January 7, 2010

Back to work

Tomorrow I go back to work. The holiday break is over. I know, boo hoo, right? I've had a longer break than anyone I know--one of the perks of teaching at a university. So I'm sitting here with a glass of wine (one of my first in many months) relecting on the time off and the busy months ahead.

Things I will miss about the time off, in no particular order:
--waking up at 7 with the kids instead of 5:45 or 6 to get myself ready for work

--taking our time at breakfast

--being able to go to the mall on a weekday morning, when it's relatively quiet

--enjoying the sunshine coming into my south-facing living room window in the early afternoon

--spending time as a family on a weekday running errands or going to a movie

What I look forward to in going back to work:
--seeing students and colleagues again

--teaching

--feeling more productive during my day (at least when I finish a task at work it doesn't often reappear in a few hours, like cleaning up the kitchen or doing a load of laundry)

What I'm dreading:
--the morning rush of feeding kids, nagging the boys to "Brush your teeth. Put on your shoes. Let the dog out." Like 14 times.

--Getting three kids bundled for winter weather and buckling bulky coats into carseats. I HATE that part of winter!

--Picking up all three kids at three different places during rush hour traffic in slippery conditions when everyone is tired, hungry, whining, and they all have 17 million things to say in the car while I'm trying to concentrate on getting us home safely without ignoring them after not seeing them all day. Seriously, I LOATHE THIS TIME OF DAY. It's a constant personal struggle for me to maintain patience and stamina between 4:30 and 6:30pm. Once Kris finishes basketball season this will get much easier, because he'll be able to pick up one or two of the children.

--Getting home at 5:30 and having to cook (or at least throw together a meal) immediately. I hate doing that, too, especially if the kids all hang out in the kitchen begging for snacks while I'm trying to get dinner ready.

So, if any of you moms have any suggestions or advice on how to make the witching hour easier, I'm all ears. Kind of a downer way to end a post. I guess I need another glass of wine.

4 comments:

Getting back to me said...

I don't know how you do it!

Do you have any good crockpot recipes? That would save some time and hopefully stress during dinner.

Holly

ABCDH said...

Ha, I was going to say that I call that the witching hour and there you went and said it yourself!
Here's one crockpot recipe:
chuck roast
12 oz beef broth
1 can beer
1 packet dry onion soup mix
Let it sit all day and serve it on a hoagie with some cheese and a cup of the au jus.
Easy peasy lemon squeezy

Emily said...

I LOVE my crockpot! I look up recipes at www.allrecipes.com. It's how I survived in college when I worked late at the group home b/c otherwise I would have never had a good meal.

Erin said...

Thanks, friends! AJ, that sounds delicious. Do your kids like it, too?