Pee on the Floor: A Potty Training Story

09/03/2015 R.C. Liley 8 Comments

We’ve been off and on with our attempt at potty training for Avery, but as she gets closer to being two, I figure we should start trying a little more. We bought an appropriately named book, Potty, in hopes she’d read it / look at the pictures and instantly want to be like the baby in the story.

She really enjoys the book, but seems to enjoy flipping to the kitty and doggy more than inspecting the use of the potty. She’ll flip right to the pages with an animal and point them out immediately.

We’re proud and happy she’s knowledgeable about animals and all, but Going Mom and I are aiming for diaper changing freedom here! The other day, I finally decided to get serious about potty training our little girl by following The Easiest Potty Training Method that Modern Alternative Mama wrote about.

Basically, it’s just get them naked, don’t make going potty a big ordeal, have a potty available, don’t try and reward them (this could make them only go potty for a treat and not using the potty when their bodies show a sign of needing to go), and ignore them by NOT asking them 50 million times if they need to go. Basically, everything we’ve been guilty of doing thus far.

So, I set out her potty in the kitchen (I was cooking as usual), got her naked, and put her Potty book down for a little incentive/reading material.

Right away, she gravitated to the toilet giving the impression she was ready to do just as the baby in the book and go potty! Just a minor course correction for her foot was all I offered, nothing about going pee or poo.

With her foot out and butt down, she took to reading. Yes, my plan was working!

As usual, she pointed out the kitty and doggy, but then continued on flipping the pages. All good signs, my anticipation grew by the second!

Uh oh, I think I spooked her a little. What? Is it soooo weird to sit around snapping photos of your naked toddler on the pot?

Don’t answer that, I just read the question out loud, and yes, yes it is weird. C’mon, you can’t tell me I’m the only parent out there that does this. Right? Right?

Whatever the case, she quickly recovered and continued sitting and flipping through the pages. Ooo, it was a good page, the part where he goes in the potty and proclaims “I did it!” This part gets her excited, which, subsequently, make us excited thinking how she gets it and it will start using potty from here on out.

Her face was beaming with pride as if she can and will go potty. I felt like this was it!

Well, even if it was, it wasn’t. Right after that page, she stood up from the toilet and sat right back down next to her pink plastic throne.

But at least it’s a good sign she still had the book, right? Wrong!

I’ll spare you the pictures (I actually did not take anymore), but what followed was a stream of pee right next to her potty. I quickly cleaned her legs and feet (yes, she made pee prints across the floor), and then the floor.

Trying extremely hard to remain calm, I caved and mentioned using the potty to go pee or poo so it doesn’t get on her legs or the floor. You could tell she was frustrated with not having a diaper to catch her refuse, so I thought an explanation would help. I even pointed out how the baby does it with the diaper off in her book.

I went back to doing chores around the house trying my best to ignore my nude toddler with a full bladder, but had to draw the line when she climbed the couch. She thought it was funny, but I only saw another potential clean-up.

With Avery back down and running around, I carried on around the house only to have her come up and give me a hug while saying “Hi.” That’s her “I know I did something wrong but look how cute I am” sign. I’m not one to turn down a hug, so I hugged her back then went looking for wet spot. This time it was the carpet in the playroom.

So, potty training, even if it is “the easiest method”, is not so easy. More hugs and “Hi’s” followed by a pee puddle search party continued for a while before nap time that day. I haven’t tried again since, but know consistency is key. Maybe just a little closer to two years old, then we’ll start again.

Do you have any potty training fail or success stories to share?

Do you like having a small potty like we have or a seat made for the large toilet? I think I’d like to get a seat for her to go on the real potty soon.

Food, Going Healthy, Parenting, WIAW

What My Toddler Eats In A Day + WIAW

09/02/2015 R.C. Liley 6 Comments

I can’t believe I haven’t shared a day of eats for our toddler yet. For as much as I love food and cooking, you would think I’d do this all the time. Well, thanks to Jen, a fellow reader and blogger over at My Kitchen Musings, who requested a day in the life of my daughter’s food intake, I finally did it!

It’s been a while since my last What I Ate Wednesday post, so what better time than now to join in by sharing what my toddler ate! I always enjoy this link-up, so please make sure to check out and share the host’s post (cool, a rhyme!) if you don’t mind.

Breakfast #1 – We always start the day by reading Hey! Wake UP! by Sandra Boynton followed immediately with a green smoothie. Since I ~~hardly~~ never measure ingredients, some smoothies can be super green and a little bitter, but she usually loves what I blend up. In fact, she gets down right cranky and impatient if I’m not quick enough to hand it to her.

Breakfast #2 – After drinking most of her smoothie (I usually have to help with finishing), I made a super nutritious bowl of oatmeal.

I’m not one for simplicity when it comes to cooking, this bowl consisted of organic rolled oats, organic chia seeds, organic shredded unsweetened coconut (not pictured), organic pumpkin puree, Great Lakes Gelatin, and obviously NuttZo stirred in. Oh yeah, and two packets of Pyure Sweet Stevia along with heaps of cinnamon. The smell of pumpkin with NuttZo and cinnamon had my stomach rumbling for my own bowl!

I made a lot, and that girl ate 90% of it on her own! That’ll be fun to change later…..

For the leftovers, I added organic cacao powder and egg to create a quick microwave cake treat for us to “share” later.

Yeah, I ate it all by myself during nap time. Sorry, Avery, hope you still love me.

Lunch – This girl loves her veggies, so we always have a large bag of organic Normandy Blend frozen veggies from Costco that we steam. Nothing added, just make them bite size, put them on her tray, and she’ll gobble them right up. Along with canned wild-caught salmon, another staple in our house, and a simple, healthy meal is served in no time.

Pretty? Not really, but the importance of good nutrition far outweighs anything else in my mind. Especially when it comes to feeding a beautiful growing body like our sweet little girl. I even gave her a few spoonfuls of avocado that she surprisingly ate without protest.

It might of had something to do with watching Sid the Science Kid, the only 20 minutes of screen time she gets a day, and my promise to give her air-popped popcorn.

We don't wear shirts for lunch! — We don’t wear shirts for lunch!

With nothing added, this Tiny But Mighty Heirloom Popcorn is awesome! If you ever see it, buy it to try. It’s easier to eat than other versions which makes a perfectly healthy toddler (and parent) snack.

Dinner – Using our handy slow-cooker, I made a black bean and quinoa stew with carrots, zucchini from our garden, and crushed tomatoes along with wild antelope round steak my brother gave me from his hunting trip.

I love slow-cooker meals, and luckily, Going Mom and Avery do too! No special kid food here, we all ate and enjoyed a big bowl of our meaty stew. It’s almost too thick to be called stew, but lets just call it thick stew. Deal? Deal.

Pre-bedtime Snack – I tell ya, she can eat. She didn’t seem fully satisfied after dinner (she shared a big bowl with Mommy), so we gave her a few of these Go Raw Pizza Flax Snax to top her off.

We have to remind her to chew (only a million times a day), but she loves these things and I enjoy them too. They really have a good pizza flavor that makes them fun to crumble on a salad or eggs.

And there you have it, a typical day of eats for our 21 month old girl. We are proud that she enjoys fresh, whole foods and doesn’t cry for sweet treats all the time, and hopefully we can keep it that way. Only time will tell.

Do you have special food for your little ones or do they eat what you eat?

When it comes to cooking, do you tend to just throw things in as you please or prefer to measure it all out?

Going Healthy, Going Reviews, Promo

Dr. Mercola Complete Probiotics Review: Happy Gut, Healthy Body

09/01/2015 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

I used to think gut health simply meant not feeling bloated and gassy. But, over the years, I’ve learned a healthy gut plays a vital role in the health of our whole body, including our mind.

Maintaining a healthy diet comprised of whole, minimally processed food is the biggest factor to ensuring a happy and healthy gut microbiome. By feeding yourself, and therefore the symbiotic bacteria/organisms inside your body, with nutritious foods, you’re helping to reinforce yourself with a healthy body.

A common example of the microbiota living inside us are gut bacteria that thrive on probiotics. For me, I make a point to eat various cultured and fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, etc. But, if you tend to be constantly stressed, travel a lot, or exercise, having a good probiotic supplement is essential to help support your immune system.

Even someone who considers their diet to be very healthy, like me, can benefit from supplementing with a high quality probiotic. I’ve been taking Complete Probiotics by Dr. Mercola for almost two weeks and already notice an improvement.

When it comes to taking anything in pill form, I am extremely cautious. Many manufactures have other ingredients like magnesium stearate or artificial colors just to make the capsule look “cool”, but Complete Probiotics has none of that. Click here for a PDF of their complete product label.

After about 2 days, I felt a little better inside and things just moved better, to put it nicely. Not that I had a lot of trouble before, but with my constant need to exercise daily and finding anything to stress over for no reason, a little help was welcome. As a lover and daily consumer of plain Greek yogurt, I always figured I’m getting plenty of beneficial probiotics, but never thought of the effect high heat pasteurization has on reducing the beneficial bacterial.

Most commercial yogurts are not a good source of probiotics. Heat pasteurization significantly reduces most of the “good” bacteria benefits.

Guess that’s one reason I still felt bloated so often. Thanks to Complete Probiotics, I’m feeling better mentally and physically by just taking two capsules first thing in the morning.

Even better, since they do not need refrigeration, they are perfect for travel, when we need them most. I will never advocate a supplement in place of a diet with real, wholesome food, but with the difference I’ve felt after taking Dr. Mercola’s Complete Probiotics, I think they’re worth looking into. Check out their site for extensive information on what makes Complete Probiotics stand out from the rest, and to order your own.

Here’s a snippet for the summary of advantages as listed on Dr. Mercola’s page.

If you find that you’re constantly stressed, exercise vigorously, travel a lot, or just feel rundown, a good probiotic might help you improve. Again, no supplement will ever make up for a poor diet, so I’d always say look to make changes there if needed.

Since I’ve felt the good results from taking Complete Probitics, I’ve become interested in all of the products Dr. Mercola has to offer including things for pets, kids, fitness, household use, and more.

Check out their site and let me know what supplement or other product you’d like to try most.

*The product/s mentioned above have been given to me to review, and without any form of compensation. The opinions in this article are solely my own, and have not been influenced by Mercola.com and/or other parties. I understand that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not evaluated any of the statements mentioned above. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health condition. Pregnant women, nursing moms, and people who are taking medications or have a medical condition should consult their physician before using this product.