It is quite insane actually, in so many ways. The day could start out wonderful, everyone doing great, but as soon as the clock strikes 4pm...it's like everyone in my house has gone a little haywire....maybe myself being the guiltiest of all! 4:00 is the dreaded hour of my little household. I'm not liking the number 4. The seven on the clock is my favorite. 7am they wake up....I'm ready to see their sweet little faces all wrinkled from sleep, I've missed them, I'm excited to start the day with them. 7pm...means bedtime, I rush the bath, rush the teeth brushing, rush the books...7pm it sounds like sweet music in my ears. Bedtime. I'm done. Fini. Me time. But the 4....I'm just not liking that number...maybe it's my breaking point cause I've had them continually, no break for 9 hours by this time. Mmmm....9 hours...that just hit me...that's a long time!!
My kids seem to know instinctively that this is just the time to start whining, to start crying and to start getting into everything. This is the perfect time to squeeze the juice box on the floor, run around with Mommie's half open nail polish, to grab and cling to me for dear life or to continually tease the sibling till they cry. We've had a great day, it's gone fabulous...but the little hand hits the four and the big hand hits the 12....look out! Is it hard to be at home all day with these adorable, loveable, beautiful kids? It ain't easy...don't believe the women who try to sell you on the "always" wonderful world of staying at home. I KNOW 4:00 comes in their house too, they just like to pretend all is well for some odd reason. (The key word is "always" here because I do so enjoy this opportunity to be with my kids, and I know lots of other moms that gave up wonderful careers and opportunities to be able to do this and love it like I do...but that doesn't mean it has to be perfect and that we should pretend it is)
So...the dilemna is how to handle this bewitching hour....do I skip getting dinner ready and go play, do I let the TV entertain them while I cook?? Afterall, they aren't into coloring, playdough, hide 'n seek, playing house or puzzles...cause they've been there, done that by 4! I know, I know, I know... the solution is just organizing, preparing the day ahead of time, plan it ALL freaking out!! Have the day scheduled hour by hour, the meal scheduled...it might make the rush for supper much easier. But when do I do that? (Maybe instead of blogging??) Not gonna happen....not yet...but it may be the solution if I start pulling my hair out.
I tell my friends, if you call me at 4....please forgive me ahead of time if I'm not too pleasant, or you hear me yelling "timeout" on the other end of the phone and doing lots of sighing. And to my dear husband, who generally likes to play golf starting at 3pm in the afternoon on nice sunny days, maybe he just shouldn't call to break this news(but of course I will be upset if he doesn't). And I will of course have to ask for his forgiveness if I just can't handle that after his hard day of work...he is out on on a beautiful golf course, taking some time to himself, "improving" his game while I'm trying wish the 4 on the clock was a 7.
