Volunteer for MommyCon

 Did you know that you could volunteer some hours at MommyCon events near you and get a free admission? That's WAY better than my discount code, BRITTSBLOG, but it's still available if the spaces fill up before you can email them. Check out their daily facebook posts, like this one, and many others. After Austin the crew will be headed to Denver, Boston, Memphis, Philadelphia, and New Port Beach!! The Austin event is also hosting The Great Cloth Diaper Change so, if you haven't already, at least register for that and help us break the world record of most babies changed into a cloth diaper at one time. You can either bring your own or borrow one. Hope to see you there!!

Week in the Life: Visiting Family, Easter, and Prepping for MommyCon!

 Wow! This has been a very long, fun-filled week for me. Last Saturday, the 12th, was Mikah's birthday party. I he looked SOOO sweet blowing out his birthday candles and smiling at every one singing "Happy Birthday" to him. He even oohed and ahhed at his presents -trucks- and just overall not a little baby. We also rented a bounce house for him and I can comfortably say we, or the kids) got our money's worth out of it. It's heart-warming to watch his personality change but also a little heart-breaking to see his focus shift from me to others around him. He's not completely there, but he will be soon.

 The next day, Sunday, is when Mikah and I rode up to Round Rock with our aunt, uncle, cousins, and my sister. My car is being very trustworthy and I needed a way to get to MommyCon on the 26th so they said they'd bring me. So we get to have a three week vacation with family and my sister (twin) and I can finally work on our relationship together, but not before I locked the keys in my car and my aunt had to call Pop-a-Lock to get them out. Geez! Other than that rocky start, things have been good. I mean, my sister and I had a few misunderstandings, pretty much because we're in different worlds, but I have never been happier than when I'm with them and my sisters. I've even seen a change in Mikah and it's all for the better.

Mikah playing with a cousin that previously had no interest in him. She's 4mths older.

 Tuesday was Mikah's actual birthday, and it was kind of sad. That morning my husband called to tell me that our dog, Rudy, whom we've had for 3 years after my younger sister and I rescued him, the one companion I had when I was too afraid to let anyone know how I truly felt about Ein dying, was run over by someone in the neighborhood right in front of the house. I was and still am upset. I thought my husband was playing some kind of a joke on me like, "haha no, he didn't get hit but he almost did chasing these damn cats." I still don't really believe it. I'm kind of afraid of how I'll react when I get there and he isn't running around my feet and whining because he's so excited to see me. I wonder how Mikah will react because usually the first thing he does when we get home is ask about Rudy. It will be a sad day, indeed.

 These last few days kind of melded together. There have been toddlers running around, lots of hitting and and crying over spilled milk (literally), but more joking, laughter, and smiles than anything else. Today, Easter Sunday, was a very good, fun-filled, tiring day. We all got dressed up and with to church, I choked on the communal wine, there were egg hunts, food, food, and more food. After this week I probably won't know what to do with myself. Oh, I know! Get ready for MommyCon!!

Saying, "cheeeeese" with his Easter egg.

 So, now that San Francisco is done with MommyCon, it's Austin's turn to host. MommyCon Austin will be held at the Palmer Events Center and is planned around family so bring all your kids!!! Or not, you know. ;) I'll even be there representing The Rebecca Foundation and filling in until our wonderful founder Amanda Vaughn can join us. There we will have a place to talk with parents that are interested in cloth diapering but are struggling financially and explain how we can help. I'm really nervous but also REALLY excited. I hope I don't fail, or fall, or have Mikah pee on me...

 Don't forget, if you want a ticket to MommyCon, any location, then use my discount code BRITTSBLOG in the promotional code box at the time of registration. Have to move fast though and I hope to see you in Austin on the 26th!!

Potty Training and Exploitation

 This has to be, by far, the hardest part of parenting a toddler that I have encountered so far. Potty training. I'm trying not to get stressed out about it and would rather him take his time BUT, Mikah suffers from food sensitivities like noacidic foods/fruits, for one, or else it gives his behind water blisters it burns him so bad. Now, I know that has to do with the fact that he's pretty much urinating on himself and into the diaper and I'd rather have this part of his life over with so I can begin to experiment with and maybe get him to tolerate foods like that better.

 That's the big, selfless part of it. Another reason, that makes me giddy inside, is that my sister is pregnant! She's almost 15 weeks and I think I have her boyfriend convinced to cloth diaper. YAY!! That means Mikah's diapers can become hand-me-downs, or I can use them for clients for my TRFCDC- chapter. (If and when I get an applicant. By the way, I can't believe I haven't done an update on that. More to come about The Rebecca Foundation's Cloth Diaper Closet and how you can apply if you need our help for you or a friend! Though, Mikah being in diapers still is keeping me from having another one so soon, or, at least, keeping me from planning for another child. I don't want two in diapers. Nope.

 It seems like Mikah knows that I want him to urinate in the toilet but I think he still has trouble with letting it go on command. He knows the feeling and will tell me he has to go, but would rather flush the toilet instead.Yesterday, all he wanted to do was to be in his underwear. He did use the toilet a couple of times, but urinated on himself the rest of the time. Still progress!! A few months ago he could care less and would rather run around naked. Now, because of his obsession with cars, trucks, and dinosaurs I've exploited that obsession to get him to wear the underwear and hopefully not soil himself. It kind of works. He likes the pictures of dinosaurs and cars and can hold his little bladder for a few hours. I guess we'll see where we're at in a few more months.

 I have learned that it's not really potty-training so much as it is potty-learning. Mikah's learning to listen to his body's cues, learning to communicate that with me, and I'm learning to listen and understand him so that we can work together to get him "house-broken". Haha! Times like these I wish I could remember how I was potty trained. I remember my sister (the pregnant one) still in diapers when I was four and remember that I was in big girl panties, but nothing really before then. That at least gives me some relief to know that somewhere between now and age 4 it'll happen.

 Any pro tips for PLing a little boy?

Oh Time, You Silly Thing...

 Whew! What busy weeks these have been lately. Babysitting, visiting with family, planning my trip to MommyCon- Austin, dealing with a sick toddler, potty training, and planning a 2 year old's birthday party on a budget... Yeah. One step at a time. Right? Right.

 If you don't know, MommyCon goes to different cities across the U.S.A. every year. This is their second year and BOY have they grown! Take for instance MommyCon- San Francisco. Did you know that Alanis Morissette is going to be the guest speaker there? Alanis-freaking-Morissette!!!!! As much as I love her (fangirling, sorry...) there will be other speakers there giving lectures and demonstrations, such as Jamie Grayson- The Baby Guy showing his prowess with all the baby gear you could ever imagine, and Jamie Lynne Grumet- creator of the blog I Am Not the Babysitter and face of the (in)famous Time magazine cover of her and her youngest son breastfeeding. Now, these are not the ONLY speakers there and I'm sure I'm doing a disservice to them by not listing their names as well but, you get my excitement.

 Also, just a reminder, if you want to go but are strapped for cash, search MommyCon on Facebook. They regularly post giveaways or links to them for free tickets, sponsorships, or discount codes. Speaking of which, I have a code for you, my beautiful reader!! Just type in BRITTSBLOG in the promotion box when purchasing your e-ticket and you're good to go. As awesome as that is, sadly, it's only for General admission. That means no discount on VIP or pre-sale tickets.

 I really can't wait to go. I am SO excited and beyond blessed that I have this opportunity. Not only from the creators/organizers of MommyCon USA but from also my family. Mikah and I will be staying with my uncle and his family in Austin. Which is awesome. I love hanging out with them, but we'll be there for 3 weeks. We leave the day after Mikah's b-day party since my car is unreliable. Oh well. MINI-VACATION!! I just hope I don't forget my camera! I mean, no underwear? No problem! No camera, YIKES! That would be very un-blogger of me... (Un-blogger? Making up words because it's late... don't judge me.)

 Mikah's birthday is coming along nicely. Nothing too big. He loves playing with cars and truck more than anything else, except balloons, so it is a really easy thing to decorate with/for. So far I know we'll have a bouncy house... and cake. My step-mom and I have this idea for his cake that, if it becomes reality, will be freaking SWEET! I don't want to say just yet. I might anger the Birthday Cake Gods and force them to make our cake crumble, or the icing melt, or, Birthday Cake Gods forbid, our cake decorating skills look like a failed Pinterest project! PRAY FOR US!

Rant Post

  I ABSOLUTELY HATE BULLIES! I do. I can't stand it when people I know, love, and respect join in with a bully and repeat their words and actions. Now, I know I'm not perfect and have bullied many times out of ignorance and/or fear, but it really irks me when someone is so adamant that they won't apologize or say, "Yea, I guess I see what you're saying. Even though I don't agree with that person's choice(s), it's not my place to cast judgement." What is so hard about the saying that statement and believing it? Why are we so quick to judge and fear and cast out others that are different than us? If we as a society are so hell bent on becoming better than we were, leaving behind us our paleolithic habits and social constructs, then why can't we stop bullying?!  Why do we continue to teach the next generation that it has to be one way and not another.

 Ugh, I guess this is all just a losing battle because there will always be people that care to judge you, classify you, and ridicule you based on outward appearances and what you have or have not. This instinct to judge used to be useful to our survival, now it's just a way to destroy us from the inside out.

Are you a Home-Nudist?

Oddly enough, everywhere I look there have been discussions about whether or not to be naked in front of your kids. My guess is that this stems from anti-bullying discussions, preaching self-love, and of course, we first have to change how we teach our children how to react to and cope with these every day issues.

 My son is almost 2 and even at this young age I know he has noticed that my body is different from his own. He sometimes pokes my bottom or pinches my breast because he's noticed that there are different parts of me other than the arms that hold him or the voice that soothes him. Now is the time to teach boundaries. Not because it's wrong to touch, touch is a sensory, but because he's at an age when observation is learning and learning is about as involuntary as blinking. So I try to purposely teach him through my actions. Especially self-esteem. I want him to know that it's okay to cry, to be upset. Okay to be confused or angry and it's okay to have a body different from my own.

 We don't hide our bodies from Mikah. There will be days when we just won't get dressed at all and even don't put a diaper on Mikah. Which is a good thing for all of us. (Allows our skin to breathe and helps with his potty learning.) I had a hard time loving myself and my body for years. I still do every now and then because I'm overweight. Still, my guys love me for me and that's all that matters. Even though I had hard pregnancies with Ein and Mikah, it still created two beautiful babies. How can I not have appreciation for that?

 Growing up, I knew what my father's body looked like. He wasn't perverted about it and after a certain age he covered up more, but there was no body shaming in our home. It was a part of every day life and it made home feel comfortable and safe. A refuge from the growing social demands of the outside world. Maybe my views about my body really stem from my cultural beliefs. Growing up we embraced, as much as we could, our Native American heritage. Our community did camps and summer programs for native youth that allowed us to learn about our ancestors and their beliefs. To pass on traditions and almost forgotten knowledge. The natives did not find revulsion in their bodies, only mystery and connections with a Creator and the rest of the world. Why can't we go back to embracing ourselves?

 We plan on not being intentional about our naked bodies, but at least mindful when it comes to Mikah so that we leave him with a positive, non-perverted memory and a positive self-image. How do you plan on encouraging positive self-images? Do you have a different point of view than my own? Do you have the same goal but a different path? Please be respectful.

Grammar Snob

 Are you a Grammar Snob or somewhere in between? I'm more laid back about it myself. I know someone somewhere is going to make a mistake so I don't usually point out those misgivings unless they make me mad or are just acting plain stupid. The exception to that would definitely have to be political ads, business signs/ cards, or the quizzes you find on Facebook.

 I mean, COME ON! Errors like that are kind of unforgivable. Unless you are a small Mom and Pop business, or whatever, then there should be some air of professionalism that makes grammatical errors unacceptable. I bring this up because of the Facebook quizzes I've been taking. Some errors are just plain silly but, I figure someone would have seen and rectified the error after, oh I don't know, the first 10,000 hits. Did no one tell them that 'comprimising' was spelled wrong?

 This means that I intentionally don't share something if I notice an error. I know, I know. Petty, very petty. I just can't help it. I probably think that I'm changing the world by not sharing. I'm silly that way. So, what are you? What's your pet peeve, if this isn't it? We all have our annoying quirks. SPILL IT!

P.S. Did I leave any grammatical errors? ;)