A 'Move My Soul' Kinda Day!

Shhh! Don't tell anyone, but I am preggo. And by preggo I mean a whopping 31 weeks! I would like to think that is the reason today was so emotional for me, but I am pretty sure today would have moved my soul pregnant or not.

Moved my soul... Something I seldom hear, definitely something I don't say very often, but so far the closest I have been able to get to how I feel (other than spent, exhausted, sore, worn out, etc.)

I can't tell you how many people have thanked me for all my hard work. It feels good, I must admit, that people think my role in today was important enough to thank me. But truly it isn't me that needs to be thanked.

You know those sayings, about how as we go about life and try to teach children all these wonderful things, but we end up learning more than we ever taught? You know TEACH to LEARN. That is what is so amazing to me about the things happening at my school. By instilling habits and leadership qualities, we are strengthening them in ourselves. We teach by example, model the behavior and continually learn something new from a 2 year old about being a leader, about being a better person.

Being a teacher is hard work. It is a job that you never stop doing because it involves children. We love our kids. We pray for our kids. We worry, celebrate and share our hearts with our kids. It is not some 9 to 5 job that you clock out of to come back to the next day. It is a lifestyle. Constantly people say things like, "I just don't know how you do it!" like what we do is rocket science.

But, I can tell you how. Because God called and we answered.

Today was one of those days, I knew without a doubt in my mind, God's place for me was on Wyndham Park Drive with 100 preschoolers and 50 villagers, with 95 parents/grandparents/educators from all over Virginia and beyond, supporting a leadership process that has instilled in students of all ages (and by all ages I mean ALL ages) to be great. To be GREAT.

I could feel it in my bones, deep in my soul.

So the thanks truly belongs to God. For putting us in this place with each other. For helping our paths to cross in such a way that a day like today could happen. For amazing teachers. Absolutely amazing teachers. That inspire parents and students a like to be great. That take the time to help these kids find something wonderful in themselves. Even the kid who teeters on emotional instability with the constant concern that today may be his last day at our private school because punching a teacher is just not okay. Even him. Even he has a greatness inside of him. For these same teachers who give up their control to let their students be in charge, to guide their learning, and build a classroom culture that is greater than it would be without their voice.

Not many a moment in my life has moved my soul. But today was one of them. And I am so blessed and grateful to be a part of something so unbelievably amazing. I don't think this is the last time these kids will move a soul or two and I hope mine is always one of them.

30 Days of Thanks 2012 (recap)

I realized I never recaped my 30 Days of Thanks 2012. Thankfully, it was all on facebook, so I was able to copy and paste everything. Just reread all of them. We are definitely going to do this next year!


Day 1: Today, I am thankful for my season tickets to VCU Basketball. I am so grateful to be able to raise cooper around something I LOVED growing up around. Some of my earliest memories are of ordering roy rodgers and shirley temples at the presidents club with our homemade VCU sweatshirts... and getting candy at 6th street to take into the game. Thank you mom and dad!

Day 2: Today,  I am most thankful for my son's jibberish. It reminds me to be patient, take my time and listen to every sound. What he is saying is as important as he thinks it is because he is really just 2 and its not fair to expect him to be anything but 2.

Day 3: Today, I am most thankful for ability to spend the entire day with my son. I am so lucky to have a husband to pick up the chores so that I am able to give Coop my undivided attention for potty. I feel like I know Coop better than I did yesterday and no matter whether our potty party is successful or not (although it happens to be going wonderfully), that makes the day totally worth it.

Day 4: Today, I am most thankful for the love my husband has for our son. Listening to rick cheer for coop in the potty after nap time makes me smile. I'm laying in bed now listening to him and cooper play in the backyard and you don't have to know rick to know he's having as much fun as coop. I know he cares so deeply about coop and he will do whatever it takes to be a good dad. I am so excited to see him with our #2.

Day 5: Today, I am most thankful for my son's teacher, Ms. Marley. I was SO nervous taking Coop to school today after such a successful potty weekend and she was helpful and relaxed and ready for the challenge. I realized today she deserves all of my trust in this parent-teacher relationship and that makes me SO grateful.

Day 6: Honestly, today I am most thankful that today is actually here. All the politics has really gotten me down. There is a mature and polite way to support your personal beliefs and I have been very disappointed with the way people have been putting others down for their beliefs. The beauty of our life as an American is not only the right to vote but that we also have the ability to agree to disagree. I'm ready for facebook to go back to funny e-cards about jeggings and the cute thing your kid said about boogers.

Day 7: Today, I am most thankful for my work family. Working with a group of wonderful people that give me parenting advice, remind me to feed my belly (and often make me food to eat!), let my son borrow their son's clothes and care about my family enough to to be great friends and even the godmother to funfetti makes going to work a breeze. I am so blessed to work with people whom I choose to spend time with outside of my work week. Thank you for caring not only about me, but my sweet babies too.

Day 8: Today, I am most thankful to Mike Maggi's parents for hosting Lauren and Mike's rehearsal dinner. After months on a strict diet due to my gallbladder, I was beyond excited to indulge in the deliciousness that is Julep's while enjoying awesome company. So happy to be a part of all the wedding festivities!

(Apparently I missed Day 9... but I made up for it on Day 29!)

Day 10: Today, I am most thankful for my friendship with Lauren Moreno. Today, I am honored to stand with her as she marries the love of her life. Lauren is always telling me how much I have taught her but the truth is I am the one that has learned so much. I am so glad the stars finally aligned for us to meet and become friends. RAWR! Today it means you are going to be the most beautiful bride. Congratulations to you Mike Maggi for scooping up one amazing woman. Happy Wedding Day!

Day 11: Thankful for the day of catch-up sleep... funfetti and I both needed it more than I realized.

Day 12: Today, I am most thankful that coop went potty at school. Last week, although home training was going smooth, it was really tough staying relaxed about coop not going for 8 hours at a time. I am hopeful the worst of the worrying is behind us and we are on our way to being potty trained, totally rocking the "before the new baby" deadline!

Day 13: I am honestly most thankful its not my night for coop's bedtime routine. After that ram loss and staying up past my bedtime, all I want is my pillow!

Day 14: Today, I am most thankful for Cooper's doctors, Dr. Elliott and Dr. Brager. As he went to sleep tonight, even with his yucky cold, he was quiet as a mouse. I am so thankful Cooper's doctors never gave up and found the answer, even if he is known throughout the Richmond pediatric medical community as "the peanut boy." :)

Day 15: Today, I am most thankful for bubble baths. Watching Coop swim in bubbles for the first time was sheer joy for both of us. Even with this yucky cold, the bubbles were exactly what he needed. Here's hoping the "bedtime" solution helps him settle down quickly because this momma is ready for bed!

Day 16: Today, I am most thankful that daddy is almost home. Although I appreciate the time with Coop alone and it does remind me how blessed I am to have a permanent teammate, I am ready for a night where I can go to bed before Coop and catch up on some sleep!

Day 17: I'm most thankful for my mom's bbq bacon wrapped pineapple and shrimp skewers. Yes, they are as addictive as they sound and yes, I ate more than my share.

Day 18: Today, I am most thankful for my stylish mom. Shopping with her today was stress-free and very productive. I love that she can see how things will look on me before I try them on so I end up liking 98% of what I take to the dressing room, which is particularly effective while pregnant since I have this bump to clothe and the emotions are high. She even brought me snacks to get me through! :)

Day 20: Today, I am most thankful that traveling for thanksgiving also happens to be traveling to see the tigers play. Packing is incredibly stressful for me except for lsu trips... all of our suitcases are filled with all items purple and gold in our closets. Easy peasy! :)

Day 21: Today, I am most thankful for the ability to fly to Arkansas for yet another hilarious adventure with my wonderful family. Coop did an outstanding job waking up at 4am for a day full of traveling, pottying anywhere we could find, and being just about too busy to eat. We are so blessed to have a pretty easy going kid, even if it did include a few meltdowns. :)

Day 22: Today, I am most thankful to be a Shelton. My maiden name is more than a name... It means lsu football and laughing until our bellies hurt because the grandkids are wild. It means everyone saying "god is great" for grace bc it makes coop that happy. It means crafting at the dinner table where we shared thanksgiving lunch/dinner together with mom's famous feta cheese mashed potatoes. It means loving each other and always caring for each other through everything no matter what and even welcoming new loved ones into the fold. So blessed. So thankful.

Day 23: I am most thankful for lsu football. My love for the tigers is way more than first downs and touchdowns. Its years of memories and bonding. Whether its going to shreveport for a bowl game and being happy about it, dance parties at tailgates in the lumberyards of south carolina or a saturday night in death valley, these games are more about being a family that plays together and sharing with our friends through the years what being a shelton is all about. Thank you dad for making these memories possible. I'm excited my kids get to grow up with a similar experience! :)

Day 24: Today I am most thankful for bowling with the family. not only was it fun (and I may have beat my husband both games) but brings back years of memories of thanksgivings in Roanoke rolling 30 deep! A family that plays together stays together! :)

Day 25: I am most thankful that coop is a traveler. Watching he and laney sit together on the plane without needing a parent to sit with them was pretty awesome. He is better than a typical 2 year old on flights and will pee or hold it as requested by his momma. I'm excited for all of the adventures in our future!

Day 26: Today, I am most thankful to learn at the doctor today that our sweet funfetti is "normal" as the perinatal specialist said. He also called us "boring patients" and said he didn't want to see us again. He added, that he hoped I wasn't offended. I replied that was the best response we could get. So blessed to have a healthy baby on the way! :)

Day 27: I am most thankful for the arrival of my LL Bean pine wreath. Every year, I am so excited when the box arrives to unleash the smell of pine. This year, my wonderful husband had it hung on the door when we got home so the house was already filled with my favorite Christmas smell. It official feels like Christmas and I'm now ready to pull all of our boxes from the attic. Thank you Steve Shelton and Pam Stone Shelton for keeping the tradition alive because it means a lot to us! :)

Day 28: Today, I am most thankful for eskimo kisses. Watching Coop repeatedly give out eskimos kisses to everyone in our group was the sweetest thing and made my heart melt. Its definitely the little things! :)

Day 29: I am most thankful today for the gift of giving. I love that feeling when you came up with the PERFECT gift or surprise for someone and you just cant wait to see the look on their face when they open it. I am so blessed to have been raised in an enviroment where it really is the thought that counts. Thanks to Tiffany Linick for helping Cooper and I (and Emery, too!) spoil their teachers!

Day 29 (part 2): Okay, so I had to do a second one I just remembered. I am also thankful for the innocence and excitement of my son. As I opened the front door with Coop to leave this am, he noticed the wreath on the door. He said with his eyes bright and jaw agape, "Look, Momma! Cwissmiss time!" I was just so excited to see his excitement. I am so thankful God's path for me includes motherhood. Everything about life is so much more exciting when reminded what it looks like through a child's eyes. I can't begin to imagine how much better our life will be with funfetti in it!

Day 30: I feel a lot of pressure selecting just one thing I am most thankful for today because I know its the last day. Honestly, I think I am most thankful today is the last day before we find out Funfetti's gender! Less than 18 hours!! I am sooo thankful that I participated in the 30 days of thanks. It encouraged me look past the usuals... friends, family and a career, which obviously I am thankful for, but helped me to truly find the best out of each day. Thanks for humoring my daily posts!

Lenten Challenge: Cookies, Spinkles, Coffee, OH MY!

Day 2 - I got Coop and his nanny some cookie dough to bake cookies valentine's night. In Coop's valentine's basket he got a variety of heart/red&blue items including a tub of blue and red heart "spinkles". When I filled his basket, I got the sprinkles in hopes that he and I would bake cookies together. Coop really doesn't like eating the cookies, but he loves getting his hands dirty and eating sprinkles so this seemed like the perfect activity for us. The act of kindness wasn't getting the dough for he and his nanny, but instead giving his nanny the activity I had hoped to do with him, true bonding that I knew he would love, something that I am not usually very good at sharing.

Day 3 - I bought a guy coffee today. He was behind me in line at Starbucks and looked like he was having a not so great morning... you know as much as I could assess from my side view mirror. He may just be one of those people who doesn't smile at rest, or maybe he had a bad morning. Whatever it was, I hope his free coffee made his morning, if at least for a moment and that he was able to extend some kindness to someone else. 

But frankly, I am not sure it was him that received the kindness, though. The guy who worked at Starbucks was pretty stoked. It was interesting to watch the reactions of the 3 or 4 people working the drive-thru and line (is that what its called at a coffee bar??). It seemed they were the true recipients of my $4.00 act of kindness. They seemed to smile a little brighter, too. I think the best part was watching the kindness move in a direction I didn't expect. I thought I was impacting the guy in the car behind me, but it was the staff that seemed the most moved.

Lenten Challenge 2013

Lenten Challenge: Day 1 - Turning rain into sunshine!

Being a good mother to Cooper has always been an extremely high priority of mine. There are a lot of people out there whose path does not include being a parent even if that is something that they want. I believe that is a big part of why I put so much pressure on myself to make good decisions and take time to raise Cooper to be polite and sweet and thoughtful. He is a gift from God and with that comes a great responsibility.

I really enjoyed our 30 days of thanks. I may even make that a thing we do every year. So for Lent this year, we wanted to do something similar. The Kindness Project seemed like just the ticket! What better way to reflect on what it is like to be like Jesus than to do nice things for people and expect nothing in return.

Don't get me wrong, I totally get that Cooper isn't even 3. Does he even get it? Probably not, but I do think we will have stories and evidence to show him next year and the year after, so the sooner we start the better off he will be. I don't really think he got his pleases and thank yous when he was signing them, long before he could talk, but Rick and I are told what great manners he has, almost every day. Ya know, so something has worked!

So last night, all of my free time was spent gathering ideas of things we could do as random acts for kindness, like baking cookies for the postman and sending random "I love you's" to aunts and uncles. So I pinned a bunch of stuff and intended to make a list of all the things we would do.

Then, today Coop got sick, which turned into a day of this momma feeling sorry for the both of us because a 102 fever equals no Yo Gabba Gabba Live! Which is where we would've been right now instead of sick on the couch. My self-loathing took my focus away and I ended up being pretty down, completely forgetting our Lenten promise.

When I finally made the call that our evening plans needed to be canceled, my first thought was to try to find someone to give the tickets to, not to sell but to give. The tickets were a gift to Cooper and we should give that gift on to someone who was going to have as much fun as we would.

So I called one of Cooper's buddy's moms and she was thrilled. I know they are having a blast and that makes me really happy, makes me forget the sadness I felt that Coop and I weren't going to get this night together. [In fact, we got a text while I was writing this that said just that!]

So I was driving home tonight and realized I completely forgot about our Lenten promise. I didn't make my list of random acts of kindness nor did I even complete one. How could I fail the first day??

But then I realized sharing the tickets was a random act of kindness. It was done for no other reason than to be sure a family we love, had a good time. How could a fever on a rainy day turn into such a bright ray of sunshine? Well, that is just the way God works. Let go and let God and listen with an open heart!

And I realized that should be the point of our kindness project... We shouldn't plan a bunch of additional activities but instead search for opportunities to be kind to others each day. I think what may end up happening is that we will end up doing way more than 1 act a day. And maybe, just maybe changing, even if just a bit, to be a little more like Jesus. I am pretty sure that is the point of Lent.

VeryJane.com Giveaway!

So my latest obsession is veryjane.com. This website offers great deals on all sorts of items. I got a pretty sweet pendant in the shape of Virginia with a heart over Richmond which is probably my most favorite item I have purchased. But I have gotten tons of other stuff like washi tape and cupcake cups and beautiful jewelry. I just can't get enough! So I am entering their new years giveaway not only because the prizes are awesome, but its another way to support this website so they can get even more vendors!

You can enter too here!

Potty Partay!

So I bought Cooper a potty when he was about 18 months old. Everything I have always read said that is the earliest a child will be ready for potty training. We didn't do anything with it, just put it next to our potty and were able to relay its purpose with various books. I started inviting him with me when I went so he could get used to the idea. 

He was really interested at first. In fact, he kept diapers dry for a whole weekend. But at the time, he was in a classroom that wasn't focusing on potty training and to be completely honest, I am not sure I would've gotten the partnership necessary for being quite successful, plus he was really young.

We stopped for the most part after that. If you have ever read anything about potty training, although there are many different theories and ways to be successful, every single one stresses the importance of keeping it exciting and not putting ANY pressure on the child. It just wasn't Cooper's time. He ended up getting really sick after that so it actually worked out for the best. It would've been pretty difficult potty training in a hospital room hooked up to machines all the time.

Fast forward 8 months...

Last Thursday, Cooper woke up dry. After 9 hours of sleep, he was completely dry. I started jumping and cheering and dancing so he of course followed suit. We raced to the potty and he went! We called Daddy (he was out of town for work) and told him what happened. Daddy knew just what to do so Coop would stay excited. We went to work and told all of mommy's friends the good news, everyone did exactly as they should. Coop was glowing! 

Over the past several weeks, Coop started showing all the signs. He was waking up from nap dry almost every day and only going in his diaper 4-6 times each day, sometimes lasting 4 hours in between. It just so happened, this weekend we had no plans so it seemed like this was the time.

That day, I talked to his teacher about coming up with a plan and really encouraging him to sit every diaper change. Coop only wet 3 diapers during school that day. As soon as we got home he went in his potty!

Friday, I brought some potty treats and a potty chart for his teacher. Together they had a mini potty party, hung up his chart in the bathroom and talked about the treats. He sat on the potty but it was clear to his teacher that the potty was a little scary. She said he acted like he might fall in and suggested I bring an insert for it.

Friday after school, Rick and I took Coop to target to pick out his potty seat. He was pretty excited and upon arrival home carried it all around the house. We pulled out the underwear we had gotten back in February, showed them to Coop, hung up his potty chart and checked out the potty treats. We talked about how tomorrow was going to start our Potty Partay No Pants Day! Needless to say Coop was excited.

So I guess I should get to the theory. The theory is the 3 day potty training method. We varied ours a little, shortening it to 2 days instead of 3 official days being that Coop had 2 successful days of "holding it" at school. We also didn't stay completely naked. Saturday morning Coop was really sad after he WENT POTTY that he couldn't put a diaper on so we had to make a minor adjustment. I whipped out his rock star elmo underwear and suggested we put the diapers away for good and wear his big boy pants instead. Thankfully, Coop was excited and that was that.

Over the course of Saturday, Coop had 1 #1 accident and 1 #2 accident. Both were back to back and in the morning. During his #1 accident I thought he was going to cry because he hated it on his legs and feet and underwear. (This being a good sign to his momma!) He stayed dry, going in the potty every time until bedtime. Right before bed, he had another very small accident during story time, in fact I am wondering if he started to go and then stopped because it was so little. Not too shabby for Day #1!

After polling other moms, we were unsure what to do for the night. He stayed dry during nap, but as I mentioned before he has been dry after nap for weeks. We got some waterproof training pants meant to go over Coop's underwear but he HATED them, and I really can't blame him, they are awful. We opted for continuing with the underwear and just used a mattress protector that snapped to his bed rails. 

Coop was SOAKED when he woke up. We cut off liquids around 7pm and he went right before bedtime which is usually 8:30pm. Rick and I quickly agreed we would be going with night time pullups for awhile.

Today, I was super nervous. I have heard that others who have tried this were met with insane resistance the 2nd day. I really had no idea what to expect and honestly was exhausted from being excited about peepee all day the day prior but Coop did wonderfully. He started to tell us when his 15 minute alarm went off no potty mommy. When he actually had to go he would get really excited and race to the potty.

Today, Coop had 1 #2 accident. But ALL of his peepee ended up in the potty. Even after he got his pjs and "nighttime pants" as we are calling them, he went 2 more times before he actually went to sleep. Halfway through today, he would go to the potty and wouldn't even ask for his sticker or treat. We had to remind him and his response was "oh, yeah sure!" like it really wasn't that important.

Throughout the day, Rick and I just kept looking at each other, like is this really happening? I was pretty confident he was ready going into this weekend, but I really had NO IDEA it would go so well.

Thankfully, I warned his teacher last week that if this weekend went well, I would be packing him a basket full of laundry and underwear and we would be going cold turkey. She was totally on board so that definitely helped with our momentum this weekend.

So we said bye bye diapers. We will see them again when the new baby joins us. And hopefully that is far enough away that Cooper won't revert back when the baby comes, but we know that is definitely a possibility.

Don't get me wrong. Coop isn't 100% potty trained. He hasn't gone #2 in the potty since February. And I am sure we will have some accidents tomorrow and the next day and probably over the next several weeks. But all of the success stories I have heard and witnessed were cold turkey, so here we go.

So here we are about to embark on the school week. I am super nervous but as everyone is reminding me, he is super cooper, he will rock it out!

I want to point out we didn't really do anything special. Cooper was ready, and we are just responding to the signs he was sending us. I do know that window of potty opportunity can come and go (I have potty trained a few 4 year olds in my day) and we wanted to give it a shot. Just like we let it go when he showed us signs he wasn't quite ready back in February. Wish us luck! The work is far from over! :)

[Other variations: We didn't leave the house at all on Saturday. We did take him outside Sunday afternoon in the backyard, but the deal was he had to go potty first. This is supposed to teach them to pee on command,and associating the importance of peeing before leaving the house.

We also let him wear pants over his underwear on day 2. He is going to have to wear pants to school. We opted for sweatpants. I only packed him pants that don't need to button for school tomorrow, and he may live in those for the next few weeks, which is totally fine with me. 

And by no means are we going to follow that part about keeping him naked for the first 3 months following this weekend. I am pretty sure the moms of his classmates wouldn't appreciate that.]

30 Days of Thanks

I am participating in the 30 days of thanks this year. My goal is to try to be on a deeper level than listing off 30 things/people I am thankful for but truly finding the best thing about the day. My hope is that it will help me to do this everyday even if the date doesn't start with November. 

Don't get my wrong, I would call myself a grateful person. I use my manners, tell people when they do or say things that mean something to me and even help Cooper list all the people we love each night before bed. but lately with all the things that have happened recently, and my raging pregnancy hormones, maintaining a positive upbeat attitude hasn't come as easily as I would like. Participating in the 30 days of thanks can only help with that. 

So here goes...

November 1st: Today, I am thankful for my season tickets to VCU Basketball. I am so grateful to be able to raise cooper around something I LOVED growing up around. Some of my earliest memories are of ordering roy rodgers and shirley temples at the presidents club with our homemade vcu sweatshirts... and getting candy at 6th street to take into the game. Thank you mom and dad! 

November 2nd: My son's jibberish... It reminds me to be patient, take my time and listen to every sound. What he is saying is as important as he thinks it is because he is really just 2 and its not fair to expect him to be anything but 2.

November 3rd: Today, I am most thankful for ability to spend the entire day with my son. I am so lucky to have a husband to pick up the chores so that I am able to give Coop my undivided attention for potty. I feel like I know Coop better than I did yesterday and no matter whether our potty party is successful or not (although it happens to be going wonderfully), that makes the day totally worth it.

November 4th: Today, I am most thankful for the love my husband has for our son. Listening to rick cheer for coop in the potty after naptime makes me smile. I'm laying in bed now listening to him and cooper play in the backyard and you don't have to know rick to know he's having as much fun as coop. I know he cares so deeply about coop and he will do whatever it takes to be a good dad. I am so excited to see him with our #2.