We are finally having winter here in the midwest. I wish it had been around the holidays when it would have seemed more festive…but that isn’t how it usually works. It has been pretty cold too, so that is really helping our gas bill to stay up there! I kind of open the bill with one eye closed hoping it won’t hurt too badly!

Well, on to potty-training. It is going really well! My daughter has gotten the hang of it pretty quickly. Now I keep thinking that I should have tried a few months ago and saved on those diapers. Sigh. But she is doing great. A friend of mine asked about bribing, etc. I haven’t, but her father did. We don’t drink soft drinks in our house, usually, unless my husband buys them. (I’m trying to work on him about that!) Our two-year old wanted to try some one day and of course I was telling her it was yucky, etc. Her father told her he would get her a Coke if she used her potty chair. Well, she did, so there was a big production last night about going to the store to get Coke. He bought Barq’s Rootbeer instead, but for her it still had the general idea. She loved it of course and the first thing this morning she wanted another one. I told her we don’t start the heavy stuff until after lunch! So, my husband did the bribing. But that makes sense because there is a picture of him as a toddler sneaking a bottle of some soft drink out of the fridge.

Well, I’m seeing a little sunlight peeking through the clouds, so that means AWANA probably won’t be cancelled at our church this evening. For the first time in many Wednesdays I’m actually ready to go…but it would still be nice to have an unexpected evening at home!

That about sums up by life today…a Monday no less!  I’m talking about my two-year old daughter.  I really want her to be potty-trained and have that done with…but I just don’t feel very ‘up’ to it.  It was never one of my favorite aspects of child-rearing.  I could handle weaning and taking away the bottle.  I never used pacifers.  But, this is a whole different ball game for me.  And at 42 I must say I’m REALLY not enjoying it! Every since I knew that I would be having another child at the age of 40, I’ve been dreading this time.  Hoping I would have a prodigy that would train her or himself by the age of 18 months.  But alas, that did not happen. My children are a huge help with it of course…but I still do the clean-up and laundry.  So all of you pray for me (and my daughter of course!) that this goes quickly. 

I must say that she does make it much easier because she is just so cute!  I’m sure God knew that too!  That cuteness in our children makes it much easier to wake up at 2 A.M. to change and feed a screaming baby!  That adorable little smile when they hand you a flower pulled up by the roots out of your struggling garden, really eases the pain.  The whispered, “I’m sorry mommy,” after they have scribbled with pen on your newly painted wall.  Yes, that cuteness and adorable smile have saved me from running away from home many times. So, back to the mines…Deb

Hello to those of you that check this and never find anything here!  I can’t believe another month has gone by since I posted the last time! 

My daughter has a gym membership through her job…so I have been making good use of that.  I hope to be very addicted to working out before my daughter leaves for college in June!  Before I was married, working out was a HUGE priority every day.  Isn’t it amazing (and a little sad) that is the case for many of us?  I think sometimes we feel that once we are married, or have children, that working out shouldn’t be such a priority anymore.  And it shouldn’t take priority over certain things, of course…daily devotions, family time, etc.  But,  some of us spend at least an hour a day just sitting and watching t.v., or just sitting and staring off into space.  (That’s not a personal testimony there!) That hour could be spent taking a walk, going to the gym, riding a bike.  It’s amazing what that hour will do for you.  I know I feel better and have much more patience with my children and the things I need to do after I spend that hour or so.  Especially those of us that write and spend time in front of a computer.  Get out and work that body so your brain can work better!

Anyway, those are my thoughts for today as I watch the gym attendance going down again.  Attendance had spiked for a couple weeks after the New Year, but is back to what it was before Christmas.  I hope this has been encouraging to some of you! Have a great day!