Suns Out Buns Out...10 Things I've Learned About Potty Training

Hello again! H here and just wanted to share some interesting facts I have learned about potty training while working with L & B. Definitely a 2 steps forward 1 step back process! Huge shout out to the kids' daycare who have been allowing us to send those little walking messes to school in underwear from day 1. They deserve 90% of the credit for our successes (I think that you know where the failures probably lie).

Be forewarned....there will be lots of references to #1 and #2. This will not be a sophisticated, well-vocabed post. The word poop is used 47 times. Not for the faint of stomach. Turn back now if needed! 

Here it is!

1. Boys will be boys.... these days I can't turn my back for 10 seconds without turning back to discover L 'watering the lawn'. Seems great, until you are in a park along side a highway. I just stood in a strategic spot that shielded him from as much traffic as possible. "Oh, hi neighbors!"

2. I estimate 78% of my at home time is now spent in a bathroom. I have taken to multitasking so if you receive a text from me, I just might be sitting on a stool waiting for the 'magic' to happen (who knows...I could be in a bathroom right now.....). This leads me to #3.

3. Apparently going to the bathroom is a group activity. I think my kids must follow the tree-falls-in-the-woods philosophy, if I'm not there to see it, then it doesn't exist. Never been so excited to see a 'log' drop in my life. "Mom, get in here!"

4. Little boy tip: sit them backwards on a grown up sized toilet...this has saved me an estimate of 387 hours of clean up time.


5. My kids lie.... "Did you poop?"  "No." "Then what is that laying on the ground?"  

6. Bathtub peeing is the best. L purposely holds it so he can pee in the bathtub. Gross? Yes. Do I allow it? Hey, I never claimed I was going for a mom of the year award. In my defense I do remind him 'Just don't pee on your brother'. That's got to count for something.


7. Bathtub pooping is NOT the best. Luckily this very rarely happens in my house. But, a couple days ago B was taking a shower and I noticed 'something' clogging the drain. I said, "Oh no, is that poop?" He notices it, screams, and runs to the other end of the tub. Um, why the surprise? You made it. #doody!  (This is the 2nd time I've told a story like this on this blog...I hope you are impressed with the maturity of content I am providing you.)


8. They lie (did I mention that already?). Do not believe them when they say "But I'm potty trained, I can wear undies to bed" and than pee in your brand new bed that you don't even have a liner for yet. Not that I'm bitter.  


9. Buy LOTS of undies!!!! We are constantly on the last pair, it's like they can sense it "there are more clean underwear in this house, I must pee in it!"  Also, I got each boy a clearly different style and that helps a TON when sorting laundry.

10.Which reminds me.... Laundry. Minimum one load per day...minimum. And I'm ignoring the fact that almost all of my clothes have now been washed with pee or poop. Well, I was ignoring it and now I'm thinking about it. I might have to go shopping. For cleanliness purposes only of course. When does my next Stitchfix arrive?


Well people, there you have my 10 totally useless tips on potty training. When you see me next you can thank me, hope I'm wearing new clothes, or notice I am strategically blocking a bare butt.

Dinnertime improvements!

I’m back in the blogging world…. New Year’s Resolution #205 was to get back to blogging and only 3 months later…here I am!

Today I’m going to talk about my newest obsession, Wildtree®!   

This company has struck a chord with me as my little pal L has a nut allergy and this company caters to a wide variety of dietary restrictions (if needed). I joined the company as a representative so that I can save money, time and energy when meal prepping for my family without having to worry about L’s allergy. I love that I can order a pack that will include a grocery list and all items needed to make 10 freezer meals in one sitting, and that they have kid friendly (and Mr. M approved) options that they will actually eat.

This last week I tried my hand with my first Freezer Meal Workshop (put on by another rep).

Step 1: Buy and prep meat and veggies

Step 2: Get together, possibly have a glass of wine (don’t want to get dehydrated!), and add the Wildtree products to the freezer bags

Step 3: Defrost and eat as needed

How easy is that!! So far I have been more than impressed with the deliciousness factor and more importantly so has my family. The boys had eaten every bite of their meat (and sometimes even veggies) and Mr. M is actually looking hopeful when he sits down at the dinner table.

Now I have more time to help my little men get out of (and into) messes. (See Below)

*Shameless plug: If you are interested in giving it a try—here is a link to my website =)

www.mywildtree.com/hmmanske

Fall weekend adventure!

*This post is my shameless plug for our local pumpkin patch in attempts to lure friends and family to come down this fall and join us, so bear with me and my gushing =)

This past weekend we had the opportunity to visit Pinter’s Pumpkin Patch, a local pumpkin patch, corn maze, and so much more!!! We decided to head over for a couple hours to tire the boys out before naptime (which is ALWAYS a challenge for us on weekends—does this happen to anyone else?)

Here is my juicy insider tip! Visit in the morning; we arrived as they were opening and just as we were leaving at noon it was just starting to get busy.

Our highlights? I knew you would ask!

Jumping pillow (H’s pick)—This is where our early arrival really paid off! The boys had SO much fun bouncing and running on this but can’t hang once their dad the older kids get this thing hopping. Another bonus-moms are allowed on it too…and I love a good trampoline.

Corn box (B’s pick)—The boys had a blast crawling around filling up buckets and even found an innocent bystander to bury. 

Mr. M was intrigued with how much less messy the corn box was than our sandbox at home. I could see wheels turning and am a little scared what might come of this. Anyone that knows Mr. M knows about his ‘invention’ ideas.

Big slides (L’s pick)—L told me he wanted to ‘slide and slide and slide’ and could have played here all day. Mr. M and I had to sample the slides (for safety purposes of course) and found them pretty fun ourselves! And I have to say watching little smiling faces going down the tubes were some of my favorite moments of the day.

Pedal Go Karts (Mr M’s pick)—L and B each took a turn with mom and dad and had so much fun getting to steer while we did all the dirty work pedaling! A good workout and a lot of fun.

We also visited the animal farm saying hello to some turkeys, chickens and goats (B does the CUTEST goat impression); rolled ourselves in tubes; tried out the ball zone; explored through the tire maze; and wrapped it up with a grain cart ride.

Needless to say—3 of the 4 of us were in full snooze by the time we got home for naps (don’t worry, the 4^th was the driver!). 

Season passes were obtained and we will definitely be back for more!! Mr. M said if they would install a beer truck and TV he’d be the first to arrive and last to leave every Sunday. I tend to agree, I don’t see a problem with an ‘adult cider’ option =)

On our agenda for next time? I knew you’d ask!

--Snack shack (did I mention Pinter’s makes the world’s best cupcakes?)

--Corn maze

--Wagon ride to the pumpkin patch

--‘Wiggleville’ (doesn’t that just sound fun?)

--Duck races

--Pumpkin cannon (this is obviously #1 on Mr. M’s list for next time)

The Sunday Drive

Last weekend my parents took the boys and I on what was one of my favorite family traditions: the Sunday Drive.

L and my dad (Big Q) started the day with a trip to a Swap Meet and we hit the road. Best part? My mom packed everything! I should elaborate:

My mother is a savant in the art of packing….she has everything you could ever think of. Fingernail clipper? Has it. Sewing kit? Of course. Plug in for any electronic device ever made? Duh. AND the ever present necessity: the wet washcloth. My sister, D, and I joke that when we are packing to go anywhere we follow the mantra "WWDD: What Would D (mom) Do" because she thinks of EVERYTHING! #WWDD #WetWashclothMemories

First Stop: Quick stop at my cousin’s house to drop off a couple things. B took the opportunity during the 5 minute stop to get out and roll around in their sandbox. He would have been fine ending the trip right here as there was a park next door, a dog down the street, a sandbox, AND chickens….a 1 ½ year old's dream! Alas, it was soon time to head to our next location so after we (mostly) cleaned him up, we were back on track.

Second Stop: Starks Liquor Store. I know, an obvious choice for a trip with two little boys =)  But we were able to put together a craft beer sampler and pick up some of their delicious cheese curds so everyone left with a treat.

Third Stop: Walked across the street to the ‘world famous’ Pete’s Hamburger Stand. World Famous = Big Q watched a special on them on the Travel Channel so we had to try it. The boys enjoyed watching them boil the burgers and walking through the boat store next door.

Hanging with grandpa....

`

Fourth Stop: Took a ‘short cut’ to Pikes Peak (I think the quotation marks indicate how short this cut ended up being). Had a picnic, played in the park, and walked down to Veil Falls. L LOVED counting all of the steps on the way up and down. He can currently count to ‘twenty-thirty’ (thirty) and only skips one or two numbers in between. I know every parent thinks their child is a genius, but mine actually is. #saideverymomever

Child genius...

On our way to the falls

Fifth Stop: Phelps Park, Decorah. We had ice cream and than played in the park. L was so happy because they have three parks (play areas). By the end, Grandma, Grandpa, B, and mom were tired with bellyaches and L could have stayed another 3 hours.

Sixth Stop: Home. Clothes went directly into the washing machine, bodies went directly into the bath, and moms went directly into the couch.

L is still talking about the trip and it now ranks up there with Grandma’s house and the Waterpark as his favorite places to go. Those are some high praises my friends.

Sappyness alert! Those with weak stomachs read at your own risk:  Days like this make me so grateful our kids have all four grandparents that are always there to step in and lend a hand or make a memory =)  Family is the best! 

Denver Trip

Mr. M and I just got back from a fantastic trip to Denver filled with sights, drinks, friends and laughs. I wish I could take credit for the planning but had a lot of help from a friend of ours who I have discovered is my traveling kindred spirit =)

*Since I’m not sure how my friends feel about their lives being posted on the internet I will keep the pictures and stories vague (to protect those who may have eaten 2 gallons of ice cream, had a small slip on the dance floor, ordered Canadian bacon pizza, ruined a chipmunks life, forgot to scoop a dog poop, or other such random non-specific examples).

 

Wednesday:

3:30am 3:45am Leave for the airport

5:13am Arrive exactly 2 minutes before they stopped taking checked bags. Whoops!

7:00am Greeted with hugs, donut holes, and a ride from one of my bestest of friends who drove an hour to pick us up at the airport on her birthday….did I mention she is one of the bestest? 

10:00am Mr. M and I enjoyed a delicious breakfast at Over Easy and both discovered new favorite drinks.

Fresh lemon, Colorado honey, and Cucumber--three of my favorite things!

11:30am Hike the Seven Bridges Trail in Colorado Springs

Shady and beautiful, perfect for an August day

2:00pm Much needed drinks (heavily caffeinated for this girl!) and lunch at Brother Luck’s 

3:30pm Mr. M naps while I catch up with said bestest friend

7:00pm Birthday dinner at a restaurant that happened to be hosting a Trivia Night. This involved several rowdy debates I.E., Which country has the 5^th largest land mass in the world and takes up a little over half of its continent? Hint: it’s not Canada (I will never let Mr. M live that down)

 

Thursday:

9:00am No one woke me up because they had to go potty (or already did), wanted watermelon, or threw their binky out of the crib = heaven!

11:00am Hit the road

11:25am Stopped so I could pee (sorry!) at Krispy Kreme..Spent 5 minutes watching the donut conveyer belt

1:00pm Arrived at Ameristar Hotel in Black Hawk, did some sightseeing in Central City, Mr. M eats $7.99 Prime Rib and we drink $3 beers—love the prices here! Waitress gives us the senior discount—I try not to be offended

2:00pm Meet up with some more friends and proceed to drink, gamble, and laugh WAY too much. (Note to self: ‘Let’s just split a bottle of wine at dinner’=NOT a good idea)

11:07pm Discover pool closes at 11:00pm

 

Friday:

6:30am Drink 24 glasses of water and head up to pool on the 36^th floor—gorgeous view!

9:45am Set out with Starbucks in hand on our way to Fort Collins

10:15am Wonder aloud whose idea it was to drive a windy mountain road after a late night in the casino (turns out it was mine…)

Driving through a mountain

 

11:00am Meet MORE friends at Smokin Dave’s BBQ in Estes Park. Yum!

12:30pm Stop for ice cream…spend 5 minutes watching the dry ice ice cream maker

Note the 2 galloon tub of ice cream in the forefront of the photo-PROOF!

5:30pm 6:30pm 5:30pm Shuttle to wedding arrives to give us a ride…long story involving road construction, getting lost, and holding up the ceremony…but I won’t get into that!

7:00pm Dance and laugh the night away with great friends at a terrific wedding

 

Saturday:

11:00am Crash romantic bride and groom brunch at Fort Collins Brewery. Stop at Odell Brewing Company and even get a private tour of New Belgium from the new Mr. and Mrs.!

Just what the doctor ordered!

4:00pm Head back to Denver, Mr. M buys grossest looking burrito at super shady gas station (I feel like that should be documented incase he gets food poisoning or something)

6:00pm Relax at hotel, watch Pitch Perfect (NOT Sports Center) and pack for the way home

 

Sunday:

3:30am Shuttle to the airport

9:00am Land

12:00pm Home to squeeze the world’s cutest little men!!!

They wanted to feed this small bale to the chickens #chickenlovers #justlikegrandpaQ