Ramblings: Toddlers

We are trying to potty train.  I hate potty training.  I want her to be potty trained, but I don't want to do it.  Is there just a seminar you can send them to for a couple days and they come back potty trained?  I feel like there's millions to be made in something like that, but I still don't want to do it.

We converted her crib to a toddler bed.  Here is what her pediatrician (the father of a daughter the same age as Ellie) told me when I asked about this particular transition:

                 "Keep her in that crib until she climbs out."

Seemed like great advice, right?  Well, a couple weeks ago she was scaled the outside of her crib to try to get the toy she had just thrown into her crib.  We thought we were really lucky because she had yet to try to leave her room.  We would put her to bed, she would get out of bed and go lay down by her nightlight to read her books.  Usually she fell asleep by the nightlight and we'd have to move her later.  Nick and I were discussing our success with this transition, knowing it would be short lived, and the very next day she opened the door to her room at 6:15am to wake us up.  I will never brag about my parenting skills again.

The Terrible Twos are a real thing, at least for girls.  Until Ellie was born, I only had nephews.  Boys are different.  They seem to have a Terrible Threes phase.  I have also noticed that toddlers are like mini-teenagers, which makes me wonder if teenagers are just giant toddlers.  I mean, I've met a good share of adults who clearly never developed beyond the Terrible Twos.  If this is the case, if Ellie's Terrible Twos are any indication of her teenage years, I'm going to just start drinking now.  Seriously, it's like the worst case of PMS.  Ever.

I had this wonderful weight loss goal for this summer.  I had a whole routine figured out.  I would work out during her nap time and possibly also after she went to bed.  I would take her on walks in the jogging stroller around the neighborhood and on the greenway.  Instead, by the time I put her to bed, I'm mentally and emotionally spent.  You would think getting on the elliptical would help that (it probably would, I should probably do it), but all I want to do is sit in front of the TV and let my brain turn to mush.

I do want to lose the weight, I just don't feel motivated anymore.  I just want to be skinny again.  Can someone please arrange that for me? (I'm going to go eat a cookie now)

Mommy Monday: Playdough

Ellie LOVES playdough.  LOVES.  When I was little my mom used to make playdough for us.  Ellie was still pretty little when I considered giving her playdough to squish.  I figured, if she ate it*, at least it was homemade, right?

I use this recipe: Homemade Playdough Recipe.  It is so perfect.  It's super soft and cooks so fast.  I made our third batch just the other day.  We have done different colors with each batch (I just happen to have a gigantic store of food coloring from past cake projects).

*For the record, she definitely ate some.  She has tried it a couple more times.  Apparently it still tastes gross.