It was the best of times

I think I've finally figured out part of the reason I'm often resentful of Craig. He always gets the best of the kids.

Tonight - just like last night and the night before - the kids were MISERABLE. It's becoming an all too common thread in this house and Craig is never around to see it. When Craig's home, it's morning, the kids are refreshed from a good sleep, they've been fed, and the whole day lays in front of them to explore and enjoy. Craig will often play outside with them while I'm making lunch. After lunch Craig walks Shaun to school while I put the little kids down for a nap. On rare days Shaun will be crabby about going to school or Ian will be crusty and whiny right before his nap but for the most part it's relatively smooth every day. Craig is usually leaveing for work right around the time the little kids are waking up. That's when our 'real' children come out to play.

Ian needs to nap longer than he does. No question. Shaun is often tired when he comes home from school, too. Kyle has about 3 hours straight of the typical 'witching hour'. All this begins around 2:30 and continues until they're all tossed in bed.

I've always appreciated Craig's straight afternoon shift because we got to spend the majority of the day together. Now it just makes the day feel VERY long. It's so busy we barely have time to kiss one another good morning before someone needs attention and then I get to deal with all the whining and crying on my own once he leaves for work. Not to mention baths for everyone, pyjamas, stories, goodnight. It would be much easier to start my day a little earlier so I could send Craig off for a 6:30AM shift start and have him home to help during the toughest part.