Peepocalypse!!!

So I don't know what happened. We have 3 kids, 2 dogs, and 3 cats, so let's face it, it could've been any one of them. Someone peed in my boys' bedroom!!! IT. WAS. BAD. I smelled it one morning and thought maybe it was their bedding; everyone had been sick, and things were kinda funky. So, I stripped the beds and did massive amounts of laundry all day. I thought that had done it...boy, was I wrong! The next morning it smelled even worse in there!! I went into attack mode. I shampooed the carpet with our carpet cleaner. I sprinkled baking soda. I vacuumed. It STILL stunk! I was in a panic. I was convinced we were going to have to take the carpet out of their bedroom. That's when my sister in law came to the rescue. You guys!!! This is the greatest thing. EVER!!! I don't know where Emma found this, but hot damn, did it work! Here's what you need:

Baking soda
Peroxide
Vinegar
Dawn dishsoap
Scrub brush

Okay so I sprinkled the entire area with baking soda. Then I used my peri bottles (yes! I still had peri bottles from when my daughter was born...3+ years ago! Don't judge me! Haha) for the peroxide and vinegar. I used about twice as much peroxide as vinegar, though there's no exact science to it. Then I squirted a little bit of the dish soap onto the rest (don't use too much! You don't want to end up with a bunch of bubbles). Then I just went to town with my scrub brush. I scrubbed it in until it was fairly evenly distributed. Now comes the waiting....if you've got a fan, I'd suggest using it to help the carpet dry up faster.
By the time my kids were ready for bed, it was time to vacuum. Make sure your baking soda is completely dry, or your vacuum is going to be a mess, and you're not going to be a happy camper. Trust me on this!! I had to scrub a bit more as it had gotten pretty crusty.
The verdict? The smell is GONE!!! I'm completely amazed! I wish my sister in law didn't live so far away, because I'd be giving her a big old kiss right about now. I'm keeping this one in my back pocket, because with this many kids and critters in the house, it's bound to happen again! Hopefully it will work for you too!

Potty Training: AKA Every Kid Is Different, and Other Ways That Life Isn't Fair

So we're back to the potty training thing again; this time with our daughter. Can I just start by saying that she's growing up WAAAAAAYYYYYY too fast!!! It seems like only yesterday I was working on this with the Frat Boys!

So, I figured this was going to be a walk in the park. She's more communicative than the boys were at that age. In fact, I had an argument with her one afternoon because she decided to have a tea party with her dolls rather than take a nap. She informed me that she was a big girl, and no longer needed to nap, thank you very much. I calmly replied that if she was a big girl, then she needed to start using the potty. She replied, "no mummy. I need a diaper, I'm a baby". We went back and forth on this for 20 minutes!!! TWENTY! I was effectively trounced by a toddler!!! She doesn't want to sit in a wet, or worse...STINTY (she can't say K's, and it cracks me up) diaper. Why the hell doesn't this kid want to use the potty?!?!?

I've tried all of the same tricks I employed with her brothers, and then some. Sticker chart? Nope! Treat jar? No dice! Pink nail polish? Not a chance! Panties with Elsa, Anna, and Olaf on them...the Holy Grail of Disney Princesses? Not on your life, mum! I even bought packages of princesses for her to play with. She got the three she really wanted, and that was that! The rest are collecting dust under our bathroom vanity!

I'm so done with diapers! I've been changing diapers, and wiping asses for almost 6 years solid now! She's going to be three soon! What is the holdup? I suppose her brothers were over 4 by the time they decided they were ready. I suppose she has a new baby cousin, and she's feeling like she's not quite ready to not be the baby anymore. She likes lying on her change pad, and informing anyone that enters the room that she needs "pie-see" (privacy) while she's having her privates polished by yours truly. It's not like a few more boxes of diapers is going to be the death of us after the thousands that we've already spent. (Remind me again, why we didn't go with cloth....what were we thinking?!?!?)

I need to remind myself not to push her. She's a very independent little creature (not unlike her mum), and will do things in her own bloody time! I guess until then I'll just keep doing what I'm doing, and hoping that she'll be ready to use the potty sooner rather than later!

The Bar Is Officially Closed

Last night was the first night I've put my daughter to bed without nursing her. Forty days shy of her second birthday, she has officially weaned. We've been gradually weaning since her first birthday, so it came as no surprise. I knew it wouldn't go on forever; and yet, I cried. I bawled my eyes out. And then I laughed because we started our nursing relationship with tears, and ended it with tears as well. I remember the first few weeks. The cracks, the bleeding, the painful letdowns, the contractions as my uterus returned to its pre-baby size. It hurt like hell, and I cried. I hadn't been able to nurse my twins, so I was bound and determined to make it happen with my daughter. We pushed through. She had silent reflux. We pushed through. She seemed to spit up everything I was managing to get in to her. We pushed through. We learned together, and now, nearly two years later, we've come to the end of our nursing journey. I hated it at the beginning, didn't enjoy it every step of the way, but I'm going to miss the hell out of it. 

Top 10 Favourite Family Meals of 2014:

Our Family's Favourites From the Past Year

1.  Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

http://www.cravingsofalunatic.com/2013/09/roasted-red-pepper-pasta.html

I. Love. This. Pasta. Seriously! It's meatless, it's Monday, get this in your belly for dinner tonight! This is in regular rotation at our house. I love it, hubby loves it, and even the kids love it! WIN!!!

2. TACOS! 

Have y'all seen the Lego Movie? Every Tuesday is Taco Tuesday in our house! 

3. Cajun Chicken Pasta

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/02/cajun-chicken-pasta-on-lighter-side.html

Loads of veggies. Light sauce with a kickin' spice. Love this one!

4.  White Chicken Enchiladas

http://joyfulmommaskitchen.com/white-chicken-enchiladas/

I add some frozen corn and hot sauce to the mix, but these are pretty darn delicious as is. 

5.  Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

http://lickthebowlgood.blogspot.ca/2010/07/annoying-habits.html

Pop-able, delicious, kid friendly. These make a great, quick weeknight meal! It's super easy to change up the ingredients to suit your tastes too!

6.  Stove Top Mac & Cheese

http://www.marthastewart.com/314746/stovetop-mac-and-cheese

The kids can't get enough of this delicious mac and cheese! It doesn't come from a box, but comes together almost as quickly! 

7.  Soup and sandwiches/biscuits/buns. 

It doesn't really matter if you make something from a can, are using up leftovers, or just feel like a straight up delicious homemade soup. Get your slurp on, and warm up with soup!

8.  Chicken & Rice Casserole (AKA Killer Casserole)

We call this killer casserole for two reasons:

-it's wicked good

-it almost killed me once! We were eating dinner and my husband got me giggling. I inhaled a piece of the rice and started choking. He sat there staring at me because he didn't realize I was actually choking. Needless to say, I survived, and we reviewed first aid procedures after that meal!

Proceed with caution....

1C rice - uncooked (or 2C of leftover cooked rice if you'd like it a bit mushier and delishier...yeah I just made that up! HA!)

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

1 3/4C water (DO NOT add water if you're using pre-cooked rice)
1 pkg onion soup mix

2 chicken breasts - uncooked, and cut into bite sized pieces

Veggies of choice (I usually use peas, green beans, and carrots, but go nuts with whatever you like)

Preheat oven to 350

Spread rice on the bottom of a 9x13" baking dish (make sure it's been greased well). Cut chicken into bite sized pieces, and arrange over the rice. Top with veggies. Combine remaining ingredients, and pour over top. Cover tightly with foil. Bake for 60-90 minutes. 

9.  Mexican Mac & Cheese

I have no idea where I found this recipe, but it's an huge hit in our house!

1 lb ground beef

1 pkg burrito or taco seasoning (I prefer the flavour of burrito seasoning, but either one works)
Water per package instructions

1 lb pasta of choice 

2tsp butter

1/2tsp garlic powder

1/2C milk

1C sour cream

1 can green chilies

4C sharp cheddar - grated

Preheat oven to 325

Brown beef until cooked through. Stir in seasoning and water per pkg directions. 

Cook pasta per pkg directions.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan, over low heat. Add garlic powder, and milk, whisking to combine. Add sour cream and stir to combine. Stir in chilies. Add cheese, and stir until cheese is melted, and sauce is combined. 

Combine cooked pasta, taco meat, and sauce. Stir well to combine. Pour into greased 9x13 pan, and bake for 25mins.

10.  Breakfast for dinner! 

Every once in a while, we like to have breakfast....for dinner! We're such rebels! Hahaha We'll fry up some bacon for ourselves (the kids don't eat it....seriously....whose children are they?!?!?!?) make French toast, or pancakes, and have at 'er! My all time favourite pancakes are from Catherine over at Weelicious...

http://weelicious.com/2011/12/13/gingerbread-pancakes/

There you have it! Our family's favourite meals! Enjoy!

New Year, New Me!

My brother absolutely despises this phrase, "New Year, New Me". He gets so irritated by all of the people proclaiming their New Year's resolutions from the rooftops on the first of January each year, only to fall back into their lazy regular routines shortly after. Now that it's almost the end of January, I feel like I'll be able to avoid his wrath in uttering these words. I've made a resolution this year, and so far, I'm sticking with it! It's a New Year, and I'm going to be a brand new me! I've decided that I'm going to do a mile per day. That mile may be walking, or running, or a mix of both on the treadmill, biking, rowing, or any combination thereof...but I'm doing it! I have a wicked cold right now (thanks again, husband!!!), but I'm still getting on the machine every day. I got some vinyl calendar decals from my aunt for Christmas. 12 little owl stickers, and I've nearly filled one of them already. I've never been a runner. I wrecked both of my knees skiing when I was in my teens, and have to be careful not to overdo it, so I'm taking it slow! I set the treadmill to run on intervals, and it gradually takes me through my mile each day. I'm getting faster. I'm getting stronger. I'm feeling better. I have more energy. I'm doing it for me...a brand new me!

Potty Training AKA: The Shittiest Part of the Toddler Years

Let's talk about potty training, shall we? Before we get too deep into things, let me just say that I'm no expert in the field. If I was, it wouldn't have taken until my twins were over four for me to figure shit out! Now, to be fair, my daughter was born just after my boys' third birthday. Not gonna lie...they were doing pretty well up until that point...but then there was a new baby in the house, and mum was tired. ALL. THE. TIME. Let's just blame things stalling out on the baby! HA!

Fast forward...the boys are now four, refusing to do anything even remotely resembling using the potty. I'm up to my freaking eyeballs in dirty diapers, and totally at a loss on what to try next. I was going crazy. Internet to the rescue!!! I pored over countless articles about how difficult it is to potty train boys, and various tricks to try. Sticker charts, giving it more time, going pantless, going nude, cheerios, rewards...I tried it all, and nothing worked. One of the boys had a shitload of stickers on his chart, whereas the other boy had none, and didn't give a shit (LITERALLY!!). I tried the whole naked thing (thankfully it was summer, as we live in Canada, and let's face it, it gets frickin cold on the prairies in the winter), and just ended up washing my floors an awful lot. My jar of M&M's was only being eaten by my husband, as he figured he needed a treat every time he used the bathroom. I had given them plenty of time....the only smart thing I had done up to this point, was getting them to use the regular toilet. If I can stress anything, it's to use the regular toilet! I didn't want them to figure out going on a tiny, plastic potty, only to have to retrain them later on because they were terrified of the giant, porcelain pot. 

Another few months went by, and finally, some success! Both boys were peeing on the potty on a regular basis. One was pooping most of the time, but I still couldn't get the other to poop. Seeing as one of the boys had so many stickers on his chart, we decided to try letting him trade them in for a reward. He got to pick out a toy next time we went to the store, which only served to infuriate his brother that was getting nothing. Screaming, crying tantrum ensued, and one of us had to take him out to the truck while the other stayed inside to finish up our shopping. BACKFIRE!!! 

That night, while we were talking things over, we realized that the boys weren't drawing a connection between the stickers, and the reward. It was then that we decided to go and buy a bunch of cheap Hot Wheels cars to stash under the bathroom sink, so that they would have instant gratification for their efforts. 

We bought 30 cars, and started handing them out to D every time he would poop. Four cars later, G decided he wanted one of those cars, and finally pooped on the toilet!!!! From there on out, we had a few accidents, but for the most part, they had figured it out! I'm sure you've seen The Price Is Right....well, let me tell you....every trip to the potty was like a Showcase Showdown! Every poop earned the boys.......A NEW CAR!!! Suddenly I was the Rod Roddy of the Potty! It worked though! Once the new cars ran out, I just started recycling them at night. I'd refill my bin after the kids were in bed each night, and have a full stash to start fresh with the next day. The boys were getting to the point where they'd call me for help when they were finished, and the following conversation would take place:

"Good job, bud! Are you all done?"

"Car...???"

"Yes, you'll get a car."

"All done!!"

It took a few months of constantly rewarding, and after the accidents stopped, so did the cars. I'm so happy to be down to one kid in diapers. She's going to be two next spring, and wants to do everything her brothers do, so I'm hoping it won't be much longer before I have her trained as well. She's already peed on the potty a few times, likely by fluke, but no poops yet.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go change a diaper....