Toddler taming - terrible twos?

I just realised that the photo of the brows is really quite scary.  Obviously they have now been plucked to a proper shape and are no longer Charlie Chaplin type brows!!

So, it's been another one of those days.  Can't decide if its a bit of PND, just a challenging day with a toddler or a combination of the two together with the fact I appear to have got tonsillitis.  Maybe it was too much running last night......

Arthur is tired.  Too many parties (they went to Pooh Corner at the weekend and played Pooh Sticks!) and too little sleep I think.  Yesterday, Isobel slept at lunchtime for the first time in ages!  3 hours she had!  I tried again today to try to ward off the monster behaviour....but no.

A friend said a few weeks ago that everyone warned her about the terrible twos, but no one mentioned the potential even more terrible threes!  Isobel is turning towards three.  Has behaviour got better????? Errrr, no. Not at all.  I thought I was getting better coping strategies but honestly. 

So, I turned to a recommended book last night - 'New Toddler Taming', Australian I think.  I read through the recommendations - things that work (as opposed to shouting, smacking and the like which don't work apparently):

- time out (we've used this, doesn't appear to work - but then I think perhaps a different take on it might work?  See it, as the book says, as time out to cool down rather than as punishment - so, note to self on that one);
- diversion - this can work, but with a baby who still doesn't move and is therefore crying a lot with frustration, trying to divert both of them at the same time is a challenge!  If I divert Isobel's attention towards Arthur, then she hits him! Pretending that Baloo the bear is coming does work (she has a fixation on the jungle book at the moment) but when I mentioned Shere Khan might be coming she said 'really, can I see him' and basically didn't believe me!;
- using rewards rather than punishment.... we tried this before, she wasn't interested in stickers but was interested in Peppa Pig or biscuits!  However, the book stresses the need to focus on rewards, not bribery.

This afternoon we set about making a reward chart which combines it all.  Stickers for positive actions and if she gets a certain number a day she can watch one Peppa Pig!  Let's see whether it works.  So far it's ok but I can see the danger signs - as soon as she knows she has a certain number of stickers, a quick clip round Arthur's ear seems to emerge!!!  Oh the joys of toddlers.

Now, where is my gin.