Battle weary

It's dinnertime. Wifey is working and Connor has a friend over to spend the night and play. Pizza is the dinner time solution for tonight. Connor is a bit of a picky eater but Sara usually eats everything we serve. We have a rule at dinner time though, the kids have to eat at least 2 bites of the main dish. Pizza should be easy but tonight Sara decides she doesn't want any. They've been playing hard all day and I know that hunger will surface if she doesn't eat anything. Playtime can resume as soon as they eat their bites but Sara is getting stubborn. After a few minutes she starts to get cranky so it's time for a time-out. This is a battle I can't afford to lose. We go back and forth with the time-outs for over 40 minutes. Each time-out is only 2-3 minutes because at her age it doesn't serve to make it longer but she is particularly stubborn tonight. I know she likes pizza and breadsticks, she just wants to skip dinner though and go play some more.
After about 30 minutes into it I'm ready to give up but I know I can't. It would come back ten fold later. She really turns it on for me, pulling my heart strings until I think they'll break. The crying, calling Daddy, pouting, kicking her feet and any other thing she thinks will break her out from having to eat first. She knows how close I am to just saying ok and letting her go play. At least it feels like she does. I have to keep telling her that I love her and she needs to eat her dinner first but to no avail. Finally after 40 minutes of going back and forth she agrees to take her 2 bites. We go to the table and she takes the bites. Happily she gets down as if nothing ever happened and runs to the playroom where her brother and his friend are playing. As for me, I need therapy now and a cold beer. Chalk another gray hair up to my 2 year old sweet little girl.

Vacation

Last week the family and I went up to Missouri to visit the in-laws. It was a short visit for wifey and I but the kids get to stay for the week. Needless to say we're taking it worse than the kids. It's too quiet at the house, but at least we take solace in that we are getting some projects done while we can. We called about 7 times that first day. Maybe 3 the next. Today may be 2. Wifey's sister and her family are there so our kids get to spend some quality time with the cousins as well as the grandparents. They'll have a great time. Of course we wouldn't mind a little "we miss you cry" once in a while when talk to them on the phone, at least one that comes from them to us instead of the other way around.
The visit was nice albeit quick. We flew in Friday and returned Tuesday. I think I gained 5 pounds! My mom-in-law is a very good cook. Sometimes a little too good.
We'll go back on next Tuesday to pick them up. Can't wait for that day to come. The silence is killing us!