First week of SUMMER

I LOVE having the kids out of school! It has already been going by so fast, but I have loved every minute of it.
Brett declared a TV fast just days into summer vacation and it seems that is what it takes to remind the kids that playing outside it so much fun. Since it finally stopped raining, they have had no complaints to stay outside and play all day long vs. asking to watch TV or play the Wii. The fast was only a week long, but with the exception of one day, (the day after the fast ended) they have had no desire to watch TV. Not that it is a big deal, just that it is so much nicer to have them playing together and laughing and running around, then falling into their beds at night.

So, realizing that two plus weeks have gone by since I last wrote and too much has happened to up date it all, I will have to just chose things.

Kaze has been on the mind this morning because she woke at 1am and came to climb in my bed. Anyone who knows Kaze, knows she if very determined and independent as well as very vocal! Well I have been trying to convince her to be potty trained. With my other kids I could just say, "ok, so do you want to be a big girl/boy? Then you need to go potty on the toilet."

With Kaze she already considers herself a big girl and she thinks what we do on the toilet is "discuzing" (her words).

Since it has to be Kaze's idea to do ANYTHING, I try talking up the benefits of wearing undies and how cool it would be for her to use the toilet. She just informs me that she likes her diaper.
However it is getting embarrassingly obvious that she should be potty trained.

Clues to know they're ready:
-plugging her nose, she says, "Hurry and change me mom, I stink!"
-When she is dressing herself and she takes off her own diaper and all (even tries to put on her own diaper) she yells at me, "Don't look mom!!! Don't look" as she is covering herself with her hands.
Even though it is not looking good for me now, I have no doubt, one day she will just wake up and decide that diapers are no longer suitable for her.

Have you ever heard the question/answer? When you ask boys what they are doing they tell you, throwing the cat down the stairs or whatever they are up to. Girls on the other hand, answer, "nothing" all in sweet tones.
Well that is Kaze. I heard her in my hall closet where I keep band aids and such. I told her to get out, and she answered, "I did!" (but not so much in sweet tones:)
Not two minutes later Kaze came running in with her hands fanning her face, her tongue sticking out and tears coming down her face. Before she even got close I could smell the problem.
She had used Icy Hot as toothpaste. Had she not dragged the stool over the the closet and then lied about her doings, this could have been avoided. THAT lecture fell on deaf ears!