I started this blog a year and a half ago to tell stories about everyday living in my household (hence Living Locurto), but it has since become more of an art blog. I like having a diary of everyday events though, so instead of starting a new family blog I decided on some Fridays to post family stories here. I hope you don’t mind me shifting gears a little.
This is a story about my new best friend.
Please don’t judge me. I do have a very large cat for which spray bottles are great to use when they try to eat your pet fish. But I also have a VERY dramatic, usually screaming for no reason three year old. Just ask Angie, who every time I get on the phone with her that three year old is crying at the top of her lungs for some ridiculous reason. LOL!
For instance, we’re just having a nice afternoon eating baby oranges (as she calls them). So I get my camera out to record my little girl doing something average on an average day.
When out of nowhere comes this face… uh oh…
And WHAM! There is the wailing scream we’re all used to around this house. (I think taking photos of the scream just make it worse, but it was so funny, I couldn’t help myself!)
I try to reason with her by asking what’s wrong. Have you ever tried that with a dramatic three year old? Doesn’t quite do the trick. So out comes my new best friend, Mr. Spray Bottle. (insert evil laugh here:-) I just sit him on the counter and tell her I have “my friend” here and would she like to talk now? (no spraying is actually needed… that’s the funny part!)
Since miss sassy pants is scared I’ll actually spray her, she calms down to tell me that she’s mad because she’s almost done with her baby oranges. She wants more please. Wow, it’s like magic! So after getting her more oranges and a toy to take her mind off of the drama. All is back to normal.
Well, until her brother gets a hold of my new friend…
Do you have a dramatic preschooler and a “loves to start trouble” son too? Please tell me I’m not the only one! ha!
Oh my goodness this is hysterical! I know exactly what you are talking about.
I think I may have to dig out a spray bottle at my house because my 2 1/2 year old does things like that ALL THE TIME. I have been at my wits end sometimes because it just comes out of nowhere!
Thanks for sharing!
.-= jessica´s last blog ..From old to new =-.
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Amy Reply:
March 12th, 2010 at 1:47 pm
@jessica,
I’ve tried everything… time outs, taking things away, giving her rewards… but the threat of the spray bottle is the magical thing right now. ha! Good luck with your dramatic 2 year old:-)
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Oh my goodness! I NEED a spray bottle (or two)!
And no . . . you’re not alone. My three year old little boy, could probably rival your little cutie for temper tantrums and inconvenient screaming episodes. And his older sister LIVES to torment him.
Where’s Calgon when you need it? lol
.-= kyla´s last blog ..Wreck This Journal ~ Re-Inspired =-.
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Amy Reply:
March 12th, 2010 at 1:53 pm
@kyla,
So you have the opposite and there is still drama. Good luck with your screamer and yes… try some Calgon too. ha!
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Those random fits so remind me of my house every single day. Gracie just turned 3 but has been doing that for a while. And yes, her older brother loves to mess with her and stir up trouble as well.
I guess that set up always results in the same thing no matter what family it is.
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Amy Reply:
March 12th, 2010 at 1:48 pm
@Christina B,
Ha! Good to hear there are more of you out there:-) I think my little one could take her older brother though, so he’d better watch out. hee.
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ROTFL! I am a Grandma and I just want to thank you for the belly laugh you gave me today with this post.
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ha I love this!!!!! I can’t believe you got the pics to prove it!!fab!!
She’ll love this when she is 21!!
I am going to use the spray bottle idea!!
My gorgeous,sweet CANTANKEROUS ‘almost three year old redhead could do with a BIG dose of your new friend!!haha!!
Mommy’s new secret weapon!!
.-= thewillowsnest´s last blog ..Shop Update.. yes actual originals! =-.
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Amy Reply:
March 12th, 2010 at 1:42 pm
@thewillowsnest,
Good luck with the spray bottle:-) Hopefully you will just have to talk about it like me. hee!
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HA…having spent considerable time with the “screamer” I have to laugh! Although I do not remember any screaming in December? She was too busy finding her girlfriend James and best friend Marissa! Don’t worry the screaming will eventually stop…M used to yell “This” for everything…what do you want…THISSSSS as she gazed into the pantry closet with hundreds of options of which I was suppose to figure out what “this” was!
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Amy Reply:
March 12th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
@Liisa,
Yeah, she was pretty good visiting you all. I think if you keep her busy enough, there is not much to scream about. I’m laughing at your story… funny because your daughter is so laid back, but watch out if she does get mad! I think it’s just a “girl” thing. We’re all sort of dramatic right? LOL!
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Weston and the Drama Queen will never be able to get married now! He’s the Drama King and they’ll just end up killing each other. LOL!
I cracked up so hard that you don’t even have to spray it. Bwahahaha!! That’s hilarious.
.-= Angie from The Arthur Clan´s last blog ..~ Photo Challenge: “Jump For Joy!” ~ =-.
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Amy Reply:
March 12th, 2010 at 11:58 am
@Angie from The Arthur Clan,
Oh I know!! Can you imagine all the screaming that would happen if they were married. But I don’t know… maybe they will be perfect for each other. ha!
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OH THANK GOODNESS! I am not alone, i have three kids 7, 5 and 3, and i often wondered what is it with my 3 year old that the others will be playing normally and yet she is always crying about something or other. How refreshing to find out that it is normal.
smiles
Paola
P.S: was begining to have doubts about my ability to parent
.-= Paola Levi´s last blog ..Sketch Saturday meets CCT =-.
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Amy Reply:
March 12th, 2010 at 11:45 am
@Paola Levi,
Her fits come out of no where! I just laugh at it now. It’s crazy how she can turn it off in a snap. I think we’re going to be in for it when they become teenagers. YIKES! So… yes, you are not alone. I feel your pain:-)
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Cute story. I found it was the terrible 3′s for me with my son. 2 was nothing compared to the terribleness that seemed to come with the age of 3. Good thing their cute huh.
.-= Jaime´s last blog ..Rainbow jigglers =-.
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Amy Reply:
March 12th, 2010 at 11:34 am
@Jaime,
I love this age, but you’re right… it really should be the “terrible threes!”
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Well I was a bit late to the party! Ha! My youngest is an attention getter whether it’s crying or doing something he knows he’s not supposed to be doing. My older two are the one who are trouble makers. I think I may give the water spray a try.
.-= Screwed Up Texan´s last blog ..Friday Post Shout Out Week 3 =-.
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Amy Reply:
March 12th, 2010 at 11:33 am
@Screwed Up Texan,
Oh, I’ve read your stories…. I think they would LIKE the spray bottle and probably get you back way worse just for fun:-) ha!
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I have the three year old drama as well. Boy does she know how to out on a show! LOL Her grandma uses a spray bottle on her cats. Hmmm. I might need to get me one of those.
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Amy Reply:
March 12th, 2010 at 11:34 am
@Tanna @ Complete Organizing Solutions,
Ahhh, another dramatic three year old. Glad to hear there are more out there. My son was not like this, so I’m learning:-) Good luck with your screamer!
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love your story. I too have a squirt bottle for my cat. I have to admit I have used it on my son and even my husband. Hehe.
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Amy Reply:
March 12th, 2010 at 11:31 am
@Reese,
LOL! I haven’t used it on my husband yet. He would get me back WAY worse… so I’d better not try:-)
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Loved the snippet – it’s nice to see the ‘real life’ once in a while to help connect a bit with the author even w/in niche-y type blogs.
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Amy Reply:
March 12th, 2010 at 11:31 am
@heidi @ wonder woman wannabe,
Thanks Heidi! I’m never sure what people will like, so I went for it. Way easier than doing a totally separate blog. I can barely keep up with the ones I have now. Have a great weekend!
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That. Was. Awesome.
I just laughed out loud. Haha! I’m afraid that this is what I’m going to get. Little Sister is 14 months old and she knows how to throw a fit. Older Brother (4 yrs) and loves to mess with her (and loves her so fiercely so it kind of evens out in my head).
I don’t do this to her yet, but if he is out of control in his car seat while we’re driving and it’s wintertime…..I have been known to roll down his window all the way. The cold wind in the face always gets him to stop.
My friends uses the shower trick too.
These are great stories to remember to pull out to tell them when they are older and I honestly, can’t wait! Haha!
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Amy Reply:
March 12th, 2010 at 11:30 am
@Amanda {Mimi Leigh},
Okay, now I’m laughing out loud… the cold air in the face is hilarious! I’ll have to remember that one. ha! Soooo bad, but funny:-)
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I started my blog as my art blog, too, but found I got more comments when I posted personal stuff. Especially my 2-1/2 yr old grandson. Now, he is REALLY cute, but it really hit me to write more personal stuff.
I love your art stuff, but these pics just cracked me up. My GS is a perfectionist and gets so upset if things are out of order! I need to take some sequence pics like yours. It tells a wonderful story!
.-= ColleenwithMurals&More´s last blog ..Friday Follow =-.
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Amy Reply:
March 12th, 2010 at 11:29 am
@ColleenwithMurals&More,
Oh man, my son was the SAME way about the order of things when he was little. It was so funny, now he really likes to organize things… which is good because I’m a mess.
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I have to tell you that you are not the only one this happens too! My now 10 year old was exactly like this. I would get so mad myself, she’d be hysterical and we’d be yelling and slapping one another – it was just a mess. I thought, this is crazy, so one day I just picked her up in the middle of a tantrum and put her in the shower and turned it on. It snapped her out of it, we hugged and then it was over. After that all I had to say was “Do you want a shower?” and she would calm down and tell me what was wrong. You just feel so badly realizing all that is going on in their little minds and they can’t always sort it out. Now, she doesn’t even remember the tantrums,. Wish I had thought to take pictures to laugh about together when she grew up.
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Amy Reply:
March 12th, 2010 at 11:27 am
@Rosemary Olson,
Oh wow! Glad to hear she is over the screaming:-) Gives me hope! I keep thinking it’s going to get worse as she gets older. I will keep the faith that it’s just the 3 year old frustration:-) Thanks!
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ok, you might be my new best friend…that is hilarious! i would totally take a pic of my kiddos screaming.
.-= a thorn among roses´s last blog ..it’s a total battlefield… =-.
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Amy Reply:
March 12th, 2010 at 11:25 am
@a thorn among roses,
Ha! I love hearing that. I’ll be your best friend for sure… I have lots of screaming photos that I laugh at now. ha!
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Awesome. Thanks for making every single mom pee her pants a little in laughter. This is sooo typical in our home! Glad you got it on film…I need to do that for proof later on……even if it does make the situation worse, for a moment.
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Amy Reply:
March 12th, 2010 at 11:24 am
@gina garland,
Thanks! She probably threw more of a fit because I did have my camera out. I try to record all the silliness around here for future bribery:-)
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LOL………..maybe I can try it on my 13 year old! hahahaha!!!
.-= TidyMom´s last blog ..New Link Up Party! I’m Lovin It! =-.
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Amy Reply:
March 12th, 2010 at 11:23 am
@TidyMom,
I’m sure spraying a 13 year old would be way worse! ha. She would probably get you back a few times though:-)
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What a GREAT idea. I don’t know how many times I have to say, take a deep breath and use your words. Mommy can’t help you if I don’t know what is wrong. Girls are so different than boys {at least in my house} in this area.
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Amy Reply:
March 12th, 2010 at 11:23 am
@Cari Hudkins,
I know… my son will just throw things or try to punch something when he gets frustrated. I’m not used to the dramatics! Pay back for mine as a kid I guess:-)
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Well, my drama queen is only 18 months, but we can already tell she’s going to be a world-champion crier. What really gets her going is when her 4yo brother decides she needs to “share” something with him – which means he grabs whatever he wants out of her hands.
And I still want another baby! My husband thinks I’m crazy.
.-= Kari´s last blog ..Happy Birthday, Bubbaloo! =-.
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Amy Reply:
March 12th, 2010 at 11:38 am
@Kari,
Oh yeah, you’re in for it! ha! My daughter has been like this since day one. We used to call her “The Raptor” because she sounded like a Velociraptor from the Discover Channel shows about dinosaurs. Good luck with her:-)
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Kari Reply:
March 12th, 2010 at 1:27 pm
@Amy, OMG! We call her our little raptor, too! So you’re saying I should look for little water bottle “friends” of my own to keep around the house.
.-= Kari´s last blog ..Happy Birthday, Bubbaloo! =-.
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Amy Reply:
March 12th, 2010 at 2:06 pm
@Kari,
LOL! That is hilarious. Yes… sounds like you need to get a “friend” ready for when she’s three. ha! Too funny:-)
My 3 yr old girl is THE SAME WAY! She just looks at me blankly. Drives me ***NUTS*** Thanks for the idea!
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Amy Reply:
March 12th, 2010 at 11:38 am
@Heather,
Good to hear I’m not the only one! ha!
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I don’t know how you got that picture of the scream. I would have been giggling to hard (which of course only makes the screaming worse).
.-= Jacki @ The Raven’s Spell´s last blog ..Five Question Friday =-.
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Amy Reply:
March 12th, 2010 at 11:22 am
@Jacki @ The Raven’s Spell,
Oh, she screams for a long time… plenty of time to capture it on camera. ha!
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fantastic post! and no you are not the only one, my son is five and loves to stir up trouble. He is an only child so instead of torturing a sibling, yep you guessed it he comes after mom lol.
.-= Lacie E´s last blog ..Cougar Town Inspired Necklace =-.
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Amy Reply:
March 12th, 2010 at 11:21 am
@Lacie E,
LOL! Time to find a spray bottle right? ha.
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I like that you’ll be sharing more about living. A funny story and great photos to go with? What more could a blog reader ask for.
Love.
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Amy Reply:
March 12th, 2010 at 11:39 am
@Emily@remodelingthislife,
Thanks Emily! I have a lot of funny stories and I’m sure more to come. hee.
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