It's Time to Potty-Train!

My son is now well past his 2nd birthday and still in diapers. I kept thinking of all the reasons to delay potty training... He is an extremely active toddler and there's no way he's going to sit or stand still long enough to pee. I read about the different potty training personalities from some psychologist expert, and my son would clearly be considered the "curious bear cub" type, which are the type that are more curious about the toilet paper dispenser than actually using the toilet correctly (and thus take significantly longer to potty train than other personality types). I also have a very inconsistent work schedule; I'm home all day some days and other days I'm gone most of the day. 

All of those reasons completely disappeared when I opened his bedroom door one day last week. I found him completely naked in his old crib. When I stepped into the room, I stepped in something soft and wet. My first thought was, "I think I just stepped in dog poop!" And then, "But, we don't have a dog!" He left a pile right in front of the door. 

But, it got even better. As I walked further into the room, he pointed at one corner of the room, and he said, "Mama!" as if he wanted me to find something else. I looked, and found another pile. I started laughing at my toddler's joke on me, but the laughter quickly stopped when he pointed at the other corner, and said, "Mama!" Another pile. 

I honestly didn't know if I should laugh or cry. I just stood there feeling perplexed about what to do next. My toddler was pacing from one end of the crib to other like a caged lion, probably because a light breeze on his naked, soiled bottom felt nice. 

I decided to keep him contained in the crib, while I consulted Google about how to clean up large amounts of poop on carpet. I soon found a website for dog owners about getting out dog poop from carpet. I figured this would be my most reputable website since dog owners would know most about dealing with fecal matter on carpets. 

I followed their instructions exactly: scrape off the poop with a brush or rag, soak the spot with Oxi-Clean, scrub the spot with a rag and soapy water. 

The instructions worked great, and not even the horrid smell remained. But, now that my son has figured out how to take off his diaper, he needs to know the fact we all know: poop belongs in the toilet.

Why Facebook Makes it Hard to be a Good Mother

I find myself on Facebook several times a day, and while I do not find much harm in scrolling through my newsfeed, I feel that it makes it harder to be a good mother. I do find some great posts topics that help me be a good mother, but not often.

These my reasons why Facebook makes it hard to be a good mother:

1. Because it provides temporary avoidance of monotonous motherly tasks such as picking up the oven mit thrown out of the drawer for the 11th time, or reuniting a lost sock with its rightful mate.

2. Because it shows the best talents of other mothers, without reminding me that all mothers have different strengths and weaknesses.

3. Because it announces all the worldly successes of my "friends," but fails to include what they have sacrificed to attain such successes.

4. Because posts that evoke strong emotion linger in my thoughts and put me in a bad mood.

5. Because it gives me a false sense of accomplishing something.