Michelle Duggar says never get angry

There are some excellent parenting tips--including potty-training wisdom--in this recent Michelle Duggar article (link below). Very encouraging, and somewhat convicting for us less-than-saintly moms, who are still working on counting it all joy while we clean up messes. Especially those days when the spills and messes are occurring every half hour! Like today. When I come in here to put Anna down for her nap, it is usually a twenty to thirty-minute respite from having to wipe up something.

I recently told the kids they were going to use sippy cups for 7 days so Mommy could go on a "vacation". They laughed. My seven days are up, and I'm trying to laugh!

Seriously though, it isn't always spill from drinks. As often, it is spit up. Fairly often, it can be pee or breastmilk-style poo, leaked by a gleefully-happy baby who can't get enough rolling around or all-fours rocking. She only has strength to go a pace or two, then she falls on her face. Intuitively, she seems to understand that she must build muscle. Many days she reminds me of a mini-body builder.

Back to the nature of our messes. Every day now, it is grass or mud from the lawn, even though there is a towel by the back door for wiping feet, as well as a carpet. Michelle Duggar tells me I should NEVER get angry. Of course, she has teenagers to help. Maybe when everyone was seven and under, she was STILL WORKING ON never getting angry.

Anyhow, this is a good article.

Scurrying

Emily: "Poo poo, Mommy!"

Mommy: "Okay. Very good, Rosebud! I'm coming!" (Puts baby down on a blanket, checks area for dangers, exits room to get Rosey on the potty.)

Emily: (Sitting on the potty now): "Patty Cake, Mommy." (Grabbing my hands, smiling.)

Mommy: "Patty Cake, Patty Cake, Baker's Man. Bake me a cake as fast as you can. Pat it, roll it, mark it with an E! Put it in the oven for Emily and me!"

Emily: (patting her lap, rolling her hands, singing as much as she can with me - all smiles and giggles. A few minutes pass.)

Mommy: "Is the pee pee or poo poo coming?" Are you done?" (Getting nervous, concerned that baby is still alone.)

Emily: "No! More poo poo! Yayer, Mommy! Pour peese (please)." (Wants water to play with, using the two cups she sees on the bathroom counter - loves to pour water back and forth between two containers. Still can't make "w" sound to say water).

Mommy: "Okay, but Emily. Do you have more pee pee? Are you done? Anna is crying. Mommy has to go soon."

Emily: "More poo poo!"

Mommy: "I don't hear any potty coming, Rosey. We can try more later. Mommy has to get the baby." (Takes Rosey off the potty, wipes her, and arranges chair so she can wash her hands. Next, we go to her bedroom and start putting on another trainer.)

Emily: "Poo, poo, Mommy! More poo poo!"

Mommy: "Okay." (Rushing her back to potty.)

Emily: (straining, drops a poo poo, then smiles.)

Mommy: "Very good, Emily! You knew you had to go!"

Emily: (smiling, gives me a hug) "Patty cake, Mommy!"

Mommy: "Next time. I have to get baby. Are you done with the poo poo?"

Emily: "More poo poo, Mommy!"

Mommy: "I really have to get the baby, now. Let's wipe again and wash your hands." (Feeling very stressed at this point, wipes Emily, leaves her at the sink briefly to check on Anna.)

Mommy: (Finds baby near easy-chair rocker, crying. Gives baby her binky, puts her back on blanket, kisses her. Back to sink, sees Rosey wiping sink with her toothbrush.) "No, Rosey! The sink is dirty!"

Emily: "Too pas, Mommy." (Wants toothpaste)

Mommy: "Not now, Emily. The baby needs me. We have to hurry." (Dries Emily's hands, carries her back to her room, lies her on the bed to put on a trainer.)

Emily: "More, Mommy! More poo poo!" (Mommy sees that her anus is pulsing...this might be true)

Mommy: "Oh, Emily! We need to hurry! (Carries Emily back to potty - very frustrated now.)

Emily: "More, yayer, Mommy. (Grabs cup, starts drinking water.)

Mommy: "Emily, is the poo poo coming?"

Emily: "Yes." (Starts pouring water between cups)

Mommy: "Are you done? Did the poo poo come?"

Emily: "More!"

Mommy: "We have to go now. We'll come back later." (Rushing Emily back to bed.)

Emily: "Hands! Was hands!"

Mommy: (Not really wanting to take the time to wash again, but glad Emily remembers the sequence. Takes her back to the sink to wash.)

Emily: (Washes hands, dries) "Brus hair, Mommy." (grabs brush)

Mommy: "Take it with you." (Exasperated, carries Emily back to playroom, makes mental note to clear counter of all items next time. Makes another mental note to sterilize Emily's toothbrush.)


That's just a slice of life with a two-year-old, and a baby. There's a lot of scurrying involved. The way I scurry from room to room, you'd think I was one of our backyard squirrels.