And even though I am not an eggplant person, I love the vibrant colors of them…

It is especially fun when the aisles are filled with products in languages I can’t read…

I tend to spend quite some time in aisles that contains international candies. These are from Eastern Europe…

And then I spend the rest of my time in the snack aisles from Asia. Brings back early childhood memories…

And only stores like these have woks big enough to cook my child. Not that I would. But if I wanted to, they have what I would need. Just saying…

Of course I came home with some goodies. I couldn’t resist. I might share some of these…

I didn’t forget the healthy stuff. Although that papaya will be used for papaya milkshakes. So maybe not as healthy as it was intended to be. Next to the papaya is a taro. I will be cooking that with coconut milk. Oh, divine. And persimmons in front of the papaya. Permissions are my absolute favorite fruit. Yum…

And lastly, a treat for the husband. To thank him for the paycheck that paid for all of my goodies. He was first introduced to Guaraná when he was living in Portugal, not Brazil.

» Tell me… Have you been to an international farmers market before? What are your favorite international snacks, treats or food?

I have been working on several different things for Kaye’s 4th birthday party coming soon. While doing so, I realized I have a whole bin full of glue. How about I share with you some of the glues I use…

1. Tacky Glue. This is my multi-purpose glue. I like using this more than Elmer’s multi-purpose glue that I used in elementary school. I like Tacky glue because it is thicker and when it dries, it doesn’t wrinkle the paper so much. Also, it doesn’t dry as stiff either.
2. Glue stic. Avery is my favorite brand. Acid-free and permanent. It is easy to wash out of clothes. Not mine. My kids’. Elle loves playing with these because I have them all over the house.
3. Mod Podge. It is a sealant, it is a glue, it is everything you want it to be. It comes in so many different forms – matte, glossy, satin, glittered, shimmered.
4. Glue gun. I like that this is a fast drying glue. Some times a little too quick. And it is a strong glue. Great for fabrics and home decor projects.
5. Diamond glaze. My favorite glue to when its clarity is important. I used this to make the glass pendant necklaces.

» Tell me… What is your favorite glue to craft with?

I am not a professional photographer. But I do love looking at sites with amazing photography. Pictory. It’s a step up from just pretty photography. It is full of personal stories from those who submitted photos to the site.

You see… there is a theme. Every so often, I’m not sure on their schedule, a new theme occurs. And anyone can submit a picture and their caption relating to the theme. It is fascinating browsing through the gallery of photos presented in each theme. I love that each picture has personal meaning and a story to tell. That is the way photography should be.

You will enjoy Pictory (picture + story). It will bring you laughter and wisdom all on one site.

» Tell me… What is your favorite inspirational photography site?

I asked SMM’s tech expert, Nathan, to share with us everything he knows about each of the readers. I like to do research before making a huge purchase. Hopefully this will help you too.

Kindle

Amazon’s Kindle uses a new display technology called E Ink. The primary benefit of E Ink is that the screen looks like printed text on paper. The screen does not have any glare or reflection which makes it very readable both indoors and outdoors. The problem with E Ink is that it is slow and only black and white. Current versions of the Kindle can not show video or color images. Essentially when you change the page the screen fades to black and then fades back with the new page. The Kindle also doesn’t currently use any touchscreen technology and some people complain about the keyboard controls.

The Kindle is very lightweight at about 10 once and comes in two sizes, a 6-inch screen and a 10-inch screen. Each can hold over 3500 e-books and can download new books from the Amazon bookstore in less than a minute. The Kindle comes with Wi-Fi or 3G wireless connectivity so you can download books from just about anywhere in the world.

The Kindle bookstore has around 540,000 titles available including a lot of free public domain books such as Pride and Prejudice, Sherlock Holmes and Treasure Island. The Kindle can only open e-books purchased from Amazon and unprotected PDF files. Kindle books can not be shared with other people. The Kindle also supports text-to-speech which will read the books aloud to you.

The Kindle starts at $139 for the 6-inch Wi-Fi version. The 6-inch version including Wi-Fi + free 3G connectivity is $189. The 10-inch version with Wi-Fi + 3G costs $379.

Nook

Barnes and Noble’s Nook uses a 6-inch E Ink display similar to the Amazon Kindle. With the E Ink display you get the same pros and cons as the Kindle. The Nook tries to compensate for the slow E Ink display by including a small color LCD touch screen below the E Ink screen. This allows for faster navigation and a better experience seeing the book covers in color. The screen also can act as a keyboard for searching and buying books.

Another area where the Nook tries to differentiate itself from the Kindle is with a Wi-Fi connection. The Wi-Fi connection allows for faster downloads and also allows for free in-store reading at all Barnes and Noble bookstores. The Nook also comes with free 3G wireless data in the US.

Probably the most interesting feature on the Nook is the ability to lend a book to another Nook owner. You can send the book to your friend through the Nook lending service and they have 14 days to finish the book. After 14 days the book comes back to your Nook and you can read it again.

The Nook also supports MP3 files, and a number of image formats. The Nook supports EPUB format for e-books. The EPUB format is also used by other e-readers except the Kindle. The Nook also supports text-to-speech features similar to the Kindle. The Wi-Fi only Nook costs $149 and the Wi-Fi + 3G version costs $199.

iPad

Apple’s iPad is more than just an e-book reader. Along with capabilities for reading books, newspapers and magazines it allows for applications for email, web browsing, games, music, movies and productivity. Because the E Ink screens are slow for these other types of applications the iPad uses a 9.7-inch color LCD touch screen for interactivity. The text is not as crisp as an E Ink screen but it is readable without the eye strain most people experience while reading on a computer monitor. However, the glare from the glass screen can make it difficult to read outside.

Apple has their own e-book reader application called the iBooks which can be downloaded from the App Store. Amazon and Barnes & Noble also have e-book apps for the iPad to read e-books from their bookstores. For example the iPad can read Kindle books using the Kindle app.

Holding the iPad upright you’ll see a single page, holding it sideways you’ll see two pages. The full touchscreen on the iPad makes reading a natural experience. You tap the margins to change back and forth between pages or swipe across the page. The iPad supports full color images, graphics and text. You can start reading a book on the iPad and then later continue reading on your iPhone or iPod Touch.

One of the ways the iPad is more interactive is through individual apps. For example, newspapers and magazines use individual apps to present color info-graphics, 360º product reviews, video interviews and custom layouts. The iPad also supports text-to-speech anywhere so it can read books and magazines back to you.

A downside to the iBookstore is it has approximately 50,000 titles. Amazon and Barnes and Noble have significantly more titles. You can purchase books anywhere you have a 3G or Wi-Fi connection (depending on the model of iPad).

The iPad weighs 24 ounces which makes it substantially heavier than the Nook or Kindle. The iPad starts at $499 for the 16GB Wi-Fi version and models with 3G start at $629.

Others

Some of the smaller and emerging companies include Kobo and Sony. Kobo is a software platform which has partnered with Borders to provide e-reader hardware and software. The Kobo is very similar in features to the Barnes and Noble’s Nook.

Sony also has three e-readers which use E Ink displays and you can buy books in the Sony bookstore. The Sony e-readers are similar to the Amazon Kindle.

Summary

The Kindle and the Nook show that E Ink technology is becoming more mainstream and are now available starting at $139. The iPad is a premium product and is more of an ultra-portable computer with e-book functionality that starts at $499.

If you are looking to jump into the e-book market and are on a tight budget then the Kindle is the way to go. I haven’t talked to anyone with a Kindle that didn’t love it. However, if you are looking for a little more functionality and interactivity then the iPad is going to be the right choice. It provides an amazing experience and allows you to read books from any platform.

» Tell me… Do you own an e-reader? Are you thinking of getting one? Which one do you think will work the best for you?

If you have been following along with Project 52: Date Nights, you well know and probably have experienced those times where obstacles occur preventing date night. This week our obstacle was a bee. Nathan was walking around outside barefooted and stepped on a bee. Ouch. The first couple days it was painful and uncomfortable. Then on the third day, it was swollen and uncomfortable. The third day being date night. Being so uncomfortable with the swollen foot, Nathan took a Benadryl. He hadn’t taken Benadryl in at least 10 years. He didn’t realized it would knock him out. Lesson #1: Unexpected things will occur. When it does, reschedule.

With a busy weekend, we rescheduled the date on a Sunday afternoon during the girls nap time. While the children slept, we sat in front of my computer going through our photos. With over 25,000 photos on our computer, we didn’t get through much of it. I mainly wanted to go through our photos to delete all the unnecessary ones – blurry, bad quality, duplicates, eyes closed, pictures of people we didn’t know or care to keep. But it was also fun to go through our old photos seeing those happy days when we were dating. First thing I noticed… We used to be so skinny! Dang. Maybe we need to start working out. Lesson #2: Nostalgia can bring about a great date.

Nathan said: Looking at old pictures also made me realize how bad our photography skills were. I’m not much better now but Tiffany is much better. At least we’ve gained a couple of things, other than pounds, these last 6+ years.

» Tell me… Do you like to go through your old photos? How long did you date your spouse before you were engaged?

Want to join Project 52: Date Night? Great! Start anytime. Go here for details about the project and print the pledge.

When you link up, please remember…

• Keep it clean and family friendly. This is a family friendly site. Anything inappropriate will be deleted.
• It needs to be a date. Not your latest projects or pictures of your beautiful children. I do love reading about your projects and learning about your family. But this linky is for date nights and date nights only. It is for us to exchange date night ideas.
• Link to a specific blog post about your date that week. Don’t just link to your site’s home page. It needs to be the direct link to the post. Anything not directly linked to the post will be deleted.
• Link back to Simply Modern Mom or put the Project 52: Date Nights button on your site. It’s common courtesy. Please be nice.

<a href="http://www.simplymodernmom.com/category/project-52/" mce_href="http://www.simplymodernmom.com/category/project-52/" title="Project 52: Date Nights Index"><img src="http://www.simplymodernmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/p52-badge.gif" mce_src="http://www.simplymodernmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/p52-badge.gif" alt="Project 52: Date Nights logo"/></a>

Kaye attended a cute Hello Kitty birthday party of one of her girlfriends. To wrap the birthday gift, I reused some packaging paper as the wrapping. I love using packaging paper or newsprint to wrap gifts. However, in this instance, it was slightly see-through. So I thought of this quick gift topper that covered most of the gift so she couldn’t see what it was. A few minutes before we headed out the door, I grabbed some glittered tissue paper and made a half tissue paper pom pom. Can I express how much I dislike glitter. Sure it’s pretty, but it gets everywhere and sticks to everything. Not worth it.

Anyway, don’t laugh at my wrapping. This was an octagon shaped gift. A little tricky to wrap, OK. And the pom pom gift topper was a huge hit. They ended up keeping it to reuse. I love it. Reuse, reduce and recycle. Remember, if you made something inspired by Simply Modern Mom, please upload pictures of it in our Flickr group to show it off to everyone. You may be featured on Simply Modern Mom.

Supplies:

• 4 sheets of tissue paper (mine was 18 x 26 inches)
• scissors
• string
• bone folder or credit card

1. Stack the tissue paper together and fold lengthwise in half. Trim off about 5-6 inches from one end of the length.

2. Get rid of the portion that was cut (the 5-6 inch). Use the bigger portion of the tissue paper. With the paper still folded in half lengthwise, crease it into an accordion fold about 1 inch wide. Run over the creases with the bone folder or credit card.

3. With the open side of the tissue paper, cut a rounded end. It will be tough to cut through all the layers of tissue paper at the same time. Use a pair of sharp scissors.

4. On the folded side of the tissue paper, tie it tight with some string.

5. Fan out the tissue papers and break up the layers. Be gentle so you don’t rip the tissue. Fluff as needed.

» Tell me… What is your favorite way to decorate a gift?

I wanted to have Kaye potty trained before Elle came into our lives. I liked the idea of purchasing diapers for one less person. I didn’t like the thought of potty training while I nursed and took care of the demanding needs of a newborn baby.

We started potty training the week before Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving Day was the first day she had no accidents. Two months later, Elle was born. While I was at the hospital, the accidents began to reoccured with Grandma and Grandpa watching Kaye at our home. She knew something was going on, especially since that was the first time mom was gone for several days.

I thought that maybe when I got home from the hospital, things would get better again. Nope. Wrong. It actually got worst. We were all paying a little less attention to Kaye. Not on purpose. Of course not. The demands of a new born baby required a lot of mommy’s attention. All of a sudden Kaye wasn’t mom’s little sidekick. That made her sad. It made me sad. So to get mom’s attention, she had accidents. Quite often. Bad attention was better than no attention, right?

People would come over to visit the new baby. Kaye would come sit on my lap while we had company over and pee while sitting on me. People used come see her. Now they only asked her about the new baby. Not so much about how her day was going. It was embarrassing and frustrating to clean up accidents, Kaye and myself while having guests over. I would lecture Kaye about going to the potty. She would respond with full understanding only to have another accident later that day.

This was when the princess idea came to life. Kaye loved Disney princesses. So I purchased a set of princess figurines, it came in a set of seven princesses. Every few days Kaye would go without having an accident, a princess showed up on her pillow right before bed. She came with a personal note telling Kaye how well she was doing not having any accidents because princesses go potty in the toilet. If there was something Kaye needed to work on, the princesses would relay that message. It was more effective coming from a princess than from mom.

The catch was if she had an accident again, then the princesses would go away (one at a time). And I told her that the princesses went away when she had accidents because it made them sad. Princesses only want to be with big girls who can go potty in the toilet. She eventually earned all her princesses back. This reverting thing only lasted two weeks with this princess system.

» Tell me… Did your child revert from potty training? What did you do to help him get back on track?

Read other potty training articles… 22 Potty Training Tips for Modern Moms, back to basics tip for auto-flush toilets, your potty training questions answered, download a free potty training chart and 5 children’s potty books.

Take the stress off potty training by bringing some lightweight humor into it. Here are some potty books that may get your child interested and motivated to sit on the potty.

1. The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew it Was None of His Business. I purchased this in London. It’s a disgusting yet all the same time an educational book about the different types of animal poop.
2. Everyone Poops. Humans and animals eat and therefore we poop. Really. It’s OK to poop.
3. It’s Potty Time. It comes in a girl version and boy version. And a button that makes the flushing sound.
4. The New Potty Little Critter. Can’t go wrong with the Little Critter, right? Although, this one is a bit girly.
5. On Your Potty!. Not a lot of words to this one. But the gist of the book is what I liked. A little bear who says he doesn’t need to go potty. Then he realized that he does need to go and makes it just in time.

» Tell me… What is your child’s favorite potty book?

Read other potty training articles… 22 Potty Training Tips for Modern Moms, back to basics tip for auto-flush toilets, your potty training questions answered, download a free potty training chart and adventures of modern mom story about when they revert.

In the midst of potty training Kaye, I looked for a simple potty chart to record her progress. Couldn’t find a decent one. There were the fancy or elaborate charts that you could purchase. But even those looked ugly. Then there were other charts that had tons of boxes and information to fill out.

All I wanted was a chart with days of the week on it. And a place where Kaye could put a happy face sticker when she went potty. Perhaps a box to put sad face sticker if she had an accident. This way, she could see her own progress and maybe motivate her to put more stickers in the happy box rather than the sad.

It came down to me making my own chart. I couldn’t find a chart that was simple and easy for a 2- or 3-year-old to read. And now I’m sharing the chart with you. I know, I’m so nice. So click, download and print your own Simple Potty Training Chart.

The stickers are not included. You will have to find your own happy and sad face stickers. Or you can draw the faces on there. Please do not duplicate or sell the chart. This is for personal use only and not for commercial use.

Read other potty training articles… 22 Potty Training Tips for Modern Moms, back to basics tip for auto-flush toilets, your potty training questions answered, 5 children’s potty books and adventures of modern mom story about when they revert.

We recently received some packages in the mail and had boxes around the house. Just as I was about to toss them, my girls decided to build forts out of them. Then Elle, my youngest, sat herself in the little box. I couldn’t believe she fit so perfectly in the box. I pushed her around in it and she yelled, “Vroom!” We got a little more creative and made box cars out of them.

This is a fun activity that the kids can get involved in making. And boys will love this too! See, I don’t only do girl stuff on here. We made this within minutes but it’s something the children can come back to and draw on as they so desire. It didn’t take long because the girls colored while I cut. Remember, if you made something inspired by Simply Modern Mom, please upload pictures of it in our Flickr group to show it off to everyone. You may be featured on Simply Modern Mom.

If you are looking for boxes, hang out at Wal-Mart or other grocery stores late at night when they are stocking the shelves. Then ask for the empty boxes. Moving boxes will work too.

The girls love to drive around in their box cars. That also means I’m the one who is pushing them. Great way to get exercise around the house, no? The boxes glide wonderfully on carpet, tile and hardwood floors. If you push hard enough, it’ll go over rugs too.

Supplies:

• rectangular cardboard boxes
• paper plates
• clear packaging tape
• crayons or markers
• large sharp scissors (do not allow children to use)
• knife (do not allow children to use)
• fabric tape or other decorative tapes for decoration

» Tell me… How do you reuse boxes? Storage in the attic? Gifting boxes?

My child has no problems going pee pee in the toilet but is having a hard time pooping.

This is actually a common obstacle in potty training. If your child is holding it in and not going poop at all, you will want to check with your pediatrician or family doctor about that. He may be constipated. Miralax is now over-the-counter and can help with the constipation. Please contact your doctor before giving any of it to your child and ask for the correct dosage.

Also, feed your child food high in fiber to help going poop easier. It also provides your child with more opportunities to poop. Practice makes perfect, right?

If you can tell your child needs to poop but refuses to go, then ask him to sit on the toilet for a little while. Tell him he doesn’t have to poop if he doesn’t want to, you just want him to practice sitting on the potty. Then wait. Entertain him if you need to. Allow him to bring some toys he can play with on the potty. Sit there with him for about 15 minutes before allowing him to hop off.

Better yet, entertain him with a pooping candy dispenser. When you see your child holding #2, tell him that the bear (or whichever animal dispenser you purchased) needs to go poopy. Ask him to show the bear how to poop in the toilet. If that’s not going to work, then tell him that the bear wants to show him how to poop. Then have the bear poop into the toilet. And now it’s his turn to poop like a bear.

Should I go straight to underwear or do the pull-ups?

I went straight to underwear. Only used pull-ups at night. And we called them her sleeping panties. I made sure not to call them diapers. Didn’t want her to think it was OK to wear diapers, even if its only at night. I didn’t even put diapers or pull-ups on her when we went out or visited other people’s homes. If you keep switching between diapers and underwear, that will confuse the child or allow them to think it is still OK to wear diapers sometimes.

And we were lucky enough that after two months of potty training, Kaye stopped wetting her sleeping panties (pull-ups) at night. So she hasn’t been in pull-ups since then. That will not be the case with all children. We were very lucky.

What can I do the help my child to potty train faster because he needs to be potty trained by the time he starts preschool?

If your child is the type that is excited to go to school and want to play with the big kids, then take him on a field trip to the school. Call ahead of time to see if you can have him meet his soon-to-be teacher or any teacher will do. Ask her to tell your child and motivate him to be potty trained. Have her say, “Only big kids who can go potty in the toilet can come to school and play with other big kids.” And something like, “I know you can go potty by yourself by the time you come to school. I will be so excited to see you here in a month all potty trained!”

Another option is to have someone your child looks up to, admires or his play buddy who is all ready potty trained to have a little conversation with your child about the fun things big kids can do, including using the potty. Peer pressure can work here. Invite a couple of his friends who are all potty trained to come over for a play date. Explain to him that his friends want to come over and play with him, but they don’t want to play at his house if there is pee pee or poop on the floors. They want to play with a big kid like them who can go potty in the bathroom.

How can I be patient during a time that can be so frustrating? Especially when it seems like he is having accidents on purpose?

Lots of breathing and deep breathes. Keep your calm to the best of your abilities. If you react with a big scene, that is what he is looking for- attention. Let him know that people are counting on him to go potty. People would be disappointed if he has accidents. But don’t make him feel like he will lose love if he doesn’t go.

Provide the attention he wants in a different, more positive way. Dedicate some time to play with him without your cell phone or emails distracting you. This is why it is best to clear off your calendar and focus on potty training for at least a day or two.

I have tried every type of bribery and motivational tactics to get my child to potty train. It’s not working. He doesn’t want to potty train. Screams every time we try.

If he is 2, 3 or 4 and screaming or completely refusing to potty train after you have tried everything, then perhaps he is not ready yet. Try it again later. Work on getting him motivated first.

If he is 5 or older and still not potty training, then you will want to talk to your pediatrician about it. Perhaps there is something physically preventing him.

Most importantly, be persistent and consistent. Do what you say you are going to do. Potty training will prolong if you put him in underwear then back in diapers a few days later. If you are going to potty train, then go full fledge. Don’t just do it when it is convenient. It will never be convenient.

My child is potty trained, but has reverted since we moved/the new baby was born/other circumstance. How can I get her back on track?

Don’t let diapers or pull-up be an option once he has been trained out of them. If he reverts and you revert with him, then what reason would he have to be in underwear? Find out the cause of why he is reverting. Is it because he is not getting as much attention? Make a special effort to give him undivided attention. Is it because he is adjusting to a new home and miss his old home? Make an effort to bring back memories of his old home by unpacking his belonging and even set it up like it used to be.

It is usually because of some type of change in his life, so show him that change can be a good thing.

I am not sure how to motivate my child to potty train.

What are his likes (toys, food, activities, people, hobbies)? How do you usually get him to do things he doesn’t want to do (eat his food, bath, leave his friends, clean up)? Every child has a passion of some sort. Use that to motivate. It can be a toy, somewhere he wants to go, something he wants to do, a store he wants to visit, a person he wants to play with, a privilege he wants to have at home. It can even be as simple as an extra story at bedtime if that’s what motivates him. Make his dreams come true if he accomplishes what he has been asked to do.

Remember, potty training is hard for him too. You know that going to the potty is not exactly the most exciting thing in the world. So why would he change his life for this? Because it is a part of life. Do your best. Every child will be different. And you are a fabulous mother for teaching your child and dealing with all the mess that comes with it.

» Tell me… What are your answers to these potty training questions?

Read other potty training articles… 22 Potty Training Tips for Modern Moms, back to basics tip for auto-flush toilets, download a free potty training chart, 5 children’s potty books and adventures of modern mom story about when they revert.

You know how annoying those auto-flush toilets can be. It flushes while you are still going and when you are done, it doesn’t flush. You wave your hand in front of the sensor hoping it will flush so you don’t have to touch that nasty button to manually flush it.

And now that you have a little toddler sitting on these auto-flush toilets, it’s even worst because they don’t quite reach the sensors. Then they are scared to go after the toilet flushed on them before they actually went.

Solve that problem by keeping a stack of sticky notes in your purse or diaper bag. Before your toddler hops on the toilet, place a sticky note over the sensor. This will prevent the flushing before they are done. Remove the note when you are ready to flush.

The bonus to having sticky notes in your bag is you can also take a quick note or jot down a phone number.

» Tell me… What are your tricks for preventing the auto-flush going too soon? Are you annoyed by the auto-flush toilets or do you wish you had one at home?

Read other potty training articles… 22 Potty Training Tips for Modern Moms, your potty training questions answered, download a free potty training chart, 5 children’s potty books and adventures of modern mom story about when they revert.

This was a last minute idea. So luckily, I had to run some errands Friday. I was able to stop at the grocery store to pick up a couple of the ice cream ingredients that I didn’t have at home. I haven’t made homemade ice cream since 9th grade. I remembered it being fun and delicious. Lesson #1: Date night ideas can come from childhood memories.

We worked together to mix up the ingredients. Then talked as we shook. We tried to watch some TV while we shook the mixture, but that didn’t work since the ice made too much noise. So we talked some more. We have both been busy and it was a nice time catching up with each others lives. Then we ate the ice cream that was the perfect treat. Lesson #2: Simple and delicious. The perfect date night.

Nathan said: It seems that a lot of our date nights end up reminding us of our childhoods and this date was one of them. It was fun to make our own dessert for the night and we each had our own strategy for shaking the ice cream. I’m pretty sure mine was the best. I also added nectarines to it which made it delicious.

» Tell me… What is your favorite homemade ice cream flavor?

Want to join Project 52: Date Night? Great! Start anytime. Go here for details about the project and print the pledge.

When you link up, please remember…

• Keep it clean and family friendly. This is a family friendly site. Anything inappropriate will be deleted.
• It needs to be a date. Not your latest projects or pictures of your beautiful children. I do love reading about your projects and learning about your family. But this linky is for date nights and date nights only. It is for us to exchange date night ideas.
• Link to a specific blog post about your date that week. Don’t just link to your site’s home page. It needs to be the direct link to the post. Anything not directly linked to the post will be deleted.
• Link back to Simply Modern Mom or put the Project 52: Date Nights button on your site. It’s common courtesy. Please be nice.

<a href="http://www.simplymodernmom.com/category/project-52/" mce_href="http://www.simplymodernmom.com/category/project-52/" title="Project 52: Date Nights Index"><img src="http://www.simplymodernmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/p52-badge.gif" mce_src="http://www.simplymodernmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/p52-badge.gif" alt="Project 52: Date Nights logo"/></a>

I have to admit. Potty training has been the hardest thing I’ve done as a mother thus far. It has really tested my patience and my ability to stay calm during difficult situations. It has brought many embarrassing moments and nerve wrecking moments. And many moments where I wondered, Why am I doing this? Diapers are easier to change than cleaning up after poop and pee in carpet.

My Potty Training Experience

My oldest daughter, Kaye, was almost 2 when she started to show signs of readiness of potty training. In fact, the first day I pulled out the potty seat, she pooped in it the first time. Then peed in it the second time. All in the same day. But I held off potty training because we were leaving for a trip to Taiwan.

After our trip to Taiwan, I decided I wanted to transition Kaye into sleeping in a big girl bed before potty training her. I was pregnant with our second and wanted to use the crib for the baby.

Once Kaye turned 2, she still showed signs of readiness of potty training, but took no interest in it. My motivation was I wanted to get her out of diapers before the new baby came. I didn’t want to do potty training while nursing a little one. Plus, it was much cheaper to purchase diapers for one child instead of two. So I went with it. It wasn’t too bad. She was fully potty trained in about 2 weeks.

22 Potty Training Tips

If you have read all the ready signs of potty training, looked into it a bit and decided to give it a go, here are a few tips that might help you in this arduous task. Remember that each child is different. What worked with your friend’s child may not work with yours. What worked with your first child may not work with the second or third. So read up and do what will work best for your child.

1. Toilet Training in Less Than A Day. This was the book that answered all my questions. It told me exactly how my child was going to react to potty training and the different tactics they will use when faced with this situation. Then it had all the answers and responses as to what I needed to do as a parent. It’s a short and fast read. Well worth it.
2. Wait it out. I have friends who waited until their child told them they were ready. And when they did, it was much easier to have the child be the one who initiated it.
3. Be prepared to devote at least 1 whole day without distractions to it. Clear your calendar. Forget about your emails. Ask someone to watch your older kids, if necessary. Devote an entire day or two to this and really get serious about it. Potty training is one of those moments where you need to give your child uninterrupted attention. Once they get the hang of it and know what is going on, then get back into regular routine.
4. Be consistent. At this age, they are testing you. They want to know if you are in on this. Because if you are totally into this, and you convince them you are, then they’ll get with the program. And to do that, you have to be consistent. Show them that this is not just something temporary. Or something that you will give up if it doesn’t work the first few days or even weeks. If you give up, they will too.
5. Involve them. Take them to the store to pick out their new underwear. Have them pick out a potty seat. Ask them what treats or reward they would like. Have them set a goal to work toward.
6. Potties vs. training seats. We had both. Potties are nice because they are kid size. They don’t need a step to get on it. The down side is you have to clean it. Sure it is suggested that you have the child take the poop/pee container and dump it in the toilet. But they don’t actually clean it afterwards. Training seats are nice because they get your child used to going to the toilet in the first place. Although it can be tricky for your child to get on a step, pull down pants and turn around to sit on the potty alone without falling. It will take some getting used to.



7. The second day will be the hardest. The first day, they are excited to get with the program. The second day, they have accidents on purpose. The second day will make or break you. Though not all moms will experience this, lucky you if you don’t.
8. Balance reminders with trust. In the beginning, you will remind them constantly to go potty, and sometimes taking them to the potty even if they don’t need to go. Then as they start to get a hang out it, back off the reminders. Make them less frequent. That was hard for me because by that time, I was tired of dealing with accidents. But I noticed, the more I backed off on reminders, the more willing she would go on her own. I would only ask her if she needed to go potty when I could tell she was holding it.



9. Throw a party. Get them excited about it. I did it on the first day to introduce Kaye to potty training. Since she was into princesses at that time, it was a pink princess potty party. I decorated the living room with little underwear and had lots of pink drinks around (juice, strawberry PediaSure or strawberry milk). I made a special pink breakfast. Her grandma bought her a potty doll. We had a collection of children potty books. Potty Train Your Child in Just One Day is a book with themes, ideas and activities for potty parties. This book is different from the one mentioned above.
10. Don’t yell. This will be a hard one, especially when you are dealing the 5th or 6th accident of the day and you are at wit’s end. But if you yell, they will resist or feel being punished.
11. Make them accountable. When they have an accident, have them clean it up. Have them undress themselves and put away the dirty clothes. Have them put on new clothes with some assistance if necessary. The cleaning part. They won’t get it as clean as you. But have them clean what they can and you do the deep scrubbing of the carpet. If they are accountable for their mess each time they make one, they will learn that they don’t want to make messes anymore.
12. Be prepared to sit there with them for a long time. They will sit on the toilet and tell you they don’t need to go. But as soon as you let them off, they hide in a corner and let it go. So next time you see them holding it, put them on the potty and sit there with them. I sat on the floor while Kaye was on the potty. We sang songs, I told her stories, we read books, she flipped through children magazines or catalogs. Whatever it took for her to sit there until she went.
13. Find their motivator. What motivates your child? Positive attitude, support and encouragement? Or nagging, threats and punishments? Motivation can come from outside sources, too. Perhaps they love cars, princesses or dinosaurs. Maybe they have always wanted to go to Built-A-Bear and make a doll.
14. Make it come alive. When Kaye reverted after the new baby was born, we purchased a set of little Disney Princess figurines. If she went a few days without an accident, a princess will show up on her pillow before bedtime with a personal note. The note encouraged her and praised her for her success. And once in a while brought up some pointers for things she needed to work on. It was better coming from a “princess” than mom.
15. Rewards can come in many forms. There are instant rewards and long-term rewards. Make the instant rewards small. Candy, stickers, a small toy and lots of praise. I wasn’t too keen of candy rewards because I, personally, don’t give my children lots of sugar. That’s just me. So I went all out on the stickers. Make the long-term reward a little more meaningful. A trip to the museum, a sleepover at grandma’s house, a bigger toy they have been eyeing or something else they really want or would like.
16. Celebrate with others. When they are successful, make them feel proud of their success. Call dad at work. Call grandma in another state. Have them tell of their achievements. It provides positive encouragements.
17. Potty Power. I admit. It was a cheesy movie. But kids love it. I used this as a reward sometimes because Kaye enjoyed the movie so much. She wanted to watch it all the time.
18. They are smarter than you think. Haven’t we heard this before? But really. Unless you are potty training at 1 years old or your child has special circumstances or disabilities, they should be able to grasp the concept. I know I thought to myself many times, Does she really understand what I am doing here? Does she know that it is embarrassing to pee on yourself?
19. Don’t travel. If you are traveling or moving shortly before or during potty training, you are sabotaging yourself and your child. Stay at home and potty train.
20. Drop everything and go. That will be one of the hardest concepts for the child to comprehend. They are used to going while playing. Now they have to stop what they are doing to go? No way! Teaching them this concept takes time and patience. Show them that the quicker they go, the sooner they can get back to playing. Pause the movie if you have to.
21. Public bathrooms may frighten them. Be patient. Kaye was frightened by public bathrooms. She didn’t like all the noise, the size of everything, the loud flushing and the fans and hand dryers. I would bring her into a stall, allowed her to get acquainted to this new environment and waited until she was ready. There were times she would try to convince me she didn’t need to go. So I had special rewards or treats in the diaper bag for such occasions.
22. Put extra clothes in the car. You will most likely have a set of extra clothing and underwear in the diaper bag or your purse. But also keep an extra set in the car. You never know how long you will be out and about. Sometimes they might go through both sets in one trip. Or you might forget that you used the set in the diaper bag last time and forgot to refill it.

» Tell me… What are your potty training tips? Share your secrets.

Read other potty training articles… back to basics tip for auto-flush toilets, your potty training questions answered, download a free potty training chart, 5 children’s potty books and adventures of modern mom story about when they revert.

Maybe you have heard of cornhole, maybe not. It’s a pretty big deal here in the South. So let me introduce you to a child-friendly version of cornhole.

How To Play Cornhole Toss

To play the child-friendly version of cornhole, place the two platforms at a reasonable distance for their ages. You can always move it back if the game is getting to easy for them. For the official games and rules and just to see how seriously people play cornhole, visit the American Cornhole Association website. The simplified version is below.

Cornhole can be played in singles or doubles, just like tennis. Each team has 4 bean bags. Team members will stand next to the platform of the opposite team. One person on each side of the platform if playing doubles.

Then one team makes the bean bag toss over to their platform. Rotating turns if playing doubles. Once all the bean bags are tossed then the next team goes.

The scoring goes for every bean bag that goes into the hole counts as 3 points each. For every bean bag that lands on the platform but doesn’t go in the hole counts as 1 point each. Bean bags that land anywhere else is a foul and rewarded with no points.

The game ends with the first team reaching 21 points. Then declare the winners the cornhole champs.

Make Your Own Cornhole Game

To make children size cornhole platforms, visit your local Home Depot store. They have a bean bag toss kit for $10 and all you would need is a hammer to assemble it. Although, you will have to purchase two kits to actually play cornhole. The Home Depot kit comes with two bean bags per kit. To play the official cornhole game, you will need to make additional bean bags so each team can have four. You may also want to check the next time your local Home Depot does a free children workshop on Saturday mornings. Our Home Depot puts out some popular kits from past workshops on the free workshop days and the bean bag kit is one of them.

Even a cheaper version, use cardboard boxes or cereal boxes to make the platform. All you would need is the platform on an angle and a hole centered and a little toward to top. Then four easy and quick bean bags filled with rice or beans.

» Tell me… Have you played or heard of cornhole before? What is your favorite game to play with bean bags?

1. Checked out the view from mountain tops.

2. Attended princess dance camp and learned a few dance moves.

3. Took the kids to the candy store.

4. Played dress up at grandma’s house.

5. Spent time with some of our favorite people. We love having family visit us.

» Tell me… What has been keeping you busy this summer?

This was one of those projects where I had an idea in my mind and I just went with it. Then as I started sewing, I realized that I probably should have thought it out more thoroughly. But it worked out in the end and the results turned out be to better than the image in my mind. So awesome!

I made this for Elle who is 17 months. I found this pillowcase at the thrift store and loved the pattern. I bought it for $1. This pillowcase was a regular size, not the king size like I used for the Retro Ruffle Pillowcase Dress. I still have one more design for another pillowcase dress in my sketchbook. I just have to find another pillowcase.

And like the Retro Ruffle Pillowcase Dress, I did the ribbon-button closure in the back. This time, I used a wooden button from Moda. It was just too perfect for the dress. And if you made something inspired by Simply Modern Mom, please upload pictures of it in our Flickr group to show it off to everyone. You may be featured on Simply Modern Mom.

Supplies:

• pillowcase
• matching thread
• matching ribbon
• a button
• brooch pin, optional
• matching fabric, if your pillowcase doesn’t look like this

1. Use a seam ripper to detach the opening piece of the pillowcase. If you don’t have that on your pillowcase, you can skip this step.

2. Grab one of your daughter’s dresses. Measure the collar then add 3 inches to it for the pleats. So you’ll end up with a really wide collar. Since the dress is symmetrical, I folded the pillowcase in half lengthwise and sketched just half of the dress. Make the collar more squarish then rounded. I also drew the holes for the arm and length of the dress. Remember to include a seam allowance. I did 1/4-inch for seam allowance. But go wider if that is more comfortable for you to sew.

3. Cut out the dress. It is going to look funny at first because of the huge wide collar.

4. With the pillowcase wrong side out, find the middle of the collar at the front of the dress. Start the pleating with 1/2 inch pleats. You’ll do that two more times and pin. Here’s the trick, iron as you go. The pleats will stay together better if you iron each pleat. Don’t worry about the back of the dress right now.

5. Flip the dress right side out with the back of the dress facing you. Take the extra from the back and match the collar width of the back to the front where the pleats are still pinned. You should have the extra 3 inches that was added for the pleats to cut off.

6. Before sewing the back of the dress together, I sewed the seam of the sleeves. It’s easier to work with while the dress is open from the back. Since I don’t have a serger, I fold then ironed and fold and ironed again. Then I stitched it in place.

7. Sew the pleats in place. Do the sewing at about 1/4 inch in because you want it to be covered by the bias tape that you’ll make and use for the collar.

8. For the V-split, the collar, the bottom of the dress and the bow, I used the white border that I detached from the opening of the pillowcase in step 1. I made bias tapes out of them for the V-split and collar.

9. Now sew the back of the dress together but leaving the top 3 inches open for the V-split. Then follow the instructions in the Retro Ruffle Pillowcase Dress steps 6-7 for how to put together the V-split.

10. Then follow the Retro Ruffle Pillowcase Dress steps 10-11 for how to put together the collar with the ribbon. And sew on your button after you have measure how far your ribbon goes.

11. Sew the bottom seam. And if you want to add some thing to the bottom of the hem, I used that opportunity to sew the staystitch.

12. Make a bow with the leftover fabric or matching fabric scraps. I glued mine onto a brooch pin. Or you can just hand stitch it onto the dress.

And done! That wasn’t too hard was it?

» Tell me… Do you think bows, especially big bows, are making a comeback?

Linked Today’s Creative Blog.

Back to basics tip #19: As a mother of two girls age 4 and 18 months, my house used to look like this. Who knew two little girls could make a mess this big every. single. day.? Don’t believe me? They are in the pictures. Proof. And the mess even traveled upstairs and into other rooms. It wasn’t unusual for me to find toys in my bed, in kitchen cupboards and hidden throughout the house. Every inch of carpet was covered with toys. Ridiculous.

To put an end to this insanity, I got clear plastic bins. Shoe box size in a pack of 10. I organized the toys in each bin according to type. It’s soothing for me to sort things. I’m one of those weird people.

The rule in our house is each child can only have one bin open at a time. If she wanted to play with toys in another bin, the first bin must be put away. If she is good, sometimes I would spoil her by allowing two bins opened at a time. Oh. You cannot what a difference this makes. My kids learned to appreciate their toys and enjoy playing with them more than before.

Not only that, we purchased a coffee table from Ikea that holds all the bins below. It is nice to have the toys hidden and the play room is more visually appealing.

And yes, the play room has undergone a little makeover since the pictures taken at the beginning of the post. The play room is at the front of our house and one of the first rooms people see when they enter our home. I wanted to make it more inviting than childish. It is still a work in progress.

» Tell me… How do you keep your children’s toys under control?

Friday was a fun-filled family day for us. Nathan had relatives visiting from the West. We love having people visit us. Nathan took the day off so we spend the day out in the park with our family… for 8 hours in the humidity and sunshine. But we had a great time and the girls were wonderful. Lesson #1: 8 hours of outside fun + 4 family visitors + 2 tired children + 2 extremely tired parents =  1 low-key date night.

By the time we got home, we ate dinner, cleaned everyone off, bathed away the sweat that covered our bodies and it was 10 p.m. when we got to date night. Little late than never, right? No interruption from the girls because they both passed out on their pillows. They were so tired from being outside all day with no naps. Lesson #2: Skipping children’s naps can have its benefits, no interruptions during date night.

Nathan and I played Scrabble the previous weekend with my aunt and uncle. I came in second place and beat Nathan. So I thought it would be fun to beat him again. Well, it was a close game. I would have beaten Nathan if I didn’t get stuck with the Q at the end that took off 10 points from me and added to his score. Lesson #3: Turntable Scrabble is totally worth the extra few dollars.

Nathan said: Wahoo! I won! Yeah! Yeah! I really need to celebrate because I rarely win board games with Tiffany playing. This one was super close and I barely pulled it off. The only reason I agreed to play Scrabble was because I knew she was tired. It gave me the edge to win. Lesson #4: Play games with your spouse when they are tired so you can win.

» Tell me… Are you a good Scrabble player? What is your tricks for Scrabble? Memorize the 2-letter words?

Want to join Project 52: Date Night? Great! Start anytime. Go here for details about the project and print the pledge.

When you link up, please remember…

• Keep it clean and family friendly. This is a family friendly site. Anything inappropriate will be deleted.
• It needs to be a date. Not your latest projects or pictures of your beautiful children. I do love reading about your projects and learning about your family. But this linky is for date nights and date nights only. It is for us to exchange date night ideas.
• Link to a specific blog post about your date that week. Don’t just link to your site’s home page. It needs to be the direct link to the post. Anything not directly linked to the post will be deleted.
• Link back to Simply Modern Mom or put the Project 52: Date Nights button on your site. It’s common courtesy. Please be nice.

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Today I am guest posting at 30 Days for Mique’s Funner in the Summer series. I am sharing a game called cornhole. It’s a game that we take very seriously here in the South. And best of all, I tell you how you can make it kid-friendly for your children to enjoy. So visit me at 30 Days. Happy summer!

Well, hello beautiful. Yes, you. And the twine. Aren’t they divine? It’s from a company called Whisker Graphics. You have probably seen people use bakers twine here or there mainly for packaging purposes. Well, Whisker Graphic’s version of bakers twine is made from high quality eco-luxe 100 percent cotton. It’s called divine twine.

As I mentioned in the last Friday’s 5 at 5, I ordered some in pursuit of creating some gorgeous decoration and packaging for Kaye’s upcoming 4th birthday. But I only ordered the pink and aqua. When I received the order, I discovered samples of the other colors. Oh, I couldn’t resist such temptation. And now, I have the entire collection. All eight delicious colors.

I haven’t even told you the best part about divine twine. It’s so soft and completely bio-degradable. Each spool holds 240 yards of the strong 4-ply twine. I will be wrapping gifts, making cards and stringing this around my house. The ideas are endless.

If you follow the Whisker Graphics blog, you will be inspired with tons of ideas of how to use divine twine and their fancy printables. I really do love a good paper blog.

Whisker Graphics also offer printables and other amazing paper goods such as stationaries, address labels and personalized stickers. So have fun shopping around Whisker Graphics. And be tempted by the pretty stuff, especially the divine twine.

Thanks to Whisker Graphics for sponsoring Simply Modern Mom. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of Simply Modern Mom, email me at advertise{at}simplymodernmom{dot}com for rates and visit the advertising page for more information.

This happened a few months ago when Elle was still using her highchair. Nathan had placed her in the highchair eating food from her tray. He left her in there. I was working upstairs. Unaware Elle was in the high chair with no supervision.

The next series of events happened within seconds. I heard from the loft upstairs a huge gushing of water. I ran downstairs to find this scene. Elle standing on top of our kitchen counter frolicking around in a huge puddle of water. First thought, “How did she get up there?” Second thought, “Where is that water coming from?”

After a few minutes of playing detective work, I came to the conclusion that Elle climbed onto the counter from her highchair. Then she managed to muster enough muscle power to dump over a full pitcher of water that was on the counter. The pitcher was removed prior to this picture. There was water all over the counter and covered the kitchen floor.

The damage had been done, so I snapped some pictures and laughed at the ability of this little girl.

» Tell me… Any flooding or water experience with your children?

Second, I want to thank all the sponsors who provided my readers with birthday gifts. They are so awesome. They help keep the site going.

So… on with the winners! Congratulations to the following people and thank you for making Simply Modern Mom’s first birthday so happy!

The winner to the Vizit digital photo frame is… Jasmine.

The winner to the Jo Totes camera bag is… Heidi.

The winner to the Shabby Apple dress is… April.

I will be emailing all the winners. Thanks again everyone and please take some time to visit the sponsors and their amazing products. Give them some love. And I hope you have a fabulous weekend!

1. Divine Twine by Whisker Graphics. They came out with new colors that I couldn’t resist. I will be using these on Kaye’s birthday party invitations. But here’s the thing. When they sent me my order, Whisker Graphics so cleverly placed samples of other colors of their bakers twine in the package. All so tempting. Too tempting.

2. Fletcher-Terry point driver. I dream of having a framing studio one day. To get me closer to that dream, purchased a point driver. It’s so nice. Now maybe I can finish some of the framing projects I have for our home. I also hope to have more tools than Nathan in the future.

3. Ikea bold stripes fabric. As I walked through Ikea, I couldn’t pass the fabric department without looking. And I couldn’t leave the department without purchasing these stripes. I am in the works of making these into bags.

4. French floral fabric from Whipstitch. So whenever Whipstitch has a sale, I go weak at the knees. I know. Aren’t I every retailer’s dream? Anything to support my friends over at Whipstitch. I don’t know what I’m going to do with this fabric yet. Any suggestions?

5. Martha Stewart score board. I had a coupon where I purchased this for only $10. You probably noticed by now that when it comes to crafting, I have a soft spot for paper crafts. So this comes in handy.

» Tell me… What was the last craft supply or equipment or tool you purchased?

Hi there! Jenny here from the Southern Institute for Domestic Arts and Crafts. Have you been to the Southern Institute yet? It’s my little corner of the blogosphere where I talk about the things that make up life. Family, fun, things to do and make, how we see ourselves, watching our children grow and all of the things that go along with that. Tiffany was so sweet to share her project with my readers last week… Today I wanted to share something with hers!

If you are anything like me, then when you started a family and brought that new little baby into the house, you were all of the sudden very aware of what you used to clean said house. I got a little bit nervous about the chemicals that I was using. It seemed only natural that a mother who birthed her children naturally would try keep things natural around the house too! Don’t you think? So I did some research and talked to other people and found out that you can make your own cleaning products! What? And do they work, I thought? Yes, they do, and there are so many products that you can make. Today I will share with you the two that I use most often around my house.

All-Purpose Cleaner

I use this in the kitchen all of the time! On the counters, on the stove, around the sink, even on the teapot (that always seems to be gunked up with grease). It cleans well and leaves a great scent too. I normally double this recipe.

Ingredients:

• a spray bottle
• white vinegar
• borax (you’ll find this in the cleaners section of your local grocery)
• distilled water
• liquid vegetable soap (I use Dr. Bronner’s unscented castille soap)
• essential oils

Mix 1 tablespoon vinegar and 1 teaspoon borax together well in your bottle. To that, add 3/4 cup of warm distilled water and mix well. Add 2 tablespoon liquid vegetable soap and 10 drops of essential oils. Put the cap on your bottle and shake well. Mark your bottle well, including which oils you used.

Carpet Freshen-Upper

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of baking soda
• 10-12 drops of essential oils
• an airtight container (I store mine in an old jelly jar with a tight-fitting lid)

Simply mix the essential oils into the baking soda. That’s it. Sprinkle it on your carpet and vacuum it up. It will leave the whole room smelling fresh!

Go on over to the Southern Institute for a little tutorial on essential oils!