Potty training

Potty training is underway.

Today is day three and things are tricky but manageable. Day one was horrifying. If it wasn't for my mom's calming words and advice from friends, I probably would've had a nervous breakdown. Horrifying because I cleaned up poop off the floor and nervous breakdown because his poop landed on my feet! No exclamation marks are enough to fully illustrate my super justifiably dramatic emotions. It's my fault really for choosing Fellom's crazy yet highly affective 3 day potty training method. Day 2 showed some great progress ie: poop in the toilet not on mommy. And day 3 is as I have mentioned, manageable. Only one pee accident thus far. Crossing fingers.

Good luck to the heroic parents busy dealing with these lavatory issues. The day will come when our kid's bathroom issues are none of our business. For now the word potty is at the center of every second sentence.

We soldier on. Hey, at least it's not sleep training.

Amped amped amped!

It's Monday woohoo! I'm amped. For many reasons.

1) it's the beginning of a new week and I've continued to train for the 5k run. This distance may not alarm others but I am not a runner. Well, that's not completely true considering the great strides made (1.6miles in 15mins). Hopefully soon I'll be able to complete a 5k without stopping or walking. And reason to be amped number 2) Lost my phone over the weekend and so this morning while looking through baby boy's toys I asked if he knew where it was. And of course he did. All he said was "mama phone". Then he raced out of the room towards the lounge. He headed for the printer and pointed saying "mama phone". And there it was, behind the printer, not sure how he got it there but thankfully he remembered where he'd hid placed it. Amped for life reason number 3) we've been working on organizing an exercise group for mothers and other interested women. The frumpy mom thing gets boring after a while and with all the busy mommy schedules it's hard for a woman to find the time to exercise. With this group we hope to create a community that is supportive and pro health. As mothers we do our best to make sure that everyone is happy and healthy and that our kids get the necessary exercise, yet we're not living what we preach but instead sit, eat and watch on as our husbands and children participate in physical activities. Well I Say No More!...too dramatic? Alright, you get the point. Super amped reason number 4) Husband is doing laundry this week. Enough said. And reson number 5) The best for last and yes it's coupon stuff. Went to get a few things at King Soopers today to take advantage of the Mega 5 deal. The grocery bill was $177 and I paid $30 including tax. Swweeeeeet. Whenever that happens I feel an urge to neatly lay out all the products, take a picture and post it on facebook. Instead I just post the kick-but receipt showing the savings percentage. Why? Because money talks and...well, you know how the saying goes. Here's to team save-more-spend-less!

Oh and the weekend was great. The family is looking sharp with new haircuts. Baby boy's little afro is no more. We no longer experience headaches from trying to comb his hair. And he was surprisingly still as I chopped off his locks. Husband was gracious and didn't complain too much as I maneuvered his very thick head of hair. And then comes my hair...what a mess that is. I guess I should say husband and baby are looking sharp. I need some braids or something new. We did other things besides hair, can't remember what. Wait. There was a coupon class hosted by one of the ladies from TLC's Extreme Couponing and it was great! Then there was the usual: church, dinner at the park, gym, basketball, mall, hosted a dinner and that's it really. We're fantastically average.

Our weekend.

How was yours? I'm tempted to write about my plans to redecorate the apartment before Christmas using the wardrobe capsule concept of less is more. But I won't, not yet. Talking about Christmas. Our Christmas shopping is done woohooo! Saved 66%. And no the gifts don't include toothpaste and shampoo. I needed to clarify that as when I told dear husband that we have gifts for everybody he asked whether we'd be mailing "canned vegetables and toilet paper" as these are the things that often come cheap with couponing. Anyway, decent gifts, so, no worries. About the capsule wardrobe concept, I saw a post from a blogger whom I love and she had seen it from a blogger whom she loves and it's what has consumed my mind. Because such important things often consume my mind. Doesn't everybody think of they're outfits the night before? If not for the style element then just for the security of knowing you have a clean dress for church. Well if you've found yourself practicing the nonchalant tucked in shirt look, or despise the idea of matching jewellery visit this blog and begin the wardrobe capsule journey. If you like what you see there then stay tuned here as I'll post about my style evolution based on that capsule concept. And 33 is my number - this will only make sense if you've read the link.

Happy week to all:)

Random moments

This morning baby boy refused to get out of the crib. He sat there just playing with the stuffed animals. After a while he started asking for cereal in bed. It didn't happen. Once the hunger hit he volunteered to come out.

A few weeks ago grandma Schamel came for a quick sleep over. She was returning from California and the flight landed too late for a drive down to Pueblo. She brought with her a gift from auntie Leslie, baby boy's most prized possession, a train set. He loves trains. He loves aeroplanes. He loves cars. He loves buses. He's into transportation.

Helping mommy with household chores. Whenever I shake out the sheets he crawls underneath so it can land on his face. This makes him extremely happy.

Last week he caught a cold and was miserable for a few days. We've become outdoors-ie people so being inside is punishment for all members of the family. Luckily his little bear from auntie Thato kept him company during a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse marathon.

Not inviting baby boy to help with dishes is a solid insult. There's nothing that makes him feel more accomplished than helping mama clear the dishwasher. Look at the serious expression.

Good bye summer. It's been swell.

Hello autumn/fall. Slightly premature I know, just trying to graciously accept the change of season.

How about a song dedication for the rest of your day...My Girl by The Temptations. Listening to it right now. #ttby (for the mature readers, the abreviation stands for 'to the beat y'all' it's a twitter thing, some hashtag music fun, nothing life changing)

A happy and safe weekend to all.

Chaos in paradise

Today was chaotic at best. Not a complaint, just an observation.

Baby boy and I had a fairly normal beginning of the month morning. That means I was busy with our finances while he busied himself with toys. Once I was done with all the paperwork, he helped me clean up by screaming and running away from the vacuum cleaner. He also assisted in packing the dishes away, he's very assertive in his right to help with chores. Sometimes I'd rather he go do something else but nope, he's happy being involved. So I comply.

During his nap I was able to catch up with a childhood friend. She also lives in the US, married with a 5 month old baby boy. The conversation was incredibly fruitful and we were able to lean on one another on marital and motherhood stuff. It's quite possible that we've known each other for 20yrs. It's always fun to connect with people who have known you for a very long time. Sort of like a moment of reflection...who the heck was I in high school? I shake my head at the thought of that little impulsive me. Not that I'm any less impulsive these days. More head shaking.

The chaos? It involves lots of screaming and coupons. Because one computer can only print 2 of the same coupon, I went to a friend's house to print some more. Why you ask? Only because King Soopers has the biggest sale ever! So big that you can snag wipes, shaving cream and other goodies for FREE! Right. So. We ended up with two very head strong toddlers who wouldn't stop fighting. There was screaming, pinching and crying. We, the mothers, were also in a major rush to meet certain appointments. The technology was not cooperating and the screaming continued. Amidst our tornado my friend in sheer exhaustion accompanied by a defeated laugh exclaimed that she hated motherhood. She doesn't hate motherhood. She's one of the best mothers I know. And in that moment I fully understood her choice to surrender. This life we've chosen can sometimes feel incredibly overwhelming, but we love it. Because we love these babies. Even when they're being monsters.

It is because of that love that I was able to survive more screaming. Later in the day baby boy and I popped by a dear neighbor friend who has become my couponing partner. While preparing for our grocery trip the kids made themselves heard by causing a proper manic state. Luckily she had made enough dinner for me to remix and forge as my own cooking. We changed locations, bringing the craziness to our place. Husband walked in to a life of disarray and I think he was more than happy to grab a bite and leave for school. Baby boy did his time in time out after knocking his friend with a toy. He looked at me and said "time out mommy" while walking towards the designated punishment spot. Things soon regained calm as we retired the coupon efforts and gave the kids our undivided attention. We finished our dinner, tidied up and relaxed for bath time.

At the end of a day I always wonder whether I could have been better or handled things differently. That question always leads back to finding balance. Saving money is important, but it cannot interfere with my child's comfort and happiness nor with my sleep. There'll always be another King Soopers Mega 5 deal. I'm starting to sound like a recovering coupon addict. Yikes.

Thula Baba

Wednesday always starts in a rush.

Husbands leaves for work. We say the goodbyes, he makes a real big deal of those and I pretend I'm irritated from being woken up. But secretly I love how he loves. It's no real secret because he knows my heart. Then I set a mental alarm clock of hope, hoping that I'd wake up in time to get ready for the mommy exercise group. Of course I over sleep and luckily my real life alarm clock (aka baby boy) wakes up just in time. After rolling over and checking my phone (sometimes husband texts or calls and often there's messages from my ma) I open the blinds and windows. Light is good. And we like lots of light and fresh air. That's one of the reasons why we decided on this place, it offers both joys, especially in the bedrooms. Then it's time to let baby boy out of his crib. I open his door real slowly and he shrieks with excitement. This is a daily occurrence. Then it's "morning mommy". I ask him how he slept as I open his blinds and the cabinet doors. He often thinks aloud but never gives a concrete answer and judging on how peaceful he looks when sleeping, I decide that his night was good. After a diaper change the little guy showers me with kisses and hugs. He then picks up his diaper and takes it outside to the trash (bin). We keep the bin on the balcony as I can't stand the idea of living with rubbish inside the house aaaand...we don't have the space. When he returns from the balcony I have him wash his hands before he gets distracted with toys. After washing hands it's breakfast time. Usually I prepare breakfast while he stands in the kitchen asking for "ce-re-al and MILK". Most days we have oatmeal but today there isn't time, so after a quick breakfast we get ready and gun our way to the bus stop. Before leaving the house baby boy kept on saying "mama catch a bus". And when the bus finally arrived, the doors opened and he ceremoniously greeted the driver with a "hello bus". A few weeks ago he made many people smile as he stood at the front of the bus and waved saying "hello bus" to a bus full of people. He followed that gesture by saying goodbye to each individual we passed when getting off. I can still hear his little "bye, bye-bye, bye". That boy knows how to pull heart strings. This morning he sits quietly in his seat, with my arm around his shoulder, eating a cracker and occasionally repeating the street name announcements.

The exercise group is fun as always. The best part is being able to workout without having kids around. The group was organised for research purposes based on a model that's used by a group of moms in Australia. The idea is that half of the mothers exercise while the other half watch the kids and then we swap. Today is the last day for the research project and from now on we're on our own. I love the idea and after modifying it with other mothers, we plan to include sporting activities based on the same model. Starting with volleyball on Friday. The exciting part is that both mother and child benefit as baby boy has fun playing with other kids, there's snack time and more play. And I have fun knowing that I'm keeping healthy.

After working out we head home for lunch, peanut butter and jam sandwiches shaped into mini dinosaurs. In this moment I decide that motherhood is fun and sometimes it's ok to live vicariously through your kid. We sit around the table, eating the mini dinosaurs and drinking milk. Baby boy wants more. I teach him to say please. And he sounds super cute. Once he says "all done mommy", he hands me his plate and it's time for a bit of play with toy trucks. He initiates play by handing me a toy saying "here you go mommy". And then he says "this way". I follow along, driving the trucks through the apartment. What makes me smile is the fact that he always keeps the same truck for himself. Even when there's a friend over, he'll give them the rotating truck and he'll keep his own. I wonder why he specifically likes the truck with the blue roof instead of the yellow one...I've asked, I can't yet decipher the answer. After more play, it's time for a nap. So we read some books and off to lalaland he goes. I get busy planning a coupon grocery trip for later this week and end up booking myself in a coupon class. It'll be taught by one of the ladies from TLC's Extreme Couponers. It's hard to contain my excitement:)

Baby boy wakes up and we go on a walk to run some errands. Then it's time to make dinner. Baby plays some more. I put the chicken in the oven and decided that the kitchen is a no go zone. He fights me on this. We power struggle for a bit and finally come to an understanding in the form of Super Why. A spelling cartoon which he loves. He watches and I finish cooking. I call husband and he let's me know that he's headed home. He brings with him a work colleague who also happens to be a friend. We eat together while his friend eats and does homework for school (he had a class later on this evening). Husband does the dishes. Once he is done we play hide and seek with baby boy. Well, more like hide as baby always wants to hide in the same place every time we play. He's also a terrible hide and seek partner as when the seeker calls his name he replies. He also has the loudest whispering voice ever. But he sure loves that game and it's hard to get him to move on to something else. That something else is bath time.

Dear husband handles bath time while I fold the laundry.

After bedtime reading we do our family prayer and then baby tells his daddy "night night". Once husband leaves the room, baby boy gets up, heads over to his red mat. Lifts his arms and says "thula baba" (hush baby). I pick him up, sing to him, rock him a bit, telling him how much we love him, how much Heavenly Father loves him. Then I ask him to rest and let him know that I'll see him in the morning. I place him in bed. And every night he refuses to lay down. I leave the room. Count two seconds, he cries. And sleeps seconds later.

And that was Wednesday with the sweetest baby I've ever known.

Couponing in August

This post is obviously a few days late, oh well.

So, August was a good month in my couponing world. New information was gained. And some notable successes too. Such as 102% savings on groceries,  that happened twice. I won't bore you with the how as such info that can easily be learned by using the trusty Google. What I will say is that preparation is key. The more you research and prepare for a couponing grocery trip (a haul), the more successful you'll be in saving the most money possible.

This advice is pretty obvious but I choose to mention it here to remind myself in case I become a little lazy.

Talking about lazy, tons of things have happened that I haven't recorded and hopefully this week I'll be able to play catch up. This was really just a couponing update. The good news is that we've cut our grocery bill in half! So the smart thing to do is to save that money, otherwise this will be a waste of time and energy. Dear husband is impressed and proud of these efforts so I sure hope to do the smart thing and not be lured by the immediate thrill ofsspending.

That's it for today.

Psssd...happy belated labor day. Love from our family to yours.