Signs, signs, everywhere are signs

One of the toilets got clogged. Yuck. I was in the middle of making dinner when the kids told me about it. I wasn't about to fix it right then, so the girls took it upon themselves to put up warning signs. Elisa put up the expected sign: "Out of order." Later on, when I finally had a chance to fix the problem, I saw that Rachel had also put up a sign that was supposed to read: "Who did it? Rachel did it! Meow!" But Rachel is in kindergarten and sounded out the words she didn't know. Plus, she still mixes up her b's and d's. Her sign actually read: "ho bib it? Rachel bib it! meow!" Have I mentioned that Rachel thinks of herself as a cat?

Just telling me what I want to hear

While cleaning up her messy pull-ups I asked Makayla, "Are you going to poop in the potty next time?"

"Yes!" she said, a little too quickly.

"Did you just say that to make me happy?" I asked suspiciously.

"Yes!" came her enthusiastic reply.

Can't get past pull-ups

Makayla's interest in potty training is sporadic. She can be very successful peeing in the potty when she's in the mood for M&Ms, but she has rarely pooped in the potty. Often when I'm cleaning her up, I tell her that she should poop in the potty because it's easier to clean and she won't stink. Today our conversation went something like this:

"Remember to pee ..."
"... in the potty."
"And poop ..."
"... in my pull-ups."
"What?! No. Poop in the potty, not your pull-ups."
"Ohhh," as if it was a big revelation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On a quick little side note, I've discovered that the M&Ms I use for Makayla's potty treats are helpful for encouraging her siblings to get things done. From finishing chores to helping me get things done more quickly to helping their siblings, all of my children work faster and more willingly in order to get an M&M or two. I am not above bribery.

Potty training lasts longer than you think

Makayla showed up without her pants. "Makayla, where are your pants?" I inquired. She simply shrugged and carried on playing. At what other time in your life can you lose your pants and it's funny?

I found a pair of underwear on the stairs. When I asked who's they were, no one claimed them. I guess I wouldn't claim them either, left in such a public area.

I drill everyone, my kids and their friends, when they come out of the bathroom: Did you flush? Did you wash your hands? I send them back if they say no or can't answer.

The odor is strong with this one

Rachel came downstairs wearing a Darth Vader helmet and smelling like she needed a diaper change. "Rachel, are you stinky?" I asked.
"No, I not stinky. I a stormtrooper," she answered, as if the two are mutually exclusive.

Potty training angst

So Lisy had to go potty the other day; however, she had already made a mess in her pull-ups. I couldn't get there immediately. By the time I arrived, well, remember that scene in "Daddy Day Care" when Eddie Murphy's character was looking aghast at the bathroom and the kid said, "I missed" as he came out? Yeah, something like that.

I was wiping everything down with Lysol disinfecting wipes when I noticed that Lisy had tried to clean herself up. "Oh, I see you already wiped," I commented.

And in her sweetest, proudest voice she said, "Your welcome," and I looked up into her happy, smiling face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Although the boys have been potty trained for awhile, I always make them go to the bathroom before we go on any where farther than 20 minutes away. Sometimes they adamantly tell me that they do not need to go. But I insist. "Just try to go. You might surprise yourself."

And sometimes they come back and excitedly proclaim, "Mommy! I surprised myself!"