Let's make a deal!

There seems to be a lot of "deal-making" going on around the Brueggemann home right now. Let me fill you in.


Last week we started potty-training Natalie more seriously. By serious I mean that we are stripping her down naked or putting her big girl undies on and giving her as much juice and milk as possible so she pees a lot. Of course this involves the acceptance of puddles but I keep her on the hardwoods or tile for the most part and so far no accidents on the carpet! This strategy worked wonders with Nicholas and we seem to be having good luck with Natalie too...stay tuned for more on that. Of course like any self-respecting parent, we have rewards for actually putting pee and poo in the potty...which brings me to the topic of this post.

The organization freak in me has devised a "pay-out scale" for potty-training and it goes like this:

1. Natalie pees in the potty upon adult's request = 1 M&M.
2. Natalie pees in the potty after telling an adult she needs to go = 2 M&M's
3. Natalie poos in the potty (regardless of who initiated it) = 2 M&M's

Well, that has been working well over the course of the past several days however I am now realizing that Natalie has caught on to the pay-out scale and is in the market to play "deal or no deal" when it comes to using the potty.

Here's our latest example:

Momma: "Ok, Natalie let's go use the potty."
Natalie: "Hmmmm, 2 M&M's?"
Momma: "No, that's only if Natalie says she needs to go potty."
Natalie: "Oh, ok. No potty."
Momma: "Well, no chocolate."
Natalie: "Ok, Natalie go potty."
Momma: "Wonderful."
Natalie proceeds to use the potty...
Momma: "Great job, here is your M&M."
Natalie: "No, TWO M&M's..."
Momma: "No, Mommy brought it up."
Natalie: "No, Natalie did. Natalie say go potty."
Momma: "Grrrrr..."


Another example of deal-making happened last night with Nicholas. We were reading Tom Sawyer and we read about how his Auntie pulled his tooth. This subject worries Nicholas a great deal because the idea of one of his teeth coming out isn't pleasant at all. We have told him about the tooth fairy and we reiterated this last night. Our sensitive Nicholas looked scared to death so we said that the great thing about losing a tooth is that you get some money from the tooth fairy. Our conversation went like this:

Daddy: "It's great because when you lose a tooth the tooth fairy brings you money in exchange for the tooth."
Nicholas: "Did the tooth fairy bring you money?"
Daddy: "Yes, she sure did!"
Nicholas: "How much?"
Daddy: "Oh, I think about $0.50 a tooth."
Nicholas does not look pleased. He can smell a rotten deal...
Momma (seeing that he isn't thinking that sounds worth it): "Well, there's been inflation and teeth are worth more these days."
Nicholas: "How much are they worth now?"
Daddy: "Oh, I would say about $2."
Nicholas: "Or maybe $3 or $4 Daddy."