Aw shucks! ta Shannon I was just about to add that sometimes distraction is hard to do when you are tired and at your wits end so you read my mind. Your suggestion of "choosing battles" is very true. Sometimes you have to distract yourself! LOL just walk away, go outside etc.

Regarding bedtime: maybe allow Maggie to settle somewhere different (eg your bed) and then carry her into her bed when she is asleep? We had to do that with our DD when she was that age... we thought it would become a bad habit but it didn't maybe because we didn't make a fuss... we just said "would you like your bottle in our bed tonight?" she accepted and that was it. Sometimes she wandered back out and we said "oh? do you want to go back to your bed?" of course she didn't so we said "well you go back to our bed then..." She usually complied but if she didn't and insisted on staying up we'd say "well, we're going to bed soon where are you going to sleep?".

I think the main thing is just to keep the angst out of your voice as much as possible. Be as neutral as you can... and if everything fails just say "oh what the heck... does this really need to be done? And try your hardest to answer "no!" And most of all remember the old saying "this too shall pass!"