One step toward the potty, two steps back

The kids and I had to leave church early today. Why? Because Chickie hadn't pooped since Thanksgiving, and she was writhing on the floor in the nursery, crying. No amount of cajoling could get her to go.

As I got her in the car, I was crying too. I had no idea how emotional potty training could be, and I don't think a parent who hasn't had a resistant child can understand that. Part of what has been so hard for me through this process is that Chickie's "issues" are somewhat uncommon--a fear of, and resistance toward, pooping, not combined with actual constipation. Folks, if it was as easy as purchasing an expensive laxative, I would gladly do it. Dealing with these issues that are purely in her head is confusing and immensely frustrating. I've found myself wondering if I need to bring her to a child psychologist.

When I "let it go" and don't push her, I feel more at peace. And I thought that was working, in combination with lots of positive reinforcement (the potty chart and accompanying rewards) and plenty of Placebo. Then for some reason Friday and Saturday nights, she sat on the potty for long periods of time, with lots of crying and no solid results. By today she was so sore that it warranted getting her home to deal with it here.

Within an hour of being home, she did her business, in disposable training pants, not the potty.

I know this will work out eventually. I know the chances that she will always fear pooping are very low, since she is maturing emotionally, and most more mature kids are not terrified of pooping, especially if they don't have constipation issues. But in the middle of the mess (or lack of mess at times), it is surprisingly tiring and nearly all-consuming.

I really apologize for all the poop talk. Honestly, it's just hard to sit down and blog about something else when this is such a big deal today and has been such a big deal so much of the time lately. Seeing my daughter in self-induced misery and not being able to fix it--that's truly awful. Not to mention the pure frustration of knowing there are many parents blessed with kids who potty trained fairly quickly, without emotional issues. I know it's wrong, but I'm dealing with bitter, jealous feelings, wishing my child was like that. And I know I shouldn't care what others think, but I wonder if those parents who had it easy look at me and think I must just be doing it all wrong.

So there you go--musings of a not-so-happy mommy. The stinky truth.

Please welcome me...

...to the 21st century.

I finally got an MP3 player. I went pretty cheap since I want to see how much I'll use it before investing in something really cool like the iPod Touch. So I got a little Sandisk Sansa at a Black Friday sale.

Here's the thing--I don't listen to a lot of music. Remember my complaint about blogs that automatically play music? I listen to music in the car, sometimes, but more often than not I tune into talk radio. And (get ready for a gasp here), unless it's musical theatre or a really interesting opera or some sort of music that I can sing along to, I'm generally get bored watching live music. I know, I know--it's kinda weird.

So I've never felt the need to get an MP3 player. But my sister listens to a lot of podcasts on hers, and that interests me. Basically on-demand talk radio, on topics I find compelling? I'm there! I get bored on my walks with the kids and dog in the mornings, and I'm looking forward to listening to podcasts. I bet it'll help me walk longer, which will help me be healthier. This MP3 player just may save my life!

So if you listen to podcasts, "sell me" on which ones I should start subscribing to (or whatever the terminology is.) Funny, interesting, educational, inspiring--give me some links!

It's great to join you, my fellow humans, in the 21st century.

Thanksgiving: Fabulous or Flop?

Well, I'm pleased to say...the list/schedule worked; Thanksgiving dinner was on the table early; and it tasted great! Next time I'll want to improve on getting everything to stay hot because in general most things were lukewarm by the time we got it all done. But in general, the meal was a success, and it was wonderful to spend it with my husband, kids, grandparents and friends Laurel and Wendy.

Here were the recipes I used, along with my reviews of how they turned out.

Turkey breast, made in the CrockPot, with gravy made from the drippin's. This was delicious! It was so moist. I used Herbes de Provence (sold in spice section) as seasoning, along with the garlic powder, salt, and pepper called for in the recipe. The herbs were excellent. I also stuffed it with apple and onion, per the recipe. The turkey breast cooked a LOT more quickly than I expected. After 2 1/2 hours on low and 1 1/2 hours on high it was done. Mamma's gravy was yummy too!

Half a ham with apricot honey glaze. This was great too, and just like the turkey, it cooked more quickly than expected. Great flavor! I used bone-in ham which I think helped it stay juicy. I'd happily use the same glaze again.

Stuffing, which I'll be making in the oven--I'll try 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. (The recipe calls for it to be made in the CrockPot.) I wasn't thrilled with this stuffing recipe and will seek another.

Mashed potatoes with cream cheese and sour cream--I'll add bacon to these, and I won't make them in the CrockPot. (Unlike the awesome CrockPot Lady, I only have one slow cooker.) These were great, though I took them out of the oven too soon and they got lukewarm. They were much better later when I had leftovers that were nice and hot. Instead of using water and boullion, I used boxed chicken broth. I added bacon and chives--mmm. In the oven on 350 I'd say they need 30-40 minutes if you make a big batch like I did--the sour cream and cream cheese really cooled them off. Really a tasty recipe!

Broccoli salad. This was VERY good. Between the three ladies there besides me, I got two recipe requests. I used craisins instead of raisins, and used almonds instead of peanuts. Note that you need to make this the day before so it can marinate overnight. I do think the marinating time helped with the flavor.

Green bean casserole. Green bean casserole is so yummy--but I should have thawed my frozen green beans first; it took too long to cook and didn't get quite done.

Caramel apple pie. To die for. Make it. Seriously, SO good. I used a Pillsbury crust (the refrigerated kind that you just unroll) because they are so good and so easy. The recipe called for caramel squares, unwrapped and cut in two. Instead I bought a bag of little caramel pieces in the baking aisle, made for melting (for apples.) They were easier to use than whole caramels. And per my Mamma's suggestion, I beat an egg white a bit then brushed it on the unbaked crust, followed with a sprinkling of sugar. It was gorgeous, nicely browned on top.

It felt like a huge accomplishment to pull this off--and I had lots of hands helping me do it! Even better, The Engineer's hands did all the hand-washing of pots and pans and such afterward. What a guy.

And I'm very pleased to announce that before bed Chickie gave me a great reason to be thankful--again, for the second day in a row!