Raising Godly Tomatoes

Hey girls, just wanted to let you in on Raising Godly Tomatoes.  If you haven't heard of it or read it, I think there is a lot of GOOD stuff here.  Check out the website http://www.raisinggodlytomatoes.com/ I'll go ahead and say that a lot of what she says, I would have probably quickly been defensive of or assumed it was for "that" type of mom.  Oddly today it seems to ring so true to me.  Funny how we change.  Thought it was definitely worth sharing.  Hoping your discipline/training with your kids is going well!

Purple Sweet Potato?!?

I was trying to use some produce before it went bad and I had a sweet potato in the fridge for a while. I baked it and thought we'd each have some "mashed" sweet potato with dinner (it was a big one). When I got it out of the microwave and cut it IT WAS PURPLE INSIDE. I thought that it must be bad and looked it up online; well apparently there is a purple sweet potato. HOW FUN! I didn't mash it well, but I did put a little butter and honey on it. It looked just like a regular sweet potato from the outside and I must have accidentally bought it or it must have accidentally gotten into the sweet potato stack at the grocery store. I hope I can find it in the future! The holiday menu just got a little brighter :).

Incidentally, the spinach salad behind it has mandarin oranges, almond slices, onion and a pomegranate salad dressing. Yum!

Too "rich" not to post

 So I totally feel like the ungrateful American, but surely this is a good excuse.

I was out late with the kids.  Ended up waiting on a friend who is going to do some work at our yet to be lived in house in Toccoa, so it was important to wait.  We are on the way home wwwaaayyyy too late (9:45pm) and I smell that smell any mother recognizes.  It's that not normal poop smell.  Simeon's little tummy has been off the last day or so and this is OBVIOUSLY one of those times.  Everyone is tired, Mama included. 

We arrive home and I'm anxious to get them to bed.  I grab a diaper and a box of wipes, but quickly realize that THIS is gonna be messy.  Without being too graphic, this has got to be one of the worst diapers I've ever seen (back, front, side and everything in between).  I quickly decide that this would be done better in the bathtub. 

I run to the bathroom holding him as far away from me as I can...mind you diaper is still on.  I put him in the tub and take the diaper off and start getting to work some with wipes.  After wipe 5 or 6 I realize that it's just not working.  At this point I'm "dirty" too.  SO, I go to turn on the water in the bathtub to take care of business.... OH WAIT, This is the 3rd time in the last month that the neighborhood is mysteriously without water.  WHAT GREAT TIMING.  So, poop EVERYWHERE and no water.  I start chucking it from the back of the toilet just to get the boy (and myself) clean.  I know there are many people who live with unreliable water sources at best...but this is America right? 

Serves me right, last time the water quit my first thought was how I would manage without coffee the next morning.

~~ the ugly American ~~

P.S. I thought it would be best to NOT post a picture with this one... You're Welcome :)

Free Fun (or cheap fun)

Hey,  you guys should totally check out if there are any state parks or other free/cheap things in your areas.  I know the last time I randomly checked for something fun, the Cabbage Patch Hospital was having a huge fun day with bouncy houses and other stuff.  It was only 20 minutes away and we had a GREAT time.  I just posted about today's $5 adventure at Tugalo State Park beach area.  The kids LOVED it.  I posted a few camera phone pics here. 

IT'S POTTY TIME

Hey guys!  I am ecstatic that Simeon has the whole potty thing down.  He doesn't usually ask to go and if I don't remind him he might wet the diaper.  Still totally peeing in his sleep (but Eliya did that for almost a year after she was completely potty trained), BUT he is going 9 times out of 10 when I take him and staying dry for 2-3 hour stretches during the day.  I take him every 30 minutes to an hour when I think about it.  Needless to say, I'm super encouraged about it. 

For the joy set before me, I endure the floor getting wet and the frustration of early potty training.  Just wanted to say for the two of you who might be getting close to potty training, I was told with Eliya that she was too young at 18 months, and it did take about 6 weeks for it to click and not wear diapers in public, but by 20 months she was completely diaperless except for naps.  I have been told with Simeon that boys are much slower and he won't train until 3 or more and he's 26 months and unless there is some major reverting, he'll be diaperless within a month too!

Want to share?

I have wanted to put together a place in my blog where I could share different fun things that worked with kids; whether it be crafty things, food, discipline, fun or whatever and I thought it would be AWESOME if my friends could not only read it but participate in sharing thoughts and ideas on what's working (and not working) for you and your family. 

If you are interested in posting occasionally, let me know and I will add your e mail address.  The group can have 10 contributors so I thought I would keep it to mutual friends with kids in similar age ranges.