Lessons Learned: TV Turn Off Week

Today marks the beginning of TV Turn Off week.  I wouldn't have known such a week existed if it wasn't for M's school sending home a flyer with "helpful" suggestions of what one could do instead of watching tv.  Darn you, public education!  So we took the plunge and said no tv to M and C.  We even took it a step further; no tv episodes on the iPad or computer.  Since we don't have cable, this fact was a bit harder for M to swallow.  But after some eye rolling (seriously, when did this start? and, already?) she agreed.

Here are some things we learned after a full day of no tv:

• I learned that the girls played longer and with each other more
• I also learned they got on my nerves a bit more
• More disagreements between sisters
• It is OK to make an exception or two for a certain two year old that is potty training and sees the iPad as a reward.
• The afternoon didn't drag on as long as I thought it would
• Charades is actually quite fun to play with a 7 year old and a 2 year old.  Especially when the 2 year old acts out Wonder Pets.
• This has the potential of being a very long week...

Have you tried TV Turn Off Week yet?

Potty Training: The Ongoing Saga

So we are still in the midst of potty training (as I suspect we will be for quite some time).  I have tried very hard to just stay calm and not push it if C doesn't want to sit on the potty.  We have ventured out of the house on many occasions and have had only one accident (and that was outside at the park while her sister played soccer).  Today she went the entire day with no accidents but also absolutely nothing in the potty!  I swear she holds it until she has that diaper on for nap and bedtime!  We are now considering getting her into her big girl's bed (she is the crib right now) and then taking away all diapers.  I know it will be messy for a while then but I don't know what else to do.  She is so stubborn.

The funniest thing she does when she has a pee accident is that she will stand very still in one spot and place her hands over her eyes.  It is as if she is saying "I can't see you, so you can't see what I have just done!"  I find it always good to have a sense of humor as a parent and I think I am trying to use it now more than ever!

Thanks so much to all that have voiced concern and offered words of encouragement.  I deeply appreciate it.  This too shall pass and then we will be on to the next challenge -- getting rid of the pacifier!

Tales from the Toilet: Potty Training Day 5

Relax.  Take a deep breath.  I am constantly telling these words to both my girls.  I have even heard the two year old tell them to her seven year old sister when she (Miss M) was upset.  Today I took my own advice.  And it was a much better day.  In fact it was the best day of the week.

We ran lots of errands.  Ate at a restaurant.  No accidents.  The best part?  Poop in the potty!  Cheers were made and happy dances performed.

So we are getting there.  I am learning the less I talk about it and the more relaxed I am, the more relaxed C becomes.  Baby steps.

Who knew that a toilet could teach you so much?

Tales from the Toilet: Potty Training Day 4

I really don't know how much longer I am going to be doing these daily posts.  One of my friends has already referred to my blog as "your potty blog" so that might be a sign that I may have to tone it down a bit. : )

Anyway...today's word is Frustration.  My girl she is a stubborn one and one that has no problem poopin' on Dora (or whatever else character she has on her underwear).  She did that not once, not twice, but, yeah, three time's (a lady -- not really).

We did leave the house today and had no accidents while running a couple errands.  So there's that.  Perhaps C will be one of those kids that has no problem when she is at school (in the way of accidents, etc.) but at home will be another story.  Or she could be like Miss M, who I swear only pees twice a day.  Bladder of steel, that girl.

It has been a long day and I'm tired.  But I have not given up.  I can be just as stubborn as my little friend C can be.  I have been given good advice from a couple good, trustworthy friends and I intend to use those tactics tomorrow.  No more iPad on the potty.  No more asking "do you have to go potty?"

Frustrated but resolute.

Tales from the Toilet: Potty Training Day 3

"Do you have to go pee?"  I can't tell you how many times I asked this question today.  Did she ever answer me with a yes?  Good gosh, no!  Patience...patience.

Two accidents today.  Both times when she deliberately left my sight and went to "hide."  What frustrates me the most is that this kid KNOWS what she is doing.  Patience....Patience.

She did poop in the potty twice but I think that was just because I caught her in the act and rushed her to the toilet.  I did give her some stickers, though, since the poop did go into the potty.  Patience.  Patience.

I repeatedly have asked her "Where does the pee go?" and she replies "In the potty."  Side note: tonight when I asked her this question in front of her dad, she replied "On the refrigerator!"  Wise guy.

Kinda feel like I am stuck like in the Groundhog Day movie.

Patience.

Tales from the Toilet: Potty Training Day 2

Today was pretty much the same as yesterday.  C was very willing to sit on the potty, especially if she got to play with the iPad!  Despite sitting on the potty for numerous times and for very long spurts (sometimes 15-30 minutes long!), she never went.  Frustrating!  She only had one accident and that was in the afternoon.  In the morning, she held her pee until she got her nap-time diaper on.

So here we are.  She does not self-initiate to go to the toilet at all.  I continue to watch her like a hawk and attempt to get her on the potty as much as she is willing and is possible.

The journey continues....

Tales from the Toilet: Potty Training Day 1

Today was it.  The first day of no more diapers.  To be truthful the diapers are still here for naps and bedtime, but that is all.  I don't really have an approach or method.  Just good ole "you are almost three and you need to not be wearing diapers anymore" philosophy.  So we did it.

How did we do?  Two accidents, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.  No actual pee, etc. in the actual potty.  Some tears and lots of iPad watching on the toilet.

C was clingy this morning.  You could tell she was sad about not having a diaper.  As my mom said she was mourning.  I don't know if I would go quite that far, but this kid does not like change.  So it is probably a little of it.  After her nap she was not too pleased about having to wear underwear again.  But didn't fight me when we put the underwear on.

Biggest accomplishment of the day: C actually sitting on the big girl's toilet.  Before today she would only sit on her little potty despite picking out an insert for the regular toilet.  Today the little potty was gone so she had no choice.  She clung to me the first time we sat on it but by the second time she was sitting there with no problem.

Funniest moment of the day: After she sat on the potty for the first time this morning, C tells me "I go to preschool now."  (She has been told that once she starts going on the potty she can go to school like her big sister).  I explained to her that first she has to actually GO in the potty and also that school doesn't start until after summer but maybe she can take a class in the summer.  She was kinda disappointed at this news.

Stay tuned for what will be, I am sure, an exciting week....

Spring Breakin'

1940 Census: Now Available For the FIRST Time!

Do you know where your family lived in 1940?  Are you curious to take a step back in time?  Perhaps take a glimpse into their lives on April 1, 1940?  Well, as of today, at 9am EST, you can.  The 1940 US Census has just been released to the general public!  Since 72 years has now past, it can now be released for public viewing.

Some Questions You May Have:

Where can you view it?  The National Archives

Can I search by my relatives name?  Not yet.  Ancestry and Family Search are two sites that are working hard at indexing by name.

If I can't search by name, how will I find my relative?  By the Enumeration District or E.D.  This is a number that was given to the area in which the census taker was assigned to cover.

How do I find the ED number?  Go to Steve Morse's wonderful 1940 Tutorial Quiz.  This is a terrific and easy step by step way to find an ED number or at least point you in the right direction.  If you already have an ED number from a previous census (like 1930), then another option is to convert the ED numbers.  Steve Morse has a tool for that too!

Have more questions?  Please leave them in the comments or check out the National Archives site.

I hope you will take some time to check out this wonderful resource.  This is the first time that the National Archives has fully digitized a census for immediate availability.

Please share if you make any interesting discoveries!  Happy Searching!