Four year olds are twisted creatures

Gracie and Lucas have been driving me insane the past few weeks.  I'm sure a lot of it has to do with their schedule being disrupted.  Abue Rosi has been in Mexico for the past week watching over Abuelita. So they have been with Daddy at Abue's house in the morning.  We are also counting down the days until the end of pre-school and the sun has been going down later...there is a lot going on.

The problem is that they have been creep-a-zoids. They have been hitting each other and destroying our house, being rude to me and doing exactly the opposite of what I ask, and sometimes demand, that they do.  Even Daddy has complained about their behavior.  We've been at a loss.  What do you do with two four year olds who are are acting rude and awful?

The twisted thing is that they will do what I want...if I tell them not to do it. For example,

"Lukie, don't you eat that broccoli.  No. Don't you eat it!"

Lukie shoves the broccoli in his mouth and laughs maniacally.

"Doh!" I say, inwardly pleased that my son just ate something he swore he would not eat.

The last two hours they were awake tonight, I got them to do everything I wanted by telling them NOT to do it.

"Don't you wash your hair!  No....don't you do it!"
"Don't you put those toys away.  Nope, not those toys.  No, don't do it!"
"Don't you put your jammies on.  No...don't put them on!"
"Don't you clean up your room!  No, don't put that away.  Don't you clean!"

As long as I followed everything they did with "Doh!", they kept doing what I wanted them to do.  It was nice not to have to fight with them, but it was a pain telling them NOT to do everything.  The thing is, they've been frustrating me so much that I'm willing to try anything, no matter how annoying.

Four year-olds are twisted creatures.  Yes, they are.

Today's Self-Dressing Brilliance

Gracie is wearing a shirt, shorts, and her dress from Chichen Itza.  Lucas has on 3, yes, 3 shirts, and shorts.