notes from the potty training files: PREPARE TO VOMIT

Seriously BEWARE: brief poop talk ahead! (Don't forget to CLICK AWAY if it disgusts you. Which it might. But, really, after all these years, if we can't talk about bodily functions then WHAT KIND OF FRIENDS ARE WE?)

So, it's official - this house is (finally) diaper free. I thought the day would (seriously) never come but over our snow-day lockdown we cranked the heat up to like 75 (ok, that was more for me) and let Nate run around mostly naked for three days and, well, since then there has been much peeing and praise (and the occasional chocolate bribery) and all the normal potty training hoopla.

Having a bowel movement? MUCH MORE DIFFICULT. He will hold it for several days and then seem slightly surprised when it happens. I know he knows when he has to go b/c he asks to sit down (he prefers to pee standing up. which is actually slightly hilarious to watch on the regular toilet since he is. aren't you glad i shared that detail with you?). Last week he went (poop. yep. I said it. SORRY.) and the following conversation ensued:

Nate (gripping on to my arms for dear life as he sits on the toilet and peering between his legs): What is that Mommy?

Me: Well, buddy, that's your poop.

Nate: It not a rock, Mommy? It poop?

Me: Not a rock.

Nate: What is poop, Mommy?

Me: (HA.) Well, it's when your body eliminates all the food you put in your tummy. (Um... technical definition there. Good enough, right?)

Nate (proudly): MY POOP IS CHICKEN AND WAFFLES, MOMMY.

NOW AREN'T YOU SAD I DIDN'T DELETE MY BLOG?

snapping out of it

I'm trying, I'm trying. I've been debating (for the first time in 5 plus years of blogging) of hitting the big DELETE THIS BLOG button. But I'm going to attempt to POWER THROUGH all marathon-like and keep my lovely little family stories going for my PERMANENT RECORD. If it doesn't start working soon, I'll know it's TIME.

So, on that note, here is a completely random-ass post.

I am trying to remember things LONG, LONG ago before the February Funk set it. Sometime in January, I submitted a sketch book to The SketchBook Project.

Photo Source

I'm not really a big SKETCHER but this sounded fun. Basically you buy a sketchbook (everyone receives the same size moleskin sketchbook through the arthouse co-op site), you receive (or choose from a list) a theme and then GO! Sketch away. You can use any medium you so choose. Then you post-mark it, they receive and catalog it and TAKE IT ON TOUR. Each book has its own bar code so every time an individual "checks out" my book, I receive an email telling me so. Pretty sweet, right? There are 28,838 participants this year (ranging from 2 year olds to stay at home mamas to professional artists).

My theme (which is somewhat hilarious given my mood as of late) was HAPPY THINGS!

Here are a few of my pages. (Keep in mind = not an arteeeeest but A CREATIVE. HA. Yep. I'm a Creative. Capital C, yo.)

Here's my silly little cover (It's good to be reminded of The Happy.):

And some of my pages:

(Please note the wash cloth and mitten in the first photo. CLEARLY a well thought-out, creative photography shot. (I apparently can't do multiple creative things at once.))

Love Bench in downtown Little Rock:

Old pregnancy photo (Don't look too closely; one of my feet is MISSING.)
One final amazing picture:

The books start in Brooklyn and travel across the US. (Portland, DC, Atlanta, Austin, San Fran and (ending in June) in Seattle.

Photo Source

My book is in there somewhere!

HAPPY, RIGHT?

blank blank blankity blank blank blank

If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it, right?

i'm meeeeelttting, meeeeellllllting

Ok, I'm not melting but the snow is. And thank baby jesus god mary joseph and all the saints in heaven. (Too much?)

We are OVER IT. (And yes I realize what a PANS I sound like.)

School and work have been out since Wednesday morning (IT'S FRIDAY NIGHT) and we've been home bound and I can't take it anymore. It's pretty much gone and not a single minute of our days tomorrow is unplanned. (PEOPLE. I NEED PEOPLE.)

Though we DID manage to eek some final moments of enjoyment out of the cold and will be whining about the heat in no time I am sure. (That was my lead in to the plethora of photos - lame I know but PHOTOS = yea, right?)

We did a little sledding redneck pool toy style:

The $2 intertube was the most popular (and the fastest) until we ran into a tree (Alright it was a shrub that was NEXT TO a tree, but a tree just sounds so much more dramatic.) and popped it.

And then while Nate napped (hooray!) we had some adult snow time and made the perfect snowman, a vast improvement over our last attempt as far as Obtaining the Perfect Snowman goes.

Partly this is because my OCD husband was helping to sculpt the balls (ahem), partly because this snow was PERFECT for snowman-makin', and partly because Nate was napping and none of the neighborkids were helping this go round.

ALSO we had a little help from my mother-in-law, keeper of EVERYTHING USEFUL. (Seriously, one time I told her we were having a fiesta-themed party and she ran to her storage room to get her stash of perfectly-worn and amazing mexican blankets... which (clearly) were the perfect touch to the party!) (Also that sled with the steering wheel that all the kids went gaga over? From her.)

ANYWAY, she provided us with THIS:

Which had very USEFUL instructions such as these:

(In case you are unfamiliar with The Snow Man.)

Whilst we built we also found the perfect beer holders (his and hers?):

And I took pictures (seriously like 7) of Nate's boots. (Are they for girls? Are they for boys? Who knows but I love them anyway.) He's been wearing them around the house for days with his undies and a t-shirt, which for some reason is the picture of toddlerhood to me and makes me indescribably happy.)

In CONCLUSION, this snowman was way too perfect that we just wanted to destroy him:

(We didn't but glorious Mr. SUN did today!)

oh rexy you so sexy

We accidentally stole a dinosaur from the hairdresser.

Somehow, we wound up celebrating the dino's birthday at dinner (please note the delicious cake).

He got his own piece of pizza as well.
JEALOUS of our stellar parenting skills?

snow day in the south

Hmmmmmmmmmmm........

(Though please note I did take this picture through the window because it's, uh, cold.)

(Edited to add: around 11 the grass has some sticking! I shall update you with an after shot this evening?)