Irritable...

There are plenty of times when Mommy stress just gets to me. I just focus on the good plan a night of unwinding and letting my hair down and carry on with the chaos. This past week has been one of those chaotic stress filled weeks that left me with a headache and extremely high blood pressure. The combination of AF arriving today and all four of *B*'s 2yr molars coming in at once probably aren't a good mixture either. However my little Monster has been pressing my buttons, and he knows just how to do so, and get away with it. This week though I've enforced corporal law into our home as I just couldn't handle the madness and terrible 2's anymore. I couldn't tolerate his first clogging up the bath tub with pieces of a sponge he ripped apart, then the toilet with a whole roll of toilet paper, and later the sink with a tooth brush and sock. (And no he will not be using the potty by himself anymore, and we've removed the old locking door knob we didn't have the key for with one that we do have the key for now.) His bad streak carried on with coloring on the wood frame of his bed, the kitchen table, and his desk and chair set with crayons. I can't forget where he stood in the middle of the family room and told me "Mommy I don't have to you're not my boss!" when I told him to help pick up the clutter of toys spread from his room to there. Then there is spilling a gallon of water on the kitchen floor while I took out the trash, spilling a can of pop that down the front of the counter that DH left when he went to work while *B* was supposed to be using the potty, and his throwing a yogurt on the floor and the seal busting to a nice strawberry mess b/c he didn't get his way to mention. And THOSE are just the chart toppers.

He's definitely mastered the art of the terrible 2's, but Mommy is finally one-upping him. When standing on the wall time outs no longer worked, we switched to room time outs where he would just play, and we found that didn't work either. So, (and not that I'm bragging about doing this b/c I feel horrible and it really isn't the answer) we started smacking his butt. At first he cried, but this past month he would just standing there and say "Me no cry no more." all pitifully and then slyly grin, and Lords knows I wanted to lash into him harder but I restrained. So, instead I started taking away his toys and pretending to throw them in the trash and put them outside for the trashman to take away. Break my heart and his..... this boy cries..... big crocodile tears..... and asks for the the trashman to bring said toy/s back for hours/days. We even took away this toy that is his most prized possession that he got for Christmas,

and didn't give it back for three. whole. days. I know we're mean parents, but there has to be a line drawn somewhere and this was it. Any how, he's doing better at listening now and helping out, although he's still helping out too much. He's trying to be too independent and doing/getting things on his own that he shouldn't be (such as juice from the fridge for his cup). But we are making progress. The only bad thing about this whole week is I didn't get to unwind from this week, b/c as it turns out I have some crappy friends who didn't care to want to include me in their activities and instead just hurt my feelings adding insult to the already shitty week I'd had with the high blood pressure and Monster drama. Oh well though, life goes on and things are looking up and I'll have another crappy event and I'll know that I can get through it without the need to let my hair down. Now if only we can move on from his "new" thing.... walking around holding his mouth saying "Me head ache." If only he knew... LOL!