Life

Is any one even reading this any more? I was looking back over some of my first posts where I would blog like 3 to 4 times a week. I have no idea how I did that. Then I remembered that those were the days of 2 naps a day. Those were also the days of where they sat still and didnt need my constant attention as to not burn down my house. Still not a good excuse, huh? Well, how about the fact that Nashville was flooded?

Ok, in all seriousness, do you want to know what is life consuming? Potty training. I can not remember the last thing that was this life consuming since I was pumping breast milk for the girls. Even that was only once every 3 hours. That is nothing compared to potty training twins. The fact that I have a potty in the back of my van explains it all. I walk into a store and immediately B-line it to the bathrooms for the girls. My brain operates in 30 minute intervals now.

WARNING! SEVERAL USES OF THE WORDS "POOP" AND "PEE", OVER AND OVER AGAIN. MY MOTHER SAYS I AM NOT ABLE TO HOLD A CONVERSATION WITHOUT USING IT AT LEAST 5 TIMES IN ANY CONVERSATION I HAVE NOW. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

I dare to say that I would consider the girls potty trained now. I know that since I have typed these words into cyberspace they are going to go through 10 pairs of panties tomorrow. I will take the risk. I want to share something that was a potty game changing moment in our house. My hope is that it can help some one else through this HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE part of parenthood called potty training.

I tried to get the girls to go poop in the potty. I followed them around and every time I thought they were going I threw them on the potty. Most of the time I would catch them half way done. I offered ice cream, candy, a car when they were 16....ANYTHING if they would just go poop on the potty. It didnt work. I felt so helpless and like I was destined to be cleaning poop out of panties until they were in college. Then, a friend mentioned something that worked for someone she knew. Ladies and gentlemen (I dont think any guys read this, but just in case), let me introduce you to "Poopy Presents".

I went to the dollar store and bought them out of everything in their toy aisle. I wrapped it in wrapping paper with pretty bows and I stacked them high on the kitchen table. When the girls woke up, I showed them the pretty wrapped packages and informed them that every time they went poop in the potty, they would get to open a present. I am not lying nor exaggerating, we have had 2 girls pooping in the potty since that blessed day weeks ago. Not one poop accident. Zip. Zilch. Nadda. They would come running out of the potty screaming "Poopy Present!" and rip off the paper like wild women!

We did run into one problem, and that problem was Maddie and the fact that she is starting to use the manipulative traits that she has inherited from me. That child would push out 1 little poop, insist on opening a present, and then 20 minutes later poop out another little poop to get a another. After the day she went through 5 presents I started limiting it to 1 present a day. Then it was you had to stay dry all day and poop in the potty to open one. We went 12 days without ANY accidents (poop or pee) when there was a Poopy Present involved. Since we have taken them away we have had no poop accidents and a handful of pee accidents. The things were like miracle workers.

Then, I informed the girls that we were all done with Poopy Presents. They would be able to open one more present, the best present of all Poopy Presents, but then they were done. Ruthie got a cape so that she can run around the house yelling that she is "Super Ruthie" and Maddie got a fairy costume so that she can make every one refer to her as "Tinker-Maddie".

If they start going in their pants tomorrow since there are no more Poopy Presents, I am going to be so mad. But I will probably just head back to the Dollar Store, if I am being completely honest. It is cheaper than pull ups and diapers! But, I think we have rounded the corner and there is light at the end of the tunnel!