A little wine cures everything.

Good luck--it's no fun when Da Da Da Da is out of town.

Noah really is so cute - finally the melt downs - aren't they so much freaking fun? I used to think I was "not a good mom" becuase my patience would run out at 5:00, and I would steam until my hubby could save me... come save me... WHY THE F%*K are you late? ha - good times ;-)

I felt this same exact way yesterday, only I was left wondering if I could just strap him to the roof of the car while I drove to work!

Baybay feets! *head explodes from cuteness* :)

I feel you ... in a different way. I work with my dad all day. By 5 or 6 pm, there is no more "you're keen" or "you're my hero" or "wow, this job rocks sometimes." The only thing I am capable of saying -- other than "buh buh buh," a la Goldie Hawn in "Overboard" -- is "YABBA DABBA DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

But I've no dinosaur to slide down to get to my car. I should send out a company memo about that. :D

Thank God someone else feels the way I do too.

Oh, it's like you're in my head! I get itchy about 5:30, and when my husband doesn't arrive by 6:15, I'm totally annoyed. Then, he wants to talk about his day and what happened at work (which I totally want to discuss but not right THIS second). He'll talk over the screaming and whining, and I want to poke my eyes out unable to listen over the noise. Then, we're in a mad dash to finish cooking, eat, bathe the kids, put them to sleep, and pass out (hopefully with a glass of wine in the hand).

The Pinot should already be in the fridge. Never let them catch you unprepared. I've had some days that sent me over to the warm-white-wine side, and it is no place to be.

I hear you... I really don't know how you SAHMs do it, and I think single parents are, like, superheroes complete with capes and secret identities or something. Good luck - call up a girlfriend who doesn't have kids to come over and "hang out".

cheers to that! my husband is a wildland firefighter. he is gone a lot and i barely make it, with 2 under 2.5 . but, like you, the wine flows freely here. wish you could come over. river could be our babysitter.

I can so relate! If my husband even works an hour late, it throws me off.
That said...he's leaving for 10 whole days to go to Colorado. And he's not taking the kids. Not a single one. He's abandoning me with a seven (and a half!) year old, a 4 year old and a 2 year old. To go on an effing elk hunting trip. I think it's complete bullshit and I better get a damn good anniversary present this year.

Don't read my blog post today, then. You don't want to see what the future holds. LOL

Ack, there are times I just want to tuck them into their little bassinettes and swaddle the blankets tightly and all that, but when they are 5 and 11, they won't stand for that anymore.

And the 3 year old? Ugh. I give up. She's worn me down and she wins. Commence coloring all my walls with pretty markers, I don't care anymore.

The witching hour... It's that much longer when there's no break in sight.

And, dirty or not, those feet are still cute.

Oh, I feel ya. 4:30ish is totally bath time around here.

The kids get a little splashy exercise and as long as I'm feeling rather 'pro' on the concept of keeping their heads above water, I can read a book or floss my teeth or drink the Scope.

As crazy as it sounds, I usually just pack up Mimi and leave the house. Even if it is a screaming mess of whining toddler, it is at least in a different location.

That sucks. I hate when Doug is away. I need the hour to myself while he is playing w/ Michael.

Ummm... trust me, you'll do just fine while Jason is outta town. It's when he gets back, that night after Noah goes to sleep. THEN you will lose your cool and fall all to freakin' pieces. The tears and sniffles and snot makes for some mighty attractive "welcome home" sex, I'm sure.

At least that's what I do.

When Daddy is gone here, about once a week, we have movie night, indulging in chicken nuggets, hot dogs, chips etc... and other nasty habits. Long bath times help - for the kids - I spray a little shaving cream on the walls and they go to town. It might help to have something special to do only when he's away.

My hubby's gone this week too and left me with a 5 week old. And my birthday was yesterday. And maybe I stubbed my toe. Ok, I didn't stub my toe, but the rest is totally true. I'm sure having a toddler is harder than a 5 week old since she sleeps sometimes. So I'm sorry Jason is gone.

There is nothing worse then the hours between the end of nap time and when Daddy gets home. Except maybe knowing that he isn't going to be home. I swear I wait by the door with the kids, then make a mad dash for my bedroom and do the unthinkable, I pee. In private. Without and audience or a running commentary from my 4 year old on just what am I doing and why do I have that thing in my panties and when will she have boobies and can she have a thing in her panties and.... well you get the picture. I feel your pain sista

I feel the same way, except that I have a puppy and not a toddler. Around 5ish I get really sick of the dog chasing the cat, eating the cat litter and then peeing on the floor. Seriously. At least I can put her outside and leave her there. I don't suggest doing the same with Noah.

I guess there's a reason they say the ugly ones don't make it right?

I feel your pain. Husband coming home = good. Last minute business trip = perfectly good reason to begin drinking at noon.

I hear you. My husband had a last minute business trip this week too. I am one unhappy camper by the time my girls go to bed, and when I know I won't get a break I wake up feeling grumpy to begin with.

Here's to hoping he gets an early flight home so you can talk to you shoes. Sounds like a dream to me. . .

Lovely, lovely wine to take the edge of a hubbie's business trip is definitely the perscription or will at least dull the pain. We have three boys - five and under - and my husband I always joke that the minute he left town, everything automatically went to shit. Guaranteed. This culminated in the amazing week from hell when he went to California for a week and my second day in my three year old and one year old locked me in the basement. I had to tell my three year old to find a knife to pop the lock. (Yes, genius parenting for sure.)

The kicker was when I gave an interview for a local magazine a few months later about balancing work and motherhood - and I all could gab about was being locked in the basement and drinking wine to recover. All the other women sounded so together and me? Not so much.

Anyway - much luck to you this week - and the tip from me? Just try to stay out of the basement. (grin.)

It's like that every day times THREE here! HAHA Sucks.

I so know how you feel. My husband had to go away for work for 6 weeks leaving me with a 3 year old and 7 month old. Needless to say there was a lot of advil used in those 6 weeks and I might have locked my 3 year old in her room a couple of time oh boy accident, of course.

I so know how you feel. My husband had to go away for work for 6 weeks leaving me with a 3 year old and 7 month old. Needless to say there was a lot of advil used in those 6 weeks and I might have locked my 3 year old in her room a couple of time on accident, of course.

i love the feet. And the pinot grigio.

Oh, I hear you. DO I EVER hear you!!!

OHHHHH, how I feel for you.

Days like this are why I can not, could never ever, be a stay at home mom. I envy you all the time with your little darling but I NEED conversations in english everysingle day about things other than Cars (movie or otherwise), toot toots (trains), or crackers (a word Grant now uses for ALL food).

I say... Tivo the Cars movie and enjoy the snuggles for yourself... add a little of that chilled Pinot Grigio and it sounds like a lovely mommy/son evening!
HUGS!

Oh, I am right there with you!

One 21 month old + 4:30 = One crazy Mom who needs a nap!

And hubby gets upset after I've called him 15 times when he hasn't come home by 5:30..please! Oh, and I go straight for the Goldschlager!!

Ohhh and I just read all of these wonderful comments- there is LOTS of wine drinking going on!
I keep thinking there is something wrong with my child that he is unhappy or depressed because he cries and throws tantrums, but apparently he is just 2!! Thanks ya'll!

Well, you certainly have a lot of support with this one so I will just have to refer to all of the posts above me and say "I'm with what they said!"

It does seem like your blogsite would be a wonderful place for a vineyard to do a little advertising!

Hope you catch a break, and a buzz, and some rest soon!

Erin
www.ExpectingExecutive.com

So, this is my first comment on your blog but I am a long time "lurker". I am so glad to know that I'm not the only one who hits the suicide hour too. I thought it was because I was a bad mom or something. My hubby is a general manager of a restaurant so the majority of the week, I'm a single mom. Know how you feel and we do have a very large dog crate that I too have thought about putting all the animals (including kid) in.

Hang in there...and drink the wine, it takes the edge off.

Crap. My baby is not even 5 mo and my suicide hour hits around 6:30 PM. I wonder if we can live off of a part-time income when baby is a toddler, because it sounds like I might not last past 3. Hope you put the Pinot Grigio in the fridge after all.

You need to write a book. Do you have a book deal yet? Misery loves company, and I love your posts every-ding-dong day. I usually think my kid is the only one who acts like this because whenever I'm out and about, every other kid is acting like an angel. All the while, my kid is screaching at the top of her lungs and running the complete opposite direction of me. Plus, it was 104 yesterday. 104. What, I ask you, do you do with a kid when it's 104 outside and the pool doesn't open until 4pm? Oh yeah, now I know. DRINK lots of fluids. The alcholic kind. Thank you Amalah.

Yup, I go nutso by about 5pm, too.

And sometimes, I go nuts by, say, 8:45am, when I have a 2½-year-old bouncing bouncing bouncing on the exercize ball I use as a computer chair and my 1-year-old tearing things off of my desk and scattering them about the room and climbing on top of the printer and my 5½-year-old is...well, just being annoying because SOMEone let her stay up an hour past her bedtime so she got up at 6 this morning. And ALL I WANT TO DO IS READ A FEW BLOGS. *twitch twitch* *erk*

I don't know what I'd do if my hubs were to be in a business-trip-prone job. Probably live with my mom for a while. Or temporarily adopt my children out.

When Nolan starts to get like that (like this morning when he didn't want his bottle or cheerios or yobaby or water - he just wanted to whine), I tell him I'm going to sell him on ebay.

Bathing of children is overrated.

Back in the day, so many years ago, I took care of my three nephews & my son, ages (newborn, 2, 4 & 6) while my sister worked all day.

After the youngest was out of diapers at age two, I took on a night job (working from 11pm - 7 am) in addition to watching the young ones during the day.

I know your frustration and I hope you never know mine.

Even with all the frustration, you get to experience all the joy as well and I know that Noah brings you a great deal of joy.

Hang in there.......It's worth it

My husband is gone for days out of each week and while I hate the hours of 3-6 p.m. EVERY DAY. I seem to hold it together okay. Until the minute he walks in the door and I am suddenly PISSY. It is like all the "suicide hours" that I held it together come crashing down as soon as I see him. And I am suddenly ANGRY and overwhelmed. Being a full time parent is HARD HARD HARD!

I would ask "are you sure you want more?" but I know the answer to that question makes no sense on days like that. Except for the delicious baby feet. Who wouldn't want 10 sets of those in their house?

When my daughter was little I'd watch the clock waiting for MY bedtime because the arrival of her father home from work simply meant that I had 2 children to care for instead of one, heh. Seriously.

Those are some mighty edible feets indeed!

Tantrums are just....UGH....I can't even think of the right word for it, but I sure as heck can't handle them. Dawson loves to scream and wine for no reason (Okay, so maybe I did turn of Bob the Builder after the 80th episode) and I never know if I'm going to one day jump out the window or poke my own eyes out.

We call the 5:00 - 7:00pm stretch the gangrene hours...

Oh, girl, I hear ya. Hubby has a hellacious commute (Germantown to SE or to Chantilly, VA) and we aren't morning people so he isn't often able to do the "get up at 4 and be at work at 5" thing to avoid traffic. I envy you your wine, I really do (blasted nursing baby - I really do love him). Maybe we should get together sometime - sometimes it is easier to share the suicide hours, I've found.

Starting when my older son was a baby, the time between 4:00 and whenever dad got home became known as "the witching hour." And even though I know that this is when everyone in the family starts to melt down, I can't always (never?) seem to hold it together. Funny how almost anything I eat for dinner creates in me the need to spend endless amounts of time in the bathroom - with a book and blissfully alone.

I'm in the same sucktastic boat. Hell, my husband's even in Chicago right now -- is there some porn convention we haven't heard about?

Oh, and my 20-mo-old daughter loves the videos of your son. Keep 'em coming! They tame the witching hours (if only for five minutes)!

On the bright side...your new floors look awesome! :)

MONKEY TOES! (I think cabernet is what you're supposed to drink with slightly dirty monkey toes.)