Marriage

I'd like to share a secret. I don't think there is a perfect marriage out there. I know that in order to have a great marriage you must work on it. Both of you must work on it. Read books, go on dates, listen to material and remember to practice what you are learn. I'd like to start a series on marriage. Below is a link to a short video.

http://www.focusonthefamily.com/popups/media_player.aspx?MediaId={93D4D05C-5A8E-4F8D-8C1A-EA249474C51B}

Fall Time

We've been a little under the weather so I haven't been able to post much. Fall is one of my favorite seasons but I don't get to enjoy it as much as I would like because I am consumed with the disappointment of Summer being over and Winter being around the corner.

This fall I would like to enjoy it with the boys. We have some projects that I would like to work on and then update you on the progress.

1. Memory Jar
2. Apple Pie Slab
3. Puree a Pumpkin
4. Family/Home Binder
6. Decorate Home
7. Fall Art

Well I think that is a good start. I will update you as I accomplish these things.

GMail

I love Gmail. I was with yahoo for a very long time but lately their website has had some issues so I switched over to Gmail. I really like all the features that Gmail has to offer. You can set up your calendar to send reminders right to your cell phone via text message. You can also invite other Gmail friends to events that are on your calendar. The second reason I love Gmail is because you can save documents right on google docs and share them with other people. You can give people permission to edit your documents or just to look at them. The third reason I love Gmail is because it's perfect for anyone that does not have access to Microsoft word or works you can create documents right through Google docs. This is a great feature. As I discover features I will share them with you.

Preschool

Today I took a tour at a preschool. We have decided to enroll Charlie in preschool two days a week. It was really sad and exciting. Charlie loved it!! The teacher was really nice. I was all excited about this new experience for Charlie when the teacher burst my bubble. I asked her how often the school does background checks. Our local church does a yearly check and I thought that was great. The teacher told me every five years!! That is crazy. A lot can happen in just one year. Well we have another preschool tour scheduled Monday at a different location. Hopefully their policy is stricter.

My son is very precious to my husband and I. We want to make sure he will be safe. We also want to make sure that we aren't being too paranoid. I will have to do a little research on this topic and post a follow up post.

Meatless Monday

Happy Monday! Ever since I looked into the movie Food Inc. I have tried to have a meatless Monday. Today I made Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal. It was delicious! I will post the recipe later this week. Also to come later this week is Potty Training Part II. Anyone interested in Food Inc. should watch the movie and also go to their website. It's somewhat limited on information but it is a start.

Ordinary Mom of 2 Boys: Potty Training a Boy - Part 1 of 3

Ordinary Mom of 2 Boys: Potty Training a Boy - Part 1 of 3: "I will share my potty training experience in three blogs. This is the first. My son turned 2 in September and I quickly brought out the pott..."

Potty Training a Boy - Part 1 of 3

I will share my potty training experience in three blogs. This is the first. My son turned 2 in September and I quickly brought out the potty chair so that he could connect with it. LOL. He thought it was a toy. He wanted to carry it around and play with it. We put the potty chair away and planned on potty training him after our trip in a few weeks. When we got back from our trip I waited a couple of weeks for him to acclimate to our new home and being back from our trip. I read lots of books and read up on potty training online. Really how difficult could it be? Charlie gave up his bottle without trouble. His pacifier was gone right before his second birthday. Well I really thought potty training would be a breeze. Our first attempt included pull-ups. I really thought he would understand the transition from a diaper to a pull-up. Well he didn’t. I quickly understood that he wasn’t ready to potty train. He wasn’t interested at all. He just wanted to play with the seat. He cried when I explained that he wasn’t supposed to go potty in his new pull-up. I didn’t want to traumatize him so we put the potty seat away.

When you decide to potty train your child make sure that you can dedicate at least 2 full days to potty training. You CANNOT leave the house with your child. If you decide to leave your child with someone make sure you are both using the same potty training methods. I set a timer to beep every 15 minutes. Each child is different so you may need to adjust the time for a longer or shorter amount of time. Be ready to order take out or have a freezer meal ready for dinner. You have to stay around the potty seat or chair. Have a lot of clean underwear ready because there will be accidents. Make sure not to yell at your child. This is all new to him/her. You don’t want to scare them. Reward them for going potty. We used chocolate chips and fruit snacks. I bought a bag of chocolate chips and would give him like 4 chips every time he went potty. I divided the fruit snacks too. Make the experience exciting. Dance and clap but don’t get out of control. Potty training requires a very controlled atmosphere. Be prepared that your child may not be ready to go number 2 in the potty. This may take a little more time. On day 2 remember your timer but give your child an opportunity to go on his/her own. You will catch on when your child no longer needs the timer.

I really hope this helps. Please remember each child is a unique individual and they may learn at a different pace. What worked for us may not work with your child. It’s not a race to potty train your child. Patience and persistence are the keys to potty training. Please submit any questions you have and I will attempt to answer them all.  

Homemade Laundry Detergent

I once met this great woman that taught me how to be a little green. I learn a little more each day. The first thing I wanted to make was my own laundry detergent but I was a little scared to try it out. Well I decided to give it a go. A month ago I made homemade laundry detergent and I love the simplicity of it. I made my first batch with just the basic ingredients. Washing soda, borax and a bar of fels-naptha. After looking for washing soda over a year ago I got frustrated because I couldn't find it so I gave up. Well last month I was at my local wal-mart and realized they now carry it. I used my homemade laundry soap for a month and decided to customize it. I read that fels-naptha is hard on clothes but plain ivory soap isn't enough. So I opted to make this months batch with one bar of fels-naptha, one bar of ivory soap, washing soda, borax and oxy- clean. I've had great results. Read below for the exact quantities. I use 1 tablespoon for a regular large load and 1.5 tablespoons for really soiled or sweaty clothes. I grated the bars of soap with a cheese grater. Once I grated everything I just mixed it all up in an old oatmeal container. This is part of my reuse, reduce and recycle mentality that I learned from a friend. Best of luck. Please ask any questions that you may have about laundry soap. Look for a post on making homemade fabric softener.

1 Bar Ivory Soap, grated
1 Bar Fels-Naptha, grated
2 Cups Borax
1 Cup Washing Soda
1 Cup Oxy-Clean

Blogging

So I've decided to jump right in and start blogging. I'm a stay at home mom with two little boys and two step-children. My husband and I have been married for 8.5 years. We live in North Canton, Ohio. We have moved around a little bit just to stay close to my step-children.My husbands family lives in Ohio while my family lives in South Florida and Chicago. Life is very interesting. I attend online classes and like to coupon when I can. Well that's it for now. Come back for easy recipes and news on my couponing trips.