It’s five o’clock. I don’t know about your house, but at my house, we fondly refer to this time of day as “the witching hour.” I’m tired. The kids are tired. The baby is whiny. And I’m usually trying to make dinner.
My husband travels frequently during the week, so I’m often on my own. And since I’ve given up my five o’clock double martini, the witching hour is by far the most difficult part of my day. Recently, I found something that makes it more bearable. Music! At five o’clock when everyone is melting down, I pop in a worship CD while I cook. It doesn’t work magic, but it does smooth out the rough edges and give me the oomph I need to be a good Mom for just a few more hours.
And while the kids have no problem whacking each other while singing “Lord, I lift your name on high,” I find I’m less prone to resort to yelling and screaming when I’m singing praise choruses.
Upbeat worship music during the witching hour…works for me! Check out Rocks in my Dryer for more great tips!
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19 comments:
This is a great idea! Our house can get pretty loud during that time, especially since we often have a few neighbor kids over at that time. Maybe everyone would be just a bit more mellow...
Thanks for stopping by, Nettie! Honestly, sometimes this mellows the kids out, but more importantly -- it mellows ME out!
We call it 'bewitching' hour at our house. Our girls are not allowed to watch TV except between 5-6pm. This give me peace and quiet to layout dinner. (I work full time so I prepare dinner in early a.m. and need this time to wind down.)Since it is the only TV alllowed, I feel an hour is plenty. But maybe music would be better than cartoons--will give it a try tonight!
Sherry -- Great solution! We've usually used up our "screen time" allotment by this time in the day...sigh...plus it does nothing to keep the baby occupied.
Hey -- whatever gets you through this time of the day with your sanily intact...I'm for it!
Long story short: I once used duct tape on a very active little boy. No, I didn't tie him down! I made sleeves for his hands--sticky side out. Then showed him the game of touching his taped hands together and pulling them apart again. His dad was impressed.
hey Craver!
Maybe you should join the Mommy Blogging World and add this as a tip! I'm sure you'd be a hit with everyone! ;-)
Turning on the radio has helped us avert man a meltdown at our house!
That is a great idea - exactly why I have a worship CD in my car to keep me calm during the traffic driving to and from work :)
Thanks for visiting - and you were joking about sweeping the bathroom, right?!
Organising Queen,
Clutter Control Freak and
Marcia's take charge blog
Yes, you haven't lived until you've seen your children pulling one another's hair to "Blessed be the Name of the Lord." I am going to try this...I keep my worship songs in our car usually but I'm going to try to bring it in the house. Thanks.
Sarah -- thanks for stopping by!
Marcia -- um. Sort of.
Jenny -- Hilarious!
I do this too! I put the TV on the Sirius Classical station while I cook dinner; it really does calm the kids down so they're not in meltdown mode when Daddy walks in! He deserves a happy homecoming :)
I totally know what you mean. What a great idea!
sahmmy and oh amanda -- thanks for stopping by!
What a problem solver you are! Excellent idea!!! Back in the day, I took the secular route and turned on Barney while preparing dinner. Even to this day, when people make fun of Barney, I feel compelled to jump in and defend His Purpleness. ("Hey! Watch it! Maybe YOU think he's dumb, but he has provided ME with many, many happy half-hours!) I should also add I feel Dinnertime should be banned altogether because it comes at such a bad time of the day. Once, I (no lie) promised my family that I would cook myself into frenzy preparing a big hearty breakfast every morning, if they would only agree to a bowl of cereal for dinner each night. Sadly, they saw through my evil plan and just laughed...
marmot mom -- nothing wrong with Barney! We do plenty of TV, too, but it doesn't help with the whiny baby. I love the cereal for dinner idea! I might actually try that tomorrow night...
Hey, pork chops for breakfast, cherrios for dinner. :-)
I just got the biggest kick out of this statement,
"And while the kids have no problem whacking each other while singing “Lord, I lift your name on high,” I find I’m less prone to resort to yelling and screaming when I’m singing praise choruses."
Thanks for the great tip - we've ALL been there - and thanks for the laugh, too!
We call it here the tired time.
I try to prepare things for dinner earlier at the day, because I'm too tired then.
Thanks for sharing!
mrs. brownstone -- thanks for dropping by! It is funny, isn't it? Even funnier when it's happening live!
laane -- you are wise to plan ahead. Sometimes I do this, and it is enormously helpful.
Will try this one. I've tried it all, TV, mandatory room time, mandatory outside in the back yard time(which proved detrimental to my roses)I've even barricaded myself in the kitchen. I feel that you have to mix it up for the most effect. ;-)
BTW: have you ever read the book "Llama, Llama Red Pajama"? It's my two year old's all-time favorite book.
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