Taking a break for now

Well we made the decision to take a break from potty training today. We will have to revisit it at a later date. She is really resistant to actually going in the potty. So I made the decision to table it for now. What I am going to do, is let the potty sit in the bathroom and let her lead next time. She knows what the potty is for now, so I think that next time, I will let her make the decision to go forward. We'll see how it goes.

It really was a rough day. We had no successes today and a lot of messes. Mommy and toddler both lost their tempers a bit. But in the end, we spent about 30 minutes before bed just cuddling and she told me that she loved me over and over and I reiterated to her that despite a rough day, Mommy loves her very much. So at least the day ended on a high of sorts! She is dawdling with going to bed, but that's to be expected after a day like today.

Tomorrow will be a recuperation day. We have a plan to make cupcakes for this weekend and we're going to cuddle and watch a movie together. Probably her favourite of the moment which is Brave. Possibly her all time favourite Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I'm hoping that we can heal from today!

Not the best of starts

Well it wasn't best start potty training, but we had a couple of successes. I'm not giving up yet though. Tomorrow is a brand new day! I am hoping that tomorrow will go more smoothly. She loves the candy reward, she loves her underwear and her potty. I think it's just the idea of using the potty that freaks her out. She can't really get comfortable with that yet. But we'll get there in the end!

On the plus side, the Man Pleasing Chicken that we made for dinner was a hit with everyone including the highly picky toddler! We all ate the same food for the first time in a very, very long time! It felt good and the food was delicious! 

Potty Training Time!

**No blog posts for months and suddenly 2 in one day!**

 Tomorrow begins the dreaded potty training. No one that I've talked to has had an easy experience. There are many choices out there as to the methods that you can try. There is a three day method out there that sounds great in theory but seems a bit militant. It starts with throwing away all of the diapers at the beginning. We have a box that is barely opened! I'm not throwing all of the diapers away. There is the method where you let your kid run around naked with a potty standing by waiting. This doesn't sound so bad given that most of our house is stained concrete, but we do have a 5x8 run in the living room which could prove to be troublesome when it comes to cleaning.

To be honest, I think that because each kid is different, you have to play it by ear. So I am going to try to be very relaxed about this. I think we may start out with her in a dress and no diaper or underwear (I'm going to put a comforter over the rug) and leave the potty visible. I'm going to try my best to watch her for bathroom cues, but let's be honest, no one can keep their eyes on their kid every minute. And there will be accidents which I will hopefully handle with calm and grace to prevent any negative pressure. I really want this to be a positive experience for both my daughter and me.

So far, she picked out a potty.

 

Despite the bad reviews, we wanted her to pick the potty and she really loved this one so we will just have to see how it works out. I'm hoping that it turns out better than the reviews.

She picked out some underwear:

 

We have some M&M's for rewards and tomorrow, I plan to make some cake to use as rewards for big successes. Hopefully, I can update tomorrow with positive progress! I have a friend who is forever saying to "Think positive!" I am going to try and maintain a positive attitude about all of this!

Taking a stand!

While I sit here and eat my second meal of the day to be procured through a drive thru window, I've come to a decision! Tomorrow, I am taking a stand! I have never been a good cook. I don't have the patience or skills and I am very easily distracted by just about anything. My husband has always been the cook in the family. He loves to cook and he loves to experiment with food. His current job keeps him away a lot and even when he is home, he works late. And over the course of the last year or so while my daughter has been on solid foods, I have inadvertently cultivated a picky food monster! She flatly refuses to eat anything meat unless it's chicken tenders, fish sticks, hot dogs and occasionally lunch meat. She will eat vegetables a lot of the time, but lately she's been not the best about eating them either.

Tomorrow, I am stopping the diner like atmosphere in the house. I'm only making one meal and it's take it or leave it. My daughter is almost 2 and it's time that she learn to eat what is put in front of her or not eat. I know that this will not be an easy transition. It's completely demoralizing to work on a meal only to have it rejected and dumped on the floor. But in the long run, I hope it will get her back to her previous non picky self.

Now I just need to find recipes that are simple enough for me to cook them, healthy, and that are toddler friendly. We'll see how that goes!