I used to look down upon the parent's of children who were not potty trained by 3, and now look at me I have a 3 year old that isn't potty trained...maybe God is trying to teach me something here, not to be so judgmental comes to mind...ugh but it is so frustrating, I thought for sure my child would be potty trained at 2, well before her 3 year birthday, alas, this is not the case.  I have tried everything one can think of, I began with an Elmo potty chair, because at the time Elmo was her favorite, I've posted sticker charts in the bathroom, I've given potty prizes, enticed her with a trip to Disneyland, bought her favorite character panties, given her candy....nothing has worked...at this point I'm just stuck.  The will of a child is like none other that's for sure, when she was a baby things were soooo much easier b/c I made the choices for her, and now she is beginning to make her own choices, like when she wants to use the potty and when she doesn't.  Her daycare teachers assure me it's normal, that she is ahead of most kids in her class, but that she will go when she's ready....well when is that? She's 3!! and she looks like she's 4 because she's so tall! We've made progress, but I was thinking we would be done by now, guess I was thinking wrong.....the will of a child is like none other and knowing that she is my child makes it stronger then ever.....

So we all grow up with the "American Dream" shoved down our throats of that perfect house with the white picket fence, a dog, and 2.5 children, family vacations to the Grand Canyon, the beach, and of course Disneyland/Disneyworld.....I on the other hand do everything backwards....I got married, got divorced, had a child, became a single parent, then got a career, got a dog and I am thinking about buying  that little perfect house... I know you should do it the other way around but hey I am one that tries to re-invent the wheel or as my mother has said "do things the hard way". I reply "that's how you learn, by experiencing". I have always wanted 2-3 children, my daughter has brought so much joy into my life I would love 10 of her.....BUT then I went to Disneyland...not just for a day like last year for her birthday, but for an entire weekend. I've never seen my daughter act the way she did at the "most magical place on earth". She was possessed, crazy, whiny, crying, 2 going on 15, she didn't want to listen, nothing worked, threatening to go back to the hotel, threatening to go home, time-outs, prizes, and yes I even said I was going to call my mother--that didn't even work....NOTHING! She was like nothing I have ever seen...don't get me wrong we had a blast, but I'm content with just one of her now. I love her but I don't think I could handle another one. She even got upset that she couldn't go on a water ride that she was 3 inches short for, really? I was like you are two!!! Even if you were tall enough, that ride is way too crazy! She has no fear though (like her father), no reasoning... as I remind her that she is two, I also have to remind myself of that fact, she is only two, she has no reasoning. The long and short of it....if you want more kids, go to Disneyland...even if you don't have one child now, just listen to the parents as you are walking around the park arguing with their kids, yelling at them, exhausted, exasperated....and I promise you will think twice.  My mother would be proud, although I'm sure she would like more grandchildren, she will be happy to know they won't be in the near future and I am doing things the "right way", waiting. One is more than enough for now, maybe ever....

So i finished "The Help" and cried, yes I cried. I don't think I've ever had a book make me cry before, sure movies do once and awhile, but I literally did not want to leave these characters. I wanted to start the book over....you need to run out and get this book!!! So since I'm on a reading binge lately I'm currently onto "Game Change", yes political but intriguing! Everyone has been sold out of this book so I was forced to buy it on ebay, but so far well worth it! Bria is doing great, I cannot believe she is going to be 3 on the 20th...crazy how time flies!!! Taking her to Disneyland again this year for her birthday, yes she is spoiled rotten!!! Will write soon again, have been super busy!!!

So my daughter is becoming more and more a handful these days, more understanding things, copying and imitating, forming her own self. It can be exasperating sometimes, she's very confident, pushy at times, she has even told me I'm not the boss...ha ha yeah ok little miss 2 year old. The other night she was so wound up, wouldn't lay down to watch her cartoons before bed (that's what we do a 1/2 hour before bed time to "wind down") nothing was working, so I had to pull out the "Do you want me to call Yanna (my mother) and tell her you're not listening, because she will be very upset". My daughter's eyes got real big and she shook her head no and laid down and watched cartoons and went to bed like an angel.  Wow, now I have to threaten to call my mother...my mom is going to love this!!! Guess what mom, my daughter won't listen to me unless I tell her I'm going to call you, oh and I also told her my Mom's cat, Samson, would be sad that she wasn't listening, so a cat has more control over my daughter then I do these days....lovely. Maybe I should tell her Samson and Yanna will be disappointed if she won't go on the potty...hey if it works I'm going to use it!!!

I cannot put this book down, from the moment my daughter falls asleep until I fall asleep, book in hand,  I am hooked to this wonderful novel about 3 women in Mississippi in the 60's; Miss Skeeter, Abileen, and Minny. You will fall in love with these characters, wanting to know more and more.
Be prepared to meet three unforgettable women:

Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen’s best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody’s business, but she can’t mind her tongue, so she’s lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.

Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women — mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends — view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't. (Book summary from Bookbrowse.com)

I'm not done with this book yet but I can tell you I'm not looking forward to it ending, I mean I want to know what happens but I don't want it to end.  Abileen talks to Minny in her kitchen and talks about how there aren't really lines in life, they are made up in our heads, lines between husband and wife, lines between employer and employee, so true!! I mean we all have boundaries, but they are ones we creat and our reactions to what we've created and what others have put up. If you haven't read this, pick it up!!

So I finally received Skinny Bitch Boot Camp, I love the work out, it left me out of breath and I felt great after, however how corny can you get???? I mean i guess if you've read the book you know that it's a no nonsense, tough love, in your face kind of book, but the women that created this in video, corny!!! Bitch this, bitch that, slapping asses ('im not kidding), so after the first run of this I couldnt' stand it, nor could I allow my two year old to hear all of this, so last night I turned the volume down and turned my music up, it worked, great workout, I totally recommend it!!!  The eating part, I'm getting there, i indulge in ice cream a bit and still once a week dive into a few slices of pizza, but every other day I've been eating salad, homemade everything!! Yesterday i made homemade chicken noodle soup! Yummy!! and I have to say I do feel better!! Hopefully I can keep this up! I miss you Starbucks, but you were taking money out of my wallet and adding pounds to my ass, so we have quite the love hate relationship, I can only see you once a week now, you'll have to understand!

Finally done with the travelling, gift giving/receiving, over indulgence in food, shopping...etc.  I love the holidays and I absolutely adore my family, but I am exhausted!!! My daughter and I headed back east for the holidays, through snow, wind and family we made it, she is quite the little two year old trooper!  Of course you cannot travel without some reading materials, i blew through John Grisham's Ford County, not my favorite of his, but a nice collection of short stories, I felt like just as I got into the story there was an abrupt ending to it. I read The new Elle Decore and Food & Wine, both staples in my house and my new bible to live by "Skinny Bitch" Love it Love it Love it.....I am seriously considering becoming vegetarian...It's a huge decision though, I went through a phase of it when I was about 11, but now thinking about how much meat is apart of my life completely grosses me out!! If you haven't read this ( I know it's been out for awhile and I am behind the curve on this one) you have to read it!! I normally don't fall into these type of books but after I read this I ordered "Skinny Bitch in the Kitch" and the "Skinny Bitch Boot Camp" DVD. See I told you I was obsessed.  I think what I like about it the most is it's not just a diet book, it's a way of living, and it gives it to you straight, no nonsense and tells you informative information that's not boring, like about the FDA and USDA and all the other dumb diets people go on, why they are unhealthy. This just basically says if you eat healthier (gives you reasons why you should) you will feel and look better. I'm doing it this year, I have totally fallen off the band wagon, I used to not drink soda, not eat fast food and I have become lazy and it's a vicious cycle b/c I'm eating like crap I feel like crap and I'm tired all the time and don't feel like doing anything! Go figure....