1...2...3...TIME OUT

I don't know who created the "I'm going to count to 3" method of discipline, but they're a freaking genius if you ask me!  Peyton has really been testing the waters lately, trying her best to see what she can and can't get away with.  This is especially difficult when your husband works shifts and you're left to be the "bad guy" 95% of the time. 

I've tried several methods of discipline, each of them working for a little while but inevitably backfiring eventually.  The No-No Chair worked wonders until her tantrums became just too wild to actually get her in the chair.  Spanking still works, but I don't want that to always be our go to method.  I'm a firm believer in spankings, but only for the really big things or when other methods fail. 

About 2 weeks ago I decided to try the 1-2-3 deal and I was blown away by how well it worked on Peyton the first time I did it!  She was in her bed and I was reading to her when she decided she was going to do everything she could to prolong this bedtime routine.  She was midway to the bedroom door when I said "Peyton I'm counting to 3 and you're going to time out!".  Now I still hadn't perfected our time out at this point, but it sounded like a bad thing so I went with it.  I put my fingers up and with my meanest "Mommy voice" I started.  I got to "tw.." and she was back in the bed so fast I barely had time to blink.  I felt such a sense of accomplishment.  It's the little things, if you have a toddler you understand. 

So I've done some tweaking and playing around and really think I've found a good thing here (for us at least).  For smaller things she gets the warning, then I count to 3 (always holding my fingers up as I count, something about seeing the countdown really messes with her), if she's still acting like a savage she goes to time out.  Time out is now in her bedroom and it works SO much better.  I always read not to do time out in their rooms, but recently I came across a book that says that's the best place and I think they're right.  Let's look at the facts...
                         1.  You know the room is safe and childproofed
                         2.  It's on of their favorite rooms in the house
                         3.  They feel safe in that room

You can use either a baby gate or childproof door handle, we use the door handle because that's on her door all the time.  I leave her in there for 2 mins then open the door and ask her if she's better now.  98% of the time she says yes, tells me she's sorry and gives me a hug.  We don't talk about the time out after it happens, I found that it agitates her all over again or embarrasses her. 

For major things, we skip the "count to 3" totally and she goes straight to time out.  By major I mean messing with an electrical socket, which may or may not have happened this past weekend.  In her defense she's NEVER messed with one, she was honestly just trying to iron a skirt. 

Edwin worked nights Thurs - Sun and I ended up acutally putting Peyton in time out 3 times total in 4 days.  We go some weeks with zero issues and she's good as gold, but then we'll have a few days that are just exhausting...this weekend was one of them.  I think I counted to "tw..." about 30 times, but she straightened up before I finished.  Each day I had to count down less and less, that's progress in my mind!

By the way...how long do 2 year molars take to come in, seriously?!