Pickle Princess: Pool Time

Once upon a time in the Cucumber Kingdom, there was the Pickle Princess. She had a little brother named Sweet Baby Gherkin, a mother and father who loved her very much, and a cat named Lucy. 

One day, the Pickle Princess and Sweet Baby Gherkin were in a mood. Bickering and disobeying, they were having a rough time. The Pickle King said "Hey, we need to get out of here and stretch our legs. Let's go to the pool! You two need to behave so we can have a fun afternoon." 

First Ending: The kids behaved and played nicely together, so after lunch the Pickle Royal Family gathered up their swim thing and got into the Pickle Carriage and went to the pool! They splashed and played all afternoon and had a lovely time. 

Alternate Ending: The kids did not behave, and they all stayed home from the pool to try again another day.

Note: my kid specifically requests this story with whichever ending she chooses, and it's not always the positive ending. 

Pickle Princess: Flower Girl

Once upon a time in the Cucumber Kingdom, there was the Pickle Princess. She had a little brother named Sweet Baby Gherkin, a mother and father who loved her very much, and a cat named Lucy. 

One day, the Pickle Queen received very exciting news - her brother, the Duke of Dillweed, was getting married and he had a very special role for the Pickle Princess - she could be the flower girl! The first step was to get a special dress. The Pickle Queen placed her order and after a bit, the dress arrived! The Pickle Princess tried it on, checked that it fit, then carefully hung it up to await the big day. 

Soon, the big weekend was here. The Pickle Royals arrived a few days before the wedding. The day before the wedding, they had the rehearsal! The Pickle Princess wore a pretty dress, but not the extra special big day dress, and followed all the instructions of the wedding coordinator to wait, stand, and walk when needed. The Pickle King had some coloring books and crayons to help occupy their time as there's a lot of downtime when you're one of the littles in the wedding party. Afterwards, they had a wonderful meal with the whole family, then went to bed to be well rested for the big day. 

It was the big day! The Pickle Princess got up, got ready in a comfy dress, and got her hair done all fancy while eating breakfast. Then they all traveled to the venue for the wedding photos. Once they arrived, the Pickle Princess changed carefully into her extra fancy dress and followed all the instructions from the photographer and coordinator. She especially tried to smile when instructed! 

After photos, the Pickle Princess changed back into her comfy dress and everyone had lunch. After lunch, she played with her cousins a bit (but was careful to keep her hair nice) and then it was time to get ready for the ceremony. She changed back into her extra fancy dress and went into the lobby to wait for her cue. She had crayons and coloring books again to pass the time. Then, she got her cue! She held her flowers, walked gracefully, and waited where she was instructed. 

Soon, the ceremony was over and it was time for food and dancing! It was a marvelous end to the night, and she slept very well that night. 

And they lived happily ever after. The End!

Pickle Princess Intro

I have started telling my daughter (ever since she was 3 years old) Pickle Princess stories. Why pickle? She loves pickles. They were the theme of her last birthday party. Why did I invent a character? I was using Princess Jasmine (Disney), but with the Pickle Princess I could make the family match (two parents and a little brother) and again, she really likes pickles. What stories did I make up? Ones that match new experiences that could be scary or overwhelming when unprepared. Many things are brand new experiences for kiddos. Some events, like weddings, you want to go smoothly on the first try (since you only have the rehearsal to iron it all out then you want the big day to be excellent). Others, like surgery, are big and scary. And some stories are ones she requested that match everyday adventures that we have had or will have. Talking through things helps, but clear communication for new experiences can be hard. Hence, I made this character to literally walk though experiences before my daughter needed to do the same. So stay tuned for some stories posted here with the "pickle princess" tag!

Here's the classic intro:
Once upon a time in the Cucumber Kingdom, there was the Pickle Princess. She had a little brother named Sweet Baby Gherkin, a mother and father who loved her very much, and a cat named Lucy. 

Movie Review: Wicked Part One

 I watched the movie "Wicked Part One" and here are my thoughts:

First: Getting the movie. We are not in a stage of life that allows movie theatres so we looked to rent. It was rather confusing to rent from Amazon, but we figured it out and used some digital credits that added up nicely. We had 48hrs to watch it, and amazingly the kids went to bed quickly and stayed there for the length of the movie and a bit longer so we were able to just sit down and watch all three hours at once like it was meant to be. 

Spoiler-free review: Let's just say - I liked it all. But actually not every little trait however small. Let me start out by saying I like the Broadway show so I was set up to like this movie. The costumes, the set pieces, the acting, the singing - all great! I was confused by the lower half of the Shiz uniforms - was it a unisex skort? I couldn't tell but it confused me. The main actors were exempt from the uniform so that means it was hard to get a long look at it which also means I didn't stay confused long as we just moved on. I liked how different Elphaba's actress's voice was from the Broadway actress's voice - both are amazing but in their own different ways. There were a lot of emotions clearly emoted by all, and the many nods back to the 1939 movie and the Broadway play were a treat to spot. The actors were chosen not just for their looks but also for their singing voices and it worked beautifully in my opinion. 

Kid-friendliness: per IMDB, this movie is Rated PG for some scary action, thematic material and brief suggestive material. I stand by my decision to not let my kids watch as they are in the Y7 category (some G is too strong for them - they don't handle "mild peril" well). I think the film was rather tame until they meet the wizard (the final act of the movie as it ends at the intermission break of the musical). There was a bit more than "mild peril" at that point with POSSIBLE SPOILERS HERE (but really the play came out in 2003 so I feel you should know the plot by now) Elphaba reading from the magic book - it felt very witchy (which shouldn't be a surprise in a movie about witches but really more charlatans than witches). The flying monkey scene was rather grotesque body horror, then the guards closing in on our protagonists was very perilous and I'm unsure why this part didn't warrant a higher rating than PG. Yes there was no blood but there was... all that... going on. SPOILERS HERE for "all that": the wings bursting out of the monkeys backs, the monkeys then attacking E&G, the guards chasing E&G, the whole hot air balloon part with people falling from it and it all catching on fire. It was just a lot, and very different than the rest of the movie which definitely had darker undertones but they were undertones in a peppy musical. 

Random thoughts: I feel like this movie was billed as "Wicked" not "Wicked Part One" and I've very glad someone enlightened me that it was only half the musical or I would have been confused at the pacing then disappointed at the ending. I was unsure how it was going to stretch a Broadway musical (2.5hrs) into two movies, the first of which was 3hrs. But they did it well! Lots of camera angles, side conversations, and the like were able to fluff it out without seemed forced. 

Crochet Pattern: TV Remote Holder for a Couch Arm

 Everybody needs a place for their TV remotes. A remote location, if you will. This pattern is a simple rectangle, but the difficulty lies in finding the size you need. Here is my math: I measured my remotes (9"x2" and 8.5"x2") and I measured the length I wanted on the couch arm. My plan is to tuck one side between the couch cushion and the arm, and have the remotes in a pocket on the other side of the arm. Going off the length of the remotes, I wanted a 6" pocket. Here's my pattern with the finished product underneath it:

You can see my math all scratched in there. Here's the finished product so you can see the length I was measuring:

So I did an inch of buffer on each side and one in-between the remotes to get a width of 1+2+1+2+1=7". I then did the length of the remote plus an inch of buffer plus the length over the arm to tuck into the cushion plus 6" for the pocket to get 9+1+18+6=34". So for my couch, 34"x7" worked and that's what the pattern should make. 

Hook size: 5mm, standard yarn (wanted something soft since it's on the arm of the couch but I might have gone too stretchy, we shall see since the remotes are hanging in it). 

1. Chain about 134, turn.
2. Single crochet all, chain 1 and turn.
3-14. Double crochet all, chain 2 and turn. (12x)

GO MEASURE - take your work and ensure that the remotes fit and it fits on the couch arm. Adjust if needed.

15. Cut yarn and finish off. 

16. Fold up the pocket and, starting in the bottom corner, slip stitch up one side, single crochet the top of the pocket, and slip stitch down the other side. Cut yarn and finish off. Inside-out to hide the seam.

17. Starting at the top middle of the pocket, slip stitch all the way down to make the pocket have two sections (one for each remote). Cut yarn and finish off. 

This pattern should be simple to adapt to more remotes - add more rows to make more room then add more lines of slip stitches to mark off more pocket divisions - and whatever size couch arm you have - adjust the length so it fits. 

I hope this helps you keep track of your remotes!

Jury Duty

 So I recently was successfully called for the second time ever to do jury duty. I think I was summoned back when I was in college out of state and my mom responded for me to say nope she's far away, and last year I was summoned right before my baby was due so I said nope I'm indisposed and to that they said ok but you're back on the list next year and what do you know, I was summoned right when that time was up. 

My first successful summons was about four years ago and was super nice - I showed up in the morning, we got called back to the courtroom in a very timely manner, and the jury was selected before noon. I wasn't selected, so I went out to lunch and had the rest of the day off because where I worked gave me three days to use for jury duty and I was using one. The case involved a dentist and my sister works for a dentist so I was pretty sure they wouldn't select me. 

My most recent summons was not ideal. So I showed up at 8:30 like they said and I thought we'd be done by noon like last time but definitely by 4:30 since that's what the summons said BUT NOPE I was there until 6. Right off the bat there were delays because there were two juries being selected and I was not in the group for the first one, so we didn't get called back til like 10:30. Then the selection just took forever. We broke for lunch and they gave us an hour which I thought was plenty of time because there was a Wendy's in walking distance from the courthouse but wow, it was actually cutting it close because the staff was not great there and getting my nuggets took way longer than anticipated. And then the selection was just very long. So they ask like ten questions and you raise your hand if the question applies to you (i.e. do you, your family, or a close friend work for a dentist?). That part doesn't take very long. BUT THEN the judge goes back and for every question, everyone that said yes has to go up one at a time to say why they said yes. This part can take a very long time because you have to go up individually for every question that you said yes to (the bailiff keeps track of who said yes to what because wow your brain turns to mush after being in a courtroom for hours) and in this instance, there were 99 potential jurors in the room so multiply that by about 10 (then divide in half because some people say no to all but most say yes to a few) and you see why this takes a long time. BUT THEN the lawyers have time to think through all the answers and figure out who they want on their jury so now the selection can begin.

The selection can take a very long time because the judge calls up groups of potential jurors and goes through them one by one asking if both sides are content with this potential juror being in the jury. If either side doesn't want a person, they say "please thank and excuse juror #" and that person is released from the courtroom because there's nothing further for them to do. Let me tell you, I was potential juror 75 and I thought with a jury of twelve with three alternates, clearly I'm in the clear BUT I WAS NEARLY INCORRECT because they called up people in the sixties before the jury was filled and both sides content. So how it worked this time was they filled the twelve seats (probably before juror 30 was called) but then the judge asks if both sides agree to this jury and that's when each side can further "thank and excuse" people and open up seats there. AND THEN once the twelve are locked in, they still have to select the three alternates! It was rather tedious but it was for a big crime so I get why they were so selective. I was fairly sure I wouldn't be selected because part of the case involved a housefire and my sister had a housefire but there were 99 people there with lots of reason why they might not be the best for that jury.

OH there were suppose to be 99 potential jurors BUT there were at least two missing. So the first step is signing in once you arrive, but that's just the first time they check that you're there! Before heading to the courtroom, they give out the juror numbers (so in the courtroom they can say "Juror 5" instead of giving everyone your name) and if you don't come up and get your juror number, they know you're not there. Once you're in the courtroom, they take rollcall again to ensure everyone (all the numbers) made it to the correct courtroom so they'll know if you're not there. And when you get back from lunch break, they take rollcall again. I feel like they did another check at some point too but I'm not remembering when it happened. Basically don't think that you can duck out early and nobody will notice. They will know. I believe they can send an officer after you. Don't do it. There are legal ways to get out of being summoned, due to all sorts of reasons like being in college out of state or having a medical procedure or many other reasons, so go the proper way and get yourself excused. 

Here are some takeaways from my time served civically: 

• Bring drinks and snacks because you do get a lunch break but you can be in the courtroom for hours - have pre- and post-lunch snacks and a refillable water bottle
• Bring non-electronic time fillers - can't use phone/computer in the courtroom but you can read books, sketch, crochet, solve puzzle books, etc.
• You can use electronics in the waiting room, so ensure your headphones connect to your device if you need an adapter or something if you'd like to use them
• Look up lunch places beforehand so no anxiety over getting food in a timely manner
• They might really pack the courtroom so dress in layers as it might get rather warm
• They might have a metal detector on entry so leave the pocket knife and whatnot in the car
• Take the stairs if able because you're gonna do a lot of sitting
• Use the restroom when you can because there are times during the selection that you can't leave the courtroom
• You could be done before lunch but also this could take all day so keep that in mind

Potty Training

 How it's working for us:

We started potty training in October when L was 2.5yrs and P was 6mo. L seemed knowledgeable about when she was eliminating, so I figured it was time to get her putting it where it belonged.

Started with the "Oh Crap! Potty Training" book and per my findings, you really can't have a younger kid with that. It doesn't allow for nursing and nap breaks or really for anything other than focusing on your toddler who is pants-less and figuring this all out. We made some good strides then kept hitting roadblocks and frustration was all around. SIDENOTE: check your local library for resources - they should have plenty to choose from so you can read up and find what you think could work for you and/or have many options to try for the many situations you could be in. I've read several books and blog posts and it seems there are many avenues to toilet training. We started out reward-less because that's what the first book said and it made sense to me. Switched to giving her a chocolate chip when she went on the potty. 

Switched back to pull-ups with the holidays and too much going on to stay home next to a bathroom at all times. Was reminding her all the time to use the potty, it was nearly always a struggle to get her there.

Things that helped:

• Make it a race i.e. "I'm going to get to the restroom before you!"
• Set a timer i.e. "Would you like to use the potty now or in 5 minutes?" (she always selects the delay) "Ok, Alexa set a L potty time for five minutes" and when it goes off she's usually happy to go to the restroom, sometimes she even goes over sooner because she's thinking about it and realizes she needs it.
• Make her stay in the wet pants for like 2 minutes when she has an accident (gets her to realize she doesn't like this feeling and spurs her to focus more on her body and its needs).
• Give her a small reward for going all day without accidents (for us it's a small glass of chocolate milk with breakfast the next day).

It's currently nearly March, so 5 months in (with a break for holidays) and she's pretty good during the day, provided I remind her to go - literally anything she is doing is more important to her than taking a potty break it seems. Our current struggle is in the evenings, mainly after dinner. She seems to need a potty break every 20-30min but doesn't seem to be getting the signal or is straight up refusing to acknowledge it. She will pee herself when doing a puzzle, watching tv, or walking upstairs to get a bath in the evening. It's a bit frustrating. 

During the day, she is great with staying dry even when out and about - I currently just do one-destination trips so just to the library and back or just the store and back and try to be speedy while shopping. I have used many public restrooms with her - it's always a good plan to keep your diaper bag with you (extra clothes) and always note where the restroom is in a store. The first few weeks when I took her out and about, I had her in a pull-up. She was very resistant to using public toilets (scary flush! loud flush!) and it took like four months for her to get over this with me constantly coaching her about how it's not scary since we know it will flush and make a noise. 

We are still giving her a chocolate chip when she goes in the potty, however she has to not complain about going to the potty to get the reward. She usually asks while on the potty to get a chocolate chip, and I'll tell her yes but you need to finish here and wash your hands first, but once she's washed her hands she just heads off into some other room to play or read and seems to forget about her request and I'm not gonna chase after her to reward her, so yes we do rewards in theory but often in practice she doesn't take us up on it? It's a bit confusing. 

I'll try to update this as more info dawns on us or improvements are made. It's a journey with many options all ending the same - a toilet trained child. 

April Update: We have good days where she stays dry and takes herself to the toilet when she needs it - and we have rough days where she has multiple accidents and doesn't seem to notice that she's peed herself. It's a bit confusing. We really don't do rewards anymore, like if she asks she can have a chocolate chip but she rarely asks. I've started keeping her pants-less for 30min after she pees herself (she gets out of the wet clothes after 3 minutes and gets dry undies but has to wait on pants) to help sink in the fact that we don't pee in clothes but I'm not sure how much that helps. She turns 3 at the end of this month so we shall see how this goes. The good news is that she is very consistent with getting her poop in the potty - I can't remember the last time she had a poopy accident and I'm very glad about that. 

July Update (a year later) : She's now 4, so keeping her pantsless really isn't an option since we're trying to teach her modesty. She gets a timeout and misses whatever we have going on when she peed herself (tv show, game, etc). I need to remind her to go throughout the day if we want her to have a successful day. She knows to go most of the time, but mainly after meals I have to tell her to go within a half-hour of finishing the meal. And some other reminders throughout the day. 

Tools we have found helpful:

Portable toilet seat that doubles as a car toilet: Kalencom Potette Plus 2-in-1 Travel Potty and Trainer Seat (comes in several color options - we went with green/purple) *

Post-It sticky notes to cover the sensor on public toilets so it doesn't flush while your child is balanced up there and freak her out.

Plastic bottle with glitter and water in it (very tightly sealed and tapped closed) to shake up and say "stay on the potty til the glitter all floats down" - these also work as distractions for the baby so he doesn't try to climb up the toilet or pull off his sister's socks.

Chocolate Chip Bowl from Hobby Lobby to prettily display the reward on the kitchen counter (it's a 10oz ceramic bowl with a lid and it's a seasonal item so that link might not work but for some reason my screenshotting isn't working either).

*We have used this once as a car toilet when we were returning from a rec center about an hour away and she declared she needed to pee about halfway home so we pulled over, set it up, set her on it, and took care of business right there. It was super easy to use and did just what we needed.