2 year old essentials

There is an awkward stage from about 2-3 years old when a nap is still an essential part of the day, but getting a nap will ensure a late bedtime.  I usually stay up late, but the intent is to get a few hours to myself during the day. When a certain 2 year old is awake until 10:30 or later every night, that time quickly disappears. Sometimes, when I get tired of so much vigilant duty, I get lazy, and that's when it happens. 2 year old boredom strikes. It's almost as if there is something inside Juniper that commands her to smear, squish, stab, destroy, cut, spill, break and color when she gets bored. Today I cracked open a Diet Dr. Pepper and for the rest of the afternoon could not figure out where I put it. Well, Juni knew where it was; she was sipping it and hiding it behind her potty chair. No wonder she got up after I thought she was sleeping and got into my make up again! For the 4th time this week! You may think that we are being to easy on her or not consistent with her about rules or that we are soft parents.  Let me assure you, she is not getting of easy, and yet, why?? What motivates a 2 year old to paint herself in bright red lipstick head to toe, day after day even after spankings and time outs and lost privileges?  Really, I'm to blame for, once again, leaving it in reach. I can't make any mistakes around here.  Yesterday she dumped out the whole bag of trailmix to pick out the M & M's. Really, who doesn't want to do that though? Tonight, before the make up she took all her clothes out of her drawers and stacked them in the hamper. Earlier today she stole and ate all of Teigs gum. I have to fight with her every time we leave the house to get clothes on her. She wears a swimsuit every single day. When I hide them, she will go naked instead. She will not let me comb her hair without holding her down. If I am lucky enough to get ponytails or a headband in her hair, it is on the floor in 2 minutes. Last night when she sneaked out of bed she stood at the top of the stairs peeking around the corner batting her maskared eyes at us with a little mischievous look. How does she instinctively know to do that?!  If she knows she is doing something she shouldn't, she says, "Shhh"
She is "cared" to ride in the car. She says that there will be rocks and she will fall down. She is not afraid if she does not have to ride in her carseat, but as soon as I have wrestled her into her carseat (a major task!), she insists that someone has to hold her hand or she needs her pink teddybear or Roxy.  When Roxy rides with us, she gets a fierce embrace wherever we are going.
Juni and I talked about the rules. She is very good at rehearsing all the rules. She says, "you have to ask first." in the cutest little way.  But she does not keep them!
She is very tough. She will tell her brothers in no uncertain terms when she wants her way. she is fearless (except of cars, shopping carts, and bikes).  She loves sports and slaying monsters and everything pink and purple.
We painted this morning on a giant canvas. She did one side while I did the other. We listened to country ballads and mixed paints together. She kept saying, "I wike dis song. or Dis is so pretty. I wike dis color."  I was thinking, "This is the start of a beautiful partnership, but then she kept breaking the rules and painting on herself and dipping into the paint cans instead of the palette and using her fingers instead of the brushes, so finally I had to put her in the bath. When she came back down, I had proceeded with the painting and had turned some of her work into meadow (using her colors, but not her marks). She looked for a long time, then said, "well, you ruined it!"  What a terrible mom move. I got her her own canvas, but it wasn't the same.  I have to make it up to her tomorrow.
Last night at the farmers market, I let her get her face painted like a pink kitty cat. She was so proud! No wonder she wanted to get into the make-up again today. When I asked her why she did it again, she said, because I wike being pink and sparkwy.  Really, how can you blame the girl?  I like to paint with my hands and be pink and sparkly too.  It must be terribly hard to be 3.