What was I thinking?

Ok remember that blog not too long ago when I said that we moms need to remember to take care of ourselves first? Well, I need to remember to take my own advice.

This skin atrocity is the result of three things:

1. Excitement at summer's arrival.

2. This passing thought that I'll skip the sunscreen because I'd like to get "a little bit of color," but in my sunbaked mind, that means "golden brown," not "boiled lobster."

3. Two hours of a cloudless sky at the beach, two days before the summer solstice.

Oh and by the way, it hurts... a lot.

Again, what the heck was I thinking???

The happy news here is that the SPF 30 I slathered all over Little Man did the trick. Yes, it looks like diaper ointment going on, but he is as pale as can be, and pain-free.

Let's Get Excited!

This week, I am using my blog entry as a chance to give the MaineMom readers out there a big "Thank you."

Every week, the bloggers at MaineMoms.com work really hard to find interesting topics to lure you to our blogs. But it is your feedback that makes this site work. Our entries would mean nothing without your advice and comments.

Just for example, a few weeks ago I posted a blog called "Answers Wanted" and answers I got! Many of you emailed me your words of wisdom or left a comment.

And just remember, even if you disagree with our blogs, we always appreciate a comment. That's how we know you're out there.

Thanks!

Maybe I'm trying to hard

or maybe it's because there's no consistency, or maybe he's just not ready, or maybe I'm not ready...no wait I am so ready. If you haven't figured it out yet, we're in the midst of potty training in our house and nothing has made me question my parenting abilities quite like the task of trying to teach a toddler to pee and poop in the toilet rather than in his pants. If anyone was to ask me for tips on potty training, I would suggest not reading about how some people had their kids training in one-joyous day, because you will want to hunt those people down and beat the piss out of them.

We started introducing the potty a year ago, but we didn't really start pushing it until about six months ago. In the last six months we've tried bribery, punishment for going in his pants, and even the handy trick of offering M&M's as a reward, and I think I've learned that my kid doesn't really enjoy M&M's due to the fact that after I explain that he can have an M&M after he pees in the potty, he completely looses interest.

I just recently signed Jordan up for preschool in the fall, stand by for my teary post on September 2ND and how I'm going to make it through that day. In order for him to start preschool he has to be completely potty trained. So, this past weekend, along with putting him in a big boy bed (yup, he figured out how to climb out of his crib, so we were forced) we also decided we were going to go full tilt and put him right in big boy underwear. Let me just say that by noon on Saturday we'd gone through SIX pair of underwear. Along with putting him in time-out, I had to take a mommy time out myself after spending 15 minutes trying to talk him into at least trying to pee on the potty and then having him pee on the living room floor right in front of me. Then an hour later, as I was still fuming from that endeavor he walks up to me, waves his cute little hand and says "Hi Momma....I just peed!" And no it wasn't on the potty, unless my living room floor is now called a potty?!?

My next plan of action is to keep pushing this potty thing through then end of this week, if I can make it that long. And if by then we're still at the same point then...frig it. if he wants to continue to sit in a wet diaper, if he wants to make me go broke by continuing to buy diapers, if he doesn't want to go to school in the fall, so be it.

My final thought is kids will be ready when they are ready. The more we push this as a parent, the more frustration comes with it. In the end, I'm sure I'll learn and most will learn that eventually, everyone uses the toilet.