My Life

5 More Potty Training Tips and an Update from the Trenches

May 16, 2014 by Sandra Leave a Comment

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

Potty training my baby girl is going to take longer than I thought.

I mentioned in my last potty training tips post that I pretty much have all the time in the world when it comes to teaching her to use the potty, and she can take all the time she needs.

You know, because she’s baby number five, and we aren’t planning on having anymore children. I’ll never get to experience the joys of teaching a little one to use the bathroom again, so I’m totally fine with drawing this thing out. 😉

However, at the moment, Elisabeth is clearly demonstrating all the signs that she’s ready to use the big kid potty. She doesn’t want to wear diapers, and she doesn’t like the feeling of “going” in her diaper anymore. She loves her Pull-Ups Training Pants and talks about “going” in the potty.

But then she avoids it like crazy.

That’s okay, though.

Just like with nursing her longer than I did my other kids, I’m in no rush when it comes to potty training her. I actually have a feeling that one day she’s simply going to get the hang of it, and that’ll be it. Elisabeth will be potty trained.

In the meantime…

Here are 5 more potty training tips and things you can do to help your toddler achieve potty training success. 🙂

Tip #1: Set up a reward system to encourage your child to use the potty. I probably don’t have to tell you this, but rewards are incredibly motivating for little ones. Use stickers or a special treat to persuade your child to go to the bathroom on their own.

Tip #2: Even if a child is able to fairly quickly learn how to use the potty during the day, it may take a while for them to be fully trained at night. With boys, it could take a LONG while (just my experience), so it’s a great idea to continue to put Pull-Ups Training Pants on them before bedtime. Otherwise, you may be doing extra laundry in the morning.

Tip #3: Try to help your child overcome their potty fears with books. Stories are powerful. Find one or two books at your local library and see if they can help your toddler overcome any fears they might have.

Tip #4: Parents have been using Pull-Ups Training Pants to help with potty training little ones for a very long time. Visit the Pull-Ups website for encouragement, tools, and resources.

Tip #5: Speak to other moms and find out what worked for them. There are so many different ways to potty train. If your current method isn’t working, it’s always a great idea to talk to another mom. You’ll probably laugh as you swap stories, and it’s possible that what worked for her son or daughter may work for your little one, too.

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

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! 🙂

A Simple Way to Help Kids in Your Community (and a Twitter Party!)

April 23, 2014 by Sandra 4 Comments

This is a sponsored collaboration with Champions for Kids and The Motherhood.

We enjoyed a little family outing today.

We can get out as a family now that David has the okay from his doctor to be able to go into public places — so long as he isn’t in a crowd of people or around anyone who is sick. He was pretty happy to be out and about today. 🙂

We made a trip to Walmart to pick up some groceries and purchase items to donate to the latest Champions for Kids program called SIMPLE Giving.

SIMPLE Giving is a Champions for Kids program that makes it simple for you to help kids in your community. For this latest program, you can purchase healthy breakfast foods at your local Walmart and then drop them in the bin at the front of the store. These items will then be given to school children in that local community.

Ideas for What to Donate

We ended up buying cereal and granola mix to donate. There was a display in one area of the store that had suggested items to donate, but you could also choose items from other aisles in the store.

I think cereal, oatmeal, granola, and granola bars are all non-perishable food items that are great to give, and they make a healthy breakfast for the children who’ll receive them.

Donation Time

Once we were finished shopping, we headed for the checkout lane, and then to the donation bins where the kids excitedly dropped off the breakfast items!

I love that we went out and made the SIMPLE Giving donation as a family. In doing so, we created a lasting memory and made a difference for someone else.

How great is that? 😉

DID YOU KNOW? You can participate in the SIMPLE Giving program by simply purchasing and donating breakfast food items at your local participating Walmart from April 21st through May 5th. If your Walmart store is participating, simply purchase breakfast foods and place them in the purple donation bins at the front of the store after checkout. To see a list of participating stores, click here.

All of the donations go to children in the school district where the Walmart store is located.

A #SIMPLEGiving Twitter Party!

I love Twitter parties, so I’m excited to share that there’s going to be a #SIMPLEGiving Twitter party on April 24, 2014 at 1:00PM Eastern!

Here’s more relevant information for the party:

When: Thursday, April 24, at 1p ET / 12p CT / 10a PT

Where: We’ll be on Twitter – follow the #SIMPLEGiving hashtag to track the conversation. You can see the details and RSVP right HERE: http://twtvite.com/simplegiving

Hashtag: #SIMPLEGiving

Prizes: Five prizes will be given to randomly selected participants who answer the trivia questions correctly. Each prize includes a $50 Walmart gift card!

Hosts: @theMotherhood, @theMotherhood25, @CooperMunroe, @EmilyMcKhann

Sponsor: @Champions4Kids

So, what are some ways you give back to your community? I’d love to hear how you do this as a family or how you get your kids involved. 🙂

A Tablet That Fits into My Work-at-Home Mom Life – The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3

November 23, 2013 by Sandra 2 Comments

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper
insights study for Collective Bias® and their client.

I’m a work-at-home mom.

Technically, I also work from the library when I need to get away and write or design without a baby on my lap or a little person needing me. Those days, I’ll go to the library and check out a room, so that I can have peace and quiet and just write, return emails, check social media, and do the other things I need to do to keep this little online business of ours moving forward.

Even in the midst of all that’s going on with David, I still have to work, and I’ve been lugging around my crazy-heavy laptop bag filled with everything I need to work while I’m sitting in the emergency room again or spending time with David during another hospital stay.

Decisions, decisions…
I finally decided to stop the madness and get a tablet (for myself), so that I don’t always have to lug around a cumbersome laptop bag.

We trust Best Buy and have made several device purchases there in the past (plus I’m a fan of their warranty program), so we headed there to check out tablets. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 caught my eye. It has a powerful Intel processor (just what I need), and it’s sleek and lightweight, which I love.

The Best Buy Experience
The employees at Best Buy were incredibly helpful and knowledgeable when it came to the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3. They answered all of my questions, and explained the benefits of owning an Android tablet. They made me feel confident about my decision, and I walked away a happy customer.

How I Use the Tab 3
Now that I’m officially a tablet owner, I’ve stopped lugging around my laptop bag every.single.time. we go to the hospital. David had 8 appointments (yes, EIGHT) to go to this past week, and instead of bringing my laptop with me, I left it and simply slipped my tablet into my purse to take along on our adventures.

Whether I’m at home or in a waiting room, I can write posts and manage my blog on my tablet.

I also use it to check email and social media, listen to my favorite radio station, take pictures, and I even allowed my kids to install ONE game app on it. 😉

In the past, I’ve ever-so-carefully placed my laptop on the treadmill, so that I could walk and work at the same time. I love that I can now easily do the same things I did with my laptop on the treadmill but instead use my lightweight and portable tablet.

Across-the-board, I feel like this tablet is just what I need to be more productive as I juggle being a work-at-home mom with all of my other responsibilities. I know I’ll be using it a lot over the next few months, and I may even use it to create videos to share with you when David is in the hospital next month.

Yes, I do think this tablet will become my new supertool.

Have you ever used a tablet? In what ways do you think it could streamline an area of your life?

Learn More & Be Social
You can learn more about the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 at Best Buy & receive Best Buy updates when you follow them on Twitter.

You can also stay up-to-date with Intel when you follow them on Facebook and Twitter.