We are SO not going down the rabbit hole...oops....

So much I was going to write about tonight:
Child deciding not to eat veggies, child facing natural consequence of no dessert without good nutrition to counterbalance it --> meltdown later
Child faced parent-set consequence of getting down from dinner table - no conversation, no being picked up until parents done eating, no 2nd chance to eat, no computer time until dinner is over --> nagging parents at table and being almost completely ignored (huzzah! Even had to pick her up and move her twice.)
Child wanted computer time after dinner, but it was too late - must teach her to check a clock, and do so myself so I don't set her up for getting computer time after dinner and then put myself in the position of 'taking it away'
Child did not want to go bed (tired? She didn't sleep until 10:30pm in her room last night...), avoiding brusing teeth (first part of bedtime ritual), so i said, "Great, let's find some pajamas!" But then Fi decided she did want to brush teeth (she knows the natural consequence there: no sugar the next day if she can't show that she can protect her teeth from sugar - and i'm ready to do it. We even have unsweetened soy milk we can open up, and i can make oatmeal without honey, and snackbox with just nuts and chips, and no fruit - though really honey and fruit may be okay) So proud of her choice! And her pulling it together.
Child didn't like her pj's, so I offered to go get the clean laundry (learned from another post!) - child insisted on puling the basket of laundry to her room 'by herself!" She then put clean clothes all over the room, BUT also found pajamas to wear and put them on. A win.
Child did not want to go to bed, hence did not want to read a book, so I told her okay and I'd see her in the orning but she didn't have to sleep. Child threw fit and said wanted to read a book. I didn't shut door, came back in. Child threw fit and didn't want to go to bed. Repeat above. Child picked out book and we read it.
And here I get hazy. She wanted me to read it a 2nd time, which i don't usually do, but I said I'd read it really fast. and the it was a flap book and she insisted on doing the flaps, which meant I couldn't read it fast. So I said okay, but I'd be done reading at "x" time on the clock. But for some reason, I felt like I hadn't honored myself like I'd managed to do all night - can't quite pin it down - started getting kidnof pissed off.
At "x" o'clock, I got up and Fi went to the bathroom. Lately she's been playing while on the toilet, so I made sure the bathroom toys were all put away (not quite, oops!) and let her do her business on her own. Then I had to put a dog tick in the toilet, and Fi confessed that she was done. Then a toy got dropped in a poopy toilet. Uck! Fi took it out, and then i was insistent that she wash her hand and that the toy get washed. When I gave her a rag to dry her hands, she had a meltdown that she wanted her pink rag. Which was in the dirty laundry. But she thought the pink glass-rag or whatever those microfiber rags are that don't dry off hands well was hers. And I kindof went down the rabbit hole. Dried her hands. Picked her up with her pjs. Put her on her bed, put on her pj's. She wanted to be put in her old crib, and I told her she could take the pillows and blankets herself if she wanted to do that. She said they were too heavy, and DH took over from me.
When I came back from the dog walk, DH reported that she got in the bed without pillow or blanket. (It's cold in the crib room) And was sortof asleep. We decided to give her a blanket, not the big blanket but a small blanket that she would realize she COULD carry to the crib if she wanted to. She had, in fact, found a blanket in the crib and was using it, too. i told her I loved her, she smiled at me, and that's been it.
i found I really enjoyed holding the line, and NOT being angry but being sure about what i found acceptable and what I didn't. I did NOT like being angry.
We have decided that she can do potty breaks after bedtime, but that we'll put the bathroom toys away and stuff on the sink away, and that one of us will stay in the bathroom but not talk to her. This is something we'll explain to her tomorrow. She can use the crib, but if she changes her mind about where she wants to sleep after lights are out, she needs to carry stuff there on her own. If she drops her water before she falls asleep, she needs to get it on her own. She's been putting off sleeping later and later, and tonight's multiple meltdowns suggest to me that she's not getting enough sleep again. I really wish we could use a time on the clock for bedtime, but we cook from scratch and end up eating later than we want to almost every work night. Maybe we can talk about ways to help ourselves with that. My crock pot exploration has been a disaster. DH hasn't liked having help in the kitchen...though tonight he broke that rule, and Fi's old enough that we CAN help each other in the kitchen if we want to. Maybe next month I'll try to find quick recipes - it's taken so long for me to find recipes any of us want to eat, that's been my first priority! ;)