Sandra

5 Tips for Potty Training Success (and How I’m Potty Training Baby Number 5)

May 9, 2014 by Sandra 4 Comments

This is a compensated campaign in collaboration with Pull-Ups® Training Pants and Latina Bloggers Connect.

Potty training a toddler is no walk in the park.

I believe this is why we moms get to celebrate a holiday known as “Mother’s Day.”

Am I right? 😉

Seriously, though, I should know. I have five kids. And we’re currently working on potty training baby number five, my beautiful and feisty 2-year-old daughter, Elisabeth.

But you know, I think that with the right tips, tools, and mindset, potty training your toddler CAN be a great bonding experience.

It can even be fun to “Say Adios to Diapers!” together.

We’re Using Pull-Ups Training Pants

Because our kids are all different, we have tried varying methods and techniques when it came to potty training each of them. For Elisabeth, we purchased a new potty seat for the commode in addition to Pull-Ups Training Pants.

So far, Elisabeth wants little to do with her new seat, but she adores her Pull-Ups!

She’s decided that she’s done with diapers, but she still needs a little motivation for actually making it to the bathroom to use the potty.

DID YOU KNOW? Pull-Ups Training Pants are proven to deliver more potty training success than diapers. And Pull-Ups have stretchy sides that allow your child to learn the skill of pulling down and up.

5 Tips for Potty Training Success

Even though Elisabeth says she wants to use the potty, and then always says, “Laaaater” whenever I talk to her about actually going, I’m not concerned. I’ve been down this road before with my other kids, and I know that she WILL get the hang of this potty thing.

Since this isn’t a new experience for me, and I’ve learned some things along the way, I thought I’d share my top 5 potty training tips with you.

Here We Go!

Tip #1: Be willing to follow your child’s lead. If your son or daughter seems ready to begin potty training, go for it! Grab the Pull-Ups and get started!

Tip #2: Be careful to involve your child. Take them to the store and pick out a new potty seat or search for one together online. Talk to them about the fun characters and designs that are on the front and back of Pull-Ups Training Pants. Elisabeth loves picking out which design she’s going to wear next.

Tip #3: Be patient…boys generally take longer to potty train than girls. From personal experience and from what’s been shared with me by other moms, I think it’s true that boys take longer to potty train than girls. Your son may also not be ready to start potty training as early as your daughter was.

Tip #4: Be motivating and celebrate your child’s success! Do a happy dance or have a mini-party when there’s potty training success. 🙂

Tip #5: Be prepared to give lots and lots of grace. Just as with anything else, when little ones are learning a new skill, we need to be ready to show grace when mistakes are made. There will be accidents, but how we react to those accidents is what matters most.

Our Final Potty Training Journey has Only Begun

We still have a long way to go before Elisabeth is completely potty trained. But you know what? I’m not in a rush. Maybe it’s because we’ve been down this road before or maybe it’s because she’s our last baby.

However long it takes is fine with me.

Do you have any potty training tips to share? I’d love to hear them! 🙂

Miss Humblebee’s Academy (Online Curriculum) Review and Giveaway! 2 Winners!

May 9, 2014 by Sandra 3 Comments

I’m a happy affiliate of Miss Humblebee’s and received a free membership to this program in order to
enrich our home schooling experience and facilitate this review and giveaway.

Home schooling my kids is rewarding and incredibly challenging at the same time.

Truthfully, anyone who makes the decision to home school their kids can tell you that it’s hard work. Some days when I’m teaching my younger kids or helping my older kids with a tough assignment, I come dangerously close to losing my mind.

Personally, I think this is true because we’re home schooling four kids right now. If I only had to teach one or two of them, I think I could handle the task much more gracefully. 😉

But working on and off with my four older kids while my precious 2-year-old daughter hangs thisclose to me most of the day, well, it’s difficult. So when it comes to choosing the types of curriculum and programs that we’ll use in our home school, I tend to lean towards choices that encourage learning without a mentally exhausting amount of “momma involvement.”

Miss Humblebee’s Academy

In another post, I’ll share what’s been working as far as math and typing for Nathan, 13-years-old, and Breanna, 11-years-old. But today, my focus will be on the online learning program, Miss Humblebee’s Academy, that’s working for David, my 5-year-old son.

David’s been logging into Miss Humblebee’s Academy for a few months now, and it’s been a great learning experience for him. I think the reason it’s working is that the lessons are not only educational but also fun and engaging!

I love that Miss Humblebee’s is a full online curriculum. Kids learn math, reading, science, social studies, art, and music. Visually, I like that this program isn’t all flashy. I appreciate the toned down colors of the website and that the program doesn’t include a lot of distracting elements like some other programs.

An Opportunity to Win a FREE Membership

Now that you know about Miss Humblebee’s Academy and how terrific it is, how about an opportunity to win a 12-month or 6-month membership?! 🙂

That’s right! One of my fabulous readers will win a full 12-month membership to Miss Humblebee’s Academy, and another winner will win a fantastic 6-month membership! Woot!

How to Enter the Giveaway

Simply enter this giveaway using the Rafflecopter below. I’ve included options for extra entries, too!

This giveaway will run from now until – May 16th at 12:00am. The giveaway is open to US Residents only, ages 18 years old and above. The winner will be randomly chosen. I will promptly send the winner an email notifying them that they’ve won, and the winner must respond within 48hrs. of the giveaway’s end, otherwise I will have to draw a new winner.

Enter Below
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have you ever used an online curriculum to help your kids learn?

10 Goals for the Week

May 6, 2014 by Sandra 3 Comments

I wasn’t able to get as many of my goals crossed off my list as I had hoped to last week. The main reason is that my usual time to catch up – the weekend – was full.

On Friday, David had a clinic appointment in Chicago. This takes up a huge chunk of our day, but at least it only happens once every two weeks. After his 3-hour appointment, we went to the Lincoln Park Zoo. That was a lot of fun! Then we split up for dinner. I had a work-related dinner to attend that evening, while Ruben took the kids to get something to eat nearby.

We got home pretty late, but it was a great day.

On Saturday, my mom volunteered to stay with the kids for a few hours, so that Ruben and I could get some time away. We got something to eat and ran a couple of errands that were easier to get done without all five kids in tow.

On Sunday, I had the opportunity to see my sister earn her bachelor’s degree and graduate from college (yay, Sarah! 🙂 ). We went out to dinner afterwards, and by the time we got back home, I didn’t really feel like working on what was left undone on my list of goals.

Here’s what I did get accomplished for the week:

Family/Mothering Goals:

1. ~~Work on memorizing two verses of scripture as a family — Ephesians 4:29 and Exodus 20:4~~

2. ~~Go out for Family Day~~

Personal Goals:

3. Shampoo and clean my makeup brushes

4. ~~Drink water with lemon (or lime) and cayenne pepper 5x~~

5. ~~Read 20 pages of Balanced: Finding Center as a Work-at-Home Mom by Tricia Goyer~~

Home Management Goals:

6. ~~Fill one bag with items to donate — I need to keep this on my list for ongoing de-cluttering purposes!~~

7. ~~Unpack one box sitting in the basement~~

Business Goals:

8. Get caught up on work — I have one project that needs attention asap.

9. Return emails — I will be crossing this off my list next week!

10. Write 4 blog posts — I wrote 3 posts.

Here are my goals for this week:

Family/Mothering Goals:

1. Continue to work on memorizing two verses of scripture as a family — Ephesians 4:29 and Exodus 20:4

2. Plan a Family Day

Personal Goals:

3. Shampoo and clean my makeup brushes

4. Drink water with lemon (or lime) and cayenne pepper 5x

5. Finish reading Balanced: Finding Center as a Work-at-Home Mom by Tricia Goyer

Home Management Goals:

6. Fill one bag with items to donate — I need to keep this on my list for ongoing de-cluttering purposes!

7. Unpack one box sitting in the basement

Business Goals:

8. Get caught up on work

9. Return emails

10. Write 4 blog posts

What are your goals for this week?

Sprint’s Creative New Framily Plan and a Giveaway for an HTC One max Smartphone!

May 2, 2014 by Sandra 29 Comments

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Sprint. I will receive product samples to facilitate reviews and to thank me for participating. #SprintMom

Oh, you guys.

I have some fun news and an exciting giveaway to share today. 🙂

First, I’m incredibly humbled to have been chosen to be a Sprint Ambassador for the next year or so. This means that I’ll get to test various Sprint devices and service options and then share my experience with you here on The Sensible Mom.

I promise to create fun and engaging posts!

This is the first post in this series. And I love that it includes an amazing giveaway!

But wait — let’s talk about Sprint’s Framily Plan

Before I get into the details of the fantastic giveaway Sprint’s offering one of my readers, I want to talk a little about Sprint’s Framily plan. And, yes, that’s “Framily” not “family,” because the people on your plan don’t have to be family members or even live in the same household.

In fact, your Framily can include you and up to 9 other friends, family members, co-workers, virtual assistants, neighbors, or just about anyone else in your life.

You’ll all get unlimited talk, text and 1GB of data each, while on the Sprint network. Each of the members on the Framily plan receives a separate bill with no annual service contracts or early termination fees (hello!), all for as little as $25 a month per line when you have 7 – 10 members in the Framily group.

At the moment, only my husband and I are on a plan together, and we pay way more than $25 each month (or $50 for the both of us if we were on a Framily plan) on our current phone bill. It would be great if we could put a Framily together and enjoy the benefits of this plan while paying less for reliable Sprint service.

Who would you consider teaming up with for a Sprint Framily plan?

Okay, It’s Giveaway Time!

Now that you know more about the Framily plan, let’s talk about this fabulous giveaway! Sprint has generously offered to give one of my readers an HTC One max Smartphone! 🙂

The HTC One max smartphone offers users a massive screen with a 5.9-inch display and amped speakers for watching videos or viewing pictures on the go. The feature-rich camera offers users the ability to take photos with a fun, artistic flair, and much more!

How to Enter the Giveaway