February 2012

Game On: The Adventures of Potty Training

Heidi with sons (Bowen, Carter) and husband Jason

By Heidi Hackel (1/3 Mom)

Potty training has begun in the Hackel household.  I THOUGHT I was fully prepared.  I did a month of research on what method to use, talked to several friends who have all been through it, and had all the right underwear.  My husband and I had numerous discussions on what to call #1 and #2 (we decided on “empty your tank” and “big potty”).  I even had two potty chairs so we could see which one my son, Carter, preferred.  But nothing prepared me for trying to coerce a 2 ½ year old strong willed child to simply relieve himself on a potty.  Sanity and patience quickly went out the window, as did trying to avoid ever getting pee on my carpet. 

As expected, there were some accidents the first few days, but he was getting the hang of #1.  By day three I was determined to catch him having a “big potty”.  I knew he had to go, so I slipped the potty chair under him in the living room while he was playing cars at the coffee table. A few minutes later there is a precious nugget, of what I would consider at this point to be gold, sitting in the bottom of the potty chair.  Whoo hoo, we are on the home stretch!!!  According to all my sources, once they poop in the potty one time they get it.  But not my son.  The next day he is walking around on his tippy toes saying, “It hurts mommy, it hurts”, and holding his bottom.  After an hour of coaxing by both me and my hubby, he gets a little something out.  The next few days it’s all downhill.  Because he won’t go, it’s hurting.  But because he’s hurting, he won’t go. 

In a flash of what I thought was brilliance, I told Jason to pretend to go in his potty chair using a fun size Snickers as a prop.  He pulled off an amazing pretend potty, if Carter hadn't recognized what it was from the one time he'd had a Snickers at Halloween.  He got very excited that, "Daddy pottied candy!", and tried to reach in and grab it.  But my sweet husband was still going with it.  They went to the big potty, dumped it in, and flushed it.  Carter proceeded to wave and say, "Bye candy".  Well, so much for that idea….

The next two days involved rubber gloves, glycerin suppositories, Mirilax, and eventually just putting a diaper back on him so he could get the “big potty” out before putting him back into his undies so I could try to preserve the progress we’d made with getting the pee in the potty.  This process is still going.  I never thought I would have a website titled Getting your Child to Poop on the Potty bookmarked, but I do.  (And no, I will not be pinning it to my Pinterest account.)

But I have learned a few things through this process.  To be thankful for a healthy child, who’s only problem is that he is literally anal retentive.  To persevere and stick to what we started.   To do what I know my child needs at the moment, despite what the books tell you to do or not to do.  And to enjoy these times when they are small enough to let you be in the bathroom with them, cheering on a poop. Ahh, I hear my little potty trainee waking up from his nap.  Time to go “empty the tank”. ***

“Mentor’s Favorite Things…”

“One of my favorite things I have done was to have a date with each of my children.  We have 5 kids and both my husband and I wanted to make sure they each felt loved and special.  The fun is in exploring what your child really likes to do when there is no one else around. One of my children loved the pet store.  We would go and just spend an hour looking at the fish, turtles, birds, snakes etc until they got tired of looking.  We had the best “one on one” conversations there.  Another child loved to hike, another loved lunch out just the two of us.  The point is to find whatever their little heart desires and spend time getting to know them.  It is the best investment you could ever make and the dividends will return ten-fold.  Priceless!” – Kristi Barth (1/3 Mentor)

“One of my favorite things I did for my husband Dave was give him a surprise party for his 37th birthday.  I had about 10 couples hiding out in our little barn after dinner on a Friday night.  They made a big sound, Dave thought it was our horse, and he went to the barn to see what was going on.  They were all in there and when he turned on the light they all yelled surprise!  I think I had more fun than he did surprising him.”  – Linda Bishop (2/4 Mentor)

Time Out To Cook (From Kari College 2/4 - via insidebrucrewlife.blogspot.com)

Salted Caramel Mocha Brownie Cups

1 brownie mix (for a 9x13 pan)

4 tsp. instant coffee

1/4 c. hot water

1/2 c. oil

3 eggs

caramel kisses

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Dissolve the coffee in the water. Mix the brownie mix, coffee water, oil and eggs until just moistened. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 - 3/4 full. Bake 18-24 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs on it. Cool in the pan for 3 minutes, then press a caramel kiss into the center point first. Cool 5 more minutes. Carefully remove to a wire rack and cool completely. Frost with Salted Caramel Butter Cream. Drizzle with extra caramel. Makes 15 brownie cups.

Salted Caramel Butter Cream

1 c. butter

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 c. caramel ice cream topping

1 tsp. sea salt

4 1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. milk

*Stir the sea salt into the caramel topping and set aside. Cream the butter and vanilla for 3 -4 minutes. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar. It will be very thick. Pour in the caramel and beat again. If you feel like it is too thick, you can always add a tsp. of milk. Just make sure to whip it in completely. You might have a little bit of frosting left over, but after one bite of it, you will be digging in with a spoon.

Game Stats

When asked which you would rather receive as a gift, chocolate or flowers:

63% Flowers, 32% Chocolate (4 voted both and 2 voted neither!)

The Christ Community Church MOPS Facebook page has 119 followers. Are you one? Join in and see updates and engage on Facebook with your MOPS friends between meetings:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Christ-Community-Church-MOPS/125998760779919

Be A Team Player!

Like to bake cookies with your kids and teach them about giving at the same time? Join a Valentine’s blessing to families by baking 2 dozen cookies and delivering them to Christ Community Church by February 5^th. Contact janafayemurphy@gmail.com with any questions.

Have any interest in helping with Compass Ministries after school program? Contact Jenny Berg at jennyb@cccomaha.org to see how you can be more involved.

Go Play Around Town

(Websites: http://vacation.visitomaha.com/, http://www.visitnebraska.org/, www.MomsOfOmaha.com)

Kid's Meal Deals - Selected Restaurants  Check this link for free or discounted kid's meals offered by more than 20 area restaurants.

Fontenelle Forest Nature Center's "Mud Pies" program for children 5 and under.  Available Monday & Tues. mornings until May 20th; starts again Sept. 8th. Cost is $2 per child for members; $3 for non-members.  Adults admitted free. restaurants.

Baby Maestro 10804 Prairie Hills Drive Omaha  (402) 614-0068
Baby Maestro offers fun music & movement classes for children 6 weeks to 5 years old.  Parents or caregivers attend with their children.  Instruction is informal; children participate as they choose to do at their development level.  Class size is 7 - 12 children.  Attend a free class to check it out.

Boys Town Student Art Show. January 01, 2012 - May 31, 2012. Boys Town youth put their best artistic efforts on display at the Hall of History. This show features a variety of artwork from residents of all ages. Recurring daily. Venue: Boys Town. Address: Hall of History, 14057 Flanagan Blvd, Boys Town NE. Times: 10am-4pm. Phone: (402) 498-1186. Admission: Free. http://www.boystown.org

Celebrate Black History on Stamps. January 01, 2012 - March 03, 2012. View stamps of famous Black Americans on display at the Leon Myers Stamp Center, located in the Boys Town Visitors Center. Recurring daily. Venue: Boys Town. Address: Leon Myers Stamp Center, 13628 Flanagan Blvd. Times: Mon-Fri/8am-5pm; Sat/9am-4pm; Sun/11am-4pm. Phone: (402) 498-1141. Admission: Free. http://www.boystown.org

The Adventures of Nate the Great! February 03, 2012 - February 19, 2012. Nate is a mighty detective capable of solving even the most complicated mysteries. When Annie loses a painting of her dog, she calls on him. Taking into consideration the details of her work, he tracks down the most unexpected culprit. Recurring weekly on Sunday, Friday, Saturday. Venue: The Rose Theater. Address: 2001 Farnam St. Times: Fri/7pm; Sat/2 & 7pm; Sun/2pm. Phone: (402) 345-4849. Admission: $16 or FREE with Membership. http://www.rosetheater.org

Announcements!!

February 3(1/3) & 10(2/4): Couponing and Glass Etching

            (Bring your own glasses, dish or bowl or use one we will provide!)

February 17(1/3) & 24(2/4): Mom Panel!!!!

February 17!!! MOPS & POPS: A Magical Evening! 6:30-9:30pm in the Christ Community Church Student Center (junior high room) $12/couple. Purchase tickets at next meeting.

Prayer hotline:  Have a prayer need? Please send it to: prayer4mops@gmail.com

MOPPETS

Thank you for serving your 2 days in MOPPETS! It is VITAL that you show up on your assigned days so we can continue to provide a quality program for our children. If you have a conflict, please switch with another MOPS mom and contact our Childcare Coordinator, Michelle Brewer (michelleb@cccomaha.org), ASAP of the change. Please refer to your directory or your DGL for contact info. When you arrive at the church, check the posting by the nursery check-in table to find where you have been assigned to help. Thank you for your cooperation! This months assignments are listed below:

February 1 - Steering (9-11:45)  
Sarah Bouman
Jody Hemmingson
Cheri Schnack
Courtney Hinze

February 3 - 1/3 Meeting (8:45-11:30)
Heidi Green
Brenda Boggs
Nicole Deprez
Erika Barber
Chelsea Little
Jennifer Riser

Kristi Langford

February 8 – 1/3 Steering (9-11:30)
Jessica Beck
Christa Cottam
Emily Banks
Jenny Reid

February 10 – 2/4 Meeting (8:45-11:30)  

Courtney Scott
Shelley Williams

Michelle Desmet
Amanda Derby
Jenifer Burchfiel
Cindy Francis
Louise Pedersen

February 17 - 1/3 Meeting (8:45-11:30)
Holly Gillespie
Tami Tran
Carolyn Smith
Stacey Morgan
Haley Abenchuchan
Kirstin Brummels
Kelley Greening

February 24 - 2/4 Meeting  (8:45-11:30)
Tiffani Herfordt
Susan Harris
Cindy Francis
Whitney Julian
Wendy Sewell
Amanda Peters
Jennifer Vidmar

February 29 - Steering (9-11:45)
Christina Ingraham
Joy Gregory
Meredith Ehrenberg