Arsenic hour lasts at least 4 hours- dds 5 and 2.5; any suggestions?

[majorstress]

Apart from actually using arsenic, I have already thought of that. Problems include:

sibling rivalry;
hungry but they can't leave chef (me) alone long enough to prep and dish meal out;
won't help (can't, mainly);
I am tired and can't think straight myself;
Can't think of anything for them to do except telly;
get annoyed, unreasonably, that they can't work over-complex telly/video/dvd themselves;
if one does astoundingly start to play constructively, the other instantly butts in and spoils it
the little buggers next door keep banging on door to "play" (ie, fight and nick stuff), my no's put me into bad odour with my own kids.
Annoyed with DH for never being there.

I got on well with a strict structure to other parts of day, but somehow always run out of steam in late afternoon. has anyone else made any changes to routine that helped?

Can you prepare meals ahead of time so that when the witching hour arrives dinner is pretty much in the oven and you have more time to concentrate on the dds? We seem to have an endless round of fish pie, chicken pie, shepherd's pie etc in our house but it's easy, nutritious and leaves you with two free hands at the time of day when you most need them!

I have also sometimes fed my kids carrot sticks, cucumber etc before dinner (if I think they are grouchy through lack of food) and counted that as their vegetable for dinner. It can be tricky though not to give them too much and fill them up so that they won't eat the rest of dinner.

Is your kitchen eat-in? Can they do colouring, playdough, puzzles or other table based stuff in the kitchen while you are cooking? That way, they feel like they are part of what is happening and you can keep an eye on them.

How do you get on with the mum from next door? Could you have a friendly word and ask her not to let her children knock between certain times? If that isn't an option, I think I'd just stop answering the door to them!

Can't think of anything else but you have my sympathy because I've been there too. A lot of it is age-based and it might not feel like it now but it WILL pass!

thanks annh. I probably could do more i.e less about meals, they seem to cope with unlimited fruit and veg with good appetite left (though won't eat most sald type veg). The woman next door, well their last address had Hades in it somewhere so I won't approach their door (would have to wade through their garbage including at present a shattered mirror right now). I've tried not answering but their knockd are very loud and go on for hours literally so I get the grief anyway from my kids. Kitchen isn;t eat in but could make a better arrangement (I.e. 2 separate tables?) in next room. Any other hints anyone?

annh
do you cook the pies yourself or buy them ready made? Do they all have mashed potato on top? (dd1 really disses my mash).

you are right, I have slipped into worrying too much about making high-quality stuff every day, nice but it's at the expense of our happiness-should bung something in oven on timer and go out to play, also will get away from little horrors (neighbors not mine).

Yippee, granny has sent them bird houses to paint, that will shut them up for a while today(one each -thank god, she slipped up on that with last pressie; dd2 SO disappointed and jealous!) I mean I could go out and buy a kit I guess, but trying to save money-and then it wouldn;t be as special anyway.

Only problem with batch cooking is DH scoffs the lot, or bins when my back is turned.

Right, todays antidote-plan; dollies (me and dd2) for afternoon, freezer meal in oven (haven't batch cooked anything yet), then painting objects for both after school (at 2 separate tables-anyway big kid is finding IKEA kid table too cramped as she is very tall). Might get her to draw out a design first, she seems to like that.

I never played with dollies myself, so it will be a test of my creativity. Would really rather go back to work....NO it will be fun. Right?....

Message withdrawn

I make the pies myself and they mostly do have mash on top - which luckily, my boys like. Smothering it in cheese helps too! The chicken pie does have a pastry top which I admit I do buy, my pastry is rubbish and that's just one job too far anyway!

Good luck with the dollies!

I think it is the lumpiness of the mash (I have attempted about 3 times! ( ok ok I'm still learning to cook...) that gets her ("this is not like nursery potato mummy, theirs is CREAMIER and SOFTER"). Now she's in school she seems to appreciate my efforts more tho! We eat at about 7 but they eat a big cooked dinner at noon, and get offered a snack straight after school (3:45) to keep them going. DH wants to see them so he remembers why he is at work all day in ths horrible environment, so we've been trying to maintain a "family meal". They DO want him to be there but he is often late, often without knowing before hand (Northern line).

I just cooked some Porcupine meatballs! (instead of swooning in darkened room while dd2 had nap) and they are going in the freezer for next week before dh sees them-that took care of the mince and egg approaching sell-by date, and leftover rice I found in the fridge. Hope they eat them, it will be novel anyway. Maybe should have swooned instead-the dollies are beckoning menacingly (they give me the willies). time to enter the fray with dd2...

hi mrsW
she inspired the doll idea this morning before nursery after out of the blue requesting a baby (didn't know what she meant at first, they were all in a cupboard) for a long nappy changing session using lots of wipes-she hasn't seen a baby changed for months, but her own potty training has recently regressed and I had to get out a changing mat so maybe that's why. Thought I would dust off all the other doll kit, which is nearly untouched. dd1 age 5 seems to have outgrown dolls already-or maybe is like me in that, prefers bugs and critters.

my main problem with playing is that I constantly feel (not believe, just feel) I should be doing something else-housework, chores, "real" work. And I don't really know how.

ok, the fish pie creation (my own recipe humbly)is in the oven-so I can sneak a peek at mumsnet while they goggle at the box, and we can change the thread name to botulism hour! Mash on top is a bit stiff if not downright lumpy, do you think they will notice?