One Last Hurrah!

Wyatt and I are flying to Florida tomorrow.  He can only fly free for 1 more month and I had an almost free flight from Hunter, so we go!  I did not think about how a 7 month pregnant belly and an almost 2 year old are going to share a seat, but we can endure anything for 2.5 hours ri-iiiight?

We will get to see our Florida Besties Jacque and Collin.  We will get to slide on our old playgrounds.  We will visit our old lunch spots. We will go by our condo and see if Wyatt remembers it.  I can't wait to see everybody and everything again!

I am stressing about the potty training and traveling, but am hoping to find one of these foldable potty seats at the local Target or Wal Mart.  I don't want to go into labor trying to hold Wyatt up on the seat for a potty.  If I can stuff this in my traveling diaper backpack I will breathe much better. We are totally rocking Pull Ups on the flight but I want him to pretend it is big boy undies.

I also bought this Imaginetics Flying High Magnet board to help keep Wyatt entertained on the flight.  Along with snacks, and a few John Deere and Farmall toys. 

Today, we laundry and pack and flight check in.  Oh yah, and work too because I have been slacking this week.  Tomorrow we fly.  In 2 months, we never fly again because I can't imagine traveling anywhere with 2 kids solo.  Ha ha! Maybe not even Target?

Side note...my neighbors 2 doors down are having triplets around the same time I am having a singlet.  I am never allowed to complain again because whatever tiredness I feel, she feels in triplicate.  Whenever I complain about lack of sleep or being a mom of a newborn and a toddler, I will think of her being a mom to 3 newborns and a toddler.  Just puts things in perspective!

Recent Photo Projects

1. I filled up my new frames with matte finish prints from Mpix and they came out great! I have no other matte finish prints to compare them to, but I will probably order from them every time I want a good print.  This definitely beats the instant glossy print from Walgreens.

2.  I made Wyatt (ok fine, more for me) a book called On The Day I Was Born.  This idea was 95% copied from the interwebs.  We are going to read it occasionally and hopefully it will mean more to him after his little sister is born.  I used Mpix for this too.  I checked Blurb, Shutterfly, and a few others but Mpix looked easy to customize.  Would you like to preview it?  It is sappy, but I love it (even with a type-o).  His first take away after reading it.  "Let's play dump trucks!"

3. Most of you know, I am addicted to Instagram.  I feel less embarrassed to over share daily pics of kiddies on here for some reason?  I heard about Postrgram and had to try it.  You pick one main image and they build your main image out of all of your selected Instagram images.  Here is a picture I snagged from the website.  The real deal is supposed to arrive in the mail today and I hope it looks fabulous.  It better for the price I paid. I ordered the 18x18 poster and I selected all of my Wyatt pictures from Instagram (all 233 pics).

Scenes From the Weekend

We went to visit our families this weekend with plans to come home Saturday night for a productive Sunday.  Well, Hunter got stung by something while swimming.  There was swelling of the face, hives, itchies, and red all over.  We debated an ER trip for a little while but the Benadryl must have kicked in.  We were forced to stay another day just in case.  As you can see from the pics, we did not have any fun at all (wink wink).  Warning, these photos may also be categorized under "no pants Sunday". 

Farmall

Pulling my bucket

Riding Rio

Eating s'mores

Riding a Kubota and playing loader

Why I Am Missing

I spent about 20 hours trying to revive my 5-6 year old laptop.  All this work for a 4 hour temporary victory.  She is a goner.  She was good to us, but tis time for her to retire. 

What this means is I have to work in my office / guest room / storage room. What this means is that I can only be on a computer when Wyatt is sleeping.  What this means is I spend all my computer time working.  What this means is I don't get to do any fun internetting.  What this means is you don't get the life updates from me that you should be.

Have no fear.  Picking out a new laptop is the 2nd item on my paper to do list.  I have it narrowed down to about 5.

Still "nesting" over here.  I bought these frames from Amazon.  They come with multiple layouts that you can tape to your wall and easily mark where your hardware goes.  I love the way they look and I love that someone did the fun and creative layouts for me.

I am trying my first photo order with mpix.  If you hang around pinterest, you will see all of these pins about why their quality is so much better than all of the other printer people.  Did you know you should almost never print glossy?  Me neither.  I always do the instant glossy.  Time to step it up and order pics through the mail with a matte finish. 

Also, Creamsicle Magic Shell !?!?!??!  I NEED to try this.   On Vanilla ice cream. It WILL be magical.

thredUp Review

I  gave thredUp a try after reading about this site along with Twice from some of my favorite bloggers Ain't No Mom Jeans and Camp Patton.

• thredUp is an online Consignment / High End Thrift Store.  They have an app and online site for easy filtering by type (boys, girls, juniors, womens), size, category (maternity, plus, petite, regular), and you can select favorite brands or request only items with tags on. 
• thredUp will ship the items to your front door.  An order of $50 or more qualifies for free shipping; otherwise, shipping starts at $2.99.
• thredUp will allow you to return any items you don't like. You receive a full refund but have to pay the return shipping.
• thredUp will also allow you to send clothes you don't need to their store and pay you some $$$$.  They only accept name brand, very high quality clothes, and seem to have too much demand right now so there are many complaints about people not getting the money they expect. I am going to test this out with some of my nice work clothes that I have not worn for ages and will not wear for ages to see what happens.  They are from 2 years ago so will probably not make the cut for being outdated.  

 Order #1 - Maternity Clothes Order

Motherhood Tunic, Sleeveless, Teal - $8.49 (this was actually sent to me for free with a sticker that said flawed freebie...I could not find the flaw anywhere...bonus for me!)
A Pea In the Pod  Top, Sleeveless, Gray - $16.49 (new with tags)
A Pea In The Pod Casual Dress, Black  - $23.49
Oh Baby By Motherhood Tunic, Maroon - $7.99
Total with an intro 20% off and free flawed garment - $36.71

Order #2 - Toddler Order

Gymboree Short Sleeve Button Down, New With Tags - $11.99
Heritage 1981 Cardigan (for me, not Wyatt) - $8.99
One Jackson Sweater, Brown - $9.49
Lucky Brand Button Down with Pearl Snaps - $8.99
Janie and Jack Flat Cap - $6.99
Motherhood Shorts (not pictured, another for me) - $6.99
Total Cost - $53.44


In summary, I was very happy with the service.  I enjoy picking up my phone and checking out the most recent items in my favorite filtered searches that are saved in the app and on the site. I look forward to buying some post pregnancy clothes from the site.  I am quite sure you can save just as much, if not more money, by browsing thrift stores on your own or watching for coupons but I don't make time for that.  If you would like to check it out and give me a referral credit, visit here

P.S. I don't feel the need to buy Wyatt many name brand clothes, but I wanted to have some cutesies for some 2 year photo shoots.  Ooootay?

Links I Keep Visiting

Nursery Designer by BabyBedding.  Can play with sheets, crib skirts, and bumpers.  Can change the flooring and walls.  Fun for too long. 

What to buy at Costco that will save you the most money by the Fun Cheap or Free Queen.

The NFL Bad Lip Reading video..... 

A Different Janet

So many people have been asking me what my pregnancy cravings have been that my body decided to crave something. I woke up last week dreaming of bagels.  Ooooh bagels.  I never liked breakfast carbs unless its a tortilla I wrap some bacon and eggs in.  Ha ha.  Well, there are no bagel shops in the country so I had to settle for something else that morning.  I did buy a 6 pack at the grocery store on the next trip.  Non-pregnant Janet would put cream cheese with green onions, bacon, cheddar, and jalapeno on a bagel if she were to have one.  Pregnant Janet will put cream cheese and honey on her bagel. This might be a recurring purchase. Who am I?

I wake up each morning feeling sore like I had a really intense workout the day before.  The feeling goes away by the time I finish my bagel but it weirds me out.

I ordered 5 crib sheets from Target to help me decide how my nursery nook should look.   5 crib sheets just to help me make a decision.  The plan is to take the ones back to the store that I won't use.  2 have arrived and they are both keepers in my mind.  What if I keep all 5 crib sheets because I am a nut?

My to do lists grew out of control.  I usually have my to do lists organized in an app on my phone.  Since I hit the 3rd trimester, I now have to do lists on my phone, on the fridge dry erase board, on a notepad, and in my head.  Checkity check check.  I also research things like "best way to organize your fridge" and "how to organize toddler bedroom".  Is this some form of nesting?  I could care less about this kinda stuff.

I dream crazy people dreams.  I dreamt about Chelsea Memmel 2 nights ago.  I dreamt about some crazy sheep things that I had to watch last night.  Every once in a while the sheep would turn into horrible creatures and try to come get us.  I would have to pummel them.  I had weak little girly punches in my dreams.  I probably have weak little girly punches in real life too.

The potty training is more ups and downs now.  I have had zero liquid accidents on the carpet at my house BUT 2 nights ago, I put Wyatt in just shorts (no undies) to make it for a little while before bed time.  I heard "potty" and went running, so we went to the potty and made a little poopy.  He kept saying "big mess" and I kept telling him it was just a little mess in our shorts and it is ok to have accidents.  Once we were done in there, he ran into the living room to show me the "big mess" I was oblivious to.  Shore nuff...there was a big mess in the living room.   Shorts....not meant for containing stools.  They should tell you this on the label or something (dumbest decision by Janet this week).  I used a damp cloth, and then some vinegar, and then some anti bac Lysol carpet spray.  Should be good, right?  Visitors, I will never tell you where "they" were. 

I just heard "alll done" and "twactors" and "john deew twactors" on the baby monitor.   Everybody needs a baby monitor just so they can eavesdrop on their kids stories. 

All of my posts from this point forward will probably be random bits of trivia because I am not logical enough to write real posts.  I am going to log in to work really really quick before "twactors" turns into "moooom". Wyatt now refers to me as "mooom" instead of mama or mommy.  He learned it from his big cousins.  I was hoping to be mommy for longer. How sappy of me.

Potty Training Update

So I am not going to say that Wyatt is potty trained, but he is amazing me with his progress and we wear big boy undies during all of our awake times...sometimes even in public.  I am going to detail his potty training progress because I like steps and days and plans and prefer scientific based over analysis.  If you don't, check out the pic and then move along.

Day 1: Go to the red store (Target) and make a big deal out of all of the potty training items we buy. 

• Disney Planes Undies - 3pk
• Training Undies by Gerber - 3 pk
• Lightening McQueen Potty Seat
• Pull Ups (maybe shouldn't have bought)
• Animal Flash Cards

After nap time, I tried to explain how we are wearing underwear now and we have to go potty on the potty or it will make a mess.  I also explain that we have to play outside or on the tile since we aren't wearing diapers.  The book warned me not to expect him to understand, but letting him pee on himself will teach him how things work fast.  He was shocked the first time he peed.  And the second. And the third.  After each time I would explain how we should try to go on the potty and take him in there even though he was already all done. He learned to tell me "mess" real quick and we would get a towel and clean it up.  By the end of the day, he would go, and then run to the potty.  I was happy with the progress. 

Day 2: I was a bit more prepared.  I had Clorox wipes, old towels, and baby wipes stashed strategically all over the house.  We changed into his big boy undies after we woke up and peed on the potty.  Yay! Make a big deal.  You are such a big boy.  I was kinda excited because he was telling me potty, and we were going in there and making progress.  I could also tell he wasn't really getting it because he went through all 6 pairs of undies before lunch time.  I did a load of laundry during nap time.  I think I figured out that he was going just a little bit on the potty and then would stop because I would cheer.  After nap, I convinced him to stay on the potty a lot longer so we could get all of it out.  The flash cards came in really handy. He enjoyed going to the potty and sitting in there looking at the  animals. The afternoon was a total success.  He would tell me potty, and we would go running. I was so impressed. 

Day 3:  We stayed in the same pair of undies all day!  He got it.  I was taking him to the potty about every hour, and he would go.  He would also tell me when he needed to go.  When I heard potty, we went running.  Magically, he got the concept for poopies too.  By the end of the day, I let him sit on the couch on a towel. 

I think we are on day 9 and are still going strong.  We sleep in a diaper at nap time and bed time but go in undies all other times.  We don't always get all of it in the potty, but he always tells me and tries to get all of it in the potty.  In summary, we had 2 days of messes and then the light bulb went of.  This 2 days of messes required constant hovering from me and sitting on the hard tile floor non stop (my back!).

Things I have learned so far:

• Do not ever put him in a pull up or diaper unless you absolutely have to.  You can call them pull ups or big boy undies all you want, but they feel different and Wyatt immediately goes back to peeing in them. 
• When you go out in public, the first thing you do is find the bathroom. 
• Take off shoes, shorts, and undies before trying to pee on the potty in a public bathroom.  Lets just say I have dropped some items into gross public potties trying to get him situated.  
• When going on the potty loses its excitement, use the timer on your phone to enforce a potty try.  For some reason, when Wyatt hears the timer, he will cooperate.  When I tell him its time to try he says "nope".  
• Have spare socks, shoes, undies, shorts, and shirt in the car.  Sometimes they ALL get dirty. 

Thinks I have not learned so far:

• How to keep all the pee in the potty.  He is too short to pee standing up so we sit (should I buy a stool?) . He is too young to understand pointing and aiming.  I use a lot of clorox wipes. 
• How to teach him to put on or take off his clothes to go potty. 
• How to get on or off the potty himself
• Best way to wipe him.  Do I leave him on the potty? Do I take him off the potty? I think I need to google this.

One more thing...he looks so grown up in his big boy undies.  It makes me happy-sad.

July Product Favorites - Mama and Toddler

Mama:

NARS Afghan Red Satin Lipstick -I put this on a wishlist years ago and somebody in my family bought it for me. I hardly ever wear makeup now but my face has magically cleared up (tomorrow I will break out) so I don't mind putting on a few things.  I love this lipstick.  It was listed as a red lipstick that is universally flattering. It is at least flattering on pasty white mamas that don't wear much other makeup. 

Litehouse Freeze Dried Herbs -These taste a little better and stronger than plain old dried herbs, but cost so much less than buying the fresh tiny little clump of herbs.  I have the parsley and the basil one.  These are sold in all of the grocery stores I visit over by the fresh herbs.

Amazon Prime - I signed up for Amazon Prime ($79 a year) not to get the free shipping, but to get a free book from the Kindle Owner's Lending Library. With this, you are allowed to get one book a month including quite a few best sellers. I do try to get most of my books free from the library, but there are wait lists and 14 day checkout maximums and I NEED books people.  I think I will actually save money by using Amazon Prime and who doesn't need 2 day shipping on all those amazon products. 

Toddler:

Burt's Bee's Baby Bee Wash - I have not allowed myself to buy this because I am trying to use up my lifetime supply of Johnson and Johnson's but the Burt's smells so good I am really tempted.  When I go visit the family, I get to mooch off of their soap.

Let's Grow Smart Flash Cards - Animals pack for 3 year olds.  This was in the Target $1 spot.  I can't find the exact pack I got online.  These flash cards have helped to keep Wyatt on the potty for potty training AND he is learning all kinds of new animals.  I love them...he loves them. I am going to go back and buy a few more of the other packs.


Ocean Animals Playset - I bought these at the local bookstore we visit frequently.  We go there to play with their big ol Thomas the Train set and I can usually get away without spending any money. One time I made this fabulous impulse purchase.  These sea creatures usually play in the tent that is a hit again this month.