Bribery?

Ayup. Trying to find that perfect carrot! (I wish his concept of time were a little more advanced so I could dangle extra screentime, but I also hope we're not still dealing with this issue by the time he can read a clock...)

Bribery worked on Aidan pretty well, but what worked best was having his teacher tell him he had to do it. Weird, but I wasn't complaining. The only thing that worked with Kara was telling her she couldn't go to preschool unless she went to the toilet on time every time. You probably don't want to wait that long either.

etd extraneous word

I was wondering about some combination of public transport + taxi myself, Quester. Not the most comfortable option, but maybe better than spending hours in a car with awkward family stuff going on?

G, the toddler I watch on Fridays, throws an absolute tantrum every time I have to change his diaper, I keep telling him that that means he should use the potty, but he isn't buying it.

Does Miralax have a flavor?

Miralax has enough of a flavor that you don't want to put it in plain water, but when put in another flavored beverage is undetectable - I have used it myself in everything from Crystal Lite pink lemonade to hot chocolate.

Miralax has enough of a flavor that you don't want to put it in plain water, but when put in another flavored beverage is undetectable

Thanks. Sneaking it into a morning glass of milk should be pretty easy then. (I bristle at the Sneaky Chef method of getting kids to eat vegetables, but am totally willing to secretly drug my child into pooping. Big fat hypocrite, or just practical? Discuss.)

And thanks for the advice & moral support! I suppose it's comforting to know that Freud didn't just pull the notion of an "anal retentive" phase out of his, er, well, you know.

practical. again, been there. in many awful, public (mall, pottery barn kid's bathroom thank you very much - if we couldn't afford you, at least we could entertain you) ways.

Pragmatism over principle is not a bad thing, Jess.

Peoples from my past are suddenly trying to Friend me on Facebook. These are people whose lives I have been interested in in the same way I'm interested in train wrecks and plagues. I'm not at all certain I want them to find me.

In other friend annoyances, I was supposed to go to brunch with a friend who is currently phoneless. After a drive that was quite annoying because I was unaware that the route I chose was also the route of the Athens-Atlanta Road Skate, I get to his apartment and wait for him, until finally his roommate tells me he's not feeling well. I therefore stopped at Bloodbath and Beyond and spent money. Then I drove out to see my cousin, and he fell asleep five minutes after I got there. I hung around for about an hour, but he couldn't seem to stay awake.

So, aside from an excellent buy on sheets, it was a wasted day, redeemed only by the Braves and Giants.