"I Gotta Go Potty!"

Dear Diary,

Well dinner is in the oven (one of those made up meals that I am hoping turns out okay), Addy is resting on the couch (a mandatory rest on gymnastic days), Olivia is exploring without her "other Mother" bossing her around (she always enjoys her alone time) and I am taking a breather before the whirlwind starts back up again for the rest of the evening (my break is conveniently during back-to-back episodes of Friends).

We had a typical morning followed by an afternoon of errands, which always proves to be interesting.

We made our first stop at Hobby Lobby and as soon as we walked to the very back of the store Addy says, "Mommy I gotta go potty." Greeeaaattt. A million trips in that store and I don't even know if Hobby Lobby has bathrooms and even if they did Olivia was asleep in her car seat so there was no way I was going haul everyone into a public bathroom. So I told her to hold it and we would go as soon as we left the store. She dances through the aisles and grabs herself about a million times while we stand in line behind a lady who decided she needed to buy EVERYTHING IN HOBBY LOBBY. Finally we make it outside just in time for Addy to relieve herself just enough that she felt better.

So back to the house we go to finish her pee and change panties and shorts.

Our second stop was at Price Chopper so I could grab a couple items I needed to finish up dinner. I lucked out and got my boyfriend cashier today so I put a check mark in the "Good Day" box. I am pretty sure he is college age and he may have a little bit of acne, but that doesn't stop me from hoping one of these days he'll ask me to the formal (It's okay, Garrett doesn't read this and besides, he knows all about my Price Chopper Boyfriend who has no idea who I am).

After loading up we headed to our third destination, Walgreens. I had to pick up some pictures so I was hoping for a quick "in and out" trip. With one child on my hip and the other holding my hand we headed in. The Walgreens employee behind the counter was moving awfully slow and by the time she finally gave me my total and took my money she gave me one of those, "You look like you have your hands full" comments. I wanted to say, "Yes I have my hands full and while we are making observations, you seem to be moving at a snail's pace and I would like to pay and get out of here," but what I really said was, "Yes, I usually do (fake smile)."

We got home with just enough time for the girls to chase each other around and climb on all the furniture while I started dinner.

And now we are all relaxing and gearing up for the fast past evening ahead of us!

Sincerely Yours,

Daddy, Daugther Snuggle Night

Dear Diary,

This is why I love my life...

Sincerely Yours,

Book Review: "She Can Run"

Dear Diary,

In my promise to keep my "Book Club" updated on here, I am going to fill you in on my latest read and let you know what I am moving onto. I just finished Melinda Leigh's "She Can Run."

I had never read anything by this author before and I was pleasantly surprised. It was a mystery/thriller with a little love story thrown in - my favorite - and I really enjoyed it. It was also a $1.99 purchase so you can't beat that.

I had the "killer" figured out from the beginning, but that still didn't stop me from enjoying the book. There are a lot more situations that the main character has to deal with that kept me intrigued.

If you are a Kindle owner, this book is listed on the 100 $3.99 books or less list but only until May 1st, when the list changes so snatch it up if you want a good, easy read.

I am now moving onto the author Barbara Freethy. My first Kindle Book purchase was one of her books and I loved it so I am hoping to enjoy this storyline as well. I'll let you know!

Sincerely Yours,

Forsythe Diaries Makeover

Dear Diary,

We spent our evening at home. I decided to give the ol' blog a makeover and I snapped a few shots of our silly girls in the process. Welcome to a fun and crazy Friday night at the Forsythe's!

Olivia is finally tall enough to pull herself onto the couch. Greeeaaattt...

So her and Addalyn played a fun game of throw all the toys off the couch. Which was a success as you can see.

Then we made a tent under the coffee table where Addy spent her time playing with her princess dolls and Liva debated on whether she wanted to get in or not.

But eventually they both enjoyed themselves until the tent became not cool anymore.

Sincerely Yours,



Observe & Run

Dear Diary,

I have started running (I know, I am shocked too) and I normally go after dark because 1.) It is the only time I can finally get out of the house and 2.) Less people are out and about to point and laugh at me. ANYWAY, I decided to head out a little earlier last night to get home in time for the Phillies' game and I made several observations as I ran through my neighborhood.

If you want your grass to grow, you must water it. If you want your grass to look like ours, you just let the rain water it.

If we lived just 3 houses down we'd have friendlier neighbors (Our neighbors are also friendly, just slightly weird at the same time).

If you want to be the coolest parents of all time, you let your kid practice his spelling words while playing catch in the front yard.

If you want to spark up a conversation with someone you just make sure to catch them on trash night and talk by your garbage cans at the curb.

If  you can't have a "man cave" inside your house, you just make everyone park in the driveway and dedicate your garage to all things manly.

If you want to make your backyard the coolest backyard in the neighborhood, you are wasting your time because everyone plays and visits in the front yard.

If you want to be one of the cool neighborhood kids, you must wear your dance leotard out to play OR own a water gun.

If you are two grown adults and you cannot catch nor throw a ball, you either need to practice in your backyard where no one can see you or return those gloves and get your money back (Honestly, you can't tell me they were having any fun chasing the ball all over the yard).

If you don't want to be judged in your own neighborhood, you should only come out at night like I do =)

Sincerely Yours,

Hello, It's Me

Dear Diary,

I did something yesterday that I haven't done in a long time. I took a nap. Not a long nap, but a nap nonetheless and it was fantastic. I spent my afternoon playing in the playroom, reading my Kindle and falling asleep with both my girls so I would call my day a good one!

My nice Sunday followed my equally as nice Saturday. Forsythe Family pictures in the morning, lunch at Fritz's in the afternoon and a big dinner followed by family fun at the park and a delicious dessert. Our weekend hardly cost us a thing but it was a great one!

I have been doing a lot of reading on my Kindle lately, as I always do, but I realized I haven't been keeping up with "Lindsey's Book Club" on here. Not that many of you are paying much attention but I figure I should at least update it since the book on display has been there for months and I read it so long ago that I hardly even remember what it was about.

I have crossed paths with a lot of books since then and some are worth mentioning and some are not, but below I will rate each one on a grading scale of how much I enjoyed them - "A" being a MUST READ and "F" being a DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME, and all the ratings in between.

Tina Fey, "Bossypants"    A
     - If  you want to laugh from a sarcastic sense of humor, this book is for you.

Todd Burpo, "Heaven Is For Real"   B
     - A short read that makes you think about what Heaven could really be like.

Kathryn Stockett, "The Help"     A+
     - I was hesitant on reading this one, but I am SO GLAD I did. It is excellent.

Janet Evanovich, "One For The  Money"    B
     - Somewhat of a murder/mystery but with humor involved.

Barbara Freethy, "Just The Way You Are"    A+
     - My first Kindle purchase. A love story with conflict. Very good and only $1.99!

Julie Michele Gettys, "Della"    B-
     - Good for only being $0.99, but not great. A drama of trying to overcome obstacles with work and family.

Alexandrea Weis, "To My Senses"   B
      - Another love story that took me awhile to get into but not a bad read.

E L James, "Fifty Shades of Grey"    C
                   "Fifty Shades Darker"     C+
      - They grab your attention for sure but in my opinion, these are not worth all the buzz they are getting. It wasn't so bad that I didn't want to read the second one, obviously, but about halfway through book #2 I was so bored I decided there was no way I could read #3. Maybe after a break from them I will change my mind. I actually did end up liking Fifty Shades Darker better than Fifty Shades of Grey though due to more of storyline that had some substance.

Moving on to another cheap Kindle buy and then I think I am going to either dive into the Hunger Games or read a good ol' paperback my Mother-In-Law let me borrow. I'm sure you will all be on the edge of your seats, but don't worry, I will bore you to death again once I have a few more books under my belt.

Sincerely Yours,

Potty Training 101: The Forsythe Method

Dear Diary,

Today marked the first "official" day of potty training at the Forsythe house. We have tried numerous times, without success, and I have to say part of the failure was due to a stubborn child and part was due to a frustrated Mommy who bailed by the time afternoon rolled around.

I will not lie, it hasn't been easy for us, but today I decided it was "go big or go home" time. We tackled potty training head on and used the ol' "Cold Turkey" method.

-Before reading on please take note that the pictures you will see have a PG-13 Rating-

Post breakfast I took Addy upstairs to sit on the potty. By the feel of her diaper I knew she had just recently gone, but I made her sit and try anyway. Without luck, we put on our princess panties and headed downstairs. After several minutes I noticed some serious dancing going on so we ran upstairs, kicking and screaming the entire time. She did not go and even though I knew better, I let her get down and go back downstairs, proving to be a poor choice when not 2 minutes later she was peeing all over the wood floors.

After some cleaning, a light scolding and a change of panties she understood her role as potty trainee and we were on the path to being diaper free once again.

We went back to playing and put Liva down for her nap and soon later pee was beginning to soak the couch pillow she decided to sit on (which has now been retired to the trash). We ran upstairs to finish the pee on the potty and collected M&M's and a pick of her choice out of the Easter Basket. I like to call this change of events the "Ice Breaker." We had made a connection and we spent the rest of our day in dry panties with 3 pee trips to the potty and 1 poop attempt. Oh, and I should mention, LOTS of Easter candy.

I can't discuss "The Forsythe Method" of potty training without filling you in on the specifics. During our first pee attempt, we spent several minutes playing the waiting game to which we ran out of books rather quickly. So to avoid a fight I scrounged in my closet for something new. For reasons I will never be able to explain, my daughter found delight in this little page turner:

I couldn't even tell you where this book came from. I am sure it was part of the many free items you get when you are pregnant with your first child. Which led me to the realization that you don't get near as much free crap during the following pregnancies. I guess they figure you've been through the craziness already so no need to warn you.

She sat and flipped through this book every single trip to the bathroom today. And I have to say, we both became very well educated on caring for your baby and young child.

She was especially intrigued with this photo. This was the boy who was also pottying and for some reason she started calling him her "brother."

During our poop attempt she found this little photo and said, "Aw that is sooooo cute."

...which left me somewhat worried about her perception of "cute." And then she came across this photo to which she said, "Oh vengables.... like grapes." Which is wrong on many different levels.

Needless to say it has been an interesting and successful day. I am very proud of her and I hope and pray it continues through the weekend. We are sticking to our guns, no matter how many couch pillows she ruins or how many self help books we go through.

Sincerely Yours,