The first task of my new job as a stay at home mom was an ambitious one, especially starting the day after school was out; potty training. Two words I have hated thinking about, reading about, or hearing about! But when your three year old announces in the doctor’s office at your 30 week OB appointment, “I pooped, can someone please wash my butt?” you know it is time to begin potty training!

To prepare I did a lot of reading. I read other mom blogs, as well as parenting articles and books. A friend of mine told me about a book that gives the steps and process for a three day potty training boot camp. Potty train my kid in three days??? Heck yeah! I purchased the book here through my Kindle app, Potty Training in 3 Days by Brandi Brucks. This lady knows her stuff! She potty trains kids for a living!

While there was not really any earth shattering information in this book, the way she lays out the process of potty training is strategic, and all in all it was successful for us. You definitely have to check out the book if you are soon taking on the task of potty training! It is a very quick read. Author Brandi Brucks made me feel more empowered and confident about the whole process.

One thing she stresses from the beginning and a common theme in all of the potty training research I did is to not start until your child is ready. Garret and I knew Jaxon was ready and had been for awhile, but with both of us working, we literally had three to four hours at home together each evening and that time included dinner, bath, and bedtime routine. Consistency is so important in potty training and it’s hard to be consistent when time is that limited. Fortunately the great thing about Brandi Brucks’ three day method is that you can always find three days to consistently be home with your toddler…. Maybe a long weekend? A big part of this method entails spending the whole three days bonding with your child, drinking fluids, hanging out in the bathroom, and playing while looking for cues your child gives you that tell you he or she needs to go.

Day one of Jaxon’s potty training ended with me not wanting to continue on day two, as there were eleven accidents on day one! I went to bed that night feeling completely defeated and as if potty training wasn’t going to happen. The next morning was a new day. I woke up feeling determined and optimistic, Jaxon however woke up wet and peed in his underwear two times within the first hour. As the morning and afternoon went on, he began telling me when he needed to go. It just started to click for him and he had no more accidents on day two. The last day of our Potty Training boot camp, Jaxon had no pee accidents, however throughout the first two days, he was yet to poop at all. I had read that it is typical for children to not to poop during potty training, so I expected it. On day three Jaxon was able to tell us he needed to poop, he just wasn’t able to go in the potty. Jaxon at times still struggles with pooping in the potty, but is improving with it all the time. It was a process and I won’t say it was perfect after three days, but Jaxon was out of diapers after those three consistent days of learning what potty training was all about! (And this mama will NOT have two boys in diapers come July!)

 

I strongly suggest documenting times and what occurred during potty training, as you think you will remember the last time your child tried or went, but I never could!

 

If you have any questions about the process that Jaxon and I went through during potty training I am happy to answer those for you. I would strongly consider reading the book that is referenced throughout this blog post.

At any given point in my  life if you would have asked me what I wanted to be “when I grow up” or what career I wanted for myself, I would have given you the same answer; a teacher. That’s exactly what I did with my life, I became a teacher. I taught fifth grade for seven years in a small school district that I loved, it was basically my second home. Year three of teaching I became a wife. Followed by year four, I became a mom. The next three years I learned very quickly that at this point in my life and my families lives, I couldn’t be an effective teacher, a loving wife, and a present mom all at the same time.

This past year during my seventh year of teaching during one of my many meltdowns of feeling inadequate altogether, my husband and I began talking very seriously about the possibility of me becoming a stay at home mom. In October we learned that we were expecting our second child and that conversation became even more serious. After months of budgeting, planning, and back and forth emotions, it was decided that staying home is what would be best for me and our family at this time.

The final months of teaching this year were bittersweet. I love teaching. I love my many “kids.” I love seeing things click for my students. I love when my students make connections, explore their passions, and enjoy learning. However, I do not love feeling like I can’t give my students and my family exactly what they need. My personality is not to just do what needs to be done to get by. I have to feel like I am being successful. I have to be able to give 100% to anything I do and quite frankly that became too hard for me. I could never find a good balance of the three roles. I truly admire those rock star moms and dads that can play all three roles and do it successfully and effectively, unfortunately that isn’t me.

My husband and I would still like one or two more babies after baby #2 arrives in July. After my kids are in school, I am confident that I will be able to juggle it and go back to pursuing the career I love. But for now, I am going to soak up all the time I can with my babies because I know it goes entirely too fast and they won’t be babies long! For now I am going to enjoy every minute I can with my hardworking husband- I am going to say “yes” to those weeknight dates or the late night fires in the fire pit in our back yard because he too deserves a loving and present wife.