What It’s Really Like to Tackle Potty Training

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // April 28, 2016 // 6 Comments

About 4 weeks ago, we took advantage of a week of no activities to tackle one of the most dreaded parent tasks known to man – POTTY TRAINING! If you’ve been reading the blog, then you know we’ve had some ups and downs with our 2.5 year old, but ultimately we’ve survived the whole training and are on the other side. Finally it’s time to see a behind-the-scenes look at what it was really like.

I debated even filming this because I had zero potty training plans going into this, and, quite frankly, I was worried it would all fail. And what kind of a blogger does that make me?

It makes me human, though.

Confession – this was one of the HARDEST things I’ve done in my adult life. And you’ll see my frustration and struggles in this. I am not a patient person, and while I wasn’t expecting potty training miracles overnight and to be completely done and accident free by the end of day 1, I was expecting some improvement each day. And when it wasn’t happening, it was hard to hide my disappointment and frustration.

Positivity and encouragement are so key with potty training (and most of parenting!) that I felt like the Horrible Mom that was loosing it each time there was an accident.

But you know what? We pulled through.

We’re almost a month out from the beginning of this vlog, and most days we’re accident free. Most days Elizabeth is GREAT telling us when she needs to go to the bathroom. And then some days we backslide…. and that’s ok. She’s 2!

The point of me vlogging was to first just document it all. It needs to be documented. But second, it was to encourage any of you that are in the middle of potty training, or are planning to start. You may be reading tons of “How to Potty Train Your Toddler” posts… watching your 50th video, searching for tips.

My biggest tip? Throw out everything you’ve read and just go with the flow (pun totally intended). Your child is different from my child. Your child is different than your friend’s child. You are a different parent than I am. Which means that the way things worked for us may or may not work for you. And that’s ok!

The good news is that YOU are potty trained…. so it’s possible.

If you do have any questions around potty training or you just want to share how wonderful (or miserable) your experience was training your child, leave a comment below!

Linking up with Tuesday Talk

Post Pregnancy Wish List

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // April 26, 2016 // 16 Comments

I’ve been pretty good this pregnancy about not going overboard on buying maternity clothes. I’ve been able to repurpose clothes from my existing wardrobe and from my past maternity purchases. So now that I’m nearing the end of this pregnancy, I’m itching to reward myself for good behavior!

At a quick glance, clearly I have a thing for blue/chambray… oops!

After 9 months of pregnancy, I want to make sure that any pieces I buy are versatile and comfortable. While I’m currently loving seeing all the peplum shirts and fun floral print dresses, I know what I’ll really end up wearing on a regular basis are easy pieces. And let’s face it – Summer is coming, and I basically live in easy dresses.

This striped dress looks like something I could easily thrown on as is OR dress it up with a blazer and a statement necklace. That’s always a go to look for me.

I know with a newborn coming I need quick and easy makeup options. I’m not one to go without makeup completely, but I do want something easy to slap on. This CC cream has gotten so many rave reviews on how much coverage it has for a CC cream. I love the undereye concealer, so no doubt this will also be a quick favorite.

I think I own at least 5 chambray shirts, so why not add one more? And this chambray shirt dress looks really easy and breezy – perfect for the southern Summers!

About 4 months ago, I promised myself that if I didn’t buy any more maternity clothes, I could treat myself to a nice pair of pajamas. These pjs aren’t something I’d wear normally, BUT the newborn days have you up at weird hours and this set looks really comfy. Plus I wouldn’t have to mess with hauling around a robe.

This clutch!!! I have been eyeing something similar but for at least 2x the price. So I blame my buddies Tif and Della for alerting me to this steal! True… a clutch isn’t all that practical when you’re hauling around gear for a toddler and a newborn, BUT date nights? Swoon!

Anything you’ve got your eye on right now? Let me know! I’m in that kind of shopping mood.

Linking up with Tuesday Talk & Style Sessions

Menu Monday | New Recipes To Try #4

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // April 25, 2016 // 10 Comments

It’s the last Monday of the month! That means I’m teaming up with Whitney from Come Home for Comfort and Whitney from Polka-Dotty Place to share our favorite Pinterest recipes that you HAVE to try!

I can’t wait to share a few favs with you from the last month!Huevos Rancheros

If you missed this post a few weeks ago, this recipe is one of my go-to breakfast ideas for when you want something a little different but don’t have an hour. You can whip up this tasty quick Huevos Rancheros in about 10 minutes! The secrete is using Salsa Verde! I’ve actually got Bible Study this morning and will be toting a dish of this with me. HA!Mexican Lasagna

Ok, this isn’t the prettiest picture, BUT this Mexican lasagna was DELICIOUS and super easy to put together! I even plan on making this before the baby comes and splitting the recipe in half – one half to eat for dinner now, and the other half goes in the freezer for later.

Vegetarian Thai Noodles (Pad See Ew)

This is another dish that took about 10-15 minutes to put together but was SO delicious! Even Elizabeth was eating it, which was a total win! If you’re craving Thai food but feel intimidated to make it, start with this.

Buckeyes

Is there anything better than peanut butter and chocolate combined? I say not. It was my husband’s birthday on Saturday, and I made him a batch of these Buckeyes just to have on hand. If you keep them in the freezer, they are so yummy! These aren’t hard to make, but they are a little time consuming with the chocolate dipping. But totally worth it! I just need to work on my dipping technique… these aren’t pretty, but they are sure delicious!

Check out Come Home for Comfort and Polka-Dotty Place for their recommended recipes from this month!

We’ve also created a Pinterest board where we’ll be pinning all of our tested and approved recipes we find! Head on over and follow for more ideas!

Follow Whitney’s board New Recipes We Tried And Loved! on Pinterest.

Linking up at Menu Monday with Org Junkie

High Five for Friday #67 | Ticks + Donuts

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // April 22, 2016 // 27 Comments

Welcome to High Five for Friday – hosted by me, Tif, and Della! If you want to know more, read about it here!

This week’s featured blogger is Nina from A World of Dresses! She is (no surprise!) a fashion fan and shares that passion on her blog. Love this description of her blog purpose: “I love that as a blogger, I get to be the media. Instead of the media telling me what to wear, I let the women I feature on the site dictate what womanhood means.” SO inspirational! We need more blogging voices like Nina! Swing over and say hello!

This week went by fast AND I took zero interesting pictures…. Oops!

1. Where did this week go? I swear, these weeks are flying by. I’m busy! But I feel like nothing ends up getting done. So strange. I’ve already declared I’m not allowed to complain I’m tired (who isn’t tired?) so I’ll complain that I’m uncomfortable. 5 weeks left, and just walking around has become a challenge. One of my sweet neighbors commented last week “Well now you’re walking like you’re pregnant”. (So kind, right?) But, overall, this has been a simple pregnancy.

2. So last weekend was one of those rare weekends where there wasn’t something going on. It was so nice! Just your average weekend. Until Saturday night… I was getting ready to take a shower, and felt something on my back. I thought it was a scab, and when I feel a scab, I instantly start picking at it. I have bad scab habits. Anyway, I couldn’t scratch it off! And it was on a spot on my back where I couldn’t see… so I go tearing out to my husband and ask him what’s on my back… it was a TICK!!! BLEH! I’ve never had a tick, ever. He tried to get it off, but couldn’t get its head out. So it’s still implanted in my back. I’ve been milking it for all it’s worth – don’t feel like cooking? It’s because I have a tick in my back. Prefer to just lay on the sofa? It’s because of the tick. Best thing that’s ever happened to me. (sarcasm)

3. Thursday we stopped off at Krispy Kreme to pick up a celebratory donut because Elizabeth made it through her school morning with zero accidents! She is accident free at home, BUT at school? Every. Single. Time. I think it was because she’d announce she needed to go potty in her usual quiet voice, and the teachers wouldn’t hear her! So yesterday before school we worked on saying it LOUD. And it helped! So celebratory donut is necessary.

4. Speaking of Potty Training, I think we can though officially declare it done. Being “potty trained” doesn’t mean zero accidents. Just means she gets it and does it mostly. At least in my mind… but we survived it! And we could very well back slide and have a rough patch, but we’re good now! The Potty Training vlog will be up next week. I started editing it and it’s hilarious/horrifying.

5. This weekend is great! We’ve got dinner with friends tonight, then church and a big potluck with church friends Saturday post-church, and THEN sweet friends who have moved away are coming Sunday! AND it’s my husband’s birthday tomorrow. It’s a high weekend!

What were you up to this week? Let me know!

I’m also linking up with Oh Hey, Friday, Meet @ the Barre, 5 on Friday & Diary of a Real Housewife

Loading InLinkz ...

Favorite Tea + Tea Accessories | The Everyday

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // April 21, 2016 // 12 Comments

Is it any surprise that I love tea? No? Didn’t think so! And since tea is a part of what makes every day so special, it seemed fitting to include it in my The Everyday Series!

In case you’re just catching up, The Everyday is all about the every day things that make each day special. Or maybe easy.

I get asked pretty frequently for recommendations on tea, tea brands, tea doodads, etc, so I thought it was time to share all my favorites! I even have a round up of all my favorite mugs, including one very special Royal Wedding mug that is my most cherished mug.

And if you didn’t realize I had a YouTube channel, swing by to check out other videos and subscribe!