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Potty talk

By Jessica

In case you haven’t heard because you have unfollowed me on twitter and Facebook to avoid my potty training talk, I am working as a zookeeper training the last of my kids.

It is going pretty well.

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We’ve trained three before him so we know what we are in for and are always prepared.

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He is independent and dedicated to the cause.

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Because we know how important a strict regimen is, he is never left on his own and is consistently successful in his efforts.

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Overall, we are shocked by his progress.

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And waiting for a day that does not require two showers, a bath and several packs of superhero underwear.

I swear I have done this before… once, twice, maybe three times. I must have blocked it out of my memory.

Or never fully recovered from the fumes.

**Edited to add, I found a way to remove the pee smell that seems to be a permanent fixture in our bathrooms!**

how to remove pee smell

1. Make a paste of baking soda and hot water. Using a scrub brush apply it liberally to the floor and leave it sit for 5 minutes or so.

2. Mop floor to remove baking soda paste and then wash the floor with a mixture of white vinegar and hot water.

Our bathroom smelled like an outhouse no matter what I did and this completely removed the smell with zero chemicals.

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36 Comments Filed Under: Crafts, Recipes and How To's, Musings of Motherhood


Comments

  1. Goldi says

    April 21, 2014 at 10:48 pm

    You are an angel! I need the lil boy smell gone! What is up with that?? You had me rolling with the iphone convo’s! “Sawyer’s butt strikes again” lol

    Reply
  2. brenda says

    January 13, 2013 at 2:45 pm

    I’m so old — both mine were fully trained before age 2 — everyone was back then… my son took 4-6 months, daughter was eager to please and completely trained in 2 months !

    Reply
  3. Barbara says

    August 22, 2012 at 9:11 am

    The comments back and forth are hysterical. Mine was terrified of going #2 anywhere that wasn’t a diaper, so it wasn’t so bad. Good luck!

    Reply
  4. Sarah says

    August 19, 2012 at 9:07 pm

    Oh no!! I hope he gets the hang of it soon!!

    Reply
  5. Not a Perfect Mom says

    August 18, 2012 at 8:30 pm

    Jack was my toughest….mostly because he could go and decided not to most of the time…he would say “mommy, I have to poop, get me a pull up before I poop on the floor” but eventually he got it…after I got mean…
    I’m scared to train Brooke…just worried if it will be different or if it’ll take forever…like I’m actually going to realize she’s really really special needs…

    Reply
    • Jessica says

      August 19, 2012 at 10:15 am

      Yep, training my oldest took forever. The boys have been interesting, I just can’t believe they truly don’t care and are perfectly comfortable going just about anywhere. Ugh.

      Reply
  6. Courtney Kirkland says

    August 18, 2012 at 3:48 pm

    I think potty training might be the worst thing ever. I think I’d rather go through the labor and delivery process than potty train. At least then I know that there’s an end in sight and I can “recover.” Good luck!

    Reply
  7. Aleta says

    August 18, 2012 at 12:16 pm

    OMG, you’re scaring me! Ok, do you have any secrets on potty training?
    (mental note: things I need to be prepared for in the coming months/years)

    Reply
  8. Leighann says

    August 17, 2012 at 9:11 pm

    we’re in the midst of it right now and I have no idea what I’m doing. We had to stop and start again because she was so resistant.
    Do you leave sawyer in underwear all day and just ask him to pee constantly, crossing your fingers that he doesn’t poop everywhere? Or do you put pull ups on him when you go out?

    Reply
    • Jessica says

      August 19, 2012 at 9:00 pm

      We did underwear right from the beginning. We put him in pull ups on a few long drives and that was a big mistake, I think it just confused him. Good luck!

      Reply
  9. Tara (nerdgirlmom) says

    August 17, 2012 at 7:41 pm

    Yes I survived. Or rather I paid people who survived! My first was a nightmare but we didn’t know she had adhd. One of the twins was super easy once she got into the 3 year old classroom at daycare and was the only one in pull-ups…trained in a day. Her twin with autism I was sure would be in diapers forever. Nightmare for us. Trained in a week for IBI professionals who clearly carried around more gummy bears than I did. Other than that I think I have blocked it out. Good luck! It will pass. Soon you’ll be stopping for bathroom breaks every 5.2 seconds on a road trip and longing for the diaper days!

    Reply
    • Jessica says

      August 19, 2012 at 9:01 pm

      Same here! My oldest with autism took so long that I definitely blocked it out and my other two who are 4 need to stop every five minutes so we are just adding one more to the public restroom rotation.

      Reply
  10. angela says

    August 17, 2012 at 2:18 pm

    I guess I hadn’t commented. I probably had to go clean up poop. Sigh.

    Reply
  11. Elena says

    August 17, 2012 at 2:12 pm

    Oh, Sawyer. Lucky he’s such a doll, right? 😉 I’m so not looking forward to potty training Cooper. Maybe Sawyer can come over one day and give Cooper some tips – once he has it mastered.

    Reply
    • Jessica says

      August 17, 2012 at 2:23 pm

      Definitely. He’s very good at talking the talk. It’s actually doing it that is the problem.

      Reply
  12. Jaime says

    August 17, 2012 at 11:37 am

    I hate potty training. I didn’t even really train my daughter, my SIL did. Now I’m thinking about starting with my son and I’m just avoiding it.

    Good luck!

    Reply
  13. julie gardner says

    August 17, 2012 at 10:02 am

    My husband is the KING of “good times” when replying to my texts of disaster.

    So thanks for reminding me I’m very glad that we didn’t have text messaging when I was potty training Jack and Karly.

    Also, good luck.

    I’m registering Jack for high school today. So. Yeah. Hopefully neither of us will be leaving campus wearing pink pants.

    XO

    Reply
    • Jessica says

      August 17, 2012 at 2:22 pm

      Oh yes, no pink pants for either of you although high school registration is scary, you may want to bring some just in case.

      Reply
  14. Lady Jennie says

    August 17, 2012 at 9:48 am

    I have thrown away outfits.

    Reply
    • Jessica says

      August 17, 2012 at 10:02 am

      Me too!

      Reply
  15. Lanie says

    August 16, 2012 at 10:32 pm

    I have a very similar picture of Fletcher in pink shorts 🙂

    Survived but not sure it counts because I must confess that I have 2 five year olds still in pull ups at night . . . Good luck! xo

    Reply
  16. Jenni & Andy says

    August 16, 2012 at 10:31 pm

    Hilar. I mean, because I don’t have to deal with it at my house at the moment. That’s why it’s funny. I’m sorry – it’s obviously not funny for you. Yet. Hopefully it will be eventually 😉

    Reply
    • Jessica says

      August 17, 2012 at 10:01 am

      It’s one of those “laugh so we don’t cry” sort of things ;).

      Reply
  17. Alison says

    August 16, 2012 at 9:08 pm

    We are starting soon. HOLD ME.

    Reply
  18. Jen says

    August 16, 2012 at 8:06 pm

    Potty training is just miserable and your post reminded me that I am SO glad that I NEVER have to potty train again.

    Reply
    • Jessica says

      August 16, 2012 at 9:01 pm

      I keep telling myself that, that once this is over this will be my last one to train. And then I will only be cleaning pee off the walls.

      Reply
  19. Hazel says

    August 16, 2012 at 7:53 pm

    I am in the middle of potty training my 3 yr old boy right now. This weekend will be the first one where we on a 2 hour drive with no pull-up on, I am really scared:)

    Reply
    • Jessica says

      August 16, 2012 at 9:03 pm

      Oh good luck. I will spare you the details of how our long car ride ended over the weekend. May yours end in much less wipes.

      Reply
  20. Kyla @ Mommy's Weird says

    August 16, 2012 at 4:01 pm

    Yes, I am alive. But, I have another one to go. Might never ever post again.

    Reply
    • Jessica says

      August 16, 2012 at 4:21 pm

      That’s how I felt after the one before this one. I thought he scarred me for life, but then there was still one more to train. Now this one may do me in.

      Reply
  21. Mark says

    August 16, 2012 at 3:40 pm

    My youngest two are 7 years old. If they have an accident at this point, I’m pulling the trigger.
    Hang in there!
    m.

    Reply
  22. laura says

    August 16, 2012 at 3:14 pm

    Yes…. and I survived. My son regressed three months before his twin sisters were born and at that point I didn’t fight it. Went right back to diapers. Then, right before I was due to have them he showed signs of interest. It was a success. How did I survive it? No idea.

    Reply
    • Jessica says

      August 16, 2012 at 5:40 pm

      I know, I’ve done this three times already and I don’t even have advice for myself.

      Reply
  23. christine says

    August 16, 2012 at 2:55 pm

    Ha! Yes, it gets better. I just can’t remember when. (We are s-l-o-w-l-y encouraging our second.)

    Reply
  24. Kati says

    August 16, 2012 at 2:40 pm

    Hi Jessica. I have been following your blog for awhile, but haven’t commented before. Until now…I am currently potty training my 31-month-old and it is a nightmare. I have also blogged about it (may times!). So I guess I’ll say that I am surviving, but barely.

    Reply
    • Jessica says

      August 16, 2012 at 3:05 pm

      Same here, my son is just over 3 and I thought he would be the easiest because he has watched all the others but nope. Good luck to both of us!!

      Reply

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