This is a recent creation for Aviva. I think she looks amazing in it, don't you? The headscarf was her idea. She is my accessorizing queen. 



So topic of the day is BAD TODDLER BEHAVIOR.
Nobody that has one of these people living with them is immune. Even my friend Lavonne, who, in addition to being of the smartest people I know (She kicks my butt mercilessly on Word Challenge. It is entirely possible the reason she can beat me though is that she MAY have learned a wee bit of vocabulary getting her PhD at Oxford in English), well, my point is that even SHE can't get her darling 3 year-old Matilda to get dressed in the morning. My other friend Kelly, one of the most patient mothers ALIVE, recently told me that her daughter Emily's attitude has clearly illustrated why China enforces the 1 child only rule. Her husband Andrew, when the pediatrician asked why they brought Emily in, stated in his formal British accent that they were there due to 'generalized naughtiness'.  While it is nice to know I'm not alone in my recent  torture-by-toddler sessions, it got me wondering what tricks people have (aside from the usual bribery and pleading we dole out at our house) for dealing with:
-refusal to sleep
-refusal to take clothing off or put it on
- tooth brushing hell
-meal time nightmares


So far, this is what we've come up with:
1- refusal to sleep: Klemen puts Naor in the car and drives around the neighborhood while listening to Naor's favorite song repeatedly (unfortunately for my husband it is The Ramones punk version of the theme song to Spiderman these days) until he passes out (Naor, not Klemen although he often looks ready to by the time it works)


2. refusal to change clothing: I bought a box of race car  themed Band-Aids. Each morning I stick one on the shirt I want him to wear and tell him to put on his 'Race car shirt'. So far it has worked.  I also bought gummy bear vitamins from the health food store and as a last resort (this is often for putting shoes on) I bribe him with one gummy bear per foot (they can only eat up to 3 per day so you really can only put shoes on 1.5 times in 24 hours)


3. tooth brushing hell- The electric toothbrush is a must since you only have about 30 seconds to get in and out. There are two methods for brushing an unwilling toddlers teeth; either piss them off so badly by trying to brush their teeth that they are screaming so you have access to the teeth (my husband uses this method often in combination with the 'hold-the-jaw-open-like giving-a-dog-medication method' ) or my old time favorite: bribery yet again. Since you can't give gummy bears as a bribe for this one, I use Spiffies. Spiffies are flavored towelettes treated with Xylitol (strengthen the tooth enamel) that Naor loves to rub his teeth with AFTER brushing. He knows he can't get one until I brush him. Oh, and I also threaten to call his dentist, the beloved Dr. Brent, on the phone and tell him if Naor won't brush. 


4. dealing with meal hell- these days, we try to make as many meals as possible in a dipping format. Naor has survived mostly on apples dipped in peanut butter, raisins, and honey for almost a week now. Pasta with a small bowl of red sauce and pesto so he can dip, baby carrots in hummus etc...It's really very deconstructivist of us, I know, but hey, it's been working.


Well, send me your ideas. I'm ready to open a toddler boot camp I'm going so insane!!!!!