Carrie Russell

Welcome!

noreply@blogger.com (Carrie Russell) — Sat, 12 Oct 2024 16:01:00 +0000

Good chance if you were directed to this blog, it is for my Potty Training Boot Camp.

I am thrilled (and slightly embarrassed) that these posts still help so many! I have not updated or edited these posts in many years. Please keep in mind that this blog is not active and I do not see comments. If I know you personally, please feel free to reach out to me via email, text or social media for help or tips as you begin Potty Training!

I love cheering friends !

Carrie

Well Done

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 02:47:00 +0000

We are told often how as parents, we are a refection of God to our children. Daily, we have the opportunity to show them God’s love and grace, His authority and Discipline, His great care and provision for us--His dear children.   But one of the ways I have been most surprised in parenting is how our children actually reflect much of God’s character to me. Sometimes I think they teach me more about God than I teach them. It is humbling indeed.

Our busy day is filled with school, activities, juggling nap time, snack, house chores. I am putting out the flames of sibling arguments and devising a plan to tackle the world crisis of laundry. I strive daily to exercise the fruit of the spirit in my parenting--- being patient and kind in my words and actions towards my children. I pray they see a mother who’s love is unconditional, who’s words are filled with grace. I long for my children to go to bed at night knowing they are deeply loved by us and that they have a God that loves them and has a plan for them. We try daily to talk about the Gospel with them and pray they will one day put their faith and trust in Christ-- who died for their sins.

Gospel centered parenting.
Oh how I wish I could confidently say this defines my daily life.

But welcome to the real world…where children disobey, glasses get broken, I forget to defrost meat for dinner, we are constantly running late, and where family devotions are more like planet of the apes (you think I am kidding?). My picture perfect idea of “Gospel Centered Parenting” is shattered….and I realize that the one who needs the Gospel the most is the parent and not the child. Because if I am not constantly leaning into Christ to be my strength, how do I ever expect my children to?

Recently, we had a particularly trying day in our household. I felt discouraged by my bickering children, the volume level in my house was similar to a heavy metal concert, I had a screamy baby, I had lost my temper one too many times…and I was heading towards despair. You know it’s been a tough day when you’ve had to ask a 4 year old for forgiveness for your bad attitude. It was bedtime and my tank was empty. Mommy was DONE. And in probably not so nice a way, I communicated that to my kids. “It’s late, daddy’s at a meeting, it’s been a long day…now let’s just go to bed.”

In my mind, it had just been a failure of a day---- In that moment, I certainly wasn’t showing my children the unconditional love of God. I was showing them a mommy who was DONE. Kid time was over. (And I think I actually said that)   I love my children dearly and I believe that they are blessings. But for the past 14 hours, I had been with them non stop… and I just needed this day to end. But here’s the thing… children aren’t like that.

They have been with us for 14 hours and they still aren't tired of us. They aren’t done. They don’t think to themselves, “Hey mom didn’t read me enough books, and I didn’t really like that snack she made. She seems so grumpy” After a long day with mommy---- a mommy who blew it and failed to be Christ like more than I care to admit--- they just wanted another snuggle.

“You could cuddle me in my bed…”---- whispered my 4 year old. And my hard heart was softened.
When I am the one who should be showing them the great love of God…. here was my 4 year old… overlooking a long day’s worth of sin, and offering Love. The way our children so depend on us, how they long to be with us (even if they are at times at tad clingy), how they smile the biggest smiles upon our arrival after being separated for a mere 2 hours…. this is the Gospel for a weary mama. To be reminded that God is patient, that God delights in us, His children! That He longs to be with us! That even after we fail miserably, God looks upon us and declares “Come unto me, you who are weary and I will give you rest”. He doesn’t shake his head and say “try again another day.” or “I really wish you humans would get it together and do this life thing a little better…. I am done'”

So thankful that God isn’t “Done with me”. So thankful my children are never “Done with me” (maybe when they are teenagers they will be done with me, but I hope not!)

I pray that my heart would be more inclined to love well and to sacrificially lay down my life for my family that I might better show them God’s un-ending love. I pray that I would have less days where I feel “done” and more days where I feel like I’ve “done well”. And by “done well”, I mean Loved well, where I persevere, rest in Christ, and enjoy the blessings He has given me.

So tomorrow--- I am sure I will be overwhelmed, I am sure I will blow it, I am sure there will be chaos and disobedience, and lots of noise. And come 8:00 I will be tired and weary----- but instead of throwing in the towel and just longing for the day to end…. I will go in for the extra cuddle, I will sing 1 more song, I will have pillow talk an extra minute. I will remind my children that regardless of how hard our day has been, my love for them will not waiver. For these moments --- these Gospel moments--- are what our children will remember. They will see our deep love for God overflowing in our deep love for them.

I will fight against the attitude of my heart being “done” with this….. and seek the One who will hopefully say one day “Well done my good and faithful servant” .

-Carrie

Thankful for Noodle Necklaces

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 12 May 2013 09:00:00 +0000

“I am sure that, in my early youth, no teaching ever made such an impression
upon my mind as the instruction of my mother;
neither can I conceive that, to any child, there can be one who will have such influence over the young heart as the mother who has so tenderly cared for her offspring.” -Charles Spurgeon

Motherhood is such a sticky subject. Celebrating Motherhood can be sticky too I suppose. Blogging about motherhood even stickier. In motherhood especially, we can certainly find ourselves wrapped up in this identity. This role--- this main calling on our lives. I read a few posts this week about motherhood that just didn'y sit well with me....I didn't agree with them, and found myself wanting to shout it out. At the end of the day, I believe the posts I read this week about Mother’s Day were simply trying to remind us that there is more to our identity than “mother”. And that is something I wholeheartedly agree with.

Mothers Day is certainly not a day to feel guilty. I feel guilt on many days…most days. I should be teaching my children more, they watch too much TV, my daughter eats Nutella on bread almost every morning for breakfast. I am familiar with Guilt…. I judge myself as a Mother almost every day. But on Mother’s Day? I actually take a breath and give myself a break. Today my family honors me and my service to them and I allow myself to simply enjoy the sweet blessings God has entrusted to me. Mother’s Day to me is a reminder to step aside from the striving and just enjoy this family…the sweet fruit of all my labor. To remember my own mother and the years of labor she poured into my life.

We certainly aren’t doing it all perfect as mothers…in fact we fail often. I know I must I rely daily on Christ to live out this calling of motherhood… So we cling to the cross, for in our weakness He is made strong. And His Grace is sufficient for us and all our Motherhood mess.
We are weak in indeed….Yet even in our weakness, we can be still be celebrated. Whether it be with breakfast in bed, a day at the spa, or a noodle necklace made by a 4 year old… let them celebrate you today. Let us celebrate those around us who have gone before us and those who walk alongside us in this great calling. Honor and respect and pray for those who long to be mothers, who have lost children, and lost mothers… and give thanks to God for the way he uses women to advance the Kingdom by bringing forth children--- and especially for those women who are faithfully raising children to love and honor Him.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Carrie

Blog Hiatus

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 19:26:00 +0000

It is probably clear from my lack of online presence that I have indeed been on a quite extended Blog Hiatus.
I used to wonder how anyone just stopped blogging all together. And then I found myself in that exact position. I went from blogging daily, to a few times a week, to long stretches of 2-3 weeks in between. Then months. And here we are today. My baby is almost 11 months old and my last significant post was in May of 2012.

The birth of my 4th child on top of: life in this unique city, hybrid homeschooling, taking on a part time job at my children’s school… not to mention daily house chores, errands, church relationships, etc… My life was feeling full and stretched. Full I can handle, but it was become painfully stretched where I needed to evaluate my time and priorities. When assessing what things needed to take priority, this sweet blog space had to be bumped down the list.

I have had numerous times when I have had profound things to share. Profound thoughts that require more than a 120 characters tweet can contain, or would be too lengthy for a Facebook status. I still have a huge heart for writing, speaking, and sharing my thoughts on all sorts of topics. So for a season I have had to press pause on my commitment to blogging. For a while I just didn’t know how to jump back in after months went by… and then I didn’t really know if I wanted to. I redesigned the blog header, tried to gain a little momentum, but it just wasn’t the right time to come back to regular blogging.

I am not certain if I will blog in this space again. But I hope to blog or write somewhere soon.
For now, I hope you enjoy some of my past posts!

It has always been my desire to encourage others and Glorify God with my blogging. I pray you have been encouraged as you read my blog and I hope you continue to follow/subscribe so you can keep updated on any new writing I do.

Thank you faithful readers and friends for understanding that Living life was more important than blogging about it.

PS-- And Thanks to Pinterest for keeping my potty training post alive and circulating!

Carrie

Under Construction!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 19:50:00 +0000

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I am currently tweaking and adjusting my blog design.

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Please bear with me and the blog mess!

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Call Me a Big Hippie

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 03 May 2012 20:20:00 +0000

I had a water birth….
Little ol’ conservative, traditional me… who dresses her children in smocked clothes… I had a water birth. And it was amazing.

While I have entertained the idea of laboring in the tub, and heard stories of great water births, I never really considered myself a water birth kind of gal. So, we discussed it the week earlier and we both decided to just stick with what we did best--- good Natural Childbirths out of water.

But a Water Birth was exactly what we needed. It was an unplanned, though not accidental, Water birth.

One thing it definitely was…. providential.

~~~~~~~~

I am not trying to over spiritualize our birth story here…
But, have I mentioned Henry was 10lbs 5 oz??

There is a good chance I could have ended up in a c-section. However, a series of events occurred that we whole heartedly believe allowed us to birth Henry naturally with no emergency interventions necessary.

~~~~~~~~

So, how did we get there?? Let’s rewind….

We arrived at the hospital around 3:00. It was the most uneventful arrival. Dave dropped me and our bags off while he parked the car…and I just sat in the cafeteria contemplating if I wanted a smoothie or not. All the while having contractions every 3-5 minutes…getting more painful, but not painful enough to be doing what I knew they needed to be doing.

We checked in, and they got us in our L/D room. And I felt kind of silly… Here I am a 4th time mom, and I am at the hospital WAY early. I should know better. We should have stayed home longer…. this might be another 12 hours. I started having major self doubt. I am supposed to be the Natural Childbirth Expert here, remember?? (not that I ever claimed to be one) But I’ve done this 3 times before. I should know the signs better.

Then they put me on the monitor, and we all realized that my contractions were hard and going very long, just not coming very close together.

My midwife, Laura, checked my dilation around 4:00pm and announced---I was only 4 cm dilated.    And I began crying. Yep… that whole day of that slow labor with no consistent pattern had gotten me 1cm dilated.   This was not how I labored. This was not the birth story I wanted.   I came face to face with my chidlbirth pride.   Thankfully I had a husband who reminded me that each baby has their own story, that each baby comes in their own way, their own time.   And a midwife who reminded me we WERE having a baby soon… and I hadn’t come too early, we were just fine. This was going to be Henry’s story.

Enter Lisa--- our L/D nurse who happens to be a trained Doula as well. This was our first sweet gift from God. At first I thought Lisa was a little too involved. Dave and I have our groove… we like doing things our way in labor. Childbirth pride, check # 2.
But we quickly realized Lisa knew WAY more than we did. And she knew exactly what we needed.

Lisa looked at me and said “he is big…he’s real big and he’s not descending… that’s probably why your labor’s been going so slow and not picking up”   She then said she was going to hold my belly up while I contracted, that it would hurt, but it would help to sift him down into the birth canal more. And WOW…. it surely did. These contractions were working, and Lisa knew what she was talking about.   From then on I was convinced I would do just about anything Lisa said.

My midwife suggested she stretch my cervix a little (similar to stripping the membranes for all those who’ve experienced that lovely event) and we decided to do that…. within 15 minutes that kicked in the contractions we had been waiting for all day.

Lisa then tied a rebozo sling (out of a sheet) around my waist to hold baby in while I was contracting to encourage him to sift down into the birth canal.   I had read of this method for getting bigger babies to try and descend into the birth canal…. I just never thought it would be used on me. I think this is where I officially became a hippie.

We did a lot of positions that helped to open up my pelvic bone, to help him sift down. Swaying, deep squats, pressure on my hips, hands and knees. Lisa was the labor position queen.

I am not sure what time the labor tub was suggested… 5:30?
My midwife Laura and Lisa both suggested a change in positions and contractions were definitely getting harder. The tub was already filled and warm, and when they offered I seemed uncertain (as we had kind of talked about not wanting to do the tub thing) But David encouraged me to just try it… I could always get right back out. He said later that his thought was that I might as well try it… and he knew if I didn’t try it I would probably look back and wish I had. So thankful for a husband who knows me enough to encourage me in this way.

We absolutely believe that the tub and the water enabled me to deliver Henry at 10lbs 5oz. The positions I was able to do in the tub I could not have done on dry land. Like a full squat on the ground for over 30 minutes. These positions truly helped my pelvic bone to and open more, allowing Henry to make a good descent through the birth canal.

We had an amazing hour of hard labor in the tub. Yet we continued to chat in between contractions about delivery, and the possibility of a water birth. I had no questions about the safety of water birth, but was more concerned about the logistics…. this was new territory for me.

But we made the decision to stay in the tub, and it was an amazing experience. Around 6:40 my water broke, and at 6:55 we began pushing through some very hard contractions. Henry was delivered in the water at 7:11pm.

I know the above picture is blurry…. But the memory is certainly not blurry at all. I literally turned to Dave and said something like “Unbelievable!” or “I can’t believe we just did this”. I was a bit in shock by how fast he came (after just pushing 12 minutes) and that we had just had a baby in the water!

Pure Joy….

God’s provision and protection were clearly seen in this little child’s grand entrance into the world. We know the possible complications and challenges that can come with birthing such a large baby. And no one knew how large he was. But God Knew.
And God prepared exactly what we needed.

So after all the waiting… the long, slow and steady start we had to labor, we went fast and furious in the end. And 4 hours after our active labor kicked in, we were holding an absolute perfect little baby boy.

By God’s Grace, Henry David arrived safely and healthy. And we praise Him for this sweet miracle of another child to love and raise.

I can confidently declare with Eve that

“With the help of the Lord
I have brought fortha man.”

Genesis 4:1

Slow and Steady…

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 02 May 2012 21:03:00 +0000

Here it is folks… for those who want the Birth Story.
This is part one. Not to tease you or anything… but after writing this first part, it was getting a little long and I felt this was definitely a
2 part post.

And for those of you who don’t care to hear the story… just hop over to this post and watch Henry’s cute drive through DC again.

~~~~~~~

Now where were we….
My history has always had me pregnant far past my due date.
10 days “past due” with the first 2 and 6 days “past due” with the 3rd.   We are not fans of rushing little babies out before they are ready… so an induction is ALWAYS our last resort.

So because of my history, we weren’t really expecting an early baby. But come the week of the the due date we were surely ready to get this show on the road! We all predicted a large baby… mine always are on the plumper side. But Helen was my largest at 9lbs.

The night before my due date (a Wednesday) I was awoken in the night with some fluids of some sort (we won’t get into all the graphic details here on my family friendly blog), and I just had a “feeling” this was the beginning of something. And indeed it was. Thursday morning I prepped the house, I had just bought eggplant to make the famous Eggplant Parmesan from Scalini’s,
and had just had a Pedicure. I was getting the house cleaned that morning (praying any contractions would slow down until my house was cleaned), and then had a Drs. Appt that afternoon.

About mid morning, I began having very mild but noticeable contractions. But they were very irregular and any where from
8-10 to 20 minutes apart, often fading away for 30-45 minutes and returning.

This is often what Drs call pre-labor, or false labor…and can go on for days.   True Labor was imminent--- I mean, I knew a baby was coming soon. But I had in my mind that this “early” labor would kick into active labor a little sooner than it did.   I went to my Appt that afternoon, with confirmation that I was 3 cm dilated, and indeed having contractions, but to go home and hopefully we would be in that evening.

We opted to skip making Homemade Eggplant Parm and ordered Italian from a local eatery instead. We walked to pick it up, having contractions all along the way, but continuing to be very sporadic with no pattern or consistency or real pain. We called our friend to come spend the night that night, thinking that these contractions would surely turn into the real deal over night, possibly middle of the night and we didn’t want to be caught in an emergency situation. (last baby we were at the hospital only about 20 minutes before pushing).

We put the kids to bed, and I went on another long leisurely walk on the hill, running into numerous friends--- declaring to them all that we hoped to have a baby that night! Contractions were coming more regularly, and I just knew that Thursday night would be the night!

Wrong…. like past labors, my uterus must need a warming up period. 2 of my labors started this way, and stopped completely, only to pick up again with full force either mid night or the next morning. It’s what I call “Slow and Steady Until Baby’s Ready."

This labor followed suit. Contractions continued until about 11pm,
then stalled. I was woken up around 2am with contractions, but again they just didn’t kick into active labor. We got the kiddos off to school that morning and I think we must have walked 10 miles trying to get labor going with stronger contractions.

We walked to Union Station and ate a great Breakfast of Champions at Bojangles! Got a smoothie, walked some more. Came home, finished some packing and prep for the kids, then walked to lunch, then walked around the block.

We walked and we walked and we walked. And contractions came closer and closer, and the walking seemed to promote contractions… so we walked some more.

We decided around 1:30 to head to the NW quadrant to be closer to the hospital…. We didn’t want to be needing to get there in the middle of Friday rush hour. Contractions were about 8-10 min at this point and we just decided to go walk around the mall some.

Hubby snapped this picture of me, one of the last pictures of me pregnant. He took this picture at 2:00pm on Friday April 20th.
We felt a little discouraged that contractions weren’t coming stronger. Little did we know that we would be holding our baby in just 5 hours.

I felt like I was tourist attraction on the National Mall with many onlookers gazing our way, probably wondering why on earth this husband had his 9 month pregnant wife walking the mall!   We would walk, stop for a contraction, get water, smile at the tourists as they whispered by us. (no one knew we were in labor, though someone did ask me if I needed a wheelchair!)

So this was our “slow and steady until baby’s ready” early labor story. Not all labors come on fast and furious. We know this.
But we’ve never had to wait this long (almost 24 hours) for active labor to kick in.

We continued to walk the Mall for another 45 minutes or so, and contractions started getting closer together…. 5-8 minutes apart, then a consistent 5, then some coming every 3. We know how fast I can go into full blown hard labor so we made the call to head toward the hospital a little before 3.

The past 2 children, we stayed home for most of the hard labor…. going to hospital when we absolutely had to. And in Helen’s case, almost didn’t make it! We certainly didn’t want to do that in DC… rushing to the hospital in a frenzy, 20 minutes away from delivering. But we didn’t think we’d be heading to the hospital while I was still smiling and had significant breaks between contractions.

However…
We would quickly see that God led us to the hospital early so that HE could prepare the way for our little boy. We surely saw God’s great provision for us and for Henry in his delivery.

~ ~ ~ Check back soon for the rest of the story!! ~ ~ ~

DC Delivery!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 21:28:00 +0000

Enjoy this cute video of our “DC Delivery” !
(don’t worry… this is not of the birth itself)

PS—song selection by Daddy

I know many of you are curious about the actual delivery…
and then some of you aren’t curious at all!
I promise to post more about the birth story soon!!

Welcome Henry David!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:29:00 +0000

We are thrilled to announce that …

Henry David

made his grand entrance into this world on
Friday, April 20th at 7:11 pm.

weighing in at a record breaking
10 lbs 5 oz
(nope… that was NOT typo)

We are beyond smitten with him, and are so thankful to the Lord for another sweet Blessing to our family!

Daddy is super proud of this 10 1/2 lb chunker and
already has football scouts calling! Go Offense!

We can’t wait to share a little more of the birth story with you as it was truly amazing, and we saw many signs of God’s great provision and protection over us and Henry.

Yes, he looks like a 2 month old. But don’t let his size fool you…
He is still every bit full of newborn goodness as they come.

And we just get more of it…10lbs of Newborn Goodness!

Thanks for celebrating our newest arrival. We are beyond thankful for this precious life God has given us! More pictures, stories etc to come!

The Zwischen

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 12:36:00 +0000

Did you forget I was pregnant?   Well… I sure didn’t!
Did you forget I had a blog?? Well…I almost did.

But back to being pregnant---which I certainly have not forgotten about.

I have officially entered The Zwischen.
I read a great article this week by a midwife coining the phrase “The Zwischen”. Zwischen is German for “In Between” and this is the name she has given this special time towards the end of a woman’s pregnancy until delivery.

That time when you are ready, but simply waiting.

The in between…. The Zwischen.
Well, I am there friends.

Baby Boy Russell is due in 5 days and we are SO ready. I have been busying myself with nesting and getting projects done as well as taking it easy, enjoying my family, and preparing my heart for his grand arrival!

We tend to to bake our babies longer than “the norm”. So though I am due in 5 days, we are fully prepared to be waiting little longer.
In the mean time I have completed most of my necessary nesting (babies room, clothes washed, carseat installed ,etc) and now I am moving on to projects to keep me busy. Sometimes these projects get me in trouble… like when I got poison ivy all over my belly because I decided 40 weeks pregnant was good time to weed our garden.

Mainly, I am trying to enjoy this week. Enjoy the easy schedule we have with our children, make easy dinners, go on dates with my husband, get my house cleaned, get a pedicure. I have some fun projects to do and might even blog again (I know—crazy idea).

I am trying to prepare my mind and heart that the waiting may be longer than just this week… usually once I get past my due date my perspective and attitude starts getting really skewed. So check back with me next Friday and I’ll tell you if I am still this positive and at peace about the wait.

I am praying that God would give me grace and patience as we wait for His perfect timing for this little one.

We can’t wait to share the news of Baby’s arrival, but in the meantime, we simply wait with great anticipation…..

The Zwischen … that is where we are friends!

Mommy Fog

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 10:00:00 +0000

I read a great reminder yesterday from Rachel Jones on the Desiring God Blog ---

She exhorts us Mothers to simply Cling to Christ in the midst of the Foggy Seasons of Mothering.

In the midst of little ones, pregnancy, nursing, calls back to the nursery to get a crying,hungry child, sleepless nights, early mornings, a crazy rushed morning just to get everyone out the door.... it can be hard to feel like we can really engage and fully receive the benefit of the preaching and teaching we get each Sunday.   We can barely stay awake, yet alone engaged. Take notes? I can find a crayon, but no way is there a pen in my purse.

Rachel’s post encourages us all to Cling to Christ.
Cling to the truths that are rooted deep in our hearts. We may not be able to take a page full of notes, or recite the 5 points that were preached. However, our identity is not found in this “ability”… our identity is found in Christ.   (See the great points Rachel points out in Romans 7)

I was given great wisdom after I had Charlotte--- to simply seek out 1 truth to take home from the day’s preaching and teaching. Maybe not all of them, maybe not even 2.   Maybe even a nugget of truth or encouragement from a hymn or song.   But just 1 little take away that I could remember.

I also have learned greatly over the years to turn to my husband in these seasons... and not to feel “less” spiritual or guilty or judged because of the foggy time.   But it helps so much to talk about the sermon, or maybe just listen to him talk about the sermon--- to hear what he thought, learned, etc. Truly a picture of how our husbands can “wash us in the word”.

With 3 children ages 6 and under, the fog is still present. Being Pregnant has brought in the thick fog some more, and I know the heaviest fog is coming soon with the arrival of Baby Boy! I am so thankful for this reminder that though my mind may be a little foggy, these truths remain the same, and I can cling to them.

I can cling to Christ!

Praying that in the midst of the Mommy Fog…
you choose to cling to Christ as well.

Super Party

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 02:49:00 +0000

So, I admit it… I am not a huge fan of Birthday parties. They stress me out. Then we have my husband--- who loves a great birthday party. He convinces me, I pull it off, and am always so glad we did it! Before we left NC we had great birthday parties for Charlotte and Carson…. Charlotte’s 4th birthday party was a HUGE memory maker. But being the realistic one, I know we can’t do “wow" parties” every year for 4 kids.

Our first year here in DC we just did small family celebrations.

So this year for Carson’s 5th Bday, I told him we could do an all out big fun party…and He picked a Super Hero Theme.

Now I am not into super crafty things, but didn’t want to just buy store bought superhero décor (he doesn’t really even know all the superheros that well)

But, I did find some great free printables on Pinterest.

Decorations were simple, and snacks were too! We did an afternoon party, so didn’t do lunch, just snack and cake.

We had Power Punch! And all the Super Heroes made their own Super Snack bag to take home!

And then the cake--- mommy isn’t the best baker, but I was pretty proud of the cake. From Dying icing to rolling out fondant, it was super fun to make, and Carson Loved it!

We had 12 little super heros (and our 2 little princesses).
Just a note to all you moms--- if you have a birthday party on a weekend, chances are a handful of guests can’t come. If you do it on a school day afternoon, be prepared that ALL of them will probably be able to come. And ALL of them did.

It’s a good thing we love all of them…. they were the wildest dozen ever! We made super hero masks…

Then made our way to a near by community center to undergo Super Hero Training. We had an obstacle course, and training activities that they had to do to earn stickers that would eventually get them the Candy Loot.

But then to our surprise--- a VILLAIN came in to STEAL the candy! Good thing we had just trained our superheroes. They secured the Villain and rescued the candy. Whooo! It was a close one.

It was so much fun! The boys all had a blast, the food and décor were not that expensive, and the fun and momentum of the day made for some great memories! I am thrilled Carson got a super fun Super Hero Party! He sure is my little superhero!

Stay tuned to see how we did an even simpler party (yet still super cute) for Helen!

Month in Review

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 02:04:00 +0000

We have had a busy month or so here in our Little Llama world! The best way to beat Winter Blues (if you can even call what we have had winter) is to fill it full of birthdays and holidays!

Carson turned 5… got a pogo stick… since we thought he wasn’t active enough of a kid.

And had the best super hero party ever! (separate post to come!)

Mommy recovered from the invasion of 12 boys by escaping with Daddy to Asheville on a speaking engagement, which we turned into a pseudo baby-moon!

After dining the weekend away, we opted for a nice dinner in with the family for Valentine’s Day.

This was such a fun evening that I think we will do again. We made filet mignon, thyme potatoes, creamed spinach, and a walnut/cranberry salad (take that Ruth’s Chris). We also had chocolate dipped strawberries and the boys bought the girls flowers. We also sipped on sparkling grape juice (note—those little plastic wine glasses don’t last long with little hands--- you know, the ones where the stem pops off the base… bad)

Gemma came in town and insisted we go visit the American Girl store and café in Tyson's. WOW. This is what little girls are made of. Now, we can all agree that these dolls, clothes , ccessories are WAY overpriced…. but the memories, and the dreaming, and the wide eyed excitement. This is what being a little girl is about.

We decided that if DC wasn’t going to get any snow this winter…

We would find some!!

And we did!

While on our Winter retreat with our college students, we took the kids to a kids’ snow village at a ski resort. Ignore the fact that it was 65 degrees on that Friday… by Saturday it was 42 and FREEZING. The top of the mountain was in the 30’s and thankfully they have the technology to make snow. The memories and great pics are too many to post here so they will get a separate post.

Carson finally got to go to an evening event with Daddy on campus at Georgetown! Most of our weekday campus events don’t start until 9, but Carson heard one Sunday them announce that a meeting was at 8, and he begged to go. He got to hang with his buddy Tripp Lee, who spoke on “Am I really a Christian?”

Somehow, by BABY turned 3. Not allowed. 3 is like the right of passage into big kid world. Slow down little llamas. Don’t go growing up so fast!

We had an easy, simple yet FUN Pinkalicious party (which I will post about separately) We celebrated this little lady.

And hung out with the these Capitol Hill cuties!

I made 2 cakes in 1 month…

I have a great recipe tweak to box cake mix that makes the cake moist, springy, and REALLY easy to cut and arrange (if you are trying to make a cool shape) Just follow the recipe in the link and use the instant pudding flavor that best goes along with your cake mix flavor.

PS—I have a promised that each of my kids will get at least one awesome cake/amazing party by me at some point in their life. I am all about simple cupcakes, and store bought Carvel icecream cakes! Charlotte had hers at 4 with her Cowgirl Party (simply
uh-Mazing). Carson, buddy… I think this counts for you.

And after all that fun and craziness--- I turned 32. I have 1 more baby on the way, many more gray hairs, and my blessings just keep overflowing. We continued the DC tradition of “Birthday Pie” from Dangerously Delicious. David spoiled me and I felt VERY celebrated and loved! (and I have a new Kindle Fire to enjoy when those late night feedings come next month!)

~~~~~~

So that is where our month has gone…. It has been busy, crazy, and amazingly fun. I might not have time to blog about all this as often as I want, but I at least I have time to live this grand life of mine. To love these sweet children, to be loved by this great man, to make all these amazing memories. This is my life--- and I
am so very Thankful for such a time as this! God has been so kind to us and we pray He continues to give us many more memories like this!

Good not Gone

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 04:01:00 +0000

I sat across from her and asked her “so when does it get easier?” The weariness, the physical demands--- the always being needed, being the only one who can meet the needs. And she just sweetly smiled while she shook her head and said
     “you are asking the wrong question. You cannot look for this to be over--- you have to give your all to this season right now”

You see… when it comes to fight vs. flight, I am a fighter.
I don’t want to just barely survive. I want to thrive. I am a pull yourself up by your bootstraps and do it kind of gal. I want to do it, and I want to do it well. And I just kind of wanted to know… How much longer is this going to be this hard??   This job of mothering little people. I wanted to know, when do we move out of the “little people” stage? Is it when they are all over 5? 6?

You see, they made a huge move just like us about 9 years ago. The summer they moved they had 5 children and her youngest was a baby. He is now 8.   Crazy.    How did that happened SO fast???   It made me realize that before I even know it, all of my children (including this new baby) will be 8 and up. In 8 years, I will have an 8, 11,13, and 14 year old.   They will no longer be “little people”

These years are going to go by so fast.   And yet, these are weary years. I know the reality that now it is a physical weariness but as they get older it will be more emotional weariness as we tread the waters of life with teenagers, emotions and hormones (oh my!) possible rebellion, and, Lord Willing, true conversions in the hearts of our children.   Weariness just comes with the territory…

So, It’s not that I just want these “little people” years to be gone…
It’s that I want them to be good years.   Get that? It’s not that I want these years to be gone, it’s that I want them to be good.

I don’t’ want to look back in 8 years and think:
    It’s over… it flew by and I missed it… I wished it away.

I want to make the most of every story time, every cuddle, every boo boo. I want to welcome the role of chauffeur, chef, referee, paramedic, teacher and more.   I welcome these weary years with little people. Because in 8 years, I will have no babies, no toddlers, no preschoolers. This is my chance to be the mother God has called me to be to these children… right now.

And I am committed to doing what I can, by God’s Grace,
to make these years, these days, these moments… Good.

I don’t want to spend my days wanting them gone…
I want them Good.
Because before I know it, they will be gone.

Welcome Back Friends!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 22:39:00 +0000

Happy January 20th.

Confession— I just uploaded my Christmas pictures to my computer like 5 minutes ago. And I haven’t taken any pictures since Christmas, unless on my phone. So relive Christmas with us here for a moment.

Carry on.

So, It’s been a while. And I have no particular reason. And I am just fine with that. It’s not like I just had a baby (Ironically, I will probably post more after the baby comes to keep all the family appeased with pictures and such). My computer did not die (though that does remind me, I probably need to do a major system back up before it does). I am not depressed, and I don’t have writer’s block. I actually have a lot I could write about.

Truth be told, I have just been being a mama and running a household. I have been trying to be “busy at home” instead of just plain busy. That in no way means our household has been in stellar condition, our meals gourmet, or our children supernaturally transformed because of all the love and attention I have given them. It simply means I have been trying to give myself to the greater cause. And in doing so, I am finding great satisfaction in my days… great peace in knowing I have tried my hardest to honor God with this great calling of Motherhood.

In the past month I have…
-Been at a National Conference with 5,000 college students, phenomenal speakers, great friends, and no children of my own.
-Had a few amazing conversations with friends and mentors that were like water in the desert.
-Read some phenomenal articles, blog posts, and books that have really helped me to evaluate my mothering, homemaking, etc
-Taken down all our Christmas decorations
-Hosted a baby shower.
-Moved 3 children into one room, including a toddler into a bed.

(I said 3 children in 1 room… I never said anything about them having their own beds.)

-Began collecting the necessary baby equipment for Baby 4
-Hosted 10 guys to watch some important football game that I knew nothing about. But I fed them well.
-Realized my children know what Tebowing is.

-Took advantage of some of the unseasonably warm January days we’ve had (but as I speak it is in the low 30’s)
-Gained about 5 lbs… or maybe more.
(It was the holidays… and I am growing a human being you know)
-Been growing my hair out—it helps with the baby weight I am gaining… and enjoying my winter head wrap

-Washed our pillows and quilts and realized I don’t do this nearly enough. (we might get some new pillows and start from scratch)
-Joined a new meal planning website, which I am loving.
-Continued a meal swap with a friend and neighbor.
(I bring her a meal one week, she brings us one the next week)
-Homeschooled my kindergartner.
-Enjoyed a much needed mom’s night out

So… that’s just a little of what’s been going on.
I haven’t given up on Little Llamas. Rather, the opposite. I have been giving myself TO my Little Llamas. I have said NO to the good, in order to say YES to the best. I have spent much needed time making choices, evaluating my time, my schedule, my commitments. I didn’t intend to take a Blog sabbatical, but it certainly turned into that.

I do still have much to say. Those who know me well, know that to always be the case. Much is swirling around this mama’s heart, and I am eager to share. Thanks for being gracious and patient with my absence. Admit it--- there was a deep void in your life the past month. Right??

Well, Welcome back! Welcome Back to you… and Welcome back to me. I can’t wait to share more in the weeks and months to come! So stick around---- life is always fun in our herd of Little Llamas!

Glory to God in the Highest!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 10:30:00 +0000

Merry Christmas!

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

From our family to yours, we wish you the very merriest of Christmases. May you know the true peace that only comes from the Christ child! And this is why we rejoice so much today-

“For God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
2 Corinthians 5:21

Real Life Behind the Scenes of Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 22:13:00 +0000

In this pinterest world we live in, it is easy to think that everyone's mantle is perfectly decorated with candles lit every morning,

That maybe they do feed their kids waffles on their Christmas China, and that the cute family in the Christmas Card picture really is that adorably dressed all the time.

A world where Advent devotions get done every night at 6:45 without ever missing, and our children are actually grateful for
this season, not selfish, and eager to be generous.

Where our Christmas trees are perfectly adorned.

And we all just sip our nice holiday drinks while listening to Christmas Classics in nicely candle-lit room…
Just enjoying the Christmas moment.

And our hearts are perfectly centered on the
True meaning of Christmas.

Well, my friends…It’s not true. We don’t live in Pinterest.
We live in real life.

Where the laundry is thrown ‘round the room without care…

In hopes that a housekeeper soon would appear.

Real life… Real Decembers.

Yes, I still sip my peppermint mocha and listen to my Josh Groban Christmas CD,--- but not while simply gazing upon the tree… while folding laundry and making grocery lists, and cleaning up hotwheels and baby dolls.

Real life--
Where you go to get a dozen donuts to take to the local firefighters and your child erupts in a fit of tears because he thought the donuts were for him and he doesn’t want to give the donuts away…. doesn’t it sound like a great Christmas moment about learning generosity?

Where it’s December 9th, but only 4 of your advent devotion cards are up... We’ll catch up… we’ve got plenty of time.

You won’t find these stories on Pinterest.   And that’s ok.
And it’s why I am just stepping back from some of the blogs and pinterest right now.. with all the advent devotion ideas, and tradition ideas, all the posts and links on all the things, recipes, and activities I must do in order to “make a memory.”

Well… making memories cannot be rushed. And quite honestly, I feel rushed by this world of blogs and facebook telling me how to celebrate, what to teach my kids, and showing me elaborate pictures of all the food and crafts that there is no way I am going to make.   I mean how are my kids ever going to have a good memory if we don’t A, B, and C?? Will they ever grasp the true meaning of the season if I don’t do X, Y and Z??

And so I resort to my motto of late.

Making Memories cannot be rushed.   I will not be rushed.
My children will still grow up having fond memories of Christmas even if I don’t make a wreath out of lollipop sticks, or homemade gingerbread nutella cookies.   I do not have to have the picture perfect Christmas all done by today in order for Christmas to be a memory.   Christmas will not be rushed. Memories cannot be rushed.

So I decorated my house on December 6th (gasp!). Have not baked a holiday cookie yet. We are slowly catching up on our advent devotion. And we are going to have plenty of time to enjoy this grand season of celebrating the Savior’s birth.   So, internet… I will not allow you to rush me.   I will make myself another cup of Peppermint Mocha and fold my laundry, homeschool my child, buy and wrap some presents. Find a live nativity to take our kiddos to.

We will make plenty of memories. Christ will be celebrated. My children will remember these days of their childhood with smiles (dear Lord, I pray they will).

But these memories… they will not be rushed.
Rather than compare myself, my decorations, my baking, my Christmas card, etc to the rest of the world…
I will do what I can with the capacity God has given me.

And then I will enjoy my family. And I will enjoy Christmas.
Off now to make some memories---

Meet Jon

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 00:36:00 +0000

Jon Jon that is…
I had enough of you ask what as Jon Jon was that I had to explain. And Sadly I don’t have any pictures of some of my favorites. The summer jon jon without a shirt on underneath.

I just have a thing about dressing little babies like babies. Especially boys. Girls are easy to dress as babies. But boys… it can be harder. Personally, I don’t think a baby under 6 months should touch denim, or sweater vests. That’s just me though. (if I see your baby dressed in jeans and sweater I will probably swoon all over him just the same)

But for me…I just think this is what a baby should look like. Swoon.
Now, don’t get me wrong, my child will wear plenty of carters outfits and shirts and pants….but before 1 year old, I am all about soft cottons and dressing them like a baby. And the Jon Jon.

Some call it a shortall, or a longall (if it is long). Sometimes they are kind of like overalls.

Or sometimes they are more like a romper one piece. Oh my word. I believe everyone needs a blow up picture of their children at 1… because they were SO darn cute then.

Yes, I admit we wore these outfits more for church and nice events, but we also had some great casual ones we played in all the time. And for some reason I can’t find any of those pictures…probably because we were playing and getting dirty and not really taking pictures.

If I could get away with dressing them in Jon Jons forever, I would. But alas, we don’t live in Alabama or Arkasnas and where we have always lived people look at you a little strange if your child is in a Jon Jon past 3 years old… and Dave kind of gave the veto at 2.

I think this might have been one of our last Jon Jon outfits before we retired into cute polo collared shirts, button downs, sweaters and khakis.

I also have a thing for funky and fun cotton layettes. I know, such a contrast from the traditional smocked or appliqued jon jons. But a fun Zutano outfit is adorable, and oh so soft to cuddle up to.

Or something super cute and soft like this… which I may or may not have bought the other day to start off our baby’s wardrobe (when I found it on a super deal site).

And one of the last things I love for a little baby boy is the sleeper gown. Yes, a gown for a baby boy. For at home, for sleeping, for those days when all you do is swaddle, cuddle, nurse and change diapers every hour. And for when their legs are permanently in a bent position.

Double Swoon…. Especially when it is Zutano and a gown.
I love gowns for newborns.

So there you go. You all now know what a Jon Jon is, my aversion for baby boys dressed like grown men, and my love for the infant gown. And my strange twisted style of traditional and trendy.

Confessions

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 21:11:00 +0000

Okay…I confess…

1--
The only Advent calendar/devotion I have prepared are the ones where you open a door and eat the chocolate. I am horrible, aren’t I? See where my priorities are. While friends are printing off “Jess Tree” ornaments (or better yet, hand crafting them) I am dreaming of chocolate. I have devotions, books, our names of Jesus tree, but all are up in storage with the Christmas Decorations. (I did just find all our christmas movies)

2--
About those Christmas Decorations—They are all still up in storage and honestly I don’t feel like getting them out. I always feel in the Christmas Spirit after I decorate, but never really get excited about the “hauling it all out” process. I am a huge decorating procrastinator.

3--
And If I go up into our storage I may have an anxiety attack looking at the few little baby things I kept. Really… the only baby clothes I have kept are in a box marked “keepsake” which I intend to keep forever for grandkids. But… I know I will swoon over the few darling little jon jons and coming home outfits in there that this little man will wear. **FYI—I like to dress my baby boys like babies for at least the first year or so….if you have any jon jons, rompers, or any precious boy layettes, send them my way. If you don’t know what a Jon Jon is, I am so sorry for your deprived upbringing.

4--
I am wildly excited about having a boy. While we would have been overjoyed with another sweet girl, we all kind of wanted a boy. However, I also truly love the girl name we had chosen (it was the only one we were set on… boy name is still in hot debate)
While dreaming of little boy names, I am also mourning not being able to use our sweet girl name. Sigh.

5--
I have 1 hamper in our house for 5 people. That is ridiculous, and stupid. It overflows every other day. It is the same hamper we got at a wedding shower in 2002. I think it’s time for a new Hamper. Maybe 2. I just don’t have room for another hamper. I am about to put 3 kids together in 1 big room… there is not room for a hamper. Also, I really want a large hamper that has 2 compartments (for lights and darks) and not one of those rolling cart ones that looks all industrial…. this has to sit out in my bedroom.
So instead of “just doing something” about it…. I do nothing, and cry at the over flowing laundry.

6--
We think she is just about the cutest thing in the world.

And lately she has discovered the art of humor. 2 1/2 year old humor is hysterical. And she hysterically cracks herself up all the time. And her hysterical laugh is pretty darn cute.

7--
I have a date tonight and I am so very excited about it. I love my kids, and I love family time. But let’s face it… the 5-8pm time block isn’t always the most enjoyable. But it will be for me tonight as I walk the city streets with my man. I love a good date night.

And there… I confessed. I feel so much better now.

Bring it on!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 22:50:00 +0000

We love our little herd of 3, but cannot wait to add Baby #4 in April. We were excited to find out what we are having on Monday.
We gave the kids cupcakes with icing on them to tell them what it was….and they opened up envelopes that read BOY!!

We were all thrilled!! All the kids, wanted a boy… maybe we all kind of wanted a boy. To even things out a bit. Of course we would have been just as excited with another precious girl, and to be honest I am wildly in love with the girl name we had picked that will now be benched until later use (if there is ever a time for later use).

But we can’t wait to add another rowdy little guy into the mix!

I mean, how amazing is technology today? At not even 20 weeks, this little babe is almost fully formed… just growing and growing.
Every time I see an ultrasound picture (mine and others) I am reminded of the amazing process of growing a little life inside of you.

Little Man….we cannot wait for you to join our family! You have a big brother who can’t wait to show you the ropes (and for you to get big enough to wrestle on the floor!) and 2 big sisters who will dote all over you! And a mommy and daddy who think they are SO very blessed that God gave YOU to us! What a blessing you are already! Grow away little babe.. plump up, and join the ranks of Heavy Weight Russell Babies. However, mommy won’t mind if you decide to break tradition and actually come on or before your due date. Until then, Snuggle in safely son… 20 weeks to go!

Thanksgiving stroll

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 02:33:00 +0000

While everyone is diving head first into Christmas, I am relishing these last days of November while I can. We had a great Thanksgiving… strolling around our Nation’s Capitol.

It was a beautiful sunny day

And we loved strolling around the capitol grounds.

Our little lady pondering her take over of congress…

Our attempt at a family picture

Daddy and his kiddos!

And me and my baby bump!
And my forehead vein.

(Does anyone else get this?? And it’s not just a pregnancy thing…
It just appears from time to time)

We made it to the Botanical Gardens to enjoy the Christmas decorations…

And right after snapping this adorable picture, my camera battery died. But that picture was a keeper for sure… she is just too cute! We had a great walk--- I think every Thanksgiving should include a nice family walk. We have more memories from our Thanksgiving that I can’t wait to share!

Praise…

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Praise Him from whom all blessings flow…

Praise Him all creatures, here below.

Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts.

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Giving thanks to the Lord today and Always…
For He is Good….His Love endures forever!

*photos by Sarah Danaher

And she surfaces

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 21:26:00 +0000

Where have I been? I don’t really know.   I’ve been right here.
All I know do is my life flashes by and I glance at my blog and realize I haven’t posted since November 5th. Oh, forgive me sweet blog readers… if there are any blog readers still out there.

But even though I haven’t blogged all about it, my life has been going on. I have been parenting, cooking, and potty training…
I have been half- homeschooling, and managing all the creative energies that build up in this house of 5 1/2.   I have had moments of triumph and trial recently… but just not a lot of motivation to blog about it all.

Then why do I feel so guilty about not blogging?
Is it because I feel I owe you something? Maybe because I know that “real” blog gers blog every day and I tried to be one of those for a while--- and I just couldn’t keep up with it.   I wanted so badly to be “one of them” for a while. To have a voice… a platform, an influence.

Maybe I feel guilty because it’s like some sign that I don’t have much to blog about. Is my life so mundane? Will you think my life is boring? Will you even want to read my blog anymore??

I feel for some weird reason I have let someone down.

Or maybe I feel exposed--- finally, all can see I can’t get it all done. She isn’t super mom.   She can’t even find time to blog.
And how can I encourage you to press on in mothering when I can’t even encourage myself to do that joyfully??

Maybe you can’t relate to the pressure to blog…
        But do you ever feel like this on Facebook?
I have no Disney pictures to share, my kids didn’t say anything cute and adorable today, my husband didn’t surprise me with a romantic dinner out.   Maybe my life isn’t as great as “sally’s”.

So you scan the statuses and just can’t think of anything to say…and you don’t want to be a Debbie Downer or Complaining Cathy… so you don’t update your status at all.

Friends--- those awesome blogs that fill our Google Reader. They aren’t perfect either. Yes, they are great blogs, and they have great things to say…but they aren’t perfect. They don’t love their kids perfectly or enjoy their days all the time. Their lives aren’t one perfectly knit together fairytale.   Yet if you are like me, you read those blogs with half a heart to learn and be encouraged, and the other half of your heart finishes reading and you walk away discontent, comparing your life, your parenting, your house, your craftiness, etc.

So I am surfacing today to say I don’t want to compare myself to them, or to you. I put all these expectations on myself that I just can’t meet. Instead of comparing myself and critiquing my life to pieces… I am going to be me. Flaws and all… imperfect mother, not so tidy household, without a meal plan in sight (at least this week).   But I do know what we are having for dinner tonight… see there I go again, trying to make you think I have it together.
I don’t have it together… really, what I need to do is get off this computer and actually start cooking the dinner that you think I have so strategically planned for.

And realistically…You probably think none of those things above.   But the expectations I put on myself and the image I want so badly to portray, assumes you must think those things. You must think I am a total let down. When in reality, you probably are thinking
“Umm, you’re a mom of 3 and pregnant, and while we love when you blog, we don’t expect anything from you”

So thanks. Thanks for being faithful friends. And letting me be me. A mom. Who is currently swamped in this call to motherhood.
When the fog clears a bit… I'll try to blog about it. Or maybe I shouldn’t wait till the fog clears, cause maybe it never will. And maybe you want a foggy blogger. Blogging about the realities of the fog…

Ok. My moment of blog therapy is over. I really need to go make dinner now.

Happy mothering friends… the fog is worth it.

“Am I now trying to win the approval of men,or of God?
Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying
to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ”
                 Galatians 1:10

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving
for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”
                       2 Corinthians 4:17

Potty Training Q & A

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 12:46:00 +0000

I received many questions over the years about Potty Training.

I have done my best to answer them here.

Can you really potty train a child in 3 days? Yes. It takes a lot of work and the first 2 days will wear you out. Not every child will “get it” as quickly as some of mine did by day 3, but usually on day 2-3 something clicks and by day 3-5 they are mastering it.

What if my child is has special needs or is developmentally delayed?
If your child is developmentally delayed, has low muscle tone, or has special needs that affected their physical abilities, then this method is not where you should start with potty training. If your child was a preemie and you often refer to an "adjusted age", use your adjusted age and Dr recommendations to determine if your child is developmentally ready. In any situation with special needs or developmental delays, I recommend talking to your Doctor as well as connecting with special needs parenting groups where moms in similar situations can share their experience and tips. Children with special needs will often potty train at a much later age and a much slower pace.

Do your children just potty train naturally? Or Easier than others?
Very few children just potty train naturally. My girls have similar personalities and temperaments as toddlers and both potty trained easily. Carson was a little different. He didn’t get it until late afternoon of day 2-day 3, and didn’t master it until day 4 or 5. We also had a lot more "out and about" accidents with him. I do not think my children potty training fast is just due to them being "easy" children or fast learners. I believe this method of potty training helps to train children to hold their bladder in a way other methods do not.

Does using this method mean our kids will never have an accident?
Absolutely not. Children will have accidents. I do think this method prevents them from being a full wet pants accident. Most of the time, it is a little dribble they let out, then they realize what they did and hold it back in. Now, their pants are still wet and need to be changed. Accidents are also common at new places (church, a friend's house, park) and when they are distracted ( playing with fun new toys, watching tv, etc). In these situations. I recommend setting a timer every 30-45 minutes (for at least the first 2-3 weeks) when you are out at a new place.

Were all your kids interested in Potty Training ?
No. One child actually screamed if I put her on the potty just a few days before we potty trained. One was interested and would sit on the potty some. Another didn’t really care. And I had a child who actually asked a number of times for her diapers back.

When do you Potty Train at night?
I had one child begin waking up dry after 2 weeks, so I started putting her in undies. When a child is night training, begin taking them to the bathroom before you go to bed. They may eventually wake in the night and need to go potty and call out, or even have the occasional accident. It is more common for boys to have a harder time staying dry at night. I have had 2 boys that night train much later than girls, and my pediatrician said they were not terribly concerned until after 8 years old. I was told by a doctor that children must develop a hormone/chemical in their brain that enables them to wake up to potty, and that some children (more often boys) may not develop this until 5 or 6 (or even 7 or 8).

What do I do if my kids continue to wet their pull up during Sleep time?
Or what if my child is going #2 in their pull up at during sleep times.
It is very common for children to wet a pull up during sleep times, especially early on in potty training. If you notice a pattern of dryness and then a random wet pull up, you can encourage the child to go potty right when they wake up and even consider rewarding a dry pull up after sleep times. I would not discipline or make a child feel bad for a wet pull up at sleep times ever. That said, when it comes to bowel movements, you can often tell when a child is purposefully waiting until nap time to have a bowel movement in their pull up. If it becomes clear your child is having a hard time having a bowel movement on the toilet, I would be patient, continue modeling how this is normal for all people who wear undies, adjust their diet to make sure they are not constipated, and reward when a BM is in the toilet. I also recommend when possible taking the pull up with the BM (if it is more solid) and dumping it in the toilet with the child and showing them how it makes a splash and flush it down! Just reinforce to them in a positive way that our poops go in the toilet just like our peepee.

Has your child ever done ________?
Each Child is unique. With potty training, every situation possible has probably happened to someone you know. I have 2 children who had huge camel bladders. The first day I sent 1 child to preschool after PTing, her teachers called me and said “you are going to want to make sure you come inside and don’t go out for errands”. I was thinking “great she has had accidents all day” She was actually still in the adorable outfit I sent her in, but she had not gone potty ALL day, from 9-12:30. She had held it the whole time!
Public restrooms-- I have had 1 child who was afraid of public restrooms, even if I didn’t flush them. She didn’t like big toilets, didn't like automatic flushers (Use a post it note to cover the sensor!), didn't like the hand dryers. It took a LOT of firm conversations, bribing, and convincing to get her to potty at Chick Fil A, Target, or even church.   Another child had the opposite problem…. if you have a potty, she wanted to test it out, and probably multiple times. So every store, restaurant, house, park,etc she wants to go visit their potty. My lying rule usually is applied to this situation. The ONLY time I ever discipline during Potty Training is when a child lies and tells me they have to potty and then don't. (This often happens with the curious bathroom kids, and with night time procrastinators)

Why don’t you use a little potty? Because Target, and church and the rest of the world doesn’t have a little potty. And my kids have big bums. I think little potties are meant for tiny peanut bottoms or children under 2. I did use a potty seat with the others, but didn’t with Helen. I just teach my kids to sit up on the potty, straddling it, and hold themselves up…it’s really not that hard to do, and I have never had a child fall in.   Helen just didn’t even fit well on a potty seat. Her front was too close to the edge, and I think pee would have gotten everywhere. But I think you just try with your little person and see if they fit on the potty seat.   But yeah, I don’t see a need for a baby potty.

Why do you focus on dryness and not on pottying?
Because kids know how to pee. They know how to release. They do this naturally. What they need to learn to do is hold it. The sphincter muscle is what enables them to hold their urine in—to squeeze it in.   For 2+ years they have never had to control their urine, and now we are asking them to do that. Any child can pee on a potty--- even a newborn. Toddlers know how to pee. They need to be trained to hold it, and that is where “dryness” comes in to play. When we focus on dryness we help to train their brain not just to pee on the potty, but to focus on keeping those undies dry. We talk a lot about it, in repetition… it is training their brain “I want my panties dry”. This rote repetition about dryness helps to train the sphincter muscle to tighten and hold pee in, so they can make it to the potty.

Why not just potty Train Naked? Isn't that less laundry?
When you focus on dryness and not just pottying, you have to feel when you are wet, and feel when you are dry. Diapers do not give children the sensation of being wet. Feeling wet undies is one of the best ways to learn. Countless numbers of children have potty trained naked and if that is the way that works for you, there is no judgement in doing that. However, this method works best if you commit to wearing undies and changing those undies every time they get wet. (so stock up on undies, you will need a lot)

What about potty training outside?
Again, we focus on dryness, and part of staying dry is wearing undies that are dry. We go to the potty to let our pee pee out and keep our undies dry. There is nothing wrong with using a small potty outside while naked, and this will certainly eliminate some laundry and the need to clean you floors. However I highly discourage this. In real life, we can't always pee outside. We must teach children to hold their pee pee in until we can make it to the potty. Of course there are the occasional exceptions to this like when on a road trip and there is no exit in sight, or at a park with no public restroom. However, adults do not urinate in public places or on the side of the road, and we should begin training our children at a young age in the same way.

Why Do you say that Potty Training is harder on the mom?
Because it’s hard work. It is much easier to leave a child in a diaper and not worry about it. Potty training requires an extra step…everywhere you go.   It is a pain, inconvenient, and now adds a million steps to your already busy day. That is hard.   Also, training this way is hard, but only for about a week. You have to say no to friends, Bible Study, a lunch date, Chick Fil A, the park, museum, even the grocery store. You have to hunker down and stay home and get it done.
YOU have to say no those things and say YES to your child. You have to hold strong and not break after Day 1 thinking “she’s not getting it…I tried too early”. Many moms make this mistake… of throwing in the towel the end of day 1….when most kids really “get it” on day 2. It may mean you pop out of church 2 or 3 times to take your child potty, or go potty 2 times at target. Or stop 4 times on a 2 hour road trip. But if you put your child in pull ups for outings, trips, and events (church, school, etc) then you are essentially putting them in a diaper… and they know this. Why not just put them in undies and bring 2-3 changes of clothes with you?

Can I send my child to you to potty train them?
Nope. I have done this 4 times. It is hard. But once it’s done and over you are SO relieved! You CAN do this. Your child can do this. Most likely if your child is over 2 1/2 they are ready. The question is are YOU ready???

Any more questions I didn’t answer??

Live. Learn.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 21:22:00 +0000

This is the post in which I teach you a few things.
Or admit that I wish you had taught me a few things sooner.

1--
Less is more when it comes to laundry detergents. I know this. But somewhere in the past few months our washer (not a front loader) has started smelling and something in me decided that adding more detergent couldn’t hurt anything. Wrong. After finally, googling my odor problems, one of the main sources of smelly washers is using too much detergent! It produces too much suds that can’t rinse out, and get stuck in the washer barrel.

2--
You can buy Washing Machine cleaner. I used Smelly Washer and it worked like a charm. I also read you can put in some powder Cascade and run on hot and it will help a lot. I tried that first, after I ran bleach through a few times. Then I resorted to Smelly Washer. I also looked at the #2 line on my detergent cup … and man have I been using WAY too much detergent. It (it being the website that gave me all my answers) also told me that powder detergents breakdown better and liquid ones leave a lot of soap build up. We’ve switched to powder.

3--
Don’t be fooled. It is only November. They are pulling out Pine Candles, and Peppermint Spice Mocha. But I am not falling for their capitalistic trap and neither should you. It is November people. And I want my house smelling like pumpkin and fall goodness until the Day after Thanksgiving, thank you. Though I did sniff that Pine Candle, and I have to admit… I cannot wait!

4--
If you have a snazzy camera where you change your settings in different lighting, and adjust your aperture to get that nice blurry background. You up your ISO inside and drop it down when outside… you know, wielding your Digital SLR like you know something. When you come upon a celebrity or statehead figure, etc around town (ahem) … unless you know how to get to the perfect setting for your current environment in .2 seconds…. just die to your photography pride and flip the dang camera setting to automatic. Until you are Ansel Adams, then don’t let your starstruck awe get you all in a tizzy trying to figure out the settings. otherwise you might ruin a perfectly perfect picture like this….

(Not like he is a super celebrity or anything, but he is the Commandant of the Marines and our kids probably won’t ever get a chance to sit in his lap again… nor will we probably ever meet him again…and we have a warm place in our hearts for Marines. )

You see my settings were still set on my camera for this….

You would never know it was already getting dark outside… Because of my AWESOME photography skills. Yep. We made a memory.

Yep…awesome. Not so awesome when it is now pitch black outside and the settings are WAY off. And it didn’t even cross my mind to look at my settings… until after I glanced at the picture. You can’t quite ask a public figure “oh excuse me, can we try that again?”

Does the Commandant have a facebook page? Because he had a photographer who snapped a picture as well, and I can bet money he probably had his settings right.

5--
Just to redeem myself, and to actually teach you something. I am going to let you in on a yummy delicious fall dinner. My cousin made this years ago, and it has been a fall staple to our menu. It is Beef and Cheese Noodle Bake. Don’t let the carrots dissuade you. Your kids will gobble this up. You will crave seconds. It will fulfill the cheesy goodness you hope for and the protein you need. YUMMY, hearty, fall goodness in a casserole dish.
AND the original recipe came from Cooking Light. SCORE!

6--
It’s time to turn the clocks back this Saturday night. See everyone will start talking about it Friday. But not here. Here at Little Llamas, we bring the important news to you first. So you “fall back”… meaning we turn our clocks back an hour. So your kids go to bed at 8, then you turn your clocks back an hour. You see when we were single, we all said “yeah” because we got an extra hour of sleep. Not anymore. Your kids will wake up at their normal time… they will think it is 7:00. But really (with our new time change) it will be 6:00am. Good luck with that friends!

7--
Your TV remote will NOT mute your laptop when you are watching your favorite TV show on hulu during your kids’ Quiet time. (not that I would ever do that….you know, watch a TV show while my kids have room time)

That’s all for now! If you have any tips on smelly washers, photography skills, fall casseroles, or getting our kids to sleep past 6, please leave a helpful comment below!

Aren’t you glad I taught you something today???