Potty Training

So we have started down the road that most parents would consider one of the biggest milestones for turning their darling little "baby" into a big boy/girl. N will be three next month and we have been working with him this past month on "listening" to his body and doing the appropriate "big boy" action instead of relying on his diaper/pull-up. I would like to mention the the two older boys were complete opposites when it came to this stage in their life...M by 3 he was 100% good to go day and night, J not so much ;) J had the worse cases of diaper rash, but really didn't care if he sat in his diaper all day. He didn't completely get it until he went off to preschool in NJ--age 4, and then I think the only reason he finally decided it was worth it was that he wouldn't get to go to preschool with his friends unless he was a "big boy".
N has been a mix of the two older boys. He has a strong desire to be one of the "big boys" in the house and do everything they do, but really loses track and needs to be reminded to keep his big boy underwear dry and clean and that he isn't allowed to pee or poop on my floor! Bribery also seems to work with him, we are currently on his 7th potty chart that he gets to fill up with Thomas the Train stickers (1 sticker for pee, 2 for BM, 2 for staying dry all night, and 2 for using the potty when we are outside the house). When the chart is full we have a toy that he has picked out. So far it has been going great, there have only been a couple of days that he shows no interest at working towards the reward. Most of the time when we leave the house he is still wearing pull-ups, but we have taken the chance a couple of times with going to stores in underwear and have had no accidents. Overnight he has also had hardly any wet diapers and wakes up wanting to go sit on the potty, so hopefully we won't have to be changing a lot of sheets when he tries undies overnight...don't know when that jump will be made, but it probably isn't too far off.

N with his newly filled chart and wearing the underwear he picked out to wear for the day.

Bookcase Kinda Complete Sneak Peak

So in this post I talked about cleaning and organizing for becoming a Family Child Care Provider on base (running a daycare from my house). A couple of people had mentioned that they liked my fall vignette and thought I would take some close ups of my elements...plus this will help me to put it back up come next fall :)

I love rustic fall colors, and our house looks kind of looks like fall year-round. I did add a few more elements that scream fall to get us in the mood...since we actually had higher temps in September/October then we did all summer it seems.

I also got those mini chalkboards, chalk markers and got to use the glue gun and labeled some of the toy baskets.

We made a trip to Ikea yesterday and picked up more baskets so there aren't so many toys staring back at me too. Now I need to make a trip back to JoAnn's for more chalkboards! And yes I have one open cubby...for now! J and N both have Birthday's next month so I am sure there will be something new to fill it in :)

Fall Cleaning and Organizing

As mentioned in the previous post I am getting my license to become a provider in the Family Child Care program. Some of the work has to do with prepping my house for inspections/walk through by the FCC Coordinator and also with the base fire agency. One of my goals in going through this process is to not lose my idea of what I would like my house to look like....homey, warm and inviting. My hope in getting prepared to open my doors is that my house looks more like Pottery Barn Kids(but without spending big bucks) then a school supply magazine.

So this is one area I will be working on. Love how my fall vignette is looking but the crazy round up of toys is not doing it for me. I plan on getting 4 more of those baskets from Ikea and some cute mini chalkboards with the name of the items made to attach to the front of them. Chalkboards and chalk??Won't it wipe right off?? Nope, not with chalk markers...only comes off if wet. So what I write on them should stay without too much fuss. I am looking forward to having this space:

looking much more organized and not so many toys staring me down! And oh yeah all those cords are disappearing too...they have been driving me nuts from day 1 and I think they have multiplied since then too! Stayed tuned on how this project turns out...already started parring down some of the toys!

Busy Starting a Business

It has been way to long since I have sat down and updated this blog. I have been pulled away for some training and busy working on opening my house up so I can start being a Family Child Care Provider on base. Lots of rules and regulations, meal planning, "classroom" set up (trying to not change my house decor too much), and just trying to adjust to the idea of having a set in stone schedule. I think it is going to be a new adventure once againn for our family.