5:30 is an ugly time of day

melissa0726

I don't know what it is, but all hell seems to break lose around here when 5:30pm hits.  DD1 is still cranky from her nap (who is cranky after a 3 hr nap, anyway??) and starts making demands for cookies and junk that I won't give her, and then she starts screaming.  DD2 is, well, a baby, and that's when she usually starts with her early evening fussy time.  And all of this is happening when I'm trying to think about getting dinner started.  Instead, I end up parking DD1 in front of the TV with a snack, while I try to settle the baby down for a little rest, and we don't end up eating dinner until 7:30.

During all this, DH is either wrapping up work, studying, or at class.  I just feel so horribly stressed at this time of the day, every day, and I really think I need to talk to him about rearranging his schedule so I have another set of hands.  I actually started crying when both girls were crying earlier, and I felt like such an idiot.

That's all, just needed to vent a little bit.  Today is his long day where he's gone for 12 hours, and we didn't make it out of the house today, which I'm sure is compounding my stress!  I can't wait until the baby gets on a more definite schedule so I don't feel so haphazard hour to hour. 

Monsieur_et_Madame_Ha

Witching hour is no fun. Sorry. I hope you are able to work something out schedule-wise with your H.

Monsieur_et_Madame_Ha

And don't feel like an idiot. We all know that parenting isn't all puppies and rainbows. ::hugs::

Rachey1082

Hugs, parenthood is hard.

Would it help if you made or just prepared dinner during afternoon nap? That's what I do when DH is working until 6. I either prepare a casserole then throw it in an hour before or chop everything and throw it into pans before he gets home.

Things will get easier, I promise. I cried many tears when Liam was 2 and Jack was a baby.

ladybugpjb

That's just a crummy time of day in general. It's like everything HAS to be done between 5:00 and 7:00, and it's the WORST time for kids. I second the recommendation to do dinner prep earlier in the day.

Also, my salvation most days is that DH cooks dinner. We had that discussion a long time ago when I got home later than he did when I was a student and pregnant. He saw how stressed I was all the time and was understanding.

Hang in there! Hopefully you can work something out!

ladybugpjb

Kimbus22 said:

Ugh I'm sorry.  We actually eat dinner then to avoid the "OHMYGODINEEDFOODNOWORIWILLMAKEYOUREGRETIT!" meltdown.  He's better if he eats between 5:30 and 6 than if we wait until later.  But he's also in bed by 7.  I'm not sure how that would work if he were going to bed later.

I'm scared to do this with another one.

Bedtime (7:30) is horrible if we're not eating by 6:30, and that's the absolute latest I will allow DS to start eating. If DH is cooking and it's taking too long, DS gets a sandwich at 6:30.

melissa0726

Thanks, ladies, it's nice to know I'm not alone with my challenges!  Like ladybug and crash said, there are just SO many things that HAVE to happen at this time of day. 

I did talk to DH last night, and he also suggested that I work on dinner during DD1's nap and we just eat early dinners going forward.  That will be a big change for us, we've always eaten late since he hates early dinners.  But we're going to give it a try and see if it takes off some of the pressure.

 I used to always do my meal prep during her nap, but I've gotten away from that since the baby was born.  She is usually awake during DD1's nap, and for the half hour that I can get them to sleep concurrently, it's tough to get motivated to get myself into the kitchen.  I'm going to make a better effort, though, and I think I'm going to try more meals in the crock pot, since it gives greater flexibility on our dinner time. 

I know things will ease up once the baby gets on a more reliable schedule, I just need to hang tight for now.  Thanks for all of your thoughts!

Rachey1082

melissa0726 said:

Thanks, ladies, it's nice to know I'm not alone with my challenges!  Like ladybug and crash said, there are just SO many things that HAVE to happen at this time of day. 

I did talk to DH last night, and he also suggested that I work on dinner during DD1's nap and we just eat early dinners going forward.  That will be a big change for us, we've always eaten late since he hates early dinners.  But we're going to give it a try and see if it takes off some of the pressure.

 I used to always do my meal prep during her nap, but I've gotten away from that since the baby was born.  She is usually awake during DD1's nap, and for the half hour that I can get them to sleep concurrently, it's tough to get motivated to get myself into the kitchen.  I'm going to make a better effort, though, and I think I'm going to try more meals in the crock pot, since it gives greater flexibility on our dinner time. 

I know things will ease up once the baby gets on a more reliable schedule, I just need to hang tight for now.  Thanks for all of your thoughts!

Crockpot cooking takes such a load off! GL, mama, and you're right, once DD2 is on a good schedule, things get much easier.

melissa0726

Kimbus22 I'm really excited to try stuffed peppers in the crock pot.  You don't pre-cook the filling, do you?

melissa0726

CrashIntoMe1 said:

Also, there is no shame in making Mac & cheese for the toddler whe you guys eat blt's, salad, grilled cheese, etc. I live off easy meals. Spaghetti and tacos or enchiladas are also easy. Get a pre-baked pizza crust and just throw topping on there. For sides we do chips & salsa, raw veggies, or something really easy like steamed corn or green beans.

Thanks, for the ideas, they are really helpful!  Love the pizza idea; it is DD1's new fave food, so I'll bet that she'd love to help me put it together, and it having her "help" in the kitchen keeps her occupied