My week

Wow - I haven't checked in for a few days - that's not like me.
Keeping this computer armoire locked all the time so A doesn't touch the computer seems to be helping me not be on the computer so much, which is probably a good thing.

The boys turned four on Tuesday. We spent the morning at the Please Touch Museum (thanks, Aunt J!), ate lunch in the car on the way home, had naps (the boys fell asleep and stayed asleep for another half hour or so in the car once we got home), went to a playdate, had everyone over for dinner and cake and presents. Whew! It was a long day!!! Yesterday we celebrated my dad's "un-birthday" (he's a leap year baby) - in the card I wrote for him I told him that I know that this is just another ordinary day, but 70 years ago, around this time, he was born, and we're all very happy about it. We all chipped in and got him a snow blower. His comment when he saw it is that it's not really a gift for him, is it! DH and my brother-in-law have had to go over each snow storm for awhile now and shovel out his driveway and sidewalk so he doesn't take upon himself to do it. When DH heard what we were getting him he was almost giddy.

And today was my very last Mom's Morning Out! One girl never showed (she only came once a week for this final session - two months), one girl had already started her "big girl school", so we only had one boy with us today. I just read a book about a woman's experience running a home day care from 9-5. She did it with her sister. I don't know - doing it full time sounds tough. Doing it for half a day seems more plausible, but I guess if I were to ever consider doing that it would have to be full time. Doesn't matter, I'm thrilled MMO is done for awhile. It a great source of income when we needed it, but since we don't desparately need it right now, I'm thankful to be done.

Yesterday afternoon we began a more intensive, though relatively laid back, form of potty training for A and J. I wasn't planning to do J, too, but she's very interested, so couldn't stop her. At home, they have been naked from the waist down, encouraged to sit on the potty as much as they want. That first afternoon, J peed five times on the potty! A held it in for four hours, then peed in a diaper during the five minute drive to my parents. Even there we got him naked again, but he just seems too anxious to do it. I even put the diaper on the potty for him to sit in, but that didn't work. Finally today I decided that when he needs to pee or poop, he just had to tell me and I'd put a diaper on him. If he managed to pee in the diaper then, he'd get an m&m. It took him all morning holding it in, but he finally did it right after lunch!!! I figure we'll continue like this as much as possible for the next few days and then transition into sitting on the potty in the diaper when he has to pee/poop. Slow going, but I've never seen a kid more uncomfortable about going on the toilet or the potty. Hopefully this gradual transition will do the trick. PLEASE any suggestions, offer them!