What happened to my sweet, obedient little girl??

The Terrible Twos. Or Threes, I guess. That's what.

For the past two or three nights, Rachel has balked when I've asked her to clear the table. "I don't WANT TO!" she whines. She says that once or twice until I get my angry Mommy voice on and physically put dishes in her hands and order her to take them to the counter. She bursts into tears but usually does it.

Tonight I asked her to set the table and she said no.
"I do not want to," she said. (The "I do not want to," is probably from "Go Dog, Go," in which one dog asks another if he likes her hat, and he says, 'No. I do not like it.'" It's odd to hear Rachel say it; it makes her sound like a stuck-up little preppie).
"Rachel, set the table," I ordered.
"NO."
"Don't make me ask you again, Rachel," I said.
"I don't want to."
"SET THE TABLE," I said sternly.
Whereupon the normal tears were accompanied by screams. I was tired, I was hungry and I told her not to scream again or I'd give her a timeout. Usually that threat works. Tonight it didn't.
She continued to cry and let out a scream. And I snapped.
"OK Rachel," I said, sweeping her up in my arms. "You get a timeout."
"NoNoNo!" she sobbed as I carried her into her room.
The crying and screaming continued while I fixed myself some Moroccan stew and salad. (Rachel had insisted she wasn't hungry for dinner, probably because she had some orange and pretzels on the drive home).
Then, when I heard a pause, I opened the door to her room.
"Are you going to keep crying?" I asked.
"No," she whimpered.
"OK, sweetie, then let's go in to dinner," I said. When she said she wasn't hungry, I said, "Sweetie, do you want to draw while Mommy eats?" She asked me to draw her a balloon, a sun and a moon and when she saw me take a bite of the stew she announced she was hungry. Then she ate one jar of pears and mangoes, made me draw a picutre of her and another picture of me, and then announced she wanted to do Mommy Books.
"OK," I said. "Please clear your dishes."
She fussed the tiniest bit but then cleared everything -- even plates and bowls with food still inside -- and I praised her lavishly. Then I lifted her up, to much smiling and laughing, and we went into her bedroom to finish out the night.