A Healthier Me: Goal Assessment
It’s been about three and a half weeks since I started my Healthier Me campaign, and I’m pleased to report that I’ve already made some progress. While I’ve not been particularly great about eating more vegetables, and I’m still working to find new healthy recipes for meals, I have made some good progress at the gym.
Since the week of January 3rd, I have made it to the gym five nights a week for three strength training and two cardio workouts each week. Plus, I revisited some old strength training workouts that I had done last spring only to find that they are now too easy! So, I’ve been able to up the weights and increase the repetitions to add new challenges to my old routines.
But the thing that I’m most proud of is my 10-minute mile. Now, I know to those who are avid runners, this is probably not the greatest time. But I am not an avid runner. In fact, prior to April of 2009, I hated running and would never even think about going on a treadmill at the gym. A trainer at the gym encouraged me to give the treadmill a try- first just walking as a warm up before a strength training workout, and then as a cardio workout with run/walk intervals. While I still can’t say that I love to run, I definitely have found more pleasure in my treadmill workouts than I’d ever expected. And lately, I’ve felt so inspired by others (here, here, here, here, and here) who’ve set and or accomplished running goals, that I felt the need to set my own running goal.
So, back at the beginning of January, I decided that I would pay attention and note about how long it took me to run a mile. At that time, it was somewhere around 12-13 minutes. Not terrible for me, but at that point, I made it my goal to get my time down to around 10 minutes. Each workout, I gradually increased the speed I was running, and within about two and a half weeks, I was running a 10 minute mile.
And just last night, I completed my first 5K on the treadmill. I ran the first two miles in 20 minutes, but then ran out of steam and ran/walk the last 1.1 miles. Still, I finished in 34 minutes and 30 seconds, which sounded good to me.
I know I still need to work on the food parts of my healthier me goals, but at this point, I’m really feeling proud of all that I’ve accomplished at the gym. I have more energy, I feel happier, and I even look forward to getting my butt to the gym (whereas before, I was always dragging my heels). And it feels good to celebrate these little successes.
Potty Training: The Weekend Update
The kids and I have not left the house since Friday afternoon. At the suggestion of my readers, I decided to take a look at the 3 Day Potty Training plan. There were parts that I liked, as well as parts that I chose to ignore. But the bottom line is, Tiny is out of diapers (except for naptime and nighttime).
We started right away on Saturday morning. I told Tiny that she was no longer going to wear diapers anymore, except for naps and nighttime sleep. Instead, she would wear her big girl panties and use the potty. Tiny seemed much in agreement with this plan so we were good to go. She had a successful experience on the potty before getting dressed, and was over the moon with all the praise she got. Even Buba clapped his little hands and shouted, “Yaaaaaaaay!”
After breakfast, I gave Tiny some water to fill up her bladder and give us more opportunities to practice getting to the potty. We had four pretty major accidents within about two hours time, and I was definitely feeling frustrated. I knew that I needed to be cheerful and encouraging as I constantly reminded her to let me know when she needed to use the potty, so I did my best to keep it up. Roughly 5 hours into day one, Tiny looked at me and timidly said, “potty.” Of course, I scooped her up and ran to the potty chair. I nearly knocked her over trying to pull her training pants down. Then I helped her sit down on the potty and sat their holding my breath…
SUCCESS!!! We were all going nuts with praise. Tiny was beaming from ear to ear. And it seemed that that one moment turned our whole day around. Tiny still had two more major accidents before the day was over, but for the first time, I felt certain that she was learning. She was beginning to make the connection between realizing she needed to go and understanding that she would allow her body to release while sitting on the potty.
Day two went splendidly well with only one major accident and one minor one. And day 3 (today), so far, not one single accident (knock on wood). She even put herself on the potty after lunch while I was cleaning up Buba. I turned around, and there she was, pointing to the potty and saying, “Ma clean it!”
I can’t say for certain that it was the 3 Day Potty Training plan itself that worked for us. After all, I had already done (and in some cases continue to do) several things that Lora Jensen advises against. Plus, I ignored some of the advice that I knew I just couldn’t carry out. But I do think it was a combination of readiness and consistency that helped us get to the place where we are now.
Of course, I know there will be more accidents, and getting out and about may be a bit challenging for a while, but I’m so glad I decided to press ahead with the potty training. One down, one to go…
Potty Training: Thought Process and Implementation
About two weeks ago, I mentioned that I might be ready to start potty training with Tiny. She was showing some of the readiness signs- telling me when she needed a diaper change, pulling down her pants by herself, talking about the potty and big girl panties- and a couple of family members had commented that it might be time for us to attempt to ditch her diapers. I was willing to try, even somewhat excited to begin the process, but had no idea how to begin.
So, I looked through some parenting books geared towards the toddler years* and skimmed the Mayo Clinic’s potty training web pages (at Sadia’s suggestion). Of course, I found a ton of interesting information. However, the more I read, the more conflicting information I found. Some authors/experts believed that toddlers weren’t really ready for potty training until age 2 or older, while another boasted that potty training could begin as early as 9 months with success for some by 12 months. Some felt it was important for potty training to be self-initiated by the child, while another felt it was the parent’s job to introduce and teach the child how to use the potty. The pro early-training author said that once upon a time, the majority of toddlers were potty trained by 18-24 months and that disposable diapers and busy parents had created the trend of potty training kids in their 2′s and 3′s. And still, another author said that no parent should really be concerned about potty training issues until his/her child was older than 4. It was enough to make my head spin. Was Tiny ready or was she still to young? It seemed I might not really know until we gave it a try.
And so we did. Monday, the diaper came off after breakfast and I spent most of the morning cleaning up accidents all over the house, as well as logging all the times we sat on the potties and all the times the accidents occurred. We spent lots of time sitting on the potties and reading books about kids who were learning how to use the potty, and just before bedtime, Tiny had her first successful experience on the potty. And while I knew that there were most likely many more clean-ups in my future, this one little success story gave me hope that my decision to give potty training a try was not completely crazy.
The following three days were much the same. Tiny has had 1-2 successful potty experiences each day, but there are still more accidents than success stories. And she’s not particularly bothered by the accidents. She’ll tell me that she’s wet or that there is a “mess, mess, mess!” to clean up, but she’s not at all upset that she’s had an accident.
So I’m feeling very conflicted about how to proceed at this point. I know it’s only day 4, but part of me is thinking that I may want to abort this potty training plan for a while and try again in a few weeks. Although she’s been successful a handful of times when I’ve had her sit on the potty, she’s clearly not able to tell me when she needs to go. However, I’m wondering, if we go back to diapers, how will she learn? After all, most milestones take time and practice. Are accidents an important part of the practice that will eventually lead to independent success? Who knows!
Anyhow, my current plan (unless someone out there has some brilliant advice for me) is to stick with potty training through the weekend. If our success rate doesn’t improve, and if Tiny continues to rely on me telling her when it’s time to sit on the potty, then we may just put potty training aside for a while and try again later.
Please wish me luck. I’m going to need all I can get. 
*resources: The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems (by teaching you how to ask the right questions) by Tracy Hogg and Melinda Blau, The First Two Years by Benjamin Spock, M.D., Toddler 411 (2nd Edition) by Denise Fields and Ari Brown, M.D.
Meltdown with a Capital M
We started our attempts to potty train Tiny yesterday (more on the thought process behind that decision and implementation later). So, today was day two, and just like yesterday, I let Tiny spend most of the morning diaper free. However, unlike yesterday, today she completely freaked out and had a major, MAJOR meltdown when I went to put a diaper on her just before lunch.
Tiny had just had a successful attempt on the potty (YAY!) and I explained to her that I was now going to put her diaper on so she could eat lunch and then be all ready for nap time, which immediately follows. Diaper changes before lunch have been a part of our routine for a while now, so I didn’t think it would be that big of a deal. Oh, but it was. Tiny’s response went something like this, “No, no, no, no, no, no, no! No diaper! NO!” followed by just a lot of kicking and screaming. She was hitting me as I did my best to get the diaper fastened around her little bum, and started clawing at the diaper as soon as I had it on.
I quickly pulled up her pants, thinking once it was all said and done, she’d calm down. But, of course, I just couldn’t be that lucky today. Because although Tiny was now okay with having her diaper on, she had, at some point during that tantrum, decided that she needed to have her socks and shoes on. And here’s the kicker: she had to put them on by herself (hmmmm…. can’t say I wasn’t warned about this phase.) More screaming and more crying erupted as it became crystal clear that Tiny just wasn’t capable of such a task. I tried to help, but that (as I’m sure you already know) was not in the least bit helpful.
I tried to cuddle her and clam her, I tried walking away, I tried talking matter-of-factly about the situation, but the tantrum continued on for a good 25-30 minutes. Finally, I just put her in her high chair and plopped her lunch in front of her. She remained unsatisfied.
Just as I was about to start lunch clean up, she requested Cheez-Its in a pink bowl. Now, generally, I go by the philosophy that you get what you get at mealtimes, and you either eat it or you don’t. But this didn’t seem like too big of a request, so I caved. And oh how magical that little pink bowl of Cheez-Its turned out to be. The screaming and crying ceased, and just like that, she was my cheerful, little Tiny again. Whoa!
Tiny happily ate her crackers and then proceeded to eat a bit of her lunch as well. I kept waiting for the tantrum to resume, but it never did. Lunchtime ended, we read books, and Tiny and Buba went down for their naps just as they always do.
Plan C
When T and I bought our house back in March 2005, we took out a loan in which the interest rate (4.62%!) was fixed for the first five years and then adjustable from that point forward. We knew that an adjustable rate was risky, but we also knew that we would most likely outgrow our two bedroom, 950 square foot cottage home within five years. So, we made two plans and were pretty sure that one of them would play out by March 2010.
Plan A: Work hard, put money into savings each month, pay down the mortgage. Then sometime in the 4th or 5th year, tear down our quaint, little house and rebuild our dream home- an up-to-date two story home, not too big but not too small.
Plan B: Work hard, put money into savings each month, pay down the mortgage. Then sometime in the 4th or 5th year, sell the house for a tidy sum and use the profits to purchase a newer, larger home more suitable for a family of four (0r five, depending on who you talked to).
Well, you’ve probably guessed from the title of this post, that neither of those plans actually came to fruition. We were pretty good about following through with the parts we had control over. We worked hard, put money (sometimes one whole paycheck) into a money market account, and did our best to make a few extra payments on the mortgage. But it was the things we couldn’t control that did us in. Like many others who bought around the peak of the housing market, we did not foresee that the market would crash the way it did, making it impossible to sell our house for any kind of profit. And while we did assume that we would start our family in this house, we never in our wildest dreams imagined that we’d have twins and that we would go from a two salary household to one, thereby putting an end to our savings plans. With not enough money saved, not enough equity built in, and just T’s teaching salary as income for our family of 4, we can’t get a loan that would allow us to move to a larger home or rebuild on our lot. So we’re a bit stuck at the moment, which means it’s time for Plan C.
Plan C: Refinance and stay put. So remember how we took out that loan with the incredible low interest rate for the first five years? Well, our five years is almost up. And while we would most likely continue to enjoy a low rate during 2010, our trusted advisor seemed to think that our luck would run out in 2011. With that in mind, we decided to refinance (now locked in at 5% for 30 years) and do what we can to make this house work for us for another 5 years or so. Yes, it’s tight with the four of us sharing such tight quarters, but we’ll live. And although our mortgage payment will be going up a bit since the new rate is a tad higher than the old one, it’s still doable.
Honestly, with all the foreclosures and unemployment going on around us, I feel so blessed just knowing that we have steady income and a roof over our heads. So, nothing to complain about here. Our dreams are still alive, and we know that we’ll be back on track someday. Roughly 2015, I’m guessing.
B-bye!
Just a few days ago, Tiny came up to me while I was sitting on the floor in the kids’ bedroom. She leaned down and gave me a kiss, then jumped up and said, “B-bye! B-bye!” while waving her little hand frantically. I turned and watched her as she walked over to the Laugh & Learn Learning Home, went through the door, and then closed it behind her. She sat there for a few seconds before bursting through the door again and shouting, “Tiny’s home!”
It didn’t take me long realize that she was acting out what she had seen T and I do so many times. It was so cute and so funny. And she did this repeatedly for about 10 minutes. Buba soon realized what she was doing and joined in as well.
The best part was when I asked Tiny, “Where are you going?” just as she was about to close the door behind her. She peeked back through the doorway, smiled, and said, “Tiny go to work in white car!” I had to laugh, knowing the “white car” was our Corolla. The one T drives to work each day.
Tiny going off to work
closing the door on her way out
Tiny and Buba waiting a bit before coming home from work
Buba’s home!
We Attempted Barettes
After seeing the adorable hairdo’s Goddess’s daughter has been sporting lately, I started to feel really guilty about the state of Tiny’s hair lately.
Because the truth is, I really don’t do anything with it. Her hair is very fine, and there’s not really much to work with. The sides and back are still pretty short and all the length is up top (perfect for a Pebbles Flintstone type do). So, most days, I just let the curls fall where they may and keep my distance.
But today, I decided I’d try to give Tiny a cute little girl look by trying out some clip style barrettes. I got out the detangling spray and comb and we sat down on the floor of Tiny and Buba’s room (Buba watched cautiously from a few feet away). She fussed only a bit as I worked out the tangles and seemed quite excited when I showed her the pretty flower barrettes. I had no trouble getting them in and thought she did, in fact, look pretty cute with her hair a bit more tame.
However, it wasn’t long before Tiny began pulling at them, and they started to fall out.
I knew that would happen at some point, but thought she might have been able to keep her hands off them for more than 10 minutes. We were headed out the door, so the barrettes were put away, and I’ve not yet taken the time to put them back in.
I figure, like with all things, this will take some getting used to. And the more I make the effort to do her hair, the more she’ll get used to having it done and will, hopefully, learn to leave the accessories alone.
We Have the Potties…
In all honesty, I never expected to begin potty training before Tiny and Buba turned 2. I’m not sure why, but I guess I assumed that potty training happened sometime after 2 and before turning 3. But I’ve heard more than once, and from more than one person, that Tiny seems to be ready to begin the process. And strangely enough, I feel like I’m in a place where I’m ready to give it a go. We’ve got the potties and training pants are on the way. But other than having the supplies, I’m really not sure how this is supposed to go.
So, I guess I’m looking for advice regarding the whole potty training experience. In particular, I’m just not sure how to introduce the potty and teach Tiny (and perhaps Buba too, although he doesn’t appear as ready as she does) what its purpose is. How will I get her to understand that that is where I want her to do her business instead of in the diaper? And how do I get her to have successful experiences on the potty?
And then there are the worries to address. For example, I’ve heard once you stop diapers, you should never go back, but what about naps and nighttime? Tiny is not even close to the smallest pull-up size, so won’t we have to continue to use diapers for naps and nighttime?
I suppose there are parenting books out there that address this process, and perhaps that is where I should begin. But in the meantime, if you’ve done it and you have a book recommendation and/or advice to pass along, I’ll gladly take it.
A Healthier Me
I cannot remember the last time that I did not have a weight loss goal (pregnancy months excluded, of course). Ever since I was about 12 years old, I’ve been very aware of the parts of me that I wished I could make smaller. I’ve joined gyms, exercised regularly, tried various diets and eating schedules, but have never really looked at myself and felt satisfied with what I see. And here’s the real kicker: I’ve technically never been overweight.
I was really hard on myself when I began my quest to lose the baby weight I was still carrying a year after Tiny and Buba were born. I joined a gym in late April 2009, and set the ridiculously unrealistic goal of shedding the remaining 36 pounds by the time we left for vacation in early July (more about that here). As I said, I’ve always had a weight loss goal, but I’ve never had 36 pounds to lose. And I was not at all prepared for how slow the process would be, and how completely determined I would need to be. But determined I was. I did my very best to eat healthy foods and got myself to the gym 5 nights a week for 60-90 minute cardio and strength training workouts. And by the end of this past November, I had just 5 more pounds to go.
But December was a tough month. I wasn’t sticking to healthy foods as much as I should have and, for the first time since April, I started skipping my nightly workouts. With the holidays and the vacation week in between, we were eating special meals and ordering out more. And I noticed that even when I made it to the gym, I just didn’t seem to have the energy to really push myself to the level I need to. I was, more or less, just going through the motions. I haven’t weighed myself in quite a while, but I’m guessing I now have more than 5 pounds to go.
But sometime in this last week, I began to understand and accept something huge. Although I still look at myself and see those parts that I wish I could make smaller, I am not overweight. I am healthy. My doctor has said so, the trainer at the gym has said so, and the medical evaluator for our life insurance policy said so (I even got the premium rate based on what I weighed back in August). And healthy is good.
That doesn’t mean I’m off the diet (ahm, lifestyle change) and giving up my gym membership. Oh no, I’m determined keep both of those things going. But instead of setting a weight loss goal this new year, I’m setting healthier me goals instead, which include: 1) eating more vegetables and less of the bad-for-me carbs. 2) seeking new recipes so I can prepare healthier meals for my family. 3) setting monthly fitness goals (i.e. run faster/farther or lift more weight or for more repetitions). and 4) getting to the gym 4 to 5 times a week. I guess I’m just hoping that a healthier me will lead to a happier me, regardless of that number on the scale or the number on my jeans.
Our Year in Pictures 2009
When I was teaching 4th grade, my students and I read the Time for Kids magazine together every week. It was a great way to learn about current events while also learning about the style and structure of nonfiction writing. The first edition in January always had a Year in Pictures for the previous year’s events. After reviewing it as a class, each student would choose a significant personal event from their own life that year, and we would create our own Year in Pictures display.
It wasn’t until I saw Goddess’s post this morning that I realized that I could still create a Year in Pictures display using photos of Tiny and Buba from 2009. So here you have it, Our Year in Pictures 2009:
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Happy 2010!