Keeping it Real

Today I am going to do something a bit different.  The more moms I talk with I realize that we are all living in a delusional  land.  We are comparing ourselves to mommy bloggers and moms on Facebook  that make everything seem rosy all the time.  Well guess what, it isn't.  So I am going to write today about my most common struggles with Owen.  I have plenty with Eli but since Owen is older there are more things I expect from him.  I will try to inject as much humor as I can, because I was raised if you can't laugh at then it is going to be a really long road.  And don't worry I will go back to writing about my experiences in Kuwait as well.

Owen CANNOT seem to keep his underwear dry.  It seems nearly impossible for him.  We call them dundies, so that is how they will be referred to from hear on out.  He must be potty trained for school.   Now thank goodness the school realizes their will be accidents and ask for an extra pair of clothes in his school bag.  And are there ever accidents.  Not everyday but most days.  Actually everyday at home but at least not everyday at school.  My real goal is to keep them dry at school to have the illusion that he is mastered at this.  I do not why it is so hard for him.  But it is.  It is mainly because he will not stop whatever he is doing to go to the toilet.  He is perfectly fine with being wet.  As he says "It will dry mom."

Today when I picked him up from school he was dry.  Praise the Lord!  We walk out to the car and as he is getting into the car he looks at me and says, "I think I peed my pants."  Really!  No Joke!  You're kidding!  So I make him get out of the car and go back into school to use the toilet.  Oh and did I forget to mention as he just admitted to peeing his pants he tells me that he doesn't need to go.  So we shouldn't go back into the school.  Owen never pees the whole way in his pants.  It is always the start (quite a bit of a start) and then he finishes in the toilet when I push him that way.  So he needs to go to the toilet.

In the car on the way home he says "Mom I always pee my pants!"  I am nodding my head.  I mean what do you say to this.  I then ask "Why can't we change that statement Owen?  Let's say I always use the toilet or I always keep my dundies dry."  Owen:  "Because mom I always pee my pants."

I give up!

Oh and at these times he likes to request to watch the Daniel Tiger Neighborhood episode on pottying to remind him that he should stop what he is doing to go to the toilet.  He usually pees his pants during the show.

It is little distractions.  "Oh I need to go potty."  On the way he will see a drink and say "but first I must drink juice."  Pretty sure that is not how it works Owen.  But okay buddy.  This is why I am in no rush to potty train Eli.  He may be in diapers forever.  :)

I know Owen will eventually get it.  Probably next year.  I hope!  He does have dry days and does better when not at home.  But yes I pack more clothes for him when out than Eli.   I have tried rewards, punishments, taking things away, bribery, you name it.  I am not really looking for advice here.   I just hope people found humor in this and realize that no mom is perfect.  And maybe someone else will even step forward with their mommy struggle of day, week, year.

Camel Races

Last Saturday some friends asked us to go to the camel races with them.  We thought sure, why not?  One thing I have learned living in a foreign country is that everything is an adventure.  Especially with children.  And this is not just Kuwait, this was the same in Russia also.

We must drive out to Kabd to go the camel races.  We are caravanning so we don't get lost.  Well as everything here the directions are in Arabic and of course they don't correspond to google maps or a garmin.  So of course we get lost.  We drive quite a bit out of the way, enough that Owen points out several times that we are in the desert.  Why yes Owen we are.  We live in the desert.  The further out you get the more trash you see and interesting sites.  We saw at least 2 burned up cars.  I guess if they wreck in the desert they BURN!!!

And their were many people stuck in the sand.  They didn't want to wait for the next U turn spot so they thought they could just drive through the sandy medium.  Well it is deeper than they thought.  And then of course lots of trash and some of who knows what is going on?  We followed the directions to a road that was newly paved for about 500 feet and then ended to desert.  Nice road to nowhere.

And then you find a bit of God's beauty in the midst of it all.  

So we head back in the other direction and take a different route.  We have a feeling we are headed in the right direction now because we started seeing camels, places you can ride camels, and random stuff for sale on the side of the road.

We finally arrive at the camel races.  Nothing like being greeted in the lobby by a stuffed baby camel.

We proceed upstairs to sit.  The first two sections are for the Arabic men.  There are no women there unless you are a foreigner.  We sat over far to the left.  The camels race around and have a robot on their back that will whip them.  A man came over and claimed this is a family sport since they only whip at the beginning and the end.  The owners drive around in their trucks with a remote to control the robot.  

You can also go outside and watch them cross the finish line.  David snapped this great shot of Eli and me.  Obviously someone has discovered their nose.

It was apparently a VIP day at the race tracks.  A member of the royal family showed up, so they did special things that day.  We lucked out.  They gave free drinks and rolled out red carpet.  And did some ceremonies that I don't understand.

This little boy was really getting down with the music.  It was only performers outside and then him over to the side dancing like I don't have a care in the world and I will do what I please.

 And here we are at the end.  Eli wanted to go outside and see the 'amels.'  He loves camels.

After all was done with the award ceremony everybody fled super fast.  I still had to take Owen to the bathroom and everybody was gone and picked up.  It is something that I will do again and I am glad I did it at least once.  Owen wants to go the camel races everyday.  I am not sure he actually watched the races.  He spent most of the time running around like a chicken with his head cut off.  Of course so did Eli and our friends kids.  It was great and I am surprised that I am able to write about seeing camel races.  I am pretty sure this Arkansan never thought she would be writing about most of the stuff she does.