to always be on the verge of losing my mind between about 4:30-6 pm?

[CheerfulYank]

Aaaaaaarrrghhh! DS is on his millionth question of the hour and also suddenly can't find his tae kwon do belt, the house looks like a bomb site despite me feeling like I've been tidying all day, and I couldn't find the good can opener while making chili. I had to use the shitty can eating one and now I've slashed my thumb on a ragged edge and am having to make do with a tiny Cars 2 bandage. And DS was chasing the dog with a Nerf gun and upset my pile of clean laundry and I desperately want to send him out to play but it's -25 and it would take longer to bundle him up than he'd actually be out. And I can't even DRINK.

Ugh. I feel like no matter how well I plan, I'm always struggling this time of day. Anyone?

I do too! I try to get everyone out for a walk round the block what ever the weather. Will work when your little one comes too because they'll then be nicely off to sleep for a little while after you get back so you'll have time to sort the tea or tidy up or whatever.

I find that the getting the coats on time is well worth the effect of the walk.

Would inhaling the fumes from a brandy bottle help?

Actually, As I class brandy as a medicine, not an alcoholic drink, Dr Seabright's prescription would probably be to have a little anyway!

it is called the arsenic hour for a reason....

It's to make up appreciate bedtime all the more.

I have been known to phone dh at this sort of time demanding to know where he is, if he's ten minutes late from work. It's a desperate time of day.

Sometimes if dh is 10 minutes late I feel like murdering him.

After my 3rd I'm feeling better about today. DD has learnt to crawl which has meant today I have spent literally all say chasing her around saying 'no we don't touch/eat/pull/rip that' (delete as appropriate). I'm just hoping it makes me thinner.

Me too. I now track DH's phone (he knows) so that I can tell how long I have to last before I explode. Trouble is, if it gets to a certain time and he hasn't left yet I do start looking for holdalls to put the dds into so I can leave them on doorsteps.

Oh yes. DH walked in this evening from work while my two DS's were running around screaming at eachother. The kitchen a war zone and my pregnant belly feeling extra huge. I asked him to ' save me' to which he laughed.
I am sooooo glad to be working ( as in salaried, appreciated, child free work) tomorrow!

Me too. I think it's a sugar-low. Eat some cake.

I have the doctor who looked at me one day, with a 6 month old and a 4 year old and said "have you had a drink at tea time yet, it used to get me through until bedtime"?

And when DH used to walk through the door tired at 8.30 or 9 and used to tell me how tired he was I used to bawl, "tired, tired, you call having had a sit down on the tube with a book - tired - I'd love to have had a sit down with a book for 45 minutes". >>could flounce then