back of the toilet rolls and thread the pipe cleaner feelers through
Glue or sticky tape the wings on
Have fun!

Where Did It Go?

Ever have one of those moments when it sort of just hits you, on how grown up your VIPs are getting? And then you take a minute out of your everyday life to reflect on all the time past and wonder where it went?

I had one of those moments tonight, as I was sitting in the boys' room waiting for Linc to fall asleep. I noticed he only had about a foot of space between his feet and the end of his toddler bed. A FOOT!
He looked so long laying there under the covers. I remember when I could have laid him across the bed with room to spare!

My tiny little 6lb 10oz baby, who had to wear size 0x6 jumpsuits when he was born is now a running, screaming, wrestling force to be reckoned with!

He is right now laying star splayed on his toddler bed snoring his little head off and so is his equally fast growing brother...

Check out this pic. How tall does he look? I guess the heels help!

Handy Tips

I found this on Pinterest and just had to share. There are some useful tips on there.
I think the most important is number 5 under coffee filters.
Don't want to waste that wine!

Source: 9gag.com via Miss Nemo on Pinterest

Smarter Than She Seems

I have spent most of the morning cleaning and vaccuming the house.
I had the intention of mopping the floors while Eva had her nap and the boys tuned out in front of the TV for half an hour.

Eva spent a hour decorating the house with hot cross bun crumbs... including climbing into my bed.

She was being super stubborn about keeping the mess to a minimum.
I could feel steam welling up in my head.

We then had a 15 minute 'discussion' about her having said nap.
Unclenching my jaw as I laid her down for her nap I said, "Have a good nap, Love you."
"Wuv you mummy" was her reply

Cheeky little ragamuffin, just about melted my heart.
That angry energy would have been handy for the clean up!

My Experience With Cake Mix Cookies

I discovered this idea over at Frill In The Hills.

Feel like some some cookies but can't be bothered making them from scratch. Or maybe your missing the flour? Do you have a packet cake mix on hand.

Cookies made with packet cake mix! They stay a lovely moist, doughy consistency on the inside.

I used a Betty Crocker strawberry cake mix today.

It's just 1 packet of cake mix
2 eggs
125g softened butter
and enough plain flour to make a sticky but firm dough (add milk if you add too much flour, I used 1/2 cup for this packet mix)

Mix, roll into balls and bake on grease proof paper at 180°C for 10-15mins

This is the same way I made the dinosaur footprint cookies for Eva-saurus' Messy Dinosaur Luau

When they had just come out of the oven I pressed one of the VIPs' dinosaur toy's foot into the top of the biscuit. (This cake mix was Greens Moist Chocolate Cake)

How To: Dinosaur Fossils

The idea for the dinosaur fossils at Eva's birthday party I picked up of Pinterest (I love that place).

What you'll need:
Small plastic or rubber dinosaurs - How ever many you want.
I bought a tube of 36 dinosaurs for $2.50 from Kmart

1 1/4 cup of dirt
1 1/4 cup of flour
3/4 cup of salt
1/2 sand
Water
A bucket to mix it all in

This mixure will make up about 8-10 dinosaur fossils, depending on the size of your dinosaurs
You need enough water to make it a clay like consistency.

Mix all ingredients
Mold the mixture around your dinosaurs
Allow to dry.
I placed them on some newspaper outside and they still took almost a week to dry completely. I kept flipping them because the moisture would gather underneath the fossils.

 Then it's just a matter of hiding them, sending out a search party and once found, tapping them with a hammer to make them crumble apart.

They were such a hit that I've been trying to think of ways of interpreting them into other party themes and, as the original source suggests, they would be a fun activity to do with your preschooler 'just because'.

Dirty Dishes

Yesterday my mum got me to listen to a song and it hit a little too close to home.

I realise that the everyday things that annoy me most, are the things that represent what I love the most.

Now I'm not one to normally post song lyrics to my blog but these really touched me. Definitely something I'm going to have to listen to on a bad day. (Maybe just not the really bad days lol)

Dirty Dishes - Scotty Mccreery
Mama hollers "Supper time,
And don't make me tell you twice
Wash your hands and wipe your face.
The table's no place for your toys,
And try to use your inside voice,
Don't dig in 'til we say Grace."
So we put down our forks and bowed our heads
And then she prayed the strangest prayer ever said:

"I wanna thank You Lord,
For noisy children and slamming doors,
And clothes scattered all over the floor,
My husband workin' all the time,
Draggin' in dead tired at night,
My never ending messy kitchen
And dirty dishes."

We all got real still and quiet,
And daddy asked "Honey, you alright?"
She said, "Dear, ain't nothing wrong,
Noisy kids are happy kids,
And slamming doors just means we live,
In a warm and loving home,
Your long hours and those dishes in the sink,
Means a job and enough to eat.

So I'm gonna thank You Lord,
For noisy children and slamming doors,
And clothes scattered all over the floor,
My husband workin' all the time,
Draggin' in dead tired at night,
My never ending messy kitchen

For my little busy bees
Beggin' mama, mama can you please?
Always wantin' me to call in vain
Loads of laundry pilin' up
Crayons crushed into the rug
And those little sticky kisses
And dirty dishes, and dirty dishes...