1. Trying to Figure Out Mac Computing
Well, we did it. We got a Mac Mini. Thanks for all your advice and encouragement on my last post. I marched myself and all seven kids down to the Apple Store at the mall, which is fine with them because the place is simply teeming with iPads. We figured out what I needed, and they were able to resurrect my old computer long enough to preserve all the baby pictures and college essays therein.
So now, here I am, trying to figure out exactly how to put my fingers on this track pad thingy to make it do what I want. I’m a little worried that I’ll inadvertently offend it with the wrong hand gestures.
Anyway, I signed us up for the one-to-one program to get the data transfer, which also entitles us to one-to-one classes in the Apple Store for a year. Which means computer classes just got added to ye olde homeschool syllabus.
2. Trailing After Frankie With One of Those Parade Shovels
Potty training deserves its own post.
Potty training FRANKIE, maybe shouldn’t be talked about at all. Ever. It’s bad for morale.
But here I go anyway. He’s ready. He CAN do it. But he just really doesn’t care what I think enough to bother. So, he’s happy to pee in the potty seventeen times in a day for seventeen m&ms, but he prefers nap time or the great outdoors for his, uh, daily constitutional. Which is not ideal.
If I wanted to be cleaning that up in the yard, I’d get a dog.
He’s not three until October, and I’m not stressing. If we need to go back into diapers, we will. But I just feel like if I could get him to go on the potty JUST ONCE, it would be a great victory.
Sleep training him was one of the worst things that has ever happened to me. It was long and loud and just terrible. But we managed it, and he’s a great sleeper now. I assume potty training is going to be a similar experience. Once more into the fray . . .
Feeling singed a bit by Frankie, I had been putting off sleep training Lulu. But she just wasn’t sleeping well with/on me anymore. Poor smiley thing had little dark circles under her eyes. So, I read through the book again (I use Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child
) to get my courage up — put it off for one more day after we got back in town — then I psyched myself up, walked her down the hall, nursed her, and laid her down in the crib for the very first time ever (at eight months and some). She rolled over, fussed a bit, was asleep before I made it to the door, and slept for nearly two hours. The next night she slept from 5pm until 7am when *I* needed her, so I woke her up.
Crazy.
3. Guest Posting for Gina at Someday (hopefully) They’ll Be Saints about how a funny picture on the internet changed my whole exercise philosophy.
There it is. So, click on the link in the title there, and come say hi. Ya know, if you want.
4. Also being on other blogs.
Bonnie has a nice piece on what she learned in Kindergarten, in which I have a small cameo role.
Nancy at Reading Catholic has some book recommendations to help all parents, no matter what type of schooling they use, fulfill their obligation to instruct their children in the faith. (Spoiler: one of them is my book
Nell also did a lovely review of my book. But you should really go over to her blog to see all the cute baby stuff she sells on Etsy. Adorable!
5. And Being Discussed on the Radio
It still kinda blows my mind when, all of a sudden I get a flurry of emails and Facebook messages telling me that people are talking about me on the radio. But, there you have it. (My editor discusses how my book came to be at about 1:50 into the program on 8/18).
6. Trying Not to Blog
I am terrible about taking blogging breaks, but I really should be getting the school year organized, and my house organized, and my new computer organized. And the yard cleaned up.
We did all our school supply shopping yesterday, and Bobby made us a fabulous centerpiece. Our uniforms and some of our books haven’t arrived yet though, so we’re eeeeeasing in to this school year.
Happy Tuesday!
I want to read about exercise! (instead of exercising!!) but the link goes nowhere…
Sorry! I think I must've posted here before the link went live at Gina's. It's working for me now.
WAIT. Your 8-month-old slept 14 hours?!(?!?!?!?!?)
Believe me, no one was more surprised than I was.
I usually offer a couple of M&Ms for pee, and the WHOLE. BAG. for the first poop in the potty. Poop always earns you more candy than pee after that, as well. Hang a giant bag of candy on a stick and see if that doesn't increase his motivation!
Potty training was an ordeal for my son. He must be a lot like Frankie, but he was my first and only child (until March-ish). At any rate, he absolutely COULD do it, he just didn't want to. He would rather play, or eat, or do anything else. I couldn't get him trained until he was 3.5! But, just like that, in a few days he had it down. He had a few accidents for the first month or so, but nothing after that. No pull-ups and no nighttime accidents. Leading up to potty training was terrible, but once he decided he wanted to, easiest thing ever.
I bet Frankie will be like that, too. Strong wills!
Lulu is amazing. Wow. I've never been into sleep training but Lulu just might be my inspiration to give it a try with my next baby (due in Oct).
I <3 sleep trained babies, it's bliss and it is always easier than I gear myself up for though I think I would keel over and die by 8 months…or kill my husband and neighbors for daring to speak to me or something. Let's just say I'm happier when I'm well-rested so my babies are all exceptionally well-rested by 12 weeks at the latest. I've never done nighttime sleep training though, that sounds hard. I just do the daytime and they all STTN on their own 11-12 hours by 8-12 weeks. Your Lulu sounds just like my Tahlia, super duper easy magical baby! Yay for sleep for you and her 🙂
And the potty training, oh I so feel you! Both of my boys have been like Frankie in the potty training department and it was awful! I finally did something super duper mean to my firstborn when he was 3.5, reading real books, and still pooping in his pants daily. I put him on "poop jail". I can't remember where i read the idea but basically after a fiber-filled breakfast and lunch (yogurt, oatmeal, prune juice, muffin, etc) I'd place him in the bathroom with a baby gate and a couple books to read and a toddler potty + the big potty of course and say "okay, it's time to poop, you hang out here and call for me when you have pooped in the potty". The first day he threw a tantrum instead but after 1 hour he did it. The next day it was maybe half an hour and far less tantruming. By a week he was pooping with 5-10 minutes and happily reading books while he waited for his body to be ready. It worked fantastically and then he pooped in the potty regularly no big deal. My second wasn't nearly that bad, he was just super inconsistent but eventually we got there with lots of mini-chocolate chip rewards and high fives 🙂
Hmmm . . . I've never heard that one, but I'm intrigued. He had a "miss" this afternoon MINUTES after collecting his m&m for peeing.
Kendra, thanks for the link to my review. I was so impressed by your book–when's the next one coming out?
Also, welcome to the light side. You will love a Mac once you get the hang of it.
Potty training my daughter was extremely unenjoyable. I tried when she was newly 2, and that was just not happening. When she was almost 3, I tried again, and it finally started to take. Now my son is almost two and a half, and show little interest in using the potty. Sigh. Maybe M&Ms are the answer…apparently, it worked for my mom with all of us. Have you figured out who the patron saint of potty training is yet? If so, please pass along his/her name so I can supplicate him/her!
I really loved reading & reviewing your book. I was amazed at the emails I got from non-Catholics who were really interested in hearing about it. Way to go, Kendra!
What is WITH little boys relieving themselves in the yard? My second is an offender – he came in the door the other day, suspiciously fiddling with his waistband. Me, with trepidation: "Did you just poop on the lawn?" Him: "No." (finger on chin, thoughtful) "But I did poop on a spider!" It's the grossest thing he's ever done, and that's saying something.
That's pretty advanced marksmanship. 🙂
One of my friends emailed to say she heard Kendra's book discussed on Catholic radio. All of my grandmother friends have copies and love it.
Started hyperventilating a little when I read about Lulu rolling over and going to sleep. I still can't get my almost two-year-old to do that. I was under the impression that if I waited and waited, she would magically want to sleep through the night by herself. (Cue half-hysterical cackling.) This makes me want to get pregnant just so that I can see how much better we could handle the sleep thing the next time around. I am crazy. But seriously, 14 hours?! I am in shock.
Yay Lulu! (And hooray for Dr. W!!) I know so many people are skeptical of sleep training but I'm such an enthusiastic proponent of his book =)
(I'm pretty awesome at getting my babies to nap and sleep all night, but not so good at toilet training – as evidenced by C's attempt to wipe herself w/o supervision the day after a blueberry picking/eating expedition, which resulted in my having to deep clean my bathroom… Good luck with Frankie!)
Hi! You made a tiny mention about uniforms…do your kids wear uniforms during school time? Or am I off. I was in fact thinking of doing something like that though! 🙂
Yes! I have a post all about it. Why I Homeschool Like That
I love that sleep training book! I have used it with all of my kids and it's so amazing how well they sleep. Good luck with potty training, ugh. It's the one stage I wish I could skip over.
I am just curious about what you said in the exercise article… how far away is your daily Mass that you consider it close enough to walk or run. Do you know how many miles away it is or can you estimate?
It's about a mile and a quarter. It takes less than 15 minutes to run, up to a half an hour to walk with kiddos.
Of all the things in this post…here is what I have to comment on- you don't get sweaty? What? That is so awesome…lucky duck.
{Kathy} If you can make it through sleep training, potty training is a breeze, right?
Curious about Lulu's bedtime at 5p. Was that consistent for her at that age?
Yes, she has always needed a lot of sleep, so five or six pm bedtime was pretty standard. Now that she's two and a half it's seven or even eight in the summer, but she would probably do better with a six o'clock bedtime. She's a sleeper.