Tough Love

We started off the day by going to a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) Breakfast at Carrollton Baptist Church. I got to visit with friends and listen to a speaker while the kids had a chance to play with other kids their age. After MOPS we went to Target so Liv could spend her gift card that Uncle Toby had given her for Christmas. She had mentioned she wanted to buy a scarf - probably because she has seen me where one every day for the past month. Of course Target was out of scarves due to it being under 30 for almost a week now! So we checked out the fabulous dollar bin that you just can't help but buy at least one item from on every Target trip. Liv picked out some candy which we opened immediately so Bubs would stay IN the cart. It worked for a little while. Then she picked out a $1 roll of Valentine wrapping paper. At first I told her we really didn't need wrapping paper especially Valentine wrapping paper but she really really wanted it. Then I thought why not? It was her gift card to spend. Last, she made sure to get a pack of Go Fish cards. It is now one of her MOST FAVORITE games - Papa Tommy can vouge for this!! We some how lost the deck she received for Christmas (since we were taking it everywhere) and it had to be replaced, quickly! Bubs had to pick out a roll of boy wrapping paper to carry around the store so he could be like sis. As you can tell staying IN the cart didn't last too long. His roll of course was almost $4 so we had to act like the nice lady was checking it out and putting it in the bag.

On the way out of Target, Liv had the idea that we can buy everyone Valentine's presents and wrap the gifts with her new Valentine heart paper. I explained we can't buy everyone Valentine's gifts because we just finished buying Christmas gifts. I told her she could make cards for everyone and wrap the cards. She didn't like that idea. So once we got home she went around the house and picked out toys (mostly junk) that she didn't play with anymore and started wrapping 'her V-day presents' for everyone. Let's see - Pierce is getting a rubber ball, Gracee is getting a yoyo, Cole is getting a little race car, and Halle is actually lucking out with a large chalk board. I think it took her about an hour to wrap Halle's present. She wrapped for a couple of hours and when Bubs woke up from his nap he helped out a little. :) I reminded her that Valentine's Day is a month away but what does a month mean when you are only four??

A little while later, I asked Liv to put away her project (wrapping paper, scraps of wrapping paper, scissors, tape, colors, and coloring books) that had taken over the kitchen table. This is when things turned ugly. I asked her several times to clean up since dinner was ready to be put on the table. She then decides to yell "Your not the boss"! Ohhhh reallllllly?? I reminded her that I was actually THE BOSS and to go straight to timeout. She then says she doesn't have to go to timeout. I told her I would count to three and if she wasn't in timeout by three, then she was losing her beloved GO FISH game. I count to three and she loses her game. I walk her to timeout, of course now she is crying and screaming. I told her she has four minutes in timeout (yes, we are using The Nanny's 1 minute per year routine). Next bad decision, she yells "You are the meanest mommy"! Ohhhhhhh realllllllllly? I informed her that the four minutes would have to start over and she was on her way to losing another one of her games. Well things just got worse and by the end of the night she lost three of her games that she loves so much. She will of course get them back sometime - just not sure when.

Aaron had to work late so he missed all this fun action. He was updated very quickly as he was greeted by a very unhappy screaming Alivia. I did finally receive an apology and hug before bed time. And to think I had just told a friend that Alivia was being so good lately and hadn't been in timeout in forever. I must have forgotten to knock on wood! Well we ended the night with our normal routine - Aaron put Liv to bed and I put Bubs to bed. Aaron said he would have an extra long talk with her in bed about her behaviour. After I put Bubs to bed I got on the computer to check email and the latest email was from Aaron sent at 8:11 pm. He was still upstairs putting Liv to bed so I was very curious to find out why he had sent me an email from her bed. I opened it up and it was a recording of Liv talking in bed being so silly but soooooo cute that Aaron had captured with his phone. Gotta love the iPhone! I tried to attach the clip to this post but it didn't work so I will forward Aaron's email. Hopefully you all will be able to open it and hear it on your computer. She is giggling so hard by the end of the recording that she has hiccups. All of my anger and stress from the evening just faded away. How could I stay mad at my little angel (cough cough)?