Afternoon? I do really enjoy that moment after school when the kids first get home after not seeing them for a few hours. Jamison only attends preschool 2 mornings a week for 3 hours. But when he gets home, he's full of energy, hugs & stories (especially about what they had for snack that day). It melts my heart to sit at the lunch table with him & hear about all the things that delight a 4 yr old. My girls typically want to just veg out when they get off the bus, but don't mind a little cuddle with me from time to time. And that's a great feeling. There's also that moment Joel walks in the door. One thing I adore about my husband is his ability to leave work at work. And I honestly can't recall a time that he's walked in the door upset, grouchy & irritated over something from work. Ninety nine percent of the time, he opens the door, smiles and says "Hey there Beautiful!" Yep, I like that time of the day too....BUT, it's also combined with the hustle & bustle of homework, signing folders, reading through papers, writing checks for this or that or something else, unpacking lunch boxes....
Evenings are hit & miss around here. One week we're hit with an activity or meeting or appointment EVERY night. The next week, we're pretty open & free. I keep the evenings flowing by organizing our dinner menu based on what we have planned for that night. We make every effort to sit down at the kitchen table as a family for our dinner & 6 out of 7 nights a week this works for us. We say grace, teach the children appropriate manners, and all share our favorite part of the day. This is a cherished time for our family & a routine I know my children will be grateful for as they grow older. BUT, with a nice home cooked dinner comes the clean up, the dishes, the showers/baths, the brushing of teeth, the reading for school, getting lunches ready for tomorrow, clothes laid out so there's no fighting in the morning....
And then there's the later evening...when the children are all asleep, tucked soundly in their beds. I have finished work stuff in my office. Everything is set for the next morning. Joel is finally caught up on all his Words With Friends games. And we crawl into our bed. THIS is my favorite time of the day. We spend about an hour watching TV--catching up on shows from earlier in the week or just watching mind-numbing trash TV. We talk about all the things from our day that aren't appropriate to discuss in front of the children. Sometimes I read while he plays on the computer. Whatever is happening, we're winding down together. It's relaxing & quiet. And it's my most favorite time of the day.
There was a time in our marriage when we never went to bed at the same time--either I was in bed first because he had a late evening gig or he was in bed first because I had a late evening appointment on the phone in my office. After a few questions last night, we did some health exam things & my friend--who has known me since my days of teaching 3rd grade in "The Park"--made note that I am very relaxed considering everything I've been through. I told her that I am. I used to be a very tense & anxious person, very full of stress. And when I joked with her that now I just don't give a sh*t, I just mean that my priorities have changed. I have prioritized my worries & stress to the sh*t that DOES matter & not the things that don't.
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| Forrest Gump was in the theater the year we met. Joel was the first person who called me Jenny & got away with it. |
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