Potty Training Woes

In case you haven't figured it out yet, this post is devoted entirely to my gripes, successes, and failures as I attempt to potty train the child-who-refuses-to-sleep, Isabella. As I type she is eyeballing me from the couch where she is supposed to be settling down for her afternoon nap, although she has become expert in the fine art of pretending she is asleep whenever I actually turn my head in that direction. Tricky one, she is. We have been spending the past day and a half practically glued at the hip as I try to "pick up" on her "signals" (overt and non) that she has to use the bathroom. This is per some potty training literature that I picked up the other day, although I cannot yet testify as to its effectiveness. I pulled out my stockpile of potty training paraphernalia, and am trying to make heads or tails of what "method" I should be following, and it's all Greek to me, to be honest!

So far, we have met some success, although I should be up-front and admit that most of those were a result of me running her to the bathroom and plopping her naked booty onto the potty when I sensed she was on the verge of letting loose. Other than that, my washing machine and dryer have been in heavy rotation - not to mention the Pine-Sol, bleach, and bathtub, since Isabella has taken it upon herself to dump the contents of her potty bowl onto her head a couple of times. Not a pretty sight, I must say!

And, of course, like most people, I inevitably encounter that one person - who shall remain nameless - whose child is the exceptional Einstein of their generation. C'mon, you know what I'm talking about! When the other moms (like myself) are discussing how great it is that our children are starting to speak in sentences and finally managing to feed themselves without chucking their plates at our heads, that certain someone's child is sitting daintily in a chair and completing quadratic equations with one hand while decorating a cake with the other. And of course, was potty trained when they were one and a half, within a three-day period, with nary an accident. Yup, that's the person I end up running into while on a "happy, happy, joy, joy" high from the fact that Isabella actually peed in the potty without finishing on the floor. Way to go, self-esteem!

Don't mind me, I am just venting - I am sure she will get the hang of this eventually and maybe even before I sprout gray hairs. I am an open vessel for any advice you want to divvy out, so please feel free to let me have it. And since it looks like Isa has finally drifted off, I should probably try and get this laundry folded before she gets up again! Adios for now....

DVR's Rock!

At the moment, I am feeling what could be considered an odd and irrational love for a piece of technology. I am not ashamed to admit it.

I. Love. My. D.V.R. (Digital Video Recorder, aka "Tivo") It has been my saving grace for the past week. This is why:

I am still sick as a dog and still sounding somewhat like a guy, although it might be safe to say that instead of being in the throes of puberty, my voice sounds like it has actually made it there now. Anyway, I woke up the other morning and had what I like to refer as a "mini-breakdown" where I threw myself on the bed and begged my husband not to leave me alone with Isabella that day. I know that comes off as being horrible, but I was in misery and just could not fathom chasing after her all day, feeling the way I did - she's like the Energizer Bunny sometimes and gets into everything! Poor Ike, he looked like he felt so bad for me. But there was no way he could stay home, he had to prep for a flight and couldn't get out of that, obviously. Once he left, I kind of buried myself in blankets and pillows and imagined getting some sleep, until I was snapped back to reality by my munchkin, who proceeded to dig me out and proclaim "eat, eat!" I kid you not, I had no idea how I was going to survive the day until the boys or Ike came home. Sounds melodramatic but I really, really, really was feeling terrible. But then I remembered....the power of the DVR!

If a mothering group ever read this I am in trouble, but I confess that I have never been so grateful in my life for my "Tivo." Programmed into that bad boy is a never-ending roster of Isa's favorites, from "Wow Wow Wubbzy" to "Yo Gabba Gabba." I was able to lay on the couch and occasionally doze while she sat mesmerized by Noggin's educational programs. Yes, yes, give me the naughty mother of the week award, but I was desperate!

The only downside to this whole thing is, now that I am trying to get back to my normal daily routine, I am constantly humming the bars of music from her shows. I had finally managed to get Dora's voice out of my head, and it has been replaced by Wubbzy and every Veggietales movie on earth. Don't get me wrong, I love the Veggietales! But when you are in church and hearing the pastor speak on, oh, say the Wall of Jericho, and the image that comes to your head is of little vegetables throwing slushies down at Joshua and the Israelites, it gets a little difficult to compose yourself (true story - it happened to my mom!)

And that's about all I can get down at the minute, because today (dum, da-dum-dum!) I have a full schedule that includes parent-teacher conferences (seems early, but school started back in July), Gymboree for Isa, and some Crossfit for me to get me out of my little funk. So until later, I bid you adieu...hahaha....

Anniversary Dinner

Saludos a todos! It's been a slow week, mainly because I have been dealing with a killer cold that has me sounding like a young man in the throes of puberty - really, one of my friends called the other day and thought I was Ike. Scary. So I have given myself the liberty to be a slug for the past few days. And thanks to my husband, I did something unheard of...I slept in until almost 1130 hours the other day! He was flying that night, and instead of going in early like he usually does, he stayed home and took care of Isa. Trust me, I say with zero sarcasm that it was the best anniversary gift ever, LOL. Although I am still wheezing/hacking quite a bit (and still sounding rather masculine) Amir offered to baby-sit for us so we could go out on a date and celebrate. Yes, we jumped at the opportunity and headed straight for Romano's....and it was SO yummy...check out my dish:

(Side note: I also scarfed down a loaf of Italian bread and some bruschetta...I am a self-admitted carb-junkie. Don't ever take away my pasta, rice, or bread, and we'll all get along, LOL)

Anyway, Isaiah and I sat and reminisced on our first dinner at this place and it got me kind of nostalgic. We discovered this restaurant years ago when he was taking me down to Maryland and Washington D.C. for the medical appointments leading up to my brain surgery in 2004. We even went there on the day I was finally released from the hospital, looking all kinds of crazy, because I like it so much. So you can imagine how excited we were when we found out they opened a Romano's here in Honolulu...it has meaning for us! Isaiah decided to memorialize us on their table:

Don't worry, we're not vandals - there is a roll of paper on top of the tablecloth. And we're not usually this corny, but we figure it's permitted once a year : )

Now we are home, so I think I will take some nice meds that will help me breathe normally and maybe even get a decent night of sleep. As I type, I can see Ike dozing on the couch out of the corner of my eye. I can already predict what will happen - I will try and pry the remote out of his hands to turn the TV off, and he will pretend like he has been awake this whole time. Gotta love him...Happy Anniversary, babe!

Long Time, No Write!

Hey, beautiful people! I know it has been a LONG time (for me, that is) since I have posted anything, but it seems that every spare second I have has been consumed with the needs, wants, and must-haves that arise in a busy household. I am sure you know what that's like : ) So let me update you on the happenings of our crew, along with a few visual aids for entertainment purposes, and we can play catch up with each other!

School first: it was kicking my little Puerto Rican tushie. Especially in one of my classes, where I had a professor who was this die-hard stickler for perfection, and wanted us to "infuse" our work with "deep thoughts, research, and soul-searching insights." I thought, hey, no prob - I can handle that. I was doing pretty well, too, staying up late and working on this 16-page argumentative paper that was going to make up the bulk of the final grade. But once I made it to page 12, a strange phenomenon occurred where I believe my brain spontaneously combusted. Seriously, it started driving me nuts because I barely have free time as it is, and every time I would sit in front of the computer I just kind of stared at the screen and every little bit of inspiration that may have been churning around would suddenly fly right out the window, and I would eke out maybe two sentences in an hour or so. VERY annoying. However, I did learn that deadlines must have some kind of reverse effect on me, because about 12 hours before it was due, my brain kicked back into gear. I somehow managed to get it finished, turned in, and got the final "A" I needed to keep myself on the Dean's List at the university, thank you very much. I cannot tell you how good it feels to get that monkey off my back - I danced a little jig on my counter in celebration (hey, it was one in the morning and I was wired on coffee - my neighbors are lucky I didn't start break-dancing in the street). Woo hoo! (Don't worry, I didn't fall off the counter and break any important body parts...LOL)

So that was the school report; I am now on a nice 3 week break until the next semester starts up. Moving on!

Amir and Johnny have begun playing football, and boy, have their practices had me running around like a chicken on speed. I was kind of hoping that their schedules would at least be on separate days, but nope, wasn't going to happen. They actually overlap, take place on opposite sides of the base, and are scheduled right around our dinnertime. I end up cooking in the morning (before or after various appointments), and when the boys come home from school, speed feed them, and run child #1 one out the door while the other is eating or finishing up their work. Then back home, where I do a patented "hi and bye" hug/kiss for the husband (who usually has just gotten home) and scoop child #2. Drop him off, then grab the child #1, whose practice has just ended. In between all of this, I grab my grub on the run, and end my night waiting on child #2 to finish up while reading from the dome light in my car so I don't fall asleep. Sound confusing? Yeah, sometimes it is....just wait until their games start! Besides the sports, they still have their other activities going on and I must say, I find it quite entertaining. I tend to catch myself re-living certain aspects of my own childhood when I hear all of the stories from the halls of the third grade and more so, the sixth grade! Seems like so long ago...remember back when the most crucial thing you had to worry about was whether you would have enough time at recess to play kick ball? Wow, it's hard to believe life was ever that simple!

And on to Ike's mini-clone, Isabella. That girl is a trip and a half - even when I have to discipline her for something, I often have to turn my face to the wall so she doesn't see me chuckle at times. It amazes me how much kids at that age soak up, and learn new things not just from day to day, but almost from hour to hour or minute to minute. Last month, I went out and purchased all of the requisite "materials" needed for potty training - Ike and I were under the delusion that this would be an easy feat. I mean, I have two boys and they are supposed to be harder to train, right? Well, so far, Isa has used the potty approximately 3 times. Sounds nice and all, but let's just say that my daughter has also decided that the potty is more effective as a portable footstool. I find it in really strange parts of the house - once I went into my closet for a pair of running shoes, and found it propped up near the shelf where I keep my handbags. Don't even get me started on the time when she actually used the potty, and decided it would be fun to wear the seat on her head as a hat. Thank goodness for bathtubs, shampoo, and my Swiffer! (By the way, I wholeheartedly welcome any and ALL potty training advice, so lay it on me!)

As for Ike, he (as well as I) have fully embraced the Crossfit lifestyle. You might recall, I mentioned it back in an earlier post - you can always google it (or click on the link to check it out)if you get bored one night and don't feel like watching mindless infomercials. And this is completely off-subject, but after so many late nights, I think I should mention that I have probably seen each and every infomercial that is currently in rotation...I've concluded that their intent is to wear down your resistance until the lack of sleep and repetition actually convince you that you need what they are selling. I almost bought a few things, in my weaker moments. Disturbing, I know. Anyway, back to the topic at hand. In Ike's own words, he is feeling "outstanding," and if I do say so myself, he looks fantastic. Not that he didn't before, but goodness gracious, he looks like he did when he was 25! My, my, my....as for his possible deployment, it is still pending at the moment. While I am hoping that they don't send him back to the desert again (especially during the holidays!) I am still resigning myself to it just in case. Oh, and he is also playing basketball again, now that his previous injuries have finally healed up completely. He wants you to know that his squadron won their first intramural basketball game of the season. Go, Airlift Squadron, go! Woo-woo!

And back to me, the blogger. I am happy to say that I am feeling pretty outstanding myself. Along with everything else spinning in my little world, I jumped on the Crossfit bandwagon with my husband, his best friend Keith, and his wife Reshon. I can honestly say that the difference in each of us is tremendous. I am woman, hear me roar! Grrrr!

After all of this hustle, the girls and I took a much needed break and had a fabulous "ladies night" out on the town. It was Reshon's birthday, so a group of my girlfriends - Denise, Rose, Tina, myself, and Reshon, of course - headed out to Bubba Gump's for dinner at the Ala Moana Mall in downtown Honolulu. Believe me, this mall is huge - the entire fourth floor is dedicated solely to restaurants, and in the middle of all of them sits a Tiki bar where they play live music. We got to listen to some great local music while sipping on fruity drinks and grubbing on seafood. Check us out:

We were a loud and rambunctious bunch - so naturally, we made fast friends with our servers. They thought we were a riot! Here I am with my favorite one:

After we stuffed ourselves silly, we jumped in the car (once we remembered where we parked...hey, it really is a huge mall) and did a little club-jumping. We started off at this place called Moose's and ended the night at Rumours, which just happened to be having a "Flashback" Saturday. Ever go somewhere and see people get ridiculously excited when some song that they probably danced to at their prom or whatever comes on? Yup, that's pretty much what was going on there. We had a blast! And I probably shouldn't be telling you this - but I will anyway - we engaged in a little "people watching." Whew....all that I can say is that there are some truly wild characters out there in the world. Here we all are at the end of the night:

Not bad for it being 2 in the morning, right? Ha ha : )

So, folks, that's about it for now. I could probably go on and on about all of the other inane things that take place in my Hawaiian existence, but you might fall asleep on me while sitting at your computer and we don't want that. Broken keyboards (or noses) are kind of a pain to deal with. Instead, I will try to do a better job about getting on here while I am on my school break - and you can pray that my professors for the next semester are a little more relaxed than they were this past one! Besos!