Day 9

Today is the review for the potty we got Benny. We got the book in the mail before the potty, so we read it a few days to put it in his head. When the potty arrived I tried to explain what it was and demonstrate. He looked like he thought I was crazy. That night during bath time he started to pee in the bath so I caught the pee with the potty. Then I rewarded him.

Day two: I stripped him down in the morning and said the magic words to say when he had to go to the potty. His treat is a mini marshmallow and he really loves them, so he eventually understood what I was getting at and peed. He didn't hit the target exactly, but he was standing close enough and I just caught his pee again. He got his marshmallow and decided that just sitting on the potty was reward enough. We did this multiply times me thinking he had to pee and him thinking he would get a marshmallow. No success for either of us. I thought I would let him just ear sweats so he could tell me better when he had to pee. That just lead to wet pants. then he went totally comando and that led to a few accidents. So on went the diaper. When he woke up from his nap he immediately motioned pee so we tried and again he peed, but missed the mark. We kept trying that night by sitting him on the potty and putting his hand in warm water, and then moving to the tub and giving him a bath. Needless to say he was done for the night.

He totally understands what we are trying to do. He pees when I tell him he can if there is actually pee in there.

Ok so that was more of his peeing story than a review. I really like this potty., It is light and one piece of plastic. You just dump the whole potty and then wash it out. Very easy. It looks comfortable for Ben too. It has a nice splash guard and is skinny enough for Ben to step across to get on. He is a smaller child, so it would be perfect for bigger children.

Day 8

I follow this dear blog that is close to my heart. It is about this women who was in an accident and was burned. She used to blog before the accident and was popular then and since then she continues to inspire others. I have read her whole story and follow her blog every day. She is such an inspiration to me. I wanted to share her story with you!

Stephanie Nielson

Blog

Day 7

I sooo need a vacation so this post is dedicated to wonderful places I want to vacation to this year. Please leave helpful comments to help me decide which one to choose!

Vacation #1 San Diego

Daniel and I talked to my dad while he was here a few weeks ago about how much he loved San Diego. They stay at this hotel right across the street from the beach. What we would do is fly to Mesa on Allegiant air and drive with Dad and Kathy to San Diego. We would stay at the same hotel they usually do. We would want to go to the beach every morning and evening, even if just for a walk. We would want to go to the San Diego Zoo and the Seaport village. Oh this would be a wonderfully relaxing vacation!

Vacation #2 New York City

When Daniel had his internship in NYC and then decided to stay in Missouri, he told me that one year from then we would go back. Well that year came and went, so I am ready to go back. There is so much to do in NYC. We would do shopping, especially H&M, shows on Broadway, touring museums, eating great food, and just enjoying what the city has to offer. Mmmm I can already smell the yummyness!

Vacation #3 Clearwater/Sarasota Florida

Daniel's Brother and sister in-law live in Sarasota Florida, so we would fly to Tampa and spend time with them! We went there for our Honeymoon and felt restricted so we didn't do all that we wanted to, so this trip we would. The beach would be a big part of this vacation. We would probably visit museums and aquariums. Things the local cities have to offer.

Vacation #4 Las Vegas

We stopped by here on one trip from BYU-I to Mesa. We were only here a few hours, but we loved walking around and seeing the wonderful sights. We would probably stay at the Venetian or Paris hotel. They have great food and shopping here that we would take advantage of. They also have of course entertainment. I can already feel the excitement!

Day 6

This post is dedicated to all friends furry with tails and bark. My first loves are my pugs Hazel and Caesar. They just turned four this month and are already starting to get white beards. I can remember when we first met them! How cute and cuddly they were. They snorted and made weird noises when they slept. Oh what good fun we had with them. I have put them on the back burner ever since my son was born. I really need to pay a little more attention to them. So I am researching wonderful things to make their lives better and here are a few:


doggie waste system
pajamas
boots
rain coat (this one reminds me of the ladies who wear plastic hoods)
jersey
dog bowls
vest
couch
carrier
dvd
treat launcher
games
prevent bloating
cologne
painting

p.s. Some of those are ridiculous!

Day five

Today I am going to post about all the tv shows Daniel and I are following. Most we watch together, but some I watch by my self.

This is one of our absolute favourites. The main guy reads peoples expressions and body languages to tell if they are telling the truth or lying. I love the character and the problems they have to solve. watch this, it is awesome!


The first one is glee. I love music and this is a great show for preforming and great music. THe drama on the side isn't that great, but I think if you just glaze over that stuff you can enjoy the music. I watch this one by myself.


I also watch this one by myself. I saw the first episode and laughed so much. This is a comedy and some of the content I don't agree with, but it is a good laugh and just fun.


Daneil and I watch this one together and we love it. She just received an award for her performance in this series. It is a lawer show, so I think that is why Daniel enjoys it so much. I like it becasuse it makes me think about the cases and I love to solve them.


This one is very clever. I have never heard of this concept before. It is about an inmate who was jailed for fraud and stealing and he turns it around to work for the FBI for the rest of his sentence. He is a really great character and the actor does a great job. I like the fashion aspect of it. He has really good taste.


This is a good show to watch if you want to get motivated about food storage and self sufficiency. It is about the end of the world and how a little town called Jericho handles all that comes there way. Makes you think and be grateful for what you have.



This is the latest one we have starte. It is another law show, but you really can't predict what will happen. I love Glen Close and she gives a superb performance in this series.

I watch some of them on Hulu.com, abc.com, or crackle.com.

Day four

So we are entering the stage where we will start to introduce the potty to Ben. I have done some research on which potty to get and decided the blue simple potty above. My child is on the small side, so I wanted something that he would feel comfortable in and still catch everything. I also got a book for us to start reading to get him interested in the potty.

I chose the "somple potty" because it had a five star rating on Amazon.com. I read all of the reviews and it said it was perfect for little boys with the front guard. Ben is on the small side so I wanted to get one that would be easy for him to access and not spill.

What potty has everyone used for their kids? How did they work for them? How did they not work? Did reading books about the potty help? I am going to write a review and comment on the success or failure of this potty in the future.

Day 3

I love the color wheel. I am an artist and I live by it as a reference guide. My favourite combination is red and green. I know it is Christmas colors, but I can't help it. I like a soft green with a deep dark red. I am too afraid to put use it in my house though for fear of the Christmas effect. SO my dilemma is I want to decide on a color pallet for my two main rooms.

My Living room walls are a greyish blue. I like the idea of yellow with it, so I painted some canvases with yellow and blue together. It looks really nice. I also have some temporary curtains up that are deep red and that looks really nice with the soft blue too. So I am torn. Maybe I should use all three together? Then it may feel like a play room with red, yellow and blue. I also need a good color for a couch. My dogs shed and they are tan. I don't want to have a black couch if the hair will stick to it. mmmm problem there. Opinions please?

My kitchen is the soft green I like oh so much. I really want to put red in there, but I know it will be to weird. I also thought about putting yellow and then maybe white in there. My new dishes are white (thanks Kathy), so that is easy to work with. Help!!!

Now Ben's room I just remembered isn't painted either. I need a neutral color. We will eventually have another child and if that child is a girl I have to make the room work for both genders.

Wow that was a lot of painting and I am already tired just thinking of doing it.

Day 2

Craft day! I was feeling very crafty today and had to look up all this fabulous stuff to make. I have a few unfinished progects (I haven't forgotten) I need to finish before I start any of these though! I think Next time I do craft day I will post one of my own creations.

Play house of felt (Here)
Birds (Here)
Felt food (Here)
Portable high chair (Here)
Valentines (Here)
Wall clock (Here)
Hats (Here)
Scraper mit (Here)
rain boot liners (Here)
Rain gutter shelves (Here)
Photo frame stocking holders (Here)
Snowman kit (Here)
memory game (Here)
Critter condos (Here)
Advent calandar (Here)
Coat rack (Here)
Book of mormon Cover (Here)
onesie refashion (Here)

Day 1

I have been reminising lately of when I first started to blog. I found that my entries were often and exciting. They are now starting to spitter, sputter and fizzle. My cousin Erin (thank you) asked her blog followers what she should write about in this coming year and it got me thinking. I gave her ideas and then realized why am I not doing more? So here I am trying to figure out what to do to make this oh so much more exciting and insightful. So I am making a goal of posting everyday for one month strait. I will keep the Ben posts to a minimum and be more creative. Hopefully this will lead to a full year of blogging strait (thank you Julie and Julia the movie). It will include all things pertaining to my life: coupons, cooking, exercise, toddlers, motherhood, spirituality, dogs (my first babies), and of course all things crafty. So please hang in there people (if you are still here) I promise things will be getting much better!

Day 1

Daniel has decided to be apart of this exercise group called "Howbaddouwantit". He exercised three days a week with a personal trainer and about 20 other people.

There is also included a diet portion of the program. The first two weeks is a cleanse where he does not eat dairy or grains. After the two weeks he can incorporate them back in, but minimal and very "raw" and as close to nature as you can get. We are eating organic eggs and veggies too.

I decided to cook healthier for Daniel so naturally I would be eating the same things. I am not on the cleanse so I have a little dairy and grains, but try to keep it to a minimum. This weekend I want to pick out an exercise dvd to do at home, because I am not able to go to the group. I was thinking yoga.Anyone have any other ideas?

So far Daniel feels awesome! He has tons of energy, he is happier and can feel the pounds just sliding off. He already feels like his pants fit looser. I feel great about eating more organicly and healthy. I know it is a big deal for us to change, but that is what it takes to be healthy.

So for dinner tonight I am making home-made chilly using the pinto beans I canned last year.

Chilly Beans
a bag of pinto beans (dried)
1 lb hamburger
1 onion
1 can green cillies

Sort through the bag of beans and throw away any bad looking ones (black spots like they are decaying, or shrivelled) rinse beans and put them in a crock pot. Add enough water to double the bean amount (they will swell and soak up water like rice does). Cook till tender. If you have canned the beans already, just heat them up and continue recipe.

Brown hamburger and add onion and green chillies until tender. Drain off the fat and add to the beans. And salt and pepper to taste. Add a little ketchup to taste. Add picante sauce or other hot sauce if desired. Let all ingredients simmer. Serve with corn bread if eating grains.

Best Day Ever!

Throwing

Catching

It is times like this that make me want to cry with joy and forget all the bad things and horrible days. I love watching my son play catch with his dad.