I’m on Spring Break from work right now, and I’m trying to enjoy it. But Monkey has been extra fussy, I think from the potty training. I mean, tantrums when I ask her to try going potty. And for the most part, she goes when she needs to. But if I know we’re about to go out somewhere or ride in the car, I’d really like her to try to go right before we leave so there’s a smaller chance of accidents.
So anywho. Honey leaves for work at around 5:30 am every day, so when the kids wake up after that, it’s all on me. Today, Bear woke up to nurse around 4 am, and again at 7. (Yes, I got to sleep in until 7 today, and yes, it was glorious.) After he woke up at 7 and nursed, he didn’t want to go back to sleep, but I did, so I put him down in his crib and let him play while I tried to doze back off. (Spoiler alert: didn’t work.) Around 7:45 he wasn’t having it anymore so I picked him up and we snuggled. Monkey woke up shortly after that.
Breakfast was cereal for Monkey and a concha for me. While we ate, we watched some Sofia the First, and Bear played in his jumperoo.
My plans for the day included possibly going to Free Forest School, and if not that, then story time at the library. But at 9, when I tried to get Monkey to use the potty, she had a melt down. Screaming, crying, snot running down her face because “I not need to go potty!” As though me saying, “okay, before we go, I want you to try to use the potty” was the same as me using duct tape to force her onto the potty.
So, I tried to calmly deal with the screaming, then I not so calmly made her stay in her room until she stopped screaming, then wiped her snotty face, got her changed and calmed down, and then the screaming started again. By that time, Bear had fallen back asleep. I was just thinking to myself “we are never going to be able to leave this house” when I heard a happy little “Mommy, I did it!” from the other room.
Too late for forest school and too late for story time, we headed to my parents house so I could get a break. I am extremely fortunate to have my family nearby and home just about 24/7 so there is always someone there to hang out and help out. We had a nice morning over there until my dad wanted to take Monkey to the park because, again, I asked her to try to use the potty before going to the park. Instantly turned into a fit of screams just like earlier. I think my poor dad might be traumatized. My dad took her outside to try to calm her down but honestly, that just made me feel embarrassed because not only is my toddler having a major fit, but now the whole neighborhood gets to hear it. No amount of “it’s okay if you don’t have to pee. I just want you to sit in the potty and try for a minute before you go” would get her to cooperate. When she started yelling st me and tried to push me, I had had enough, so I told her she could try to use the potty or we would be going home. More screams. So my dad tried (unsuccessfully) to wrestle her into her car seat, I eventually got her buckled in, and we headed back home. By the time we got home, she was knocked out, and ended up taking a 2 hour nap.
I tried to get Bear to nap when we got home, but chances are when you have two kids, you’ll never get them to sleep at the same time. So I watched some tv and Bear rolled around the living room for a while. Eventually Monkey woke up, my husband got home from work, and I suggested a costco trip. Again, I wanted Monkey to try to use the potty before we went to the store, and again, I’m sure you know how that went. (Not great.) Honey ended up taking Bear to the store while Monkey and I stayed home and I waited for her to eventually use the potty. Which she finally did, an hour later, as my Honey pulled up after shopping.
By this point in the day, my brain felt like melted cheese, so I decided we should have some melted cheese for dinner. Honey made chicken quesadillas while I entertained the kids (aka sat on the couch and checked facebook, occasionally getting up to play with a Princess or shake a rattle).
Bear went to bed at 8:30, and fortunately my husband is in charge of putting Monkey to bed, because it’s 9:45 PM and I can hear her little footsteps in the living room. Meanwhile, I’m in bed, writing this.
This was not one of my better days. We watched a lot of TV, there was a lot more screaming than normal, and I can tell you that today I accomplished washing half of the dishes and putting one load of laundry in the washer. But that’s why I’m a B- Mom. The goal of this blog is to share the ins and outs of my perfectly average parenting journey, with its highs and lows, in a candid and honest way. Because I know I’m not the only imperfect parent out there. And if you’re an imperfect parent like me, reader, then I hope you feel a little less alone.
See you next time,
B
Confessions of a B-Minus Mom 