General Conference Invitation to all

Every 6 months The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints gathers together all over the world and listens to God's prophet and his apostles speak to us. It is a live broadcast to many television and radio stations as well as live streaming to www.lds.org. If you are interested in what the living prophet has to say about the times we live in and the things we need to do, please tune in Saturday and/or Sunday. The prophet, Thomas S. Monson, isn't just the prophet for our Church, he is God's prophet for the world, for every person living on it at this time. God wants us to hear Him and this conference is one of the ways He shares His continuing message.

God had prophets like Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Moses and God is an unchanging God. So why wouldn't he have a prophet at all times in earth's history?

God has said, "whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same." (D&C 1:38)

Join us this weekend. Ask your Latter-Day Saint friends about it. Go to www.mormon.org for answers to many questions from members of our congregation throughout the world.

Download the free printable: http://www.mediafire.com/?9c4h33595kb3g5t

Potty Train

Mr. TJ is on the potty train! He showed signs of readiness about 6 months ago but I totally ignored them because I was too scared to potty train him. Potty training is training for both the kid and the parents. You have to remind. You have to know where the bathrooms are at all times. You have to clean up messes. You have to teach. You have to dedicate yourself completely. It's a tough job. 

Potty Training Day 1:

We halfway potty trained Saturday and Sunday. We just tested the waters. Diapers on at naps and bed. Diaper through church. No plan just underwear. 

We truly started to train him yesterday. I bought a potty training guide online and read through the pages. Saturday we didn't follow any of her guidelines and rules. As I was reading I was like, "Nope, didn't do that. Hmmm not that either."

I printed out a sticker chart. He's a sticker man and they motivate him pretty well. We gave him a sticker and a hot wheels car when he peed in the potty. We were desperate. Just freakin' pee! He had about 80% accidents, 20% in the potty. The only times he peed in the potty were while Madi was here and when Daddy got home. I guess I'm not that important to impress. :) it was really frustrating at times but those times that he got it and peed were like the best times of my life!! It was so great and I felt so proud. 

At one point, he ran into his room and slammed the door. BIG CLUE: he was going to poop. I run over there but he's holding the door shut from the other side. I keep pushing back and saying we need to poop in the potty but he screamed and said to go away and I couldn't come in! Finally I pushed that door open and grabbed him and ran to the bathroom. Too bad there was already a lump. While pushing against the door with all his might, he pushed that poop right out. 

He would say he needed to pee and we'd rush to the toilet and he'd sit there and say that he was done or didn't need to pee and we'd get off and go play for another 5 mins and do it over again. After 2-4 times doing this, he'd have an accident. Whew. 

The pump hasn't been the struggle I thought it would be. We just work around it and attach it to his underwear. 

The biggest problem has been aiming. He's sitting to pee but his little wiener points straight out to the wall. A couple of times he was peeing into the toilet but the stream would go under the seat but on top of the bowl and spray out onto his underwear and the floor. T_T

The program we are using suggested that we make the kid clean up their accidents with you so they learn about that consequence. TJ is different. He LOVES to clean. There was one point the first day where he peed on the carpet and as he was standing there he said, "Let me squeeze it (the cleaner bottle) and wipe it up!" At that point I realized it wasn't a punishment or learning moment, it was a reward to clean. I stopped letting him help right away. 

Potty Training Day 2:

He wakes me up by yelling, "MOMMY I NEED TO GO POTTY!!" I jump out of bed so happy knowing he was in a diaper and still decided to pee in the potty. Today was going to be a great day!! I pulled his diaper off and he sat down and peed!!! Wow I was so dang proud of him! 

Throughout all of day 2 he only had 2 pee accidents and still pooped in his underwear. 2! Out of about 10 on day 1. Something just clicked I guess. He always told me when he needed to pee. Sometimes he would be pee shy and we'd put his pants back on. And we'd try again 5 mins later. Near the end of the day he asked me to step out while he peed. :) Pretty cute but I stay there to make sure he's aiming down. It's a little scary to walk away. 

We were able to get out of the house for a bit yesterday. We went to our leasing office so I could sign our lease renewal. We also drove to a friends house and back. I was worried so I put a towel in his lap while we drove just in case we had an accident. I didn't want it all on his carseat. 

Overall he has done so well. I couldn't be more proud. 

Potty Training Day 3:

No accidents today! He peed and pooped in the potty! The poop was an awesome accomplishment. 

We were allowed to leave the house for an excursion today so we went to the mall. I had to do some Father's Day shopping. 

The mall is a bad idea with a potty training kid. The bathrooms are few and very far between. We were in the Disney store and TJ started dancing and grabbing himself. He started to tell me he needed to go potty but stopped knowing he'd have to leave the store. I didn't care and we rushed to the nearest bathroom which was Macy's. We were in the store right next to Macy's but the bathroom was on the exact opposite side of the store. Finally we get into a stall and I set him on the potty. He freaks out and freezes. He's been in public restrooms with me before and always wants to be part of the process in getting tp and flushing. Nope. I was kneeling on that nasty floor for about 30 mins. Begging TJ, bribing TJ with all that I had. I knew we couldn't go back to the Disney store cuz he wouldn't make it back without peeing his pants. Or if he did, we'd have to make that trek again if he decided he did need to pee again. 

We finally left that bathroom. TJ in tears. And probably traumatized after about an hour. We stayed around there just in case. I decided to give him a snack to calm him down and speak to him. I checked his blood sugar and he was at 43!!! That's pretty low and really affects your mood in a negative way. No wonder he was having the worst time. 

I decided to give up and just let him pee his pants. I never wanted to be the reason he had an accident like because of my failure to act but I was done and tired. We picked up Todd's watch and headed home. He still never peed so I put him in a diaper for nap. Never leaving the house again. 

*UPDATE: TJ has done great the rest ofte week. A few accidents but hardly any. He's peed at the park in the grass twice and in the parking lot. He still hasn't peed in a public restroom but I wouldn't if I had the choice :) last night his diaper was dry in the morning and at naps his diaper has been dry. He's really good and has started wanting to stand up to pee like Daddy. He decided that all on his own with no pushing from me. He's not too bad at aiming too ;)

Easter FHE

Todd and I realized that we haven't really done FHE and geared it towards TJ. We would just do it when he went down.
But it's called Family Home Evening not couple spiritual thought time.

So here's what we did for our first real FHE.

First we read the Easter story from the book series Alice goes to Bibleland. Loved these as a kid.

Then we did an Easter egg hunt in our living room. TJ practiced his hunting skills as we gear up for his 3 Easter egg hunts this week!

Inside each egg was a letter or a picture and some candy.

We went through the letters and spelled Easter and talked about the pictures.

Then we each colored our He Is Risen coloring page. There's nothin like watching your husband color :)

TJ's picture

My picture

Todd's picture

Then we sat at the table and ate our candy.

It was pretty productive and it kept TJ occupied and present. I think he learned that Jesus isn't in the "cave/tunnel" anymore. And he's alive. Pretty good, I'd say.

"Are you pregnant?" Rant

First of all, I'm going on a rant right now. Second of all, I am not pregnant. Third of all, I get asked if I'm pregnant almost every day by friends, ward members and family members. Which is why I'm writing this. It probably won't lessen the amount of times I get asked if I'm pregnant, but maybe it will a little or maybe it'll open up someone's eyes as to how I'm feeling or as to how women feel about this subject. Some of my readers may feel the same. Tell me your thoughts in the comments below.

Ok. It's frustrating. I don't think I look pregnant and I don't feel like people look at me and think I'm pregnant, so they ask. They are more looking at TJ and thinking, "Wow, he's 2, you should be pregnant." It's not their place. It's not their business.

This decision isn't about how old TJ is or how far apart our children should be spaced. This decision is about readiness of every family member, and includes the couple and the Lord. That's it.

Many couples have a hard time getting pregnant. Many couples try for years. Many couples have to get fertility treatments to try in-vitro. Many couples have no issue getting pregnant, but many lose their babies through miscarriages. Many couples are considering adoption or foster care. Some couples have kids 15 months apart and some have them 10 years apart. Everyone is different. It's never good to judge, but even worse to judge about expanding families.

To friends and ward members: I will tell you when I'm ready to tell you. I'm not going to keep this big secret and make it weird for you when I grow a belly and you think, "She never told me she was pregnant!?!?!" Obviously, if you haven't heard that I'm pregnant from me, I'm probably not pregnant or if I am, I don't want to tell anyone yet in case I have a miscarriage.

To family: Usually people tell their families in a special, creative or funny way. They don't just say it over a text or in casual conversation. "Are you pregnant?" "Yeah....."
If you are a family member, don't ask! I'll probably lie to you if I am and I don't like lying to people's faces. I may have something planned or in the works to tell you when I'm ready to tell you.

Just be patient. Don't blurt out everything that's on your mind, even when it's pregnancy related. I'll get pregnant and tell you. It's big news when it happens, when it happens.

Split Pea Sensory

I got this idea from Pinterest and decided to try it out. TJ was very excited about my new toys and didn't throw a fit when the TV went off, which was a big deal. I was really surprised.

He loved the feel of them between his fingers. I tried it out too and LOVED it!

He can be sort of OCD at times and it's so cute to watch him pick up just one and carefully put it in it's place.

He was also methodical. He filled one row, then went to the next.

Clapping!!

I saw him start to do this and .... couldn't stop it. Lots of vacuuming for us. :)

I asked him to smile here. It's a so so smile. :) At least he was looking.

Then I told him to show his teeth....:)

Kissing the "beans"

Momma broke out the funnel!

This was super fun! It was neat to watch him and see his little mind working. Next time I'll use real beans. They are a little bigger. ;)

Cafe Rio Meal

 

This is both Todd and my new favorite meal. It's delicious and I'm really surprised that we both put it on the top of our list. Todd has meals that he LOVES that I can't stand and vise versa. This meal tops everything, EVER! Just buy a lot of cilantro and pork and go to town!!

There are two ways to make this meal and both are fantastic. We did both last night and leftovers tonight.

Salad: lettuce, pork, rice, beans, dressing, etc. Other toppings chips, guacamole, pico de gallo, cheese.

Or burritos: Pour a small amount of extra enchilada sauce from pork into bottom of pan. Wrap pork, rice, beans in tortillas. Pour more sauce on top of burritos and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until inside is hot. Yummy with dressing on top of that too.



Mexican-Style Sweet Shredded Pork



4 pounds boneless pork shoulder roast
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 (10 oz) cans enchilada sauce
1 cup brown sugar, divided
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup apple juice

1. Trim the visible fat from the roast and sprinkle with salt, pepper, chili powder, and onion powder. Use your hands to massage the spices over all the sides of the meat.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the pork roast for about 1 minute on all sides or until meat surface is golden brown.

3. While the meat is searing, combine the enchilada sauce, 2/3 cup brown sugar, salsa, Worcestershire sauce, and apple juice in a slow-cooker. Add the pork, cover and cook on low for 7 hours with lid on the entire time.

4. Remove pork and shred, discarding any pieces of fat. Add the additional 1/3 cup brown sugar to slow cooker and turn heat to high. Add shredded meat. Simmer with lid off for 30 minutes.

Taken from Our Best Bites cookbook.


Cilantro Lime Rice

1 cup extra long grain rice or basmati rice
Juice from 1/2 lime
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
3 teaspoons vegetable oil

1. In a pot, add rice, water, 1 tsp oil and salt.

2. Boil on hig huntil most of the water evaporates. When the water just skims the top of the rice, reduce to low and cover about 15 minutes. Shut off flame and keep covered an additional 5 minutes. Or use a rice cooker with the water, rice, oil and salt.

3. In a medium bowl, combine chopped cilantro, lime juice, rice and remaining oil and toss until completely mixed.



http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/03/chipotle-cilantro-lime-rice-4-pts.html 

Black Beans



2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/3 cup tomato juice OR 1 can petite tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

1. In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it.

2. Add beans, tomato juice and salt. Continually stir until heated through.

3. Just before serving stir in the cilantro.

http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/2008/09/cafe-rio-cilantro-lime-rice-and-black.html (at this URL there is also another rice recipe that's yummy)

Cilantro Ranch Dressing



1 packet TRADITIONAL Hidden Valley Ranch mix (not buttermilk)
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup buttermilk
2 tomatillos, remove husk, diced
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno (if you like it spicy, keep the seeds; otherwise, remove)

1. Mix all ingredients together in the blender. That's it! Store in refrigerator.

http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/2008/09/cafe-rio-cilantro-ranch-dressing.html