Potty Training Tips

So I've been a mom now for 8 1/2 years. And all my kids are still alive. Pretty impressive, huh? So I've decided to share some tips from my vast stores of knowledge about potty training. Potty training boys specifically.

First and foremost - wait until they want to and that probably won't be until sometime after they are 3 because boys are lazy.

Two - The hardest thing for boys to learn is the idea of "tucking". For those out there with girls, this means that there are certain parts that need to be pointed into the potty when boys are seated and attempting to go "#2".

Three - Since boys generally don't get this concept until about age 6, keep paper towels in your bathroom. Some of those flushable toilet wipes wouldn't hurt either which leads me to...

Four - While helping your son learn to use the toilet, stand to the side of your boy. Sitting in front of them is not a good idea as pee shot into the middle of your chest is NOT a good way to start the morning.

Five - Ladies, while it may seem perfectly reasonable to us, boys are not to take a square of toilet paper and blot after making pee-pee in the potty. If you teach them to do this, the first time your husband/baby daddy sees this, he will freak out. This is followed by the lesson in "shaking it off'. Self-explanatory I guess but you may want to refer to number 3.

Six - Do not distract a boy who is standing up and peeing. If you do, you run the risk of being peed on (along with the toilet, the walls, the sink and anything else in the path of the flow) as the boy turns his whole body to see what's going on. They have short little attention spans!

Good Luck and Happy Potty Training!

Ahh... Spring is in the air. I love this weather. I love the smell of things coming to life again. I'm seeing neighbors that I haven't seen since Halloween. Babies that were newborns in the fall are practically walking now.

But the thing that says spring most for me is....

BASEBALL!!!

It's that first crack of the bat that lets me know that Summer is close. The home opener of the White Sox is my first day of spring. It's a tradition in my family and something I've missed only a couple of the last few years. Poor Branden was there just before his birthday with a double ear infection! Some things are just too important to miss. No matter what the reason.

This year, it was my mom, my sis Eileen and my friend Julie. My other sis was supposed to go, but duty called and she had to bail. Amy is the junior partner in her medical practice so she gets all the crap heaped on her.

So the four of us headed to the park with out hopes high. There was cold beer in the cooler and a brand new grill (since I forgot mine at home) for making some hotdogs.

We did our best to put the thing together considering it required wrenches and screwdrivers and all we had were keys and fingernails. It got the job done anyway!

We were in nosebleed seats for the game, but that's ok. I don't care where I sit as long as I'm there. Here's a view of our seats.

Not too bad. I've definitely had worse. The game was great, if a little cold! The temp that day topped out in the mid- 40's but I'll live with it. My guy Crede scored a nice home run down the third base line and we won the game so I'm not gonna complain!

For you poor souls who have never been to "The Cell" here is the view of the city as you leave the stadium. Nice, huh? Love Chicago!

Grinder Ball Rule #1 Win. Or Die Trying.

The Grinder Ball Rules were the ad slogans for the 2005 (AKA World Series) Season. They are now posted around the stadium. This is one of my favs.

The next post is about another important part of the opening series this year along with the reason I was crying like a baby before the game.