Minor potty frustrations but a hard day handled well

Yesterday wasn't such an easy day, but I was surprised how I coped with it. Jenna was with the tired screaming tantrums for most of the day, without any obvious reason. Nevertheless I mananged not to scream back at her and handled things, well, as if she wasn't screaming really.

At soft play there was a little disagreement with another child. I said that if she couldn't play nicely we would have to go, as they had been fighting over a particular toy for a while. She shouted, "NO!" and ran off when I suggested that she go and see why her friend was crying. So I said we were going - and she spent the next ten minutes as I dressed her kicking me and crying as if I was hurting her.

A couple of times I tried to ask her to use words, or told her to keep her feet still because she was hurting me, but that just made her shout louder. When she was calm, Morgan went to give her a cuddle and climbed onto the chair with her, at which point Jenna threw her off and she bumped her head. :( Poor Morgan had to be nursed then, until she could go in the sling and I could get them home.

The rest of the day was much better. On the way home I got Jenna a drink of rice milk and an apple, remembering how much harder it is for her to behave well when hungry and thirsty. I think it also went some way towards showing her that I wasn't trying to make her miserable! Either way it was fine after that, we traveled home with her telling me how sorry she was and that she loves me.

Today I am trying to work out what to do about Jenna and the toilet... It's really impossible to stop her going up to the bathroom alone - she can work all the doors and gates and when we put a lock on the bathroom she broke it. But I can't trust her up there at the moment, she keeps wanting to empty stuff into the sink and she doesn't seem able to remember that it makes me cross. I don't know how to stop her, or how to get through to her that it costs us money and that she has to clear it up afterwards!

Morgan keeps pointing at the potty and making cue noises, but I think she's just telling me about it rather than actually intending to do anything. When I sat her on it she giggled, got up, sat down, giggled again, made another cue noise, and ran off to play. So... *shrugs* At least whether Morgan can or can't take herself to the toilet isn't an issue in any way. ;)