I have yet another cold. And really I am quite tired of it. My friend P has a persistent cold and mine comes and goes. E's cold has finally started packing up. Her cough has decreased as has the nose blowing. J still sounds not the greatest, but both kids have been acting normal. I don't have sickly sick kids.

On another note, E has been doing much better with her behavior. G and I have been better too with our reacting. She still has her not great moments, but they have definitely decreased.

Though today, right near lunch time, was a more unfortunate time. She kept asking for gum. Which she wasn't getting because it was too close to lunch time. And G was at church, and sick me got to stay home with the sick kids. G might have stayed home with us, if not for Communion duty. So, she had a meltdown about not getting gum. Perhaps letting her have it in the first place was not one of my more brilliant mother moves.

Four packs of gum "thrown out" (I only made her think I was throwing them out, because I am not wasting gum,) two time-outs (which was a lot of me putting her on the step and her getting up again,) a can and a bottle thrown in the kitchen and finally picked up, a few swings at mommy, and a few spankings later, and I had my nice girl back.

And then Daddy walks through the door. She couldn't have waited to put on her show until after reinforcements showed up. No, tire out Mommy even more, was her strategy.

But alas, she didn't want Daddy to miss out entirely, so an encore was presented when Daddy had enough of her dragging out lunch time. Several items ended up on the floor and another time out was issued.

And right now, she isn't napping up in her room.