Big Boys Don't Pee

In order for Diesel to attend Nursery School, he needs to be potty trained. We did some of this in Maine. It went OK, but I never felt like we finished. And then we traveled home (a two day journey) and Diesel has been in diapers ever since. So this past weekend was Potty Training Time. We have 3 weeks to master this.

Potty training involves discussing that Big Boys don't pee in their underwear, or on the couch, or in the car, or on Mommy... You get the idea. Well, we had some accidents on Saturday. But Sunday, wow...no accidents! But also no pee. He held it all day and finally got rid of it when he slept that night. And on Monday - no accidents but also no "successes."

At this point I was getting worried that he was going to damage his kidney. He had definitely accepted that Big Boys don't pee. And if you don't go pee, you don't have to use a potty seat and you can keep playing. Going Potty could be seen as a big waste of time when there are more important things to do.

I admit to being impressed at his bladder control, but it was becoming obvious that I needed to teach him that big boys do pee - but only in the right places (as defined by Mommy and Daddy). He seems to be getting it better today, thank God. I think he'll be ready in time.

Diesel is going to school?

In my quest for sanity, I have been trying to figure out how to best deal with 3 little kids everyday. How am I supposed to go run errands? How am I supposed to find time to homeschool? How do I take care of all three with out being tempted to kill any of them? Sending Dylan to school just didn't feel like the right answer. My brilliant friend suggested removing one of the younger factors from the situation. She perfectly understood that I would want to keep the main positive interaction I have with my children (homeschooling) and remove one of the stresses.

Fortunately or unfortunately, Diesel is one of my stressors. I don't feel like I am giving him the time he needs and am plunking him out of the way a bit too often. But God is gracious. Within 5 days of first conceiving of this possibility, we had a preschool willing to take our Diesel. He'll go to school 2 mornings a week - just enough for the breather I need. I think it will be great for Diesel to have time when i will not be tempted to just stick him in front of the TV. We'll also get to meet more of the people who live around us - how surprising!

Of course, the inevitable has begun. People have heard that Diesel is going to school, and assume that we will be soon shipping the others off, as well. Some even go as far to say "maybe Dylan can go to school next year." John, being charitable thinks "whatever." My thought life, on the other hand is a bit more aggressive. It goes something like this....

And WHY would I do THAT? There is nothing for him to learn in kindergarten except how to be an obnoxious 6 year old, and he is doing quite well at mastering that by himself, thank you very much!

I find it sad that people assume that school is better than homeschooling. Different options are better for different kids at different times. So I am letting you all know now: I will homeschool Dylan until it is no longer the best thing for him. I intend to bring Diesel home for kindergarten. Timo may or may not do preschool. We will decide as we go. I LIKE HOMESCHOOLING! (at least for the moment :-)

Timo's playing with a plant!

My children are so helpful...

Today, while I was working on math with Dylan, I hear Diesel cry "Timo's playing with a plant." Thinking I should check on this, I quickly go to the den. I have very few plants still alive at this time, but one of them has a long trailer that hangs down over a 7 foot wall into the family room. Timo appears to have been fascinated by this and was checking it out. Diesel, being a good big brother, took it out of his hands and was keeping it out of his reach. Unfortunately he was standing farther away from the wall than Timo and backed up to keep Timo from grabbing the vine again. The plant was not long enough. I arrived in time to see the plant fall off the ledge and on to Timo's head. Fortunately I hadn't gotten around to putting the plant into a ceramic pot and it hadn't been watered in a week. So Timo just got a face full of dirt and a light bounce on the head - much more gentle than he get from playing with his brothers. He seemed quite delighted by the experience. But he was very upset at being put into the pack and play so I could clean up without any more help from my children.

A Learning Experience

We have been thinking a lot lately about what it means to be part of the body of Christ. Humility seems to be one of the keys. Being honest and vulnerable with others in the church and outside the church. As John pointed out to me last night, it flies in the face of modern suburbia and the American Dream. It can be very hard to make yourself admit that you need help or that you don't have it all together. And then...

Your septic tank craps out (literally and figuratively). We have water and electricity. So it's not quite the same as a power outage. I can get hot or cold water into the house. It's just getting it out of the house that is the problem. It really makes you analyze your water consumption patterns. For example, one of my chores is doing the laundry. I have a washing machine, but if I use it, my septic tank will overflow. I have three choices. I can 1) do no laundry - my favorite idea, but likely to lead to an unpleasant olfactory experience. 2) Go to a laundry mat and remember what it was like to not have all the modern conveniences and to need lots of quarters for thing other than allowances. 3) Beg the use of a friend's washing machine - humbling myself and bringing my dirty laundry (including kid's underwear) to another persons house. Talk about airing your dirty laundry.

It is frustrating to me that I can't just fix the problem. I feel like waving a fist in the air at the injustice of it all. But then, I think I'd do better to just take it as a learning experience - a chance to be humble and ask for help. I suppose this philosophical attitude is facilitated by the expected time frame. If this goes on for more than two weeks, my attitude might not be so accepting....

So where IS that Diaper?

So today has been one of those days....
Our early morning visit to the doctor took half the morning. Timo is great but has a sore throat. Dylan hid behind the door so he wouldn't have to see his little brother get shots.

Meanwhile John took Diesel to get the county's approval for a "perk" test. What is a perk test, you ask. That's what they do to see if you are allowed to have a new leach field put in your property. A new leach field? Yes. The old one no longer works. So at the moment we have a big stinky hole in our back yard. But don't worry, Ma'am, I'm sure you'll get it all fixed before your tank starts overflowing all over your yard! John then called the septic guys to have them do the perk test. They will call the Health Department tomorrow morning. It should be scheduled in the next two weeks. And then, if we pass, we still have to have them install the new field...

So, my head ache is growing, my kids are cranky, but I still plug on. I make dinner, do some school with Dylan. Finally allow Dylan to paint a paper mache balloon he had made 2 weeks ago. As we are working, I hear Diesel moving around upstairs. He is awake from his nap, walking around in a shirt and diaper. He has been having some constipation problems lately, but milk of magnesia has finally come to the rescue. He is no longer screaming in pain every half an hour. Yeah! In fact he is really quite happy again. I go and check on him. He is a bit stinky, so I'll change him in a few minutes. I finish with Dylan, go get Diesel, whose long shirt is covering his bottom. I put him on the changing table only to realise that he has no diaper on his stinky bottom. He took it off. I have no idea when, where, or what he has sat on in the meantime. I have looked, but not found. I might let my foxhound sniff it out for me. He seems to like the smell.

Questions Questions everywhere

I recently have been running around trying to answer a million questions all at once and have been pouring over books and web pages to get my answers. What should the role of women be in the church? (no change in my opinion there - I went to Gordon Hugenberger at Park Street Church for this.) When was the world created? Why do people believe in a young earth (in six days - not a great explanation)? How do people reconcile science and the Bible (Origins of Life)? How come I am feeling disaffected at church (Blue Like Jazz)? Is it a stylistic thing (Sacred Pathways)? Is Dylan gifted or just pretty smart and if so what should I do about it? My schoolroom is a mess, how can I keep it neater? I have also been reading through homeschooling catalogs and forums (especially Sonlight and Winterpromise). My big question has been whick of the three (1,2,3) math curriculum I am using will actually make Dylan like Math? or do I try another? Oh, and I am also in a discipleship group trying to teach me to be a better wife.

So as I said, I have been going around in circles trying to do everything at once. but last night was my night out. So I took some books, headed over to Barnes and Nobel and had a quiet time. John made me leave the home school stuff at home. So I read one chapter in Power of a Praying Wife and one in Blue Like Jazz. And I wrote in my journal. The clear message: I am too busy running around trying to avoid reality. I am focusing on all these mildly important issues to avoid seeing that I need better relationships. With God, my husband and friends. I need to get out of my head and start living more. So I came home and played a game of Topple with John (it was too late to do anything that required a brain). So of course, I am now writing about it instead of living. but I am trying. And I will claim that writing in a blog is the beginning of sharing myself. if only I can talk to real people now...

No voice, but I am still in charge, sort of

I can't stop coughing - unless I stop talking. I did read-alouds with my son for school today and then tried to read his history. I could not stop hacking away. He brilliantly took this as a sign that school was over and ran to the other room with his little brother. I sat dejectedly in the school room wondering if I should throw in the towel, or wait til John came home to make him work with me.

I decided that there are some subjects that don't require much talking from me. We don't do many workbooks, but he can do those! So I wrote him a note (thank God can read), waved a choice of 2 videos in front of Diesel and herded Dylan back to the school room. And now he is slowly plodding through work. But some is getting done and I don't need to write off another day. I am grateful for small miracles.