Pants optional

Did I get your attention?  I'll get to that in a minute.

First, let me explain why there hasn't been much blogging on this here blog lately.  The general reason for my slackness is lack of time.  As I've mentioned before, most of my free time is ironically at work.  But we have so many restrictions that I can't even upload pictures anymore, and I like a blog post with pics attached.  I could ramble on any given day about any subject, but I know I like to see pics on other blogs, so I assume others feel the same about mine.  Not that I have much time to take pictures anyway.

I think I mentioned a while back that I was going to start eating better and working out.  I started on May 10th, and let me tell you, this isn't as easy as it was in my twenties.  I won't bore you with details, but I started running on the treadmill first and then the weights came in after the second week.  I absolutely hate cardio, but it is a necessary evil at first.  On the flip side, I really enjoy lifting weights.  I like feeling stronger and wish I could do it every day.  When Brig and I lost weight in 2004 I was just doing the treadmill and lost 30 lbs in 3 months.  I have been doing this for five and a half weeks and have dropped 16 so far.  I wish it was more, but I am doing weights too so I won't see results as quickly.

The point is this...the only free time I have at home is after Owen goes to bed.  My workouts fill that time so I don't really have time for anything else.  I only have a few hours with Owen each weekday, and I don't want to take that time for working out.  In the end, I am doing this for myself and for him.  I want to set a good example and be able to do things he wants to do as he grows up.

Moving on to the pants optional part...

I have mentioned numerous times how we are leaning into potty training.  Well, I am tired of leaning and want to get this show on the road.  I would link the previous posts, but I just don't have the energy.  The short version is that he goes nightly before bath time, and has slowly started going at random times when we ask him.  We tried the every 20 minute timer method last month and it was going well for an hour or two.  Then he completely refused so we backed off. 

I did some research and came across a no-nonsense method that gets straight to the point.  Turns out we unknowingly had already passed the first hurdle.  This approach starts with 10 minute intervals which are much better.  I accidentally left Owen's pull-up off after he went this afternoon so we decided just to let him go pantless to see what happened.  We encouraged him to stay on the wood floor just in case. 

We did the 10 minute timer a few times, but then he started going and sitting down all by himself.  Sometimes it was a few drops and sometimes it was much more.  It was a grueling few hours, but not one accident.  He even helps me empty his bowl into the big toilet, flushes and washes his hands.  I was really tired of doing this after the twelfth time, but I don't care because we are so proud of him.  I don't know what it is about him being pantless, but it's working.

We are going to keep forging ahead and hopefully tomorrow will go as well as today.  Fingers crossed.