Today was a big day for Judah, one that marks a significant transition for him, and he won’t even remember it. Today was the day he officially started potty training. Thanks to a recommendation from my dear sister-in-law, Mary, I’ve used the same method with all of my children thus far, and it works really well. I must admit that with the first three kids I trained, I was so tired and frustrated and I was in tears by the end of the day, simply because of how intensive the day is. But now I’m mentally prepared for what is involved with the training, and I just settle in for a very long day. I also take comfort in realizing that the child I’m training is just as exhausted at the end of the day as I am, since it’s been pretty intensive for them, too.

But lest I get too arrogant with my success in potty training, I must also confess that I confidently recommended this method to my sister a year and a half ago for training her little guy, and it simply did NOT work. No way, no how. And as you might imagine, I was shaken in my confidence of this method. But fortunately, Judah seemed willing to participate in my little game of going potty on the toilet, so I did regain just a little of my former assurance.

Tonight I’m quite weary and ready for a quiet evening. I needed to run to Walmart to get pull-ups for Judah (for bedtime and going places), and Michael asked me to get some ice cream while I was there. He didn’t need to ask me twice! I stood in front of the Breyers ice-cream display and labored over just which flavors would be the best. I finally decided on plain ol’ vanilla for Michael (his favorite), and I chose “caramel pretzel” for myself (I don’t have a favorite.). I also grabbed a bucket of vanilla ice cream for the kids, since I don’t want their paws in my box of ice cream.

So anyway, that’s my day. Usually at the end of the day I feel a little guilty for not doing everything I should have done, but today I feel like I worked pretty hard.