HAPPIEST DAY OF MY LIFE.

Nevre in my life did I think that potty training would be my worst nightmare. But it has been. I first started potty training in February when Kali turned two. It was going pretty good until we moved into our new house and she wanted nothing to do with the potty. I kept trying little by little all the time since then. I've tried everything. You'de think after all of the books I've read or training videos I've watched something would click. The last two months I've put her in underwear everyday and she'd only get her diapers at night. Little did I know that my kid has this crazy good bladder control and wouldn't let anything out all day. After spending most of our time the past few weeks in the bathroom and having countless potty parties something finally clicked. Was it the new princess underwear? the nursury's miniature potty? Who knows. All I know is I am the happiest Mom in the world right now because Kali loves suddenly loves going on the potty. And we now have a new fish. (One of the many bribes we tried along the way.)

I read a story from a Mom of six. I think it can help us all out. She made up a monster in her head named Frankenmom. This Frankenmom was made up of all the BEST qualities of other women. She is the best at homemaking, mothering, church practice, marriage, craftiness, personality, taste, humor, virtue, and we won't mention her physical attributes. Overall, she is the perfect woman. The worst part about Frankenmom is that she reminds us of the things we are not. So we try to be like her, and we loose track of our own talents and who we are.

We justify Frankenmom because it seems better than comparing ourselves to others. But Frankenmom always lurks around and drives us crazy. She makes us think that perfection is the only way. If her kids are perfectly behaved, why can't mine be? If her house is perfect, why not mine? If her relationships with everyone are wonderful, why not mine? If she can do it, why can't I? WHO DOESN'T WANT TO BECOME FRANKENMOM?!!!

Getting rid of Frankenmom is not easy. First we have to realize that what makes her a monster is her non-human perfection. No human can really be that perfect. A great cook may have an untidy house. The spotless cleaner might be a terrible public speaker. The inspirational speaker might not recognize a sewing machine. NOBODY IS PERFECT AT EVERYTHING. So we should all try to focus not on every single thing being perfect but on the things that make us most happy.