Recently I posed this question on  Facebook:

Fill in the blank, “You know you’re a mom when_____.”

Check out the answers I got to that question.   Just how many of these answers can you relate to?

You know you’re a mom when…

…you strategically place your “accessories” to cover spit-up stains on your clothes.

….you cook dinner with one hand because you’re holding a baby on your hip and your toddler is wrapped around your leg.

….taking a nap and snuggling with your baby is more appealing than a girls’ night out.

….you know all the words to the Veggie Tales songs.   (Deb Seger)

I am definitely guilty of that last one!  (We’ve also gone through a Thomas the Train stage and currently Scooby Doo…both of which have CD’s at the library that I’ve heard far more than my fair share of times!)

You know you’re a mom when…

…your conversations revolve around poop.

…you finally have a night out with just your husband and you’re ready to go home by 10:30 p.m. !  (Kelly Smith)

10:30???  I’m happy if we make it to 9:00.

You know you’re a mom when…

…you think waking up at 7:00 is sleeping in!  (Ginny Marie of Lemon Drop Pie)

…you’re still in sweats at 4 in the afternoon.  (Shari Lynne of Faith Filled Food for Moms)

…you realize your heart has left your body and is now traveling around with your children.  (Squigly’s Playhouse)

That last one is so true!  (The other two are also!)

You know you’re a mom when…

…you leave the house in sweatpants you wore yesterday and also slept in and don’t plan on changing until sometime later!  (Sarah McClelland of Little Bins for Little Hands)

….the baby pukes on you and you’re not grossed out! (Karen Dawkins of Family Travels on a Budget)

…when you willingly catch someone else’s puke with your bare hands.  (Kathy Mills)

…on vacation you spray everyone, even strangers, with sunscreen and forget yourself.  (Mayor Crazyville)

…you correct the behavior of the kids of total strangers in the store. (Beverly Wedder)

…you hear yourself say, “This is why we don’t do fun things!” (Kristen Andrews Barton)

… when you catch yourself spelling an answer to someone’s question even though  kids aren’t  around.  (Cathi Menter)

I’m glad I’m not the only one who just starts spelling out of habit!  Of course that won’t last much longer with one in kindergarten!

 You know you’re a mom when…

… Instead of handing a cashier payment, you had them a pacifier.

… your baby spits up in bed during the night and you just cover it with a burp cloth and go back to sleep.

… you walk out of the house with your shirt on inside-out.

… you tell your child she/he has something on her/his face and proceed to like your own finger to wipe their face.

… you and your husband hold full conversations all about poop.

… you find spit up on your shirt, but decide it’s too much work to change it.  (Country Bunkin Momma)

Don’t see your favorite answer to the question?  Just how would you fill in the blank?  Leave me a comment and let me know!

You know you’re a mom when…

The post You Know You’re a Mom When… first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

I’ve spoken briefly about how my son has started potty training.  I’ve started trying to get him on the potty now every 1 1/2-2 hours, like I did when I started with his older sister.  I have even tried to keep up with this when we’ve gone out – which is a lot trickier when you have to also help  the 3 1/2 year old on the potty… I feel like we spend a lot of time in the bathroom lately.

Some of the real fun comes at night time while getting ready for bed.  Monkey started his potty training adventures in the evening, wanting to sit on the potty before bedtime just like his big sister.  Now I have 2 little ones vying for a spot on the narrow step stool at the sink, trying to brush their teeth, and then the potty wars begin.

Monkey sits on his little froggy potty, while Peanut sits on her Abby Cadabby potty seat.  Monkey has it in his head that there is only one kind of book to read while on the potty — a Little People flip the flap book like this one:

I try to keep the peace by squatting in the small space between them to read the book — I’ve learned that if big sister has the book in her possession, there is peace for no one.

Monkey will triumphantly say, “Pee!” when the deed is done and jump of his potty, ready to dump the contents into the big potty.  Since big sister is sitting there at the time, this becomes a little harry.  I have to be quick, so it doesn’t get dumped on her.  Usually she complies and gets up long enough for him to dump it, but there are times she doesn’t want to budge.  (Who can blame her?  She has a right to potty, too…)  The next problem is that he is at the stage where he wants to immediately flush the potty and wave bye to it.  Let’s just say Peanut isn’t too appreciative of flushing potties under her butt.

You might ask why I don’t just put one in another bathroom…  Well, when I tried moving Monkey’s potty to a different bathroom in the evening, the change totally freaked him out.  He cried relentlessly, and when I tried to hold him to calm him down, he bit me on the shoulder.  After I succeeded in getting his diaper on and jammies that night, he then decided he still had to go on the potty, and we had to start all over in “his” bathroom.   Putting Peanut in a different bathroom works as long as I can get back there to help her off, or I also carry her step stool there, and while I’m helping her, Monkey will try to dump his potty, and this usually results in a mess for Mommy to clean up…

Anyway, after the pottying is finished, it’s time for hand washing. I try to do this assembly line fashion: First Monkey climbs the step stool, gets a squirt of soap and washes his hands. He has a certain way he wants it done – better let him turn the water off himself and then the lights or he will need to do it all over again! Once he is down, Peanut climbs up, has to turn the light back on, wash, etc. This is when I try to get Monkey in his diaper and jammies – usually he does a naked run around the house before I catch him. By then Peanut is finished washing up and needs a little reminder to get herself into jammies.

So, that’s part of the nightly ritual at There’s Just One Mommy’s house; it’s amazing how many people can fit into that tiny hallway bathroom. What’s it like at your house at bedtime?

The post Dual Potty Time first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.