This is ME - Potty Training Days

My friend Amy, over at While Wearing Heels, has challenged her readers to make a deliberate effort to get out from behind the camera and include themselves in photographs. Whether it is because we are always the one taking the pictures, or maybe a bit self conscious, it is easy for mother especially, to become seemingly absent in the photographs of our children's youth.

Amy's challenge is to use the self-timer, a remote, or even an outstretched arm to take photos of our selves with our children. Don't wait for your husband or anyone else to capture those moments, find a way to include at least a part of ourselves in photographs.

This month's theme was everyday moments. Our biggest everyday moment this month was potty training and watching Franklin and Friends. Prior to January, we hardly ever watched television during the day. However, our daughter loves watching Franklin and Friends, and the promise of tv time turned out to be a mighty powerful potty training incentive - much more effective for us than M&Ms or stickers. During the first week or so, every potty success was rewarded by a short mini-segment of her favorite show (approx. 10 mins long) played from a DVR recording.

In one of the episodes Franklin makes shadow puppets with his friends at school. After watching this episode numerous times, my daughter asked if we could make shadow puppets. Of course I said "YES!"

Here is a long-arm snapshot of us playing with our shadow puppets. It barely meets the photo challenge requirements (only my hand and foot are visible) but I love this photo so much I had to share.

I love this pic because it is so true to life and representative of our potty training days:

• clean laundry in a pile on the couch - potty training easily doubles you laundry need.
• both of us wearing sweat pants - inevitably I would get peed on at some point during the day, so I might as well wear sweats.
• the cat is curiously yet cautiously observing from a safe distance.
• we our playing together re-enacting an activity from her favorite show - did I mention that we only had three episodes (six mini segments) recorded on the DVR? I think we could both recite the dialogue from memory when the week was done.

( And for the record, potty training was a success  :)


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