Temper Trap

We had a rare family day at home today. As it was raining, we decided to put the time to good use - bagging up clothes for charity, sorting out car insurance, Post Office for tax disk, banking etc.
All very boring but necessary jobs and in between we looked after Audrey and I did two hours work.

More good news on the work front - had a lovely thank you from one client today and another asking for more of our services. We're on a roll!

Angus bore the brunt of childcare this morning so I ran him a bath and put his book in the bathroom and told him to lock himself away for an hour while I took Audrey out for a muddy puddle walk. Angus doesn't take baths but when he does he always enjoys them and hoped he might take the hint and do the same for me one day (Mmmmm).

Audrey and I went to visit teddy in the aeroplane (in a clothes shop on window Beech Road). Teddy went on his holidays last week as he'd disappeared from the window but he was back today along with a canny display of childrens' clothes. They're not daft are they? They know everyone visits the teddy and now they're cashing in!

This afternoon, we all had a run out to the Traff as I had some "Zara and Topshop admin" to do. Well, taking stuff back (and panic buying more stuff).

After her nap though, Audrey seemed to have undergone a personality transfusion and was in very stroppy mood. The temper tantrums came thick and fast accompanied by lots of hitting (both of us) which is new and very upsetting.

At one stage she threw herself on the floor of the shopping centre. Everyone stared at us but we let her thrash it out. I knew some of the rubberneckers thought we were cruel leaving her to it but we made a decision recently to start disciplining her. Nothing cruel, but something consistent. Ignoring any attention-seeking (letting the tantrums burn themselves out) and using the word "naughty" along with "no" and "stop". Then when she calms down we are asking her to say "sorry". It has had varying degrees of success and is very draining for all of us but we want to persevere.

One minute you have a baby that doesn't sleep and cries all the time, then you get over that and you have a tantrum-throwing toddler. Apparently this carries on all the way to hormonal teenager. Better strap ourselves in and look forward to her twenties at this rate!