Tuesday Tribute: Peer Pressure

I never thought I would say that I LOVE peer pressure, but I do!!!

Jaise is 3 and she has a friend, Avery who is one month younger than Jaise. Avery is as smart as a whip, seriously the little tyke could start college right now and be just fine!!! So, they both started a month or so ago to seriously potty train. Everyone has told me that "girls are SOOOO much easier than boys". Whateva.....

We started with a prize box and Jaise was on task. The cooler the prize, the more she wanted to pee AND if she poo-pood she got to pick TWO prizes!!!! We were sailing through and no accidents for an entire week. No more diapers....wahoo!!!!! Then......she stopped, recessed, pedaled backwards.......stopped peeing, etc. in the toilet. What?!!! I don't understand. Then I got tired of cleaning up accidents and put the pull-ups back on and cried....

THEN, Avery started coming to play with us yesterday and Avery doesn't wear pull-ups EVER!!! She asked Jaise why she was wearing them. Good question Avery! Then Avery went POOP on the potty and Jaise was a witness and all of a sudden had to go on the potty. BAM!!! The switch had been clicked again with only one accident yesterday.

Then last night.....you guessed it....."Mom, I have to go BIG poopy on the potty like Avery!!" and she DID!!!! I will spare you the details but we celebrated BIG time!!!! So I figure if we had this much success in one day, that within a month Jaise will be ready for college as well.

Head over to Angie's Seven Clown Circus for more Tuesday Tributes!

Mother's Day Memories

I hope all of you mom's out there had a great Mother's Day. Ours was filled with food, family and fun!! We had brunch at my sister's house and then played games and drank coffee on the deck. I really just wanted a nice, updated family pic and this is what I got....Jaise is not so thrilled to be there.Homemade gifts are the best kind in my book and here is what my little munchkins made for me.....birdhouses!!! They painted them and signed their names on the bottom. They were very proud and I was thrilled to get them!!!

And then there is Jaise and "her" Brock. They are cousins and she absolutely ADORES him!!!! He will do just about anything she asks if she gives him food!!! There will be more pics of these two later in the week for WW and ATWT.

Before I Was a Mom....

BEFORE I WAS A MOM
Before I was a Mom;
I made and ate hot meals,
I had unstained clothing,
I brushed my hair every day,
I had quiet conversations on the phone,
I slept as late as I wanted and I slept all night long.
Before I was a Mom;
I cleaned my house each day,
I never tripped over toys or forgot lullabies,
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous,
I had never been puked on, pooped on, spit on, chewed on, or peed on.
Before I was a Mom;
I never thought about immunizations,
I never held a screaming child so the doctors could give shots,
I never looked into teary eyes and cried,
I never felt my heart break into pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt,
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
Before I was a Mom;
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down,
I never sat up late hours of the night watching a baby sleep,
I never got up in the middle of the night to make sure everything was okay,
Before I was a Mom;
I had complete control of my mind, my thoughts and my body,
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside of my body,
I didn't know that having something so small could make me feel so important,
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache,the wonderment, or the satisfaction of being a mom.
Before I was a Mom;
I never knew that something so small could effect my life so much,
I never knew that I could love someone so much,
I never knew I would love being a Mom,
I didn't know the bond between a Mother and her child,
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much.

Happy Mother's Day!!

Aloha Friday - Frugal Edition

Welcome to this week’s edition of Aloha Friday.In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that they take it easy and look forward to the weekend. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.

I, like many other families out there, enjoy saving money and have been forced to cut corners and trim our budget with the turn the economy has taken.

Pictured above is a number of products that I brought home for $20.79. The total before my coupons was $70.96. Cleaning products and medicines like Excedrin are not cheap, but I know that I would rather have that $50 savings in my pocket than in theirs!!!

I have found a great website that is a great tool in helping me discover these deals called Refund Cents . Some services are free but I would highly suggest purchasing your membership for a mere $1 and some change every month. This gives you Internet access to everything on the site. You can upgrade and also receive a magazine in the mail as well, but that is your choice.

Don't take my word for it. They are offering FREE access to the site today May 7th and tomorrow May 8th!!

Username: clipping

password: coupons

Do you clip coupons?

Check out more great questions at An Island Life.

Thousand Words Thursday - Hit It To Me...I Dare You!!

Check out more pics at Cheaper Than Therapy.

Wordless Wednesday

Goin' Fishin'

For more wordless wednesday photos head over to MomDot and 5 Minutes for Mom

Tuesday Trimdown

Now don't get all excited....this is NOT a photo of me. Although it is an ad for some kind of flip flops to "tone" your legs/butt, etc. while you wear them. Now, I would be the first to wear these babies 24 hours a day/7 days a week if I thought they would work and I would look like her. However, I like to think that I have a few brain cells and that is why I am STILL doing the 30 day Shred with Jillian Michaels and the sisters and Shrinking Jeans.

It was a challenge this week with the birthday party events and the yummilicious birthday cake. I didn't deprive myself of a piece (or two), I just knew that I had to do some extra work (which was totally worth it!!!).

The weather is getting nicer and that encourages me to drink water and eat healthier. Jillian says to chew on a piece of gum when you want to snack and this really works for me, so try it.

This week I am down 1/2 inch total and 0.2lbs. Not a lot but not a gain either!!! I'll take it!!