Gloria in Excelsis Deo: {SQT} Potty Training Milestones

1. Church Events this Week

On Saturday night, we were blessed and honored to attend a reception for a new priest, ordained that morning in our diocese. I have no pictures, but it was a beautiful and elegant family event.

On Sunday morning, the priest said his first Mass and led a lengthy procession around the neighborhood.

On Wednesday night, John was assigned to serve the low Mass.

2. Swimming in the Creek

In our new explorations of Little Sugar Creek Greenway, we have discovered a swimming area. Numerous other families from our neighborhood swim there as well. The kids had a thrilling time during our first visit, even swimming in their clothing. (We've since decided that we only want two kids in the water at a time so we can better keep them safe.) During their second visit with Dad, they wore swimsuits and told me that they "ran the rapids" (!) and found a water snake (!!).

3. Potty Training

David (22 months) has been potty training for these last three weeks, no longer needs a diaper for naps or overnight, and even experienced 24 hours without a single accident. He very happily skips using a little potty much of the time and climbs up himself onto the full-sized toilet (no insert) and uses that instead! I view potty training as a long process--like a baby learning how to roll over, crawl, walk slowly, run, and jump--so I say a child "is potty training" instead of "is potty trained." I know there are plenty of accidents in our future, but I'm so happy for his new awareness.

I read half a dozen books on potty training before settling on this one a few years ago as my by far, top favorite: "Oh Crap, Potty Training" by Jamie Glowacki. I quite dislike the crass title, but this mother of only one has potty trained hundreds of children (maybe thousands by now) and I think she has wisdom to share. Although she doesn't seem to know it, Glowacki's methods also sync beautifully with Elimination Communication, which I believe in and worked beautifully with my second child (who was 100% potty trained by 18 months). I never had time again to do E.C. but I still know it works. I also think having global awareness of how many other cultures handle the pottying of infants--such as the Chinese and Indians--is helpful.

Quick summary of Glowacki's advice:

Watch for window of readiness (it's brief)
Readiness comes earlier, not later
Go diaper-free all in one fell swoop
Do not use Pull-Ups
Cool, calm demeanor from parents
No rewards
Do not leave the house or do anything except potty training during the first week.
Wear really easy clothing (in my case, a girl in a dress or a boy in a romper that is left unbuttoned between the legs).

In one week, David learned to refer to himself by name (his nickname Dee-Dee) and exclaim, "Mine!" David also got a fresh hair cut and is looking like a big boy. But he's still my sweet baby!

4. Cowboys

These two tough fellas have been playing cowboy every day this week, including protecting me from varmints when we go on neighborhood walks.

5. Miscellaneous

The cicadas of the summer have hatched. For those who don't live in an area with cicadas, I will let you know that they make a loud singing sound all day, every day, for a couple of months. Now it is a drone we tune out, but when Chris and I first moved here, we could not believe everyone could simply keep functioning with the seemingly deafening roar.

Joseph swimming

Joseph (rising first grader) finished his math book (his current favorite subject).

We transplanted our seedlings that the children grew from seed at the farm tour last week.

6. Homeschooling with Preschoolers in the Mix by Simply Charlotte Mason

This video is not specific to Charlotte Mason method whatsoever and is chock full of wonderful, achievable methods for how to homeschool with preschoolers in the mix.

Here are my notes from listening to the 30-minute conversation:

Have an organized plan for what you want to accomplish in school, at least weekly, preferably daily.
Have a Boot Camp Week (or one might call it an Orientation Week) in which your goal is not to teach any book learning, but just to teach routines and behavioral expectations that you will use during school.
Include preschoolers whenever possible, e.g., sitting at the table with you or playing quietly in the room with you.
Fill the emotional tanks of your preschoolers first thing, for example, have the older children clean up after breakfast and do their chores while you have focused time with the preschoolers.
Devote time to the older children after lunch during Quiet Time, when babies should be napping and preschoolers quietly in their rooms.
Pair children for Sibling Time. Older child is paired with preschooler while parent works with a third child. Cycle your preschooler through the older siblings so the little guy is occupied and supervised all the time. See ideas for workboxes below. Another idea: older child reads aloud to younger one, younger child reads aloud to older one!
Teach babies Blanket Time and you can use that through the preschool years.
Have preschoolers go through Stations (different physical areas), such as Blanket Time, Book Time on the Bed, Toy Area Time.
Have workboxes that you rotate out each week. These are purposeful activities, not formal school, and not simply toys. Ideas: Playdough, 5 picture books in a box, cutting strips of paper, using large tweezers to pick up pom poms and put them in a jar, threading beads on a pipe cleaner, using easy stencils and fat crayons, doing stamping on paper.
Have special toys that are only allowed to come out during school time.
Use a visual timer so that preschoolers can see how much time they have left at a station or an activity.