before enlightenment - chop wood, carry water. after enlightenment - chop wood, carry water.

big milestone today. HUGE. one of my three year olds, while at the park, told me he had to poop. and he held it until i rounded all three of them up, schlepped to the bathroom and got him on the potty! i was feeling pretty much like i had made it to the next level when the other one pooped in his undies. that is one pair of thomas the tank engine undies that will not be coming home with us...

why is parenting always two steps forward, three steps back? sometimes i feel like the world's largest hamster. running, running, running and getting nowhere fast!

the only absolute i have found to be true in parenting is that anything you said you would never do...you will eventually do. i swore i would not bribe my children to use the toilet. not with m&m's, not with stickers. i have, of course, eaten those words and the boys are now rewarded with an ice pop (100% juice) for each successful poop. i just got tired of dealing with all of their shit. literally. and i think parenting can be summed up in one sentence. you do what you have to do.

take the bathroom. once i had children, it became my sanctuary. that may sound strange...but it is true. i usually close the door and have 2-3 minutes of alone time whenever i visit the little girls' room. and sometimes i actually have to go.

this makes me appreciate the bathroom on a different level. i have realized that there are very,very few situations in life when escaping to the powder room is a huge faux pas. you probably wouldn't want to do it while in the middle of your vows or during an important interview...but otherwise, you can pretty much always count on the excuse of nature's call to get a few moments to yourself. take some deep breaths (granted, this is not always desirable, especially in a public restroom...but sometime necessary). regroup. find center. it is life's built in meditation time. and quite possibly parenting three small children has forced me to take multi-tasking to an extreme. nonetheless, those small breaks interspersed in my day are sometimes what make it bearable and keep my children alive. and as a bonus, i find i drink more water.