Friday, February 8, 2013

A Few of My Favorite Things...

Here are a few things that I'm loving as of late, and I thought that I would share them with you.

1. This commercial



The first time Ben and I saw this All State commercial we both cracked up. Why? Because it is so true! Dylan is usually really good in the car, but every once in a while he turns into a little demon out of boredom or just being in a mood. The back seat of my car is always trashed as a result. 

2. Hulu Plus

We just started subscribing to Hulu Plus a few weeks ago and goodness do we love it! It's so much cheaper than regular cable and I feel like it's better, since it stores all the episodes from each show's season. The only downside I have identified is that while it has the majority of shows I'm interested in, a few are not on Hulu Plus (ummm The Bachelor for one). 

3. The Naked Palette
Ben got me this awesome eye shadow palette for Christmas (he may have received a hint or two from me, not gonna lie) and I have used it almost every day since. The colors are rich and vibrant and can be combined to make anything between soft and subtle to dramatic and smoky. I also love the primer that comes with it, as I am a huge advocate of using primers with my makeup. 

4. Chick-Fil-A
Let's be honest, when don't I love Chick-Fil-A? I'm trying not to go overboard with my food intake this pregnancy, but I cannot resist Chick-Fil-A! It's a good thing that there isn't a drive through in Orem (just in University Mall) or I would be there waaaaay too often.

5. This Boy
 I realize that Dylan is always one of my favorite things, but I just wanted to share this cute picture of him. This was yesterday morning- he woke up so happy and excited and just wanted to watch The Incredibles while eating breakfast (a ziplock bag of Life cereal... ghetto alert). Dressing in superhero costume is a must for Dylan while he watches this movie. He also requests that I call him Dash and he calls me Elastigirl. 

6. Valentine's Day!
Ben and I typically keep things pretty low-key for Valentine's Day, meaning that we might get take-out from India Palace and get each other a little present. This year I'm going to try and make the day especially happy for my two Valentines. Balloons, love notes, and heart shaped cookies are all on the agenda. 

What are some of your favorite things as of late?


Thursday, February 7, 2013

Potty Training... oh goodness.

Hello friends! Remember when I was a good blogger? Yeah, me either. Things are good for out little family, full of trying to prepare for baby #2 coming in May and enjoying these last few months with just Dylan. One of the biggest things I have done to prepare for baby #2 is to get baby #1 potty trained. Cause who wants to change diapers for two when you only need to change one?

Let me tell you- I've been wanting to get Dylan started with potty training as soon as he turned 3 in September, but it was so easy to put off. I kept dreading the days spent confined to the house during the first new days of potty training that I kept putting it off. I finally bit the bullet on almost a month ago. One day I decided that potty training would start, and that was that.

I decided that potty training was going to work and that I was going to help Dylan figure it out as best as I could. That meant that I was not just going to approach potty training with a "just winging it" attitude. Nope, I  had a very specific plan in mind.

I based my approach on a Potty Training 101 pin I found on Pinterest. I really followed most of what the post recommended, such as talking it up, having Dylan throw all of his diapers in a trash bag, giving potty treats, and giving potty prizes. 
{the treats}
{the prizes}

Day 1 of potty training was exhausting, since I took him to the bathroom literally every 20 minutes, all day long. There were a few accidents, but lots of successes. Each day got a little bit better, although going #2 in the potty was still a major struggle. 

Now we are almost a month into potty training and things are going really well. Dylan stays dry almost every day, and he's ok with going to bathrooms outside of our house. He's not to the point where he goes on his own- I just tell him that it's potty time every hour or so and he runs to the bathroom and does his thing. #2 has been much more difficult, but things have been clicking for him over the past week. 
{Not too excited about his picture being taken}

Overall, I'm confident that he'll be 99% potty trained by the time baby #2 arrives, which has been my main goal. Yay for Dylan, my mostly potty trained boy!