Potty Training: Afternoon One

Yesterday afternoon, I decided to throw caution to the wind and dive straight into potty training.  (Yes...I know I said next week would be the start of our potty training experience.  And yes, I still need to buy some training pants that actually fit Kathryn, but what the hay!)  The kids and I spent the morning at MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and arrived back home in great spirits.  So I thought, let's get down to business.  Here's how our first afternoon of potty training went...

• Arrive home.  Unload car while kids run around outside.  Place potties in kitchen so kids could sit on potties while I prepare lunch.  Call kids inside.  Remove shorts, shoes & diapers, wipe down bottoms, ask kids to pick out a book and sit on potty while Mommy prepares lunch.  (Kathryn's diaper was wet.  Isaac had taken a shoo-shoo as soon as we arrived home.) 
• Finishing prep'ing lunch.  Kids confirm they are finished sitting on potties.  (No results.)  Put training pants on kids.  Eat lunch.
• After eating lunch, put kids back on potties while I clean up kitchen/dining room table.  Isaac gets restless and tells me he is finished sitting on potty.  (No result.) Put training pants back on Isaac.  Finish loading dishes.  Kathryn informs me she is now finished sitting on her potty.  (No result.)  Put training pants back on Kathryn. Discover Isaac is playing over by back door leading out to deck (a favorite location to escape to and do his business).  Receive verbal confirmation from Isaac that he is shoo-shoo.  Change Isaac's training pants and decide to put him in a diaper for nap time.  While changing, I explain to Isaac that we need to pee-pee and shoo-shoo in the potty.  Not in our special underpants.
• Kids go upstairs for nap.  I decide at the last minute to put Kathryn in a Pull-Up bc the training pants don't fit her too well around her legs.  (Still need to pick up another set of training pants for her.)  Explain to Kathryn that her special sleeping underpants should stay free of pee-pee and shoo-shoo.
• Kids take two hour nap.  During nap time, I read up again on different potty training strategies and decide we will try the "bare bottom at home" method.  I hear Kathryn talking upstairs so I rush upstairs to grab both kids from their cribs, carry kids downstairs and immediately place them on their potties.  (Note to self: Move potties to upper level during sleeping periods so I don't have to rush downstairs carrying two toddlers.)  When I remove diaper/Pull-Up I discover Isaac is DRY, Kathryn is wet.  Read potty books...kids sit on potty for 10 mins...no results. Isaac asks to watch "Hero of the Rails".  Kathryn chimes in she would like to watch TV too.  Explain to I&K that we are going to go without diapers while learning to use the potty at home, etc. 
• Kids go into living room to watch Thomas.  I move potties to living room for easier access.  Watch 30 minutes of Thomas.  Ask kids if they need to use the potty.  Response is negative. 
• Kathryn starts to dribble a bit.  I direct her to the potty.  No results.  Enlist Kathryn's help in cleaning up dribble.
• After watching an hour long Thomas episode, ask kids if they want to help me change my sheets.  Proceed to change sheets with kids "helping", Isaac suddenly runs into the living room.  I wait a few minutes and then go investigate.  ISAAC HAS PEE-PEED IN HIS POTTY!!!  I heavily praise Isaac, clean up a few dribbles around the potty, give him two M&Ms (and one to Kathryn so she can celebrate too!), clean up the potty and return to making our bed. I continue to praise Isaac about his potty success off and on for the next thirty minutes.
• Make dinner.  Start laundry.  Kids continue to run around bare bottomed.
• Daddy arrives home.  I inform Daddy of our current potty training strategy.  (Daddy is a bit shocked by the bare bottoms, but ends up going with the flow.) 
• Eat dinner.  (Yes, the kids are still bare bottoming it.)  Mommy, Daddy and Kathryn finish eating.  Kathryn sits on her potty (which has been moved closer to the dining room) and asks Daddy to read to her.  Isaac continues to eat.  Mommy leaves for her meeting at church.
• Daddy texted Mommy twice during her meeting.  Once to tell me Kathryn pee-peed in her potty and once to tell me Isaac pee-peed in his potty again. 
• Daddy does bedtime routine without Mommy (LONG meeting at church).  Kids go to bed.

Our Plan of Attack:

• I&K will continue to be bare bottomed when we are at home and they are awake.  We will keep their potties easily accessible to them and keep an eye out for dribbles or signs of needing to shoo-shoo.  If dribbles/signs appear, immediately escort signaler to potty.  If accidents happen, do not scold, simply say in a disappointed voice, "Pee-pee and shoo-shoo need to go into the potty" and have said child help clean up accident.  Our plan is to keep them bare bottomed at home at least until the end of their Spring Break.
• I&K will take naps in diapers and sleep overnight in overnight diapers.  They, nor I, are ready to tackle overnight potty training.  When that time comes, we will transition over to cloth nighttime trainers. (ETA: Already changed my mind...Naps will occur in cloth trainers.  Overnight will be overnight diapers.)
• I&K will wear Pull-Ups when attending MMO or church.  Others care for our children at these times and we want to keep I&K's potty care as easy as possible for these precious caregivers.  Said caregivers will be informed that potty training has begun and that I&K will need help when using the potty.  (Such as pulling down their pants/pull-ups, wiping and pulling up their pull-ups/pants.)  I think MMO takes them to the potty every 30 minutes or so once potty training has begun.  Pull-Ups will go on at home right before we leave the house, but only after they each have tried to use the potty before we leave.
• I&K will wear cloth training pants when away from the house with us.  We are fine dealing with cloth training pants and all that they entail.  Again, I&K will try to use the potty before we leave the house and before said cloth trainers go on.