Potty Training pt. 2

A few months ago, I began the potty training process with Kailynn. I wish I could ramble on about how easy it has been, but unfortunately, she is still in diapers when we are not home. I must say that when we are home she does a pretty good job using the potty, but only if I remind her to do so.

 

Kailynn's 1st training day was the toughest only because I had to ignore everything and everyone and have my attention 110% focused on her if I didn't want to clean up an accident. With that being said, I would recommend a day without distractions. That includes cell phones, laptops, tv, cleaning (which I did not mind at all), and cooking. We ordered pizza.

 

We began our day with the usual morning routine. After breakfast, I let Kailynn pick out which big girl panty she wanted to wear. The expression on her face was priceless when she put on her Minnie Mouse panties. I did not put pants on her just incase she did have an accident. It makes for a much easier clean up. Afterwards, I helped Kailynn put on the Potty Watch that grandma bought for her. The day before, I let her play with it and told her how it worked. I reminded her again that when the time ran out and she heard the potty song, it was time to use the potty. I set the timer on her watch for 30 minutes and we played with her toys while we waited for the timer to go off. With 15 minutes left on the timer, she had an accident. I reminded her that pee-pee belongs in the potty and not on her clothes. I cleaned up the mess, reset the timer and we tried again.

 

When the timer was up and she heard that potty tune, she rushed to me to help her get to the potty on time. She sat on her potty and we waited... and waited... and waited... but no pee-pee. She got up from the potty to see if there was anything in there but saw nothing. I did not get mad at her for not going pee-pee. Instead, I applauded her for trying. I was surprised when she reminded me that she needed to try to use the potty.

 

I offered Kailynn more water to drink to try to get her to use the potty but she would only take a few sips and walk away. That's when I did something I never do. I opened a bag of chips and let her snack away. The purpose of giving her this salty snack was make her thirsty. It worked! She gulped down a cup of water in the blink of an eye. Kailynn ran to the bathroom and sat on the potty when finally, she did it! She finally went "pee-pee" in the potty! We did a potty dance and put a sticker on her Sesame Street potty chart that I found in an activity book at Target.

 

For the rest of the day, I let Kailynn snack on salty and sweet snacks to make her thirsty which in turn made her drink more water and use the potty more often. There were minimal accidents for the remainder of the day. Day one of potty training was a success!

Letter D

This week, Kailynn and I focused on the letter D. It was obvious to me that our craft would have something to do with a dog since she loves animals. I searched my favorite site, pinterest, for ideas. I came across a few different animals in the form of the letter they each began with but I did not see a dog. Dragons and dinosaurs were a very popular pick for the letter D.

I figured it couldn't be that hard to make a dog in the shape of the letter D so I began cutting out the shapes I needed from construction paper. To make the dog, I simply placed the glue on the paper while Kailynn put the pieces together and formed a dog. She knew exactly what it was as soon as we were done and was so excited to see that she had created a dog from pieces of cut out paper.

Kailynn was not done with her letter D craft just yet. As soon as we finished our dog project, she asked for stickers. Instead of bringing out the usual sticker book, I printed out a letter D template from my laptop and gathered her dragonfly foam stickers. I instructed Kailynn to stay inside the lines to make the letter D. She did just that.

Mommy Day

Recently, I had my first official full "mommy day." Kailynn spent the night with Grandma and Grandpa while I had the day to myself. I could have caught up on some laundry, house cleaning, yard work, got my nails done, written a novel, anything, but I did absolutely nothing! I felt lost. I didn't know what to do since most of my days revolve around Kailynn. It felt amazing to lay in bed and not worry about anything all day.

I get so caught up in taking care of everything in the house that I sometimes forget that I need to take a break every once in a while. I felt much more energized and ready to take on the world after taking a break from my day-to-day tasks. It's as if I had a reset button.

I was greatful that my family gave me the time I so desperately needed for myself, but I was also glad to have Kailynn back home.

I need to make sure I have "mommy day" more often. I am certain the family won't mind having Kailynn over for another sleep over. Until then, we are back to learning our ABCs and 123s while making a mess of toys throughout the house.

Caterpillar

I will admit I have been slacking this week. I had family visiting and was so busy that I forgot about our letter C project. Originally I was hoping to make cars using house hold items, but it seems that I accidentally put the car parts into the recycle bin and they are probably being made into something else by now. After investigating our arts and crafts supplies, I constructed plan B, a caterpillar.

Supplies:

Pom-poms
Googly eyes
Glue
Letter C template
Marker or pen

(All found at the dollar store)




Instructions:

1. Glue pom-poms in the form of the letter C
2. Glue googly eyes onto the head of the caterpillar
3. Draw the caterpillar legs with black marker or pen






This was a simple and fun project. Kailynn identified the colors of the pom-poms as she glued them onto the paper. She practiced her colors and letter tracing skills simultaneously. Kailynn also played with her cars and colored with crayons on "C" day.

*As soon as I have the supplies, I promise to share with you how to make the cars I originally had in mind for this project. 

Rocket Launch

On Wednesday evening, Kailynn and I went to Kennedy Space Center to watch the rocket launch. Not only was this Kailynn's first time going to see a live rocket launch, but it was also my first time. Kailynn had no clue what was going on at first but I was full of excitement.

When we arrived at the park, the first thing we did was find a spot on the grass and park the stroller. We arrived early to ensure we had a spot to sit back and watch this historic event. To pass time we had a picnic on the grass with Kailynn's favorite snacks: pomegranate craisins, caramel rice cakes, and mickey mouse shaped cheese. By the time we finished our little picnic, the launch viewing area was packed! There was a live broadcast over the speakers around the park. As soon as the count down began, the croud stood up in unison and prepared their cell phones and cameras to capture what was about to unfold. I sat Kailynn up on my shoulders and told her what we were here to see. She was excited to find out what we were really doing at the park. She called out for "rocket" while looking around for it. The final count down began and when they finally reached 1 Kailynn shouted, "blast off!" The glowing light from the flames brightened the night sky as it lifted from the horizon and the crowd cheered with excitement. The rocket left a ribbon of smoke trailing behind as it made its way into space. In the blink of an eye, the rocket was out of sight and Kailynn waved good-bye to the rocket.

It was over as soon as it began but it was worth the wait. I have never seen anything quite like it. Although Kailynn thought the rocket was Rocket from The Little Einsteins, she was in awe when she saw the glowing lights in the sky. We both enjoyed sharing this moment together and can't wait to do it again. 

B Book

What better way to focus on the letter "B" than by making your own Book? Book starts with B so why not start with that? This "B Book" I speak of is filled with things that start with the letter...? You guessed it, B. Its easy to make and you can buy everything you need at my favorite place for toddler crafts, the dollar store. Here is what you will need:

(I forgot to put a glue stick and a stapler in the

picture so be sure to have those on your list as well.)

The prep work was done while princess Kailynn took a nap. I found pictures of things that start with the letter B on the web then printed and cut them out. I also attached the letters to the foam cover of our book and wrote the words of each picture onto the the pages made by cut out pieces of construction paper.

Since my one and a half year old doesn't know how to read, (if yours does please share your wisdom with me) I read to her each word on the page and she picked the picture that matched what I said. She then glued the picture to the matching word page. After all of the pictures were matched up with the correct words, we stacked the pages between the foam covers and stapled the book together along one side. Ta-da! Your very own "B Book." Now that our book is complete, all that's left to do is read it.

The Letter "B"

And so we continue with our ABC challenge! This week we will focus on the letter "B."

I have an alphabet app on my phone that Kailynn loves to play with. In the app, you "build" the letters. I thought why not turn this app into the real deal?

Since I already had the files on my laptop for each letter, it saved me preparation time on this week's alphabet activity. Be sure to have these tools handy before you start: scissor, glue stick, colored construction paper. (Feel free to use bottled glue if that's what you prefer. I used a glue stick because it makes for less clean up when it's in a toddler's hand.)


Step 1:  Print out letter "B"

Step 2:  Cut pieces of construction to fit into the shape of the letter

Step 3:  Glue construction paper pieces onto the letter

It's a simple activity that any toddler will enjoy. Kailynn loved this activity and has started pointing out the letter "B" in some of her books. I will admit that when I first started the alphabet challenge, I wasn't sure if she was going to understand much of it. To my surprise, she is able to identify these letters on her own. It seems to be working! Stay tuned for our next alphabet activity. I have a few creative ideas in mind that I'm sure you and your little one will love!

Potty Training

The time has finally come! I have waited a year and a half for this moment and it is finally here! This morning when Kailynn finished brushing her teeth, she sat on her potty and said, "Bye-bye pee-pee!" Although she still had her diaper on, I think she understands the concept; which is good enough for me!

Since I was already out running errands this morning,  I decided to make an extra stop at Walmart where Kailynn was able to pick out her own big girl panties! She was so excited that she carried her panties to the register herself.

Kailynn is now taking a nap and we will begin the potty training as soon as she wakes up. Being that this is a first for both of us, I think this will be a fun journey. I'm sure I will have funny stories to share through the whole experience. I can't wait to get rid of those diapers for good! Wish us luck!

Dress Up

Pull up a seat. It's story time!

I had just finished some light house cleaning and snack time was approaching as I decided to check in on Kailynn in her play room. She was playing quietly and making a mess of toys as usual, so I set off to prepare her snack. As I'm cutting the grapes in half, I hear Kailynn singing the clean up song followed by the sounds of her rummaging through her toy bins. I was walking out of the kitchen and into the hallway when I noticed a trail of plastic bracelets and beaded necklaces. I followed the trail of jewelry into the play room and noticed that Kailynn had decided to play dress up. She looked at me with a big smile and said, "pretty." I ran to grab my camera and the smile disappeared as soon as she saw it. I had to take a picture regardless just to remember this moment.

This is how I found her dressed...

A is for Apple

As promised, we continued on our alphabet challenge. A few weeks ago, I decided to start doing arts and crafts with Kailynn revolving around the alphabets; focusing on one letter each week. A few days after we began, we went on a last minute vacation. Now that we are back to our normal schedule, it is time to continue what we started.

This weeks' project was a construction paper mosaic. Since the letter of the week was "A", we made an apple mosaic.  Follow these simple steps so you and your little one can create your own mosaic.


For starters, you will need:

• Construction paper
• Scissors
• Glue
• Pen or marker

Now that you have your materials, follow these simple steps:

1. Draw an apple on a piece of construction paper
   
2. Cut small pieces of your preferred color of construction paper
   
3. Place glue inside the drawing of the apple
4. Place your pre-cut pieces of construction paper onto the glued areas
5. Continue steps 3 and 4 until the drawing is covered with pieces construction paper 

I had full control of the glue because I was pretty sure Kailynn would have squirted the whole bottle all over the place if it was in her hands. I would place a few dabs of glue onto the paper while she stuck on the pre-cut pieces of construction paper. I must say we make a pretty good team. Here is Kailynn showing off the finished product!

Travel Packs

In my last post, I mentioned travel packs that I made to keep Kailynn entertained on our trip. Now that we are in season, back-to-school sales are everywhere and these items will be fairly easy to find. I had a few items at home and I found what ever else I needed in the back-to-school and dollar sections at Target. I used clear pencil cases to hold the items in so it would be easier to identify which bag held what.

Bag number one contains a small coloring book and pack of crayons (Kailynn's favorite). The second bag holds finger puppets. Even at home these little buddies keep her entertained for hours! The third bag is home to miniature safari animals. Last but not least, I attached velcro pieces to the ends of colored popsicle sticks. The sticks serve dual purposes. One activity is to attach the ends of the sticks to form shapes. Another activity is color matching or sorting since there are two sticks of each color. 

As simple as they may seem, these were life savers! Kailynn loves these bags so much that they now stay in her diaper bag. They come in handy for trips to the grocery store and restaurants. 

Vacation

I've had people ask if I have already abandoned the blog. I am still here! I have not disappeared. Our first week of creative alphabets has taken a break and we will continue now that we are back. This past week, Kailynn and I went on a last minute vacation while daddy was on a business trip. Although it rained almost every day, we still had a blast! We saw dolphins and sharks at Gulfarium, had fun in the sun in Panama City, saw giraffes and tigers at Wild Adventures, and splashed around in Splash Island. Kailynn and I enjoyed every bit of our spur-of-the-moment vacation and it went a little something like this...

(Don't forget to check back soon for simple activity travel pack ideas that I used on our trip)

Do-a-dot Art

Kailynn has been showing interest in letters lately so I have been working on making letter print outs for the past week or so. I was running low on our arts and crafts supplies so we made a trip to the dollar store. (Yes, the dollar store.) I came across the do-a-dot paint markers and thought it would be perfect for our next project! The plan is to focus on one letter a week. This week our letter is, you guessed it, the letter "A".

To make the print outs, I simply opened Microsoft Word and created a "word art" for each letter in upper and lower case then printed them as needed. I set up the table and Kailynn was ready to start learning her ABC's. I did a few dots myself to show Kailynn how to use the markers and she simply immitated my actions. I told her to stay inside the lines and trace the shape of the letter "A" and she did just that. Here is her first alphabet craft challenge. Not too bad for a first timer.

4th of July

I hope everyone enjoyed their 4th of July weekend! I enjoyed every bit of it except for the tons of mosquito bites I have. I seem to have been the only one they attacked. Anyways, these past few days have been quite busy for us. Aside from celebrating 2 birthdays, we spent our 4th of July at Kennedy Space Center visiting Atlantis. It was quite a site! Every time Kailynn saw a rocket or shuttle, she would shout, "Pat, pat, pat, BLASTOFF!" (The fact that you know where this quote comes from just makes you a fun Mom!)

Of everything there was to do and see, Kailynn seemed to have enjoyed pushing all of the buttons on the simulators the most. Being able to see such an important part of history in person is simply breathtaking! I most definitely recommend visiting Kennedy Space Center to anyone who has never been there before.

Here are a few photo's from our 4th of July Adventures at Kennedy Space Center.

Say Cheese!

The first and probably the most important tip I have when it comes to photographing children would be to let them be themselves. How many times have you pulled out your camera and told your little one to “say cheese?” Most of the time, they will pose awkwardly and force a smile onto their face. Ideally, a big smile and looking directly into the camera would be a perfect shot. If you have ever tried to get a toddler to sit still for more than just a few seconds, you know how difficult it is to get that “perfect photo.” Well, I have good news for you! They don’t have to be smiling or even looking at the camera for it to be a good photo. Let them run around and have fun. Who knows? They just may cooperate with you if you make it seem like a game and not a task. Just be sure to have your camera at hand and be ready to take a ton of photos.

Just the other day, I took Kailynn outside to play before it started to rain. I sat in the middle of the yard and started snapping away with my camera while she simply played on her tricycle. I took nearly 50 photos. Of those 50, these are my 4 favorites. Notice how she isn’t smiling in any of the photos.

I hope this tip helps you the next time you have your camera out! Be sure to check back for more photography tips!

Squishy Sensory Bag

How many of you remember those water snake wigglies (a clear plastic tube filled with water and little toys)? Well, Kailynn was playing with one a few days ago and was so frustrated that it kept falling. I was determined to find a toy similar to the water wigglies that wasn’t so slippery. My mission to find this toy was a total fail! But not to worry, Super Mom is here! I decided to make one from scratch. I looked online to see if there were any suggested instructions on how to make one at home. I came across a few and to my surprise they’re referred to as sensory bags or squishy bags. The instructions were pretty similar. The only major difference was what was put inside the bag. Here is how Kailynn and I made our “squishy sensory bag”:

Supplies:

1- quart size plastic storage bag (Ziploc bag)

1- bottle of hair gel

Clear packaging tape

Beads or any other small toys

Step 1: Fill plastic bag with hair gel

Step 2: Put beads or toys into bag

Step 3: "Zip" plastic bag and wrap with tape to strengthen it

That’s it! It’s pretty simple to make and everything can be purchased at the dollar store if you don’t already have the items lying around the house. Your little one can even help make it. Kailynn and I will surely be making more soon!

Here are some other suggestions for filling your own “squishy sensory bag”: Use body wash, shaving cream, rice, or pasta instead of hair gel. Substitute the beads for marbles, plastic bugs or animals, foam stickers, plastic army men, glitter, or just about anything you can fit in the bag. 

Against All Odds

Yesterday's original plan was to play outside, but that was before the thunder storm rolled into town. It seemed like mother nature didn't want us outside. Luckily, I had a backup plan. Too bad that plan didn't follow through either. Shortly after breakfast, I noticed a rash appearing around Kailynn's mouth followed by an upset tummy. I have been keeping a journal of what she ate on the days these symptoms appeared. Because of this, I have narrowed down the possibilities. The fun part is going to be figuring out which one she is allergic to. Wish us luck!

Under Construction

Please excuse my lack of posts as I am under construction.

Thank You,
Me