People always talk about terrible twos. Jack’s terrible two stage happened when he was closer to three. Ben, however, is getting very mischievous at 2 and 1/2. Perhaps since Jack has broken me in, I don’t find it terrible anymore, or maybe Ben is just a more easy going kid.

Either way, lately it’s like following a tornado around the house every day. While I’m cleaning up the mess down stairs, Ben will run upstairs and throw every stuffed animal (they have about 20 each), pillow and duvet off the bunk beds. Cleaning up the bunk beds? Ben will move to the book shelf and remove all the books in 10 seconds flat.

Ben has also developed a bit of a potty mouth, using the words, “stupid, “idiot”, “I hit you” (suppose to be ‘I hate you’) and “shut down” (suppose to be ‘shut up’). No amount of warnings, time outs, or taking of special toys away can seem to stop him.

Another one of his favorite things is to take bottles of liquid soap and dump them everywhere. Just today I followed him upstairs to find him about to dump an entire bottle of Aveeno Baby, Costco size into the shower.

Though I often reprimand Jack for tattling on Ben, I often find out from Jack when Ben is dumping soap or some other offense. Yesterday while we had a play date with my friend Vonda, we found out through Jack that my expensive L’Occtaine hand soap, which comes in a large rectangular box, was dumped all over the bathroom. Twice. Ben!

So you can imagine my surprise last night when I opened up the bathroom door to find Jack, not Ben, inside dumping my rectangular box of soap! I wondered how often Ben was actually the dumper?

I know that lying is quite common at Jack’s age. But framing? Now that’s a whole different level of brain power. I wasn’t sure if I should be angry or proud. In the end he was scolded.

Just another day of crazy at the Calisoff house. I just keeping thinking every day, this is as calm and in control as it will be for a long time.

And now I must end this post, Ben is throwing his toys across the basement and I need intervene.