Tag: toddlers

Elizabeth

LTFP

Kids

(Leave Time for Poop)

Or, “You just can’t make this sh** up.”

I was going to be on time. I really was. Everything was ready, the diaper bag was packed, snacks and waters and wipes. We were actually going to get to the parking lot with enough minutes to unload the car, walk at a 3-year-old’s short legs’ pace, and be where we were supposed to be right on time, without hurrying, rushing, worrying, or needing to pray for green lights.

And then, as I picked up the baby to carry him to his car seat, an unmistakable smell reached my nose….

Elizabeth

Young Baby Plus Sick Toddler

Self-Care

…equals I have been getting absolutely nothing done. For all of February and half of March, I’ve been achieving bare minimums, but barely. We dipped into some freezer meals (which is why I bothered to freeze the freezer meals, so, Thank you, Past Me, for doing that, at least). I like to meal plan and make my grocery lists in [usually two separate] uninterrupted chunks of focus. When I am interrupted, it takes me significantly longer to do these tasks, because I’ll forget where I was and have to redo a few steps. When I don’t have any time when I might not be interrupted, I just….

Elizabeth

Potty Training, Day Nine

Kids

Potty training is a touchy subject. Parents who have chosen to wait longer before beginning to potty train their kids can go straight into defense mode when the subject comes up. Parents who have had raging success with potty training before age 2 can dismiss the real struggle that some kids and parents have. Let me be clear upfront: When to Potty Train Your Kid is not an issue of morality. If you’ve picked a different timeline than I have, I’m not judging you.

My goal in writing this is just to share my story. This is Potty Training 3.0. It looks a lot different from the 1.0 and 2.0 versions.

Feel free to use my story as a point of reference for the beginning of your own Potty Training Story, take comfort in commiserating with me on it, or simply roll your eyes at me for writing sooo manyyyy wordssss about tiny people’s #1 and #2. Reader’s choice….

Elizabeth

Ode to the Balance Bike

Kids

Parents and grandparents of small-kids-who-don’t-know-how-to-ride-a-bike-yet, this post is for you. Here’s the punchline upfront: Buy that kid a balance bike!

We bought this balance bike when Miryam turned two. We’d heard and read about how it makes the transition to real bike riding pretty effortless. It was just the right size. I tried to help her learn to ride it a couple of times, but she wasn’t getting it, and I was getting frustrated, so it collected dust for a looooong time in various garages. We’ve moved twice between that birthday and this spring, when she finally took an interest in her three-years-old gift….

Elizabeth

PJ Masks and Humility

Kids

A scene from last week.

I’m 39 weeks pregnant and in full-on Nesting Mode. Also, Luke wakes up by 7:00am no matter what time he ends up falling asleep at night. So, it’s time to finally hang curtains in the kids’ bedrooms, to block early morning sunlight. We already have curtains available, brought from our other house and still in a box nearly 11 months later, but we left the old curtain rods mounted in the old house. Justin needs to go to Staples anyway, and Target is right across the highway. Let’s all go—I probably need the movement anyway, if you’re willing to walk at my waddling pace…

Elizabeth

I’ll have the routine, please.

Kids

I began the thoughts on this post the last time I took a 10-day road trip with the kids. It’s now the second time in four months that I’m doing so, and I’m pondering the same thoughts again.

It starts like this.

I want to go see new places, visit my people, have fun experiences, leave room in the plan for spontaneity, and live in the moment. Including for and with my kids.

But I also want to keep the routine.

Why are kids so dependent upon routine? One would think that if a kid is tired, and it’s dark outside…

Elizabeth

Toddlers and Time Zones

Kids

A week or so ago, we took a family trip to San Diego, CA. My dad always said that when you take the kids with you, you really can’t call it a “vacation.” I’ve only had kids for about four years, but so far, I tend to agree with him.

We still have lots of fun on our family “trips,” don’t get me wrong. At the end, I still think it’s worth it. But I’m usually exhausted, rather than refreshed; and relieved, rather than reluctant, to get back to my own house and routine. Specifically, the kids’ routine.

I forgot about timezones until the day we were leaving…

Elizabeth

Actually, they’re not all that picky.

Kids

Things I do to encourage my kids to try new foods, without power struggles.

My kids don’t love leftovers. That’s fine, for now. I encourage leftovers with things I know they remember they like, and I figure we’ll work on it. So they eat a lot of grilled turkey-and-cheese sandwiches while I eat leftovers for lunch.

In spite of the monotony of their lunches, I would not categorize my kids as “picky” in the typical toddler/preschooler sense of “all she will eat is yellow foods!” (Chicken nuggets, applesauce, macaroni and cheese, toast, etc.)

It’s just that I prefer to choose my battles, and leftover brussels sprouts is a battle I’m unlikely ever to win.

However…

Elizabeth

Potty Training, Day One

Kids

While we were on our family visiting road trip, Luke took an earnest interest in the little potty at my in-laws’ house. As in, he would thrash during diaper changes and say “potty,” and he actually peed in it twice! I’ve had multiple resources emphasize not to ignore the “window of readiness” for potty training—defined as either generally “between 20-30 months” or “when he shows interest in it and awareness of potty actions.” We’re definitely within both of those windows right now.

So, I decided early last week: We’re taking the diaper off first thing next Monday morning…