Mother’s of preschoolers, regardless of party affiliation, know that President Obama was borrowing his famous “Yes We Can” campaign line from Bob the Builder.
In which Bob asks,
Can We Fix It?
To which the machinery responds:
Yes, We Can!
We were inspired by Bob’s “Yes We Can'” spirit in our potty training endeavors. And to celebrate our “Yes We Did!!!!!”, we went diaperless AND strollerless to The Children’s Museum to visit the Bob the Builder Exhibit.
Bob and his friends did not disappoint. We had a grand time and checked out most of the museum before heading home.
I’d planned on blogging our progress on potty training as it unfolded, but by the end of the day I’ve been completely “wiped out”. Teaching 4 BOYS to use the potty has been no small task. This transition has tested our patience and worn us out in a way that we haven’t experienced since the newborn stage.
All that considered we’re over a week in now and making really great progress. #1 is Done! And #2 is getting there…(naps and 1st thing in the morning are the only thing keeping us from getting it completely).
However, I’m all about sharing our own personal experience and offering what has worked/failed for us. The greatest thing I’ve learned so far, is ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING. Stress, impatience, frustration are all extremely contagious to your entire family. Likewise a positive attitude can have a huge impact on your progress. Celebrate every little success. Jump up and Down. Sing a Song. Scream and Yell. Do the Potty Dance. Make an absolute fool out of yourself. (See video>) I think encouragement holds more motivational power than any tricket, sticker, or piece of candy.
Here’s how it’s all went down so far:
Pre-Booty Camp
A few days before we went all out on Booty Camp ‘10, we got the potty chairs out. Talked up the “big boy” theory. Had them try first thing in the morning and before bed, and other times if they showed interest. They were able to pick out their own underwear at the store.
Day 1
Goodbye to Diapers during the day. They wore underwear around the house all day. If they had 2 accidents they had to go back to diapers until they kept them dry for a stretch of time. We hunkered down, watched a couple of movies (including Elmo's Potty Time) and everyone tried to use the potty every 20-30 minutes. Talk about an exhausting day! We introduced M&Ms or Starburst Jelly Beans for successful attempts along with noisy exaggerated celebrations. We made it to 11:30 am without an accident. There were a handful of messes throughout the day, but we were encouraged to get started and have some success on the first day.
Here’s some of the video footage (non-graphic) from our first day of “Booty Camp”:
That’s about all the “potty talk” I have in me for the day…
Thanks for your encouragement, prayers, and well wishes during this major milestone!
The toilets/tubs/sinks/countertops are begging for a wipe down.
There’s dust with doodle lines covering the furniture.
The neutral carpet looks more like a multi-color berber.
The laundry has taken a permanent residence in almost every room.
There’s a long running To Do List that’s been untouched.
For over a week now, our housekeeper has been on hiatus. No effort. No show.
It’s time to cut our ties and give her the boot.
It’s Time to Fire Our Housekeeper.
Oh wait a minute…
That would be ME.
*Ahem*
Never the mind.
Carry on! Carry on!
We will continue to do the all-consuming potty training(more like “stinkie training”) with the little dudes while you resume your previous activities. =)
I honestly have a handful of things to announce/update/share with you all, but my fridge is dying to have something in it to keep cold. Off to the grocery for now! Come back soon for some exciting things ahead!
Potty training quadruplets might turn out to be the hardest thing we’ve encountered since midnight/3 am/6 am feedings! However, we’re determined to stay positive, make the best of it, and laugh at ourselves along the way! Wanna join us?
We are attempting to train all 4 boys at the same time, but first we needed the ultimate motivator:
UNDERWEAR!
This is “The Booty Camp Video Diaries, Part I” of most likely a several volume series.
***Disclaimer: Bathroom Humor and An Overuse of Quotation Marks Were Used in the Making of This Post***
Although I had high hopes that January 2010 would be the “Month of the Underpants”, it just wasn’t in the cards. As soon as we found out we would be able to travel to Walt Disney World on a 2,000 mile road trip, I knew we would have to “hold it”!
After getting unpacked and readjusted to home life, I also thought we would start right in on “Booty Camp 2010”, but we’ve had one with some serious “Big D” for several days and with my dad being in the hospital we’ve gotten “stopped up” once again.
I was able to talk to some experts from Pull-Ups last week, and they really encouraged us to keep it as fun as possible and to wait until you can dedicate the time to be consistent.
So for now we’ve been watching Elmo's Potty Time DVD* and talking it up, but we are “resisting the urge” until we can dedicate an uninterrupted few days to “Booty Camp 2010”.
The toilets/tubs/sinks/countertops are begging for a wipe down. 
