a dash of sassitude

accidentally started potty training Little Miss Princess a few weeks ago. How does one accidentally potty train? Well, it went something like this:

I was reading some emails about teaching your kids the value of money. One person said they had taught their preschooler to value money AND potty trained at the same. Basically, they held up the child’s diaper and said that every diaper he used cost money. If he didn’t use diapers, they would have money to buy more of his favorite toy animals. Another parent piped up that they had done something similar.

I told Little Miss Amber that if she didn’t potty in her diapers and kept her undies dry, she could have a baby doll. I have to admit, I was being a little flippant and not for a minute did I think it would work.

I left for the day to run errands and when I got home, Little Miss Princess was asleep on her older sister’s shoulder. In undies. Which she had managed to keep dry all day.

AND SHE HAD TALKED ALL DAY ABOUT HER BABY DOLL. You know, the one I didn’t buy because I wasn’t serious. I took off for the dollar store and bought three cloth dolls and two coloring books. Then I headed to another store and bought her a nice baby doll. The plan was forming as I shopped.

We got home and I had my daughter quickly make a chart while I praised Little Miss Princess for doing so well. I told her that if she kept trying, she would get a prize that evening. Every time we took her potty, she put a sticker on her chart if her undies were dry. If she pooped on the toilet, she got an extra star.

Most evenings, she got a prize, and by the end of a week, she had few accidents and filled in her entire chart. She earned her nice baby doll and cheers from her family.

I keep her in diapers at night (we co-sleep and I’m not that brave), but she rarely wakes up wet. I’m hoping to buy two or three cloth diapers for night time use before we run out of this pack of diapers (which will take a few months at this rate).

She naps in her undies and we recently went on our first outing with her in her undies. She did great.

Accidentally potty training Works For Me.

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oy, you had to wait for this one huh. Yesterday, right after breakfast, three of the kids opened birthday gifts (we’re a bit behind for two of them). After that crazy fun, I gave four of the kids haircuts, got the kids going on potato salad, went to the store, got everything ready for the BBQ, and then we all headed to the BBQ. We had a blast visiting with friends, but both my hubby and my son’s allergies kicked up pretty bad. The evening ended with my son throwing up all over the blanket he was sitting on. Too much heat and sweet food I think.

Today, another haircut, more errands, and some deep conversations. And here we are.

Using the Violets are Blue random generator, we have a winner.

The randomly picked number is: 17

Congratulations, Karen R!

She won on her second comment when she subscribed to my blog. Karen, email me with your name and address. I’ll get this out to you soon.

Next giveaway coming up this week.

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oming soon. Yesterday was jam packed with activity and this morning is busy, too. I’ll choose the winner and announce it this afternoon. Stay tuned.

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on’t forget to enter my two giveaways ending Friday. Click on Events and Giveaways at the top of the blog to find the links to both of them.

Christine was tagged for the following meme over on From Dates to Diapers, and beyond! and I thought it would be a fun way to get to know each other.

Tagging is a great way to network, meet new friends, and get acquainted with other bloggers!

Here are the rules:

1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
4. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

1 ) What I was doing 10 years ago…

I was only half the mom I am now. As in I only had three kids and now have six lol. We lived here in this house. I was a homeschooling SAHM. Guess what?! I’m still a homeschooling SAHM soon to be homeschooling WAHM.

2 ) What are five things on your to-do list for today?

• go to a grocery game class
• exercise
• teach the kiddos
• try to get us better still
• write a blog post

3 ) Snacks I enjoy…

• carrots
• cucumbers
• fruit
• ice cream
• popcorn

4 ) Five things I would do if I were a billionaire…

• pay off all debt
• move to a home with a little bit of land for the kids to enjoy
• give money and gifts to people who need a blessing
• invest it
• have some fun

5 ) Three Bad Habits…

• procrastinate
• can be a wee impatient
• spend too much time online

6 ) 5 places I have lived…

• Texas (born)
• Okinawa (when I was a little girl)
• England (when I was an older little girl)
• Virginia (Blue Ridge Mountains and Virginia Beach from age 10 to young adult)
• Montana, Oregon, Canada, Oregon (as an adult)

7 ) 5 Jobs I have had

• Navy Reserves (hospital corpsman)
• worked in a pet store
• hair dresser
• wife (yes, it does take work)
• Mom (hard work, but rewarding)

I’m tagging: Artistic Flare, LadyBug, Kailani, Mommy Cracked, Prairie Mama, Lindsey, Jules, Gina, and YOU! Leave a comment if you post this meme and I’ll link to you in this post.

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have a friend I’ve known since we were about 12. We have some crazy memories that can get us both laughing hysterically. Thanks to the internet, we can stay in touch through email and chat.

Right now, a dark shadow hangs over my friend, Gina. Her husband has an aggressive form of prostrate cancer. They are currently raising funds to help get him to an alternative treatment center in California.

Gina came up with a great idea to help raise the money. She compiled a cookbook in PDF format and is only asking $1.00 per book. They officially launched the cookbook fund raiser in March. To date, she has raised $13,030 of the $20,000 needed through the sale of the cookbook and donations. You can find out more at her website here.

Now, friends of theirs, the VIP Travel Family, have come up with another fund raiser idea to hopefully bring in the last $7,000. You can go to the website and set up your own fund raiser page. For every $25 you raise online, your name will be entered in a drawing for ten different vacations from VIP Travel Services Online. The challenge goes from May 13th at 8:00 a.m. until Sunday, June 1st at 5:00 p.m. If you’d rather not enter the challenge, but would like to donate to help get George into the treatment center, you can click on my fund raising page. You can also track how the Online Challengers are doing. Finally, you can leave a message in the guest book to encourage George and Gina. They would appreciate your prayers, too.

Thanks for helping out whether through prayers or financially. I know they appreciate it. The sooner they can get George admitted into the program, the better.

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on’t forget to enter my two giveaways ending Friday. Click on Events and Giveaways at the top of the blog to find the links to both of them.

That title makes you dream of pampering yourself doesn’t it? I enjoy slathering on some creamy lotion, but when it’s cold? Not so much. I don’t like being cold. I REALLY DON’T LIKE BEING COLD! Not yelling, just clarifying.

A couple of years ago, I bought myself a lotion warmer from Conair. Then the pampering really kicked up a notch. I’d hit the on button, enjoy a toasty shower, and then rub some warm, soothing body lotion on. Oh yea! Luxury.

This led to lighting scented candles and turning off the bathroom light while I showered. Simple pleasures. It was like a mini oasis in my day.

By the way, this delights babies and toddlers, too. They love a bath by candlelight and warm lotion.

If you can’t find or afford a lotion dispenser, put your lotion in a small bottle or container with a tight lid. Using a small bottle or container makes it easier to warm it up more thoroughly.

You have a couple of ways you can warm it:

1. Fill a sink or bowl with hot water and let it sit while you take a bath or shower.
2. Let it float in the bathtub while you take a bath.
3. If you’re showering, either let the tub fill a little or put the bottle on the bottom of the tub where the water will hit it (the least effective way).

No more excuses for not pampering yourself or your little ones.

Works for me.

Click on the banner for more Works For Me Wednesday ideas!

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ommyfest has a meme / contest going on and I thought it would be fun to join in. Here goes…

1. I’m 37 years old and my birthday is October 29th.
2. I’m married to my high school sweetheart and we have six children, four cats, and two dogs.
3. I love to write, craft, read, dance, take photos and so much more.
4. I’m a born again Christian.
5. My oldest two daughters and I will be opening an etsy store soon. Shh - it’s a surprise.

Click on the button to enter into the contest before May 16th.

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on’t forget to check the Events and Giveaways Link at the top of the blog for current giveaways and fun happenings. Also, check out the other links up there and let me know if you want to be added.

Christine is hosting a giveaway on From Dates to Diapers, and beyond! You could win a set of Tiny Prints Graduation Announcements (or your choice of any other Tiny Print announcements of equal value). Check out the details before the deadline on May 23rd at 9pm (PST).

Christine is also hosting another contest. Click the button for details. Be sure to read who chatted about a cute pair of Skimbaco shoes recently.

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heck out my other giveaways by clicking on the Events and Giveaways link at the top of the blog.

In celebration of my new home for a dash of sassitude, I’m hosting a couple of giveaways over the next three weeks. We’re still fighting the ‘crud’ here, so I need a little fun. What’s more fun than giving something away? So what do you win?

This week’s giveaway: a cute Post-it memo Pad with a magnet on the back and a sassy pink pen to match it. I have to say, I tried out the pen and love how it writes. I’ll have to go back and get one for myself.

Win it:

1. Leave a comment on this post telling me one organizing tool you can’t live without. If you’re comment doesn’t fit this criteria, you won’t be entered in the drawing.

Extra entries:

1. Subscribe to this blog and leave another comment telling me you subscribed for one extra entry. I’ll be hosting more giveaways, so this will let you know when I do.

2. Add my button to your sidebar or links page. If you have my old button, switch it out for this new one. It’s sassier and has the correct url on it. Leave another comment on this post telling me you did this and if I find it on there, you’ll get another entry.

3. Blog about this giveaway and use my button in the post for another chance to win. Leave a comment with the url directly to the post about my giveaway for another entry.

You have up to four possible entries, but you have to leave a separate comment for each thing you do, to make it easier for me to count the entries.

You have until Friday, May 16th to enter. I’ll announce the winners on Saturday, May 17th.

Make sure I have a way of contacting you or come back to see if you have won and then email me. If you haven’t claimed your prize within three days, I’ll have to choose another winner.

Check out my other giveaways by clicking on the Events and Giveaways link at the top of the blog.

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Happy Panda is having a photo contest to find their next baby model for their latest design. The winner will get their choice of a lap tee or snappy in the new design for their baby to model. Not only that, but the winner will be posted on the Happy Panda site and a $50 gift code to spend in the Happy Panda store will be emailed to them.

The contest is open to children under 3 years. If the winner is 2 years or older, they will receive the design in a toddler tee.

If you want to enter your little guy or gal in the photo contest, you can find the information for entering on their blog. All the contestants will be shown in a slide show on there. The deadline for entering is May 12th. The winner is chosen at random and will be announced May 13th. Go check it out!

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