Abby: "Sometimes when I stay at home, I go to school when I sleep because I think it."
Me: "You mean you're dreaming?"
Abby: "Yes."

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Speaking of sleeping and dreams. This past weekend we found a very effective way to get through to Abby during a full blown almost hour-long temper tantrum.

All weekend she had issues listening and following directions. She actually had the nerve to give us an excuse that she "left her listening ears at school!" At dinner time, she continued to goof around at the dinner table and when we repeatedly asked her to focus and finish her dinner, she started throwing things on the floor and shouting back at us, so we sent her to the corner.

Five minutes in the corner had no effect. We talked to her and she was still in a foul mood. When getting ready for bed, she tossed her pajamas on the ground and refused to put on her pants, so Paul started to take away her stuff....

First, her Shamu was removed, then her unicorn Pillow Pet, then all her bei-bei. When I walked upstairs, Paul was marching out of her room with an armful of blankets and stuffed animals. Moments later, he came out with her mattress! Apparently, Abby was going to sleep on the floor that night.

We let her mull that over for a few minutes and then I went into her room to chat with her. She was distraught and mumbling, "Daddy took away my Sh-sh-am-m-mu...I want my Sha-a-a-mu and my be-e-e-ed," to her giant hippo. I told her we didn't intend for her to sleep on the floor and that she can get her bed back if she calmed down, got ready for bed without giving us any more attitude, and sincerely apologized for her behavior tonight.

That snapped her into gear and she was our sweet little Abby the rest of the night.

The next day, she told her teachers and her whole class about how her daddy took away her bed because she threw a temper tantrum. Her teachers LOVED it!