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Thursday, July 28, 2011

Company Retreat

Announcement: A much needed retreat is about to begin for the staff at mylittleclothesline. We will be gone for a couple weeks, so bare with us when our blog appears to not only slow, but stop. :) We will be back and refreshed before you know it. Please enjoy the rest of your summer and gear up for back to school/fall!



Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Due to customer demand we are getting those winter clothes up!


Here are some of our boys' collection we've just added. We'll show you some of our darling girls' apparel later. (or you can sneak a peek yourself at any time!) 









Friday, July 15, 2011

Summer fun for kids (and keep their brains busy!)

Summer Fun for Kids

School's out, and your kids want to have some fun in the sun. How can you keep them happy and busy -- and maybe help them learn something -- all the way through August?

By Heather Hatfield (click here for full article)

School's out, the long days of summer are upon us, and your kids are restless. Short of shipping them off to summer camp, how can you keep them happy and busy, and without letting them catch on, make sure they're learning along the way?
Here are tips on what to keep in mind when you're planning summer activities, as well as some easy ideas for little tykes, preschoolers, and school kids that will keep them entertained all the way through August.



Let Summer Begin

When the thermometer starts to creep upward, the first thing you should consider when planning playtime is safety.
"I think with all age groups, parents should consider safety first," says Barbara Roth, specialty consultant for child care for the YMCA of the USA.
With safety in mind, ask yourself, what activities are appropriate for your child's age? What safety equipment should you have on hand, such as a lifejacket if you have a pool, or training wheels and a helmet if your child wants to learn to ride a bike? Will you be home with the child, or working? If you're working, is an adult present?
"Kids should never be home alone, so make sure they're under adult supervision if you will be working," says Roth.
Second, what are your goals for your kids during the summer?
"Beyond simply keeping them busy, you want to keep their development in mind and realize how much learning goes on in play," says Roth.
Learning doesn't stop the moment the school bell sounds for the last time in June. Kids keep on learning all summer long.
"Kids also need to work on social-emotional skills, which is ongoing for all age groups," says Roth. "Make sure the activities your kids are involved in include kids their own age as well as kids other ages."
And last, remember that there is only so much time in the day -- don't overbook yourself and your kids so that summer vacation doesn't include a moment's rest.
"Eliminate stress," says Michele Borba, EdD, author of 19 books on parenting and childhood. "A big, huge calendar on your fridge that can help you keep track of everyone's schedule is a gold mine and really helps avoid overbooking. And make sure there are fun active things going on and also some laid-back activities. It's OK to have nothing to do, to spend some time in the sandbox."



Toddlers

Toddlers, ages 1-2, require constant supervision. Whether you are home with your child or another adult is supervising, these activities will help your kids have fun in the sun.
Bins of fun. "Get some plastic bins and fill them with fun things, and rotate which bin your child gets every day," says Borba. "Use paper towel tubes and toilet paper tubes in one bin, which are great for toddlers to use as kazoos and drums. Put play dough in another bin and let them play with that for a while. And old paint brushes with just water are great -- toddlers can paint anything and watch the water change its color, and there's no pick up for you after."

Monday, July 11, 2011

Day 6

Well.


It certainly has been quite the weekend.


If you would have asked me if I had any hope at the end of the third day, I would have said a definite N.O. It was probably mostly our fault, as we left to the cabin for the weekend. Though he stayed dry the entire ride (boy was I nervous for that!) he didn't go potty on the toilet once we got there. He was not too keen on the toilet (oops, we left his potty chair accidently!) and it went downhill from there. He would not even tell us that he was going (as he had been doing up until then). He would just go and once even played in it! Yucky! I was not a happy camper. Those three days of hard work down the drain.


Day 4. Russell ran to town and picked up another potty chair, which Easton loved right away. Whew! He pretty much picked up where he left off. He started tell us again and running to the potty chair. We had many many times that he was able to pee (and even number 2 once!) without getting his underwear wet. Of course, we had times that he got them a little wet and a few times still that he left a puddle. Nonetheless, life was looking up! He was telling us again and was happy with his new potty chair.


Day 5.Again, did very well for the most part. He know what is expected and what the signs are. We know he understands this as he says "Good Boooooooy!" just before he pees on the potty. He makes us so proud. We are still having accidents but I find we are doing way less laundry and changing his underwear at a drastically slower pace. 


Day 6. We are back home now and he told us he had to "Go Go GO" and somehow we were too distracted to jump right away. He rewarded us with a little puddle. :) We are finding that he holds it a lot longer when he plays, because he doesn't want to go right then. I think it has finally clicked with him and now it's a matter of getting him to do it on a consistent basis. 


It has been quite the experience. 


His ice cream treat for going number 2 on the potty!

Just another mess to clean up. Worth it!

Friday, July 8, 2011

Day 3

YYYYYYAAAAAYYYYYY! He's potty trained!!! ....right? okay so Day 3 isn't officially over yet, so I'm hoping the end of the day will have me saying that more confidently. 


Anyways last night's happenings inspired good feelings about this whole mess...er....experience I've been going through. Right as we put Easton down for bed, he started saying "Ma Ma, Pee Pee, Go Go Go Daddy, Pee Pee" Yes!! We've only been trying to get him to say that all day long...! So Russ dutifully rushes around getting him to the potty and praising him for dry underwear etc... well. other than playing trucks on Daddy's arm, he really didn't do much. So this went on about 5 times when Russ kept up with the spirit of potty training. Finally, he said enough is enough. 


Well?


"Ma Ma, Pee Pee" (this kid's no dummy)


So I went rushing in there and it was the same routine. I only last one round before I said enough is enough (hey, I had just gotten into bed and was nice and snuggled down!)  



Anyways, I wasn't sure if he recorded this new found saying of his, or if he just had the patience of a saint, but he kept up the "Go Go Pee Pee" for about 45 minutes. Hey, at least we know he connected the "Go Go Pee Pee" with running to the toilet right?

Next Day:

We hear he move around and Russ goes running in his room and runs him to the potty. I sit in bed and hold my breath....

"GOOD BOY!!!" 

*release breath*

Russ came into our room holding Easton and very proud. He had not only stayed dry all night long, but went pee pee on the potty right away! Yes! maybe this whole thing IS working! So, he got another truck. (and notice how confident we were at that moment. Yes, he is indeed laying on OUR bed with just underwear)




Notice how Reagan looks on enviously. He's thinking "hey this potty training thing ain't so bad!" :)




Easton went on again about an hour later to make my day. He gave his little sign, said "Go Go GO" and ran to the toilet for his first ever poopie in the potty! AND kept his underwear dry at the same time! Time for the big daddy of prizes to come out!




As of now Easton is down for his afternoon nap and we still have a half of day left. We're going out of town tonight, so cross your fingers (no diapers for that truck ride...!) for us and I'll let you know how the potty training has gone next week. 

Go Easton Honey! Love you, you Big Boy you!!

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Day 2

Well.....how I managed to even get on here, I'm not sure. It's pretty much a miracle. Hey, you'd think so to if this is what you've been staring at all day!  :







Now granted, you're probably wondering if that's all I've been doing is staring at his little bottom with a different pair of underwear every 5 minutes. And well enough you should. The truth is, I've only been doing it 99% of the time. The other 1% he was actually going in the potty. In fact, we had a big victory today!

Easton was able to let us know that he was going to pee and so we ran him to the toilet, and, with DRY underwear he did his thing. Now, he's done it a lot of times, but NEVER with dry underwear. We were so proud of him! So he got one of the toys we bought for him. He was thrilled. (I'm not sure if he realized why he got it in fact. It was emphasized believe me! but he was so enraptured with the new trains.)







Now if this big boy got a train every time he went pee-pee in the potty, this momma would go broke. So, he gets a little treat! I mean, he has 40 ounces of candy in this bag, so I'm sure it will last the entire time. So no problem right?




Except.....he didn't want a candy bar the last couple times. He wanted a..... yogurt??? Hey I'm not going to complain! But what will I do with all those candy bars?! hm...... ;)




So you're asking. "Well? Is it working?" The answer is I THINK it might be. He is seeming to "hold" a lot more today than yesterday. Yesterday it didn't seem to occur to him that he was about to go. He would just go. Today he seems to be noticing that he has to go. (and then he goes, but hey that's beside the point right?) :) He has gone on the potty around 7 to 8 times. That's pretty good I'm thinking. So I'm VERY excited to see what tonight and tomorrow bring. I really hope it works!

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

3 Day Potty Training....for a 23 month old?!

You might think I'm crazy, but I'm going to potty train my 23 month old son. I'm following the Lora Jensen plan that says you will have your child potty trained in just 3 days if you follow her plan. Okay, I'm game. Sounds wonderful to me! I would love to get it over with in three days as opposed to three months or even three more years! So, I'll keep you updated.


1. Throw away Diapers 
2. Buy fun underwear (in his case, cars and trains)




3. Give him lots of liquids to drink
4. Watch him like a hawk.






Oooooooh boy....what did I get myself into?


Oh no.....! Hold on....!




Accident #1: on the train table











Friday, July 1, 2011

Winter Wonderland and Candy Canes

Think this is a little early? We just can't help it! These pajamas are just too cute to keep them a secret!


Baby Boden (NWOT)

Hanna Andersson