Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Happy Birthday to me!

Today is my birthday. I'm 37. I'm not someone who usually freaks out too much about my age on my birthday but I have to admit, the closer I get to 40 the more it's starting to freak me out. I'm trying not to think about it.

So I have a ton to talk about! I'm going to make two separate posts because we took a trip last weekend that fulfilled one of our year of adventure activities and I want to give it it's own separate post. We rented a cabin in the mountains for a few days as kind of an early birthday present to me, because renting cabins is one of my favorite things to do. We had a great time, I'll post about it in a few minutes.

Before I go too much further I need to update about the ducks! Shortly after I made my post last week about them coming back, they left again. We went on our little trip and when we got home I still didn't see them so I figured they were gone for good. Then the next morning I heard some quacking and looked outside and there they were again! They've been out there all week. They leave for a little bit and then come back and as soon as I open up the back door they come running to me to be fed. I'm still not seeing any eggs though, so I don't really know what their plans are.

Here's what I'm discovering though. I'm pretty sure that all my neighbors think that the ducks belong to them, lol. One of my friends was at my neighbors house the other day and she was all excited about the ducks in her backyard. I'm pretty sure they're the same ducks, they're just going up and down our street from house to house. They're probably getting fed all up and down our street. No wonder they're so friendly! So I have no idea what is going to happen with the ducks. I'm still feeding them and hoping for the best.

In other news, I'm potty training Clarissa this week. Someone just shoot me now. I HAAAATE potty training. In my 12 years of parenthood, potty training easily ranks up there as my #1 least favorite part of parenting. My boys were both nightmares to potty train and I had such high hopes that potty training a girl would be easier. Nope. Turns out she's just as stubborn as the boys.

I really should have potty trained her months ago, but I've been dragging my feet about it. I had a hundred excuses. I wanted to wait until after the holidays, then I wanted to wait until no one in the house was sick, then I wanted to wait because of track break, then I wanted to wait because we were going out of town...excuses, excuses, excuses. I think I was just hoping that if I waited long enough she'd miraculously potty train herself or the potty training fairy would come down from Heaven and do it for me. No such luck.

So Monday I decided that it was finally time and I took her to Walmart and we stocked up on potty training supplies. I bought poster board and stickers and candy and princess underwear and assorted cheap toy bribes. We came home and made her a potty chart and hung it in the bathroom. Every time she goes potty she gets a sticker on her chart and two Bottle Cap candies (she loves those) and when she gets to a square on her chart with a star on it (which happens about once a day) she gets to pick a prize out of my prize bag. For the past three days I've done nothing but take that kid to the potty every 30-45 minutes. I set the timer on the stove and when it goes off we go potty. For the most part it's working, at least it was for the first two days. She's a little bit over it today and hasn't been as cooperative. I'm a little over it myself, to tell you the truth. It's taking everything I have no to put a diaper back on her. It's becoming hard to fake enthusiasm for peeing 500 times a day, lol. My next door neighbor told me this morning that one of her kids potty trained themselves and she didn't have to do anything. I wanted to kick her in the shins.

So this is how my birthday has gone so far. It started off awesome. My family came into my room this morning to give me the cards they had made me. I didn't really get presents to open because the cabin trip was my present and I also bought myself some new clothes a couple of days ago, which was awesome and more than enough, but Shawn felt bad that I wouldn't have anything to open so he sat down with the kids yesterday and everyone made me a card. I had the best time looking at all of them this morning. They really spent a lot of time drawing me pictures and writing sweet notes and I really really love them. Best birthday present ever.

The rest of my day has been a little bit crazy! Josh is home sick, I spent a good portion of my morning in the bathroom with Clarissa reminding her that poop goes in the potty and NOT in her underwear(*sigh*) and in the meantime my phone kept ringing. My mom called to wish me a Happy Birthday, which was sweet and awesome and I talked to her for a while and then I switched from that phone call right to a friend who called to tell me Happy Birthday and chat for a bit, which was also awesome, and in the middle of juggling the phone calls and the potty training my next door neighbor came over while I was on the phone to tell me that she had someone coming to look at the fence that goes between our houses because it's falling over and needs to be fixed and we're splitting the costs.

So I got off the phone with my friend and called Shawn to tell him that the fence guy was coming and Shawn said that he was bringing me lunch for my birthday. My husband is awesome, by the way. So I went outside to meet with the fence guy (while keeping an eye on the clock so I can juggle a potty training argument in with Clarissa every 30 minutes), and when the fence guy got got there he noticed that we had a gas leak on the gas line on the side of our house. ACK! So I was trying to keep an eye on the clock to get Clarissa to the potty, talk to my neighbor and the house guy about the fence, figure out what to do about the gas leak, Shawn showed up with lunch (and called the gas company AND took over a round of potty training Clarissa, which is why I love that man), so I ate lunch, ran back to the neighbors house to find out what the verdict was on the fence (she's getting two more bids), then saw the gas guy in front of my house, who figured out what the problem was and fixed it (yay), and then I ran back inside just in time for Clarissa to poop in her underwear. How many times do I have to say it-POOP GOES IN THE POTTY! I'm tired.

So I got Clarissa down for her nap, (yay, no potty training for an hour an a half!) and now I'm getting my blogging done and then I'm going to go take a shower so I can get ready for the second half of my day, which I'm looking much more forward to! Shawn ordered me a birthday cake from the lady I always get our cakes from, which I'm really looking forward to, so we're going to eat some cake after he gets home from work and then this evening my friends are taking me out for an evening of fun! We're taking a glass fusing class (I'm not sure what that is exactly, but it sounds fun!) and then going out for some birthday desert. An entire evening with people who already know how to poop in the potty. Yay me! :) I have awesome friends and I'm really excited for a girls night out. A perfect end to a busy day!

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