Please tell me I'm not the only one (and feel free to add your own)

[ChristusG]

Today has been one of those days. Tell me I'm not the only one that does the "5 o'clock shuffle" sometimes LOL. You know, you look at the clock and realize that it is FIVE O'CLOCK! DH will be home soon! Then you look around and realized you have not showered, the kids are running around half naked, there are toys everywhere, school work is barely done, and the trash from lunch is still on the table. So you do the "five o'clock shuffle" to attempt to make it look like your day was at least a LITTLE BIT productive LOL! Sweep the trash off the table and into the can, throw some clothes on the kids, take a two minute shower, toss in a load of laundry, and tell the kids to get to work on their school work. Come on, I can't be the only one who does it sometimes! :lol: Yeah, its been one of those days. :001_huh:

 

And also.....how about when it is about 3 o'clock and the kids are begging constantly for snacks. I give them a snack and 30 minutes later they are back and asking for another one. I say "Geez, you guys, you just had one snack and you had lunch not long bef.....wait, lunch??!! Oh man, I forgot to feed you lunch! No wonder you are starving!"

 

Sadly, both of the above instances happened today LOL! :tongue_smilie:

 

And then, the laundry dilemma.

DH: (at 10 PM) Did you manage to get my laundry done? I don't have any clean socks for tomorrow.

Me: No, it was a busy day, I totally forgot.....but hold on....(goes into the bedroom, manages to dig out one clean sock without a match from the bottom of his drawer, can't find the other match, so I pull a similar one from the dirty clothes bin, and go back to DH)

DH: You found some?

Me: Yeah, just spray a little cologne on it. I'll wash tomorrow.

 

Surely, someone has some things to add! :lol:

[Snickerdoodle]

Tell me I'm not the only one that does the "5 o'clock shuffle" sometimes LOL.

 

Nope, you are the only one. ;)

 

 

Or, I plead the 5th.

[TheCoffeeChick]

I actually set my cell phone alarm to go off 1/2 hour before dh is supposed to get home to "do the shuffle"! :D Very early in our marriage we talked about things that stress us out and a messy house was on his list. His version of a messy house: beds unmade, dishes in the sink, and toys on the floor. The kids and I can definitely remedy those things in 30 minutes or less. Good to know others are out there "doing the shuffle" :tongue_smilie:

[Guest Alte Veste Academy]

I actually set my cell phone alarm to go off 1/2 hour before dh is supposed to get home to "do the shuffle"! :D Very early in our marriage we talked about things that stress us out and a messy house was on his list. His version of a messy house: beds unmade, dishes in the sink, and toys on the floor. The kids and I can definitely remedy those things in 30 minutes or less. Good to know others are out there "doing the shuffle" :tongue_smilie:

 

Ha! I could have written this with the exception of how I am alerted to the 1/2 hour. DH's drive home is almost exactly 30 minutes so he calls when he gets in his car and we go into high gear getting tidying up for Daddy. I am (slowly) coming around with my ability to keep tidy all day. I'm making a conscious effort at self-improvement. :D I should add that DH isn't demanding or whiny. He just has a (perfectly reasonable, I think) preference for neatness and order and I love to make him at peace when he walks in the door. Frankly, it's more peaceful for all of us when the house is in order.

[Guest Alte Veste Academy]

Christy,

 

I've been meaning to tell you, I think your blog is great. The nickname thing was a riot! I am the same way and my kids will answer to anything!

[ChristusG]

Christy,

 

I've been meaning to tell you, I think your blog is great. The nickname thing was a riot! I am the same way and my kids will answer to anything!

 

Thanks!! And you just reminded me it needs an update. We've been on vacation for nearly two weeks and now three out of four of us are sick, so it's been a bit neglected.

 

I think the nickname thing is hilarious....I'm glad we're not the only "crazy" ones LOL!!!

[ChristusG]

Oh, I should add that DH has never requested/asked/complained about how the house looks/should look when he gets home. I just like to keep it tidy and have ourselves presentable when he gets home. :D

[sunshine]

My husband doesn't think we have done anything unless the house is a wreck. I think he's right.:001_huh:

[joannqn]

My husband doesn't think we have done anything unless the house is a wreck. I think he's right.:001_huh:

 

Funny! I think my husband figured out I am busy during the day when he sends me an email asking me to do something, usually important, like reset the cable modem because he can't access his computer which has a file that he needs or get him some information from some paper on his desk...and I don't respond before he sends another message that says, "never mind". He walks in the door just as I'm getting the first email and I say, "I'm sorry. I just now got your email." I think he's realizing that I'm not sitting on the couch on my laptop all day. :lol:

 

I used to do the 5 o'clock shuffle but lately I don't have time to even fit that in.

[G5052]

DH goes in early and comes home early, so I start thinking about what I have to finish around 3pm. Every once in awhile they'll send them all home mid-afternoon for various reasons, so when I hear the garage door....!?!

[jujsky]

You are so not alone! I am constantly doing the "5 o'clock shuffle" in my house. I'm usually pretty good about getting school done with the kids, but that's often all I have time to do. Many times I find myself shoving a load of laundry in right before he gets home, and doing a mad-dash pick-up of my messy house.

[JoyfulMama]

Y'all are too funny! My DH works nights, so I only get about a 30 second warning to when he appears! Thus why he always feels like he's walking into the middle of something - he is!

But 2pm-ish is usually "quiet time" for the youngers while I finish any needed 1:1 stuff with older. 3pm is usually time to start cleaning up and working on dinner, so we can eat at 5ish.

[Lovedtodeath]

 

I actually set my cell phone alarm to go off 1/2 hour before dh is supposed to get home to "do the shuffle"! :D Very early in our marriage we talked about things that stress us out and a messy house was on his list. His version of a messy house: beds unmade, dishes in the sink, and toys on the floor. The kids and I can definitely remedy those things in 30 minutes or less. Good to know others are out there "doing the shuffle" :tongue_smilie:

What? dishes take me an hour alone, toys at least that long.

[az_momy]

The kids and I can definitely remedy those things in 30 minutes or less. Good to know others are out there "doing the shuffle" :tongue_smilie:

I can't imagine being able to pick up what my little ones destroy in just 30 minutes! Oh, those were the days. Now the big ones help a lot, but it's a pain to them each day to find everything destroyed while we were doing school...

 

Very early in our marriage we talked about things that stress us out and a messy house was on his list. His version of a messy house: beds unmade, dishes in the sink, and toys on the floor.

We had this conversation about 10 years ago (we'll celebrate 20 years in the spring). My dh's version was: dirty toilets, dishes in the sink, and toys on the floor. Over the years he's added: dirty kitchen table, island, and highchair; unfolded laundry on the couch; and having to step over shoes when walking in the front door...

 

Yup. We have to do the shuffle too. Ours just takes a LOT longer than 30 minutes, considering I rotate at least 4 loads of laundry every day...

[catalinakel]

Ok, here's the ticket(advice from an older, seasoned momma of 10)...put an onion in the oven and turn the oven on.....the smell makes it seem like dinner is cooking while you throw together whatever needs to be thrown together...hubs will smell the onion and know that dinner is coming soon......

[Lovedtodeath]

 

Ok, here's the ticket(advice from an older, seasoned momma of 10)...put an onion in the oven and turn the oven on.....the smell makes it seem like dinner is cooking while you throw together whatever needs to be thrown together...hubs will smell the onion and know that dinner is coming soon......

LOL! this could totally work.

[LibraryLover]

While my dh has said he doesn't care what the place looks like when he gets home, I feel this need to get things in order towards the end of the day. He's certainly come home to absolute chaos, and he's fine with it. However, I hate having it all at loose ends come evening. I try to get it together...most of the sticky picked up, the lights lower (in winter), the grill fired up in warmer weather, the kitchen island mostly cleared. My wine poured.

 

I need to know that oh-so-soon I will have some quiet time. :D One of my absolute favorite times of day is when I start dinner in peace, and dh spends some time with the kids. Without me. if I can do that in a cleared kitchen....wow. I top up kids with cheese & crackers & carrot sticks right as dad is leaving for home. They get their blood sugar in order and I get some time before we all hit the dinner table.

Edited November 13, 2009 by LibraryLover

[SonshineLearner]

Funny! I think my husband figured out I am busy during the day when he sends me an email asking me to do something, usually important, like reset the cable modem because he can't access his computer which has a file that he needs or get him some information from some paper on his desk...and I don't respond before he sends another message that says, "never mind". He walks in the door just as I'm getting the first email and I say, "I'm sorry. I just now got your email." I think he's realizing that I'm not sitting on the couch on my laptop all day. :lol:

 

I used to do the 5 o'clock shuffle but lately I don't have time to even fit that in.

 

Ewww. reason to ignore husband's email... he'll figure out what I'm playing.. I mean working on ....

 

Carrie:-)

[AngelaNYC]

Yep, that's me a lot of times. Now picture that scenario - except youngest dd has to be at dance class at 5:30 and you have to be at work at 6pm.

 

And oldest dd (almost 16) is late coming home from school to watch ds (because she HAD to get her nails done) and you have to call MIL to see if he can go over there for the 1/2 hour til dh comes home. You certainly don't want her in your house because you got nothing done and she would love nothing better than to bring that up to you (and her son) every other day for a month.

 

And when you get home from work at 10:20, you eat dinner real quick and do the "guilt clean" until midnight.

 

:glare:

[Dawn in OH]

My 5 O'clock shuffle is slightly different.

I look at the clock and say "OMG It's almost 5 O'clock".

I have no dinner plans nor anything thawed and I need to have dinner on the table in 45 minutes to get my husband off to work on time.

 

His lunch isn't made yet.

 

The living room is covered in the 2 year old's toys.

 

I have to find something to THAW and QUICKLY. And decide what I'm doing to it. And pick side dishes. (before getting pregnant I was so good about planning meals in advance, now they are subject to my mood).

 

The older kids are off playing in their rooms and I have to somehow convince them 1. to come help me and 2. quickly, which doesn't seem to be in their vocabulary.

 

The table is covered with artwork, left over school work, crayons, crackers and crumbs, and heaven knows what else!

 

The two year decides he NEEDS me and wants to be held.

 

The older two have decided to argue about who cleans off the table and who gets out napkins.

 

The toys on the living room floor are apparently invisible to anyone under 5 feet tall. I'm the ONLY one that can see the mess that needs cleaned up. I have to point out each and every item that needs cleaned up, and I'm not talking about the two year old, he's very neatly, one at a time, oh so slowly, picking up toys except the dilophosaurus that he will not put down except to go to bed. Good boy!

 

And when it's all over I swear it will never happen again. But it always does. I started dinner at 3:30 one day just so that I wouldn't have to go through the 5 O'Clock shuffle, and it STILL happened.

 

Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffet say "It's 5 O'clock somewhere" and makes it sound like a happy time. I'm thinking it's the 9th Circle of Hell and I will be sent there for all of eternity.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffet say "It's 5 O'clock somewhere" and makes it sound like a happy time. I'm thinking it's the 9th Circle of Hell and I will be sent there for all of eternity.

 

:001_huh::lol::cheers2:

[StephanieZ]

You are not alone. Yesterday, the kids did not get lunch at all. We passed boxes of crackers around the science meeting at 4 PM.

 

There are nights when we do an 8 PM shuffle b/c dh works late some nights and might not be home until 9 PM.

 

Every day is a shuffle of sorts. Some days we shuffle all day long. As long as we're shufflin' in the right direction, I figure we're doing OK.

[IsabelC]

I don't do the Shuffle. I do sometimes do the Phone a Friend where I call hubby and say "How's it going? Have you almost finished work? Well come home anyway, I can't cope for another hour!"

 

He doesn't care about the housework too much though. We figure that he does paid work, I look after the kids, so the housework is both our responsibility. If he comes home and I haven't got any done, he'll do whatever he thinks needs doing.:)

[ChristusG]

My 5 O'clock shuffle is slightly different.

I look at the clock and say "OMG It's almost 5 O'clock".

I have no dinner plans nor anything thawed and I need to have dinner on the table in 45 minutes to get my husband off to work on time.

 

His lunch isn't made yet.

 

The living room is covered in the 2 year old's toys.

 

I have to find something to THAW and QUICKLY. And decide what I'm doing to it. And pick side dishes. (before getting pregnant I was so good about planning meals in advance, now they are subject to my mood).

 

The older kids are off playing in their rooms and I have to somehow convince them 1. to come help me and 2. quickly, which doesn't seem to be in their vocabulary.

 

The table is covered with artwork, left over school work, crayons, crackers and crumbs, and heaven knows what else!

 

The two year decides he NEEDS me and wants to be held.

 

The older two have decided to argue about who cleans off the table and who gets out napkins.

 

The toys on the living room floor are apparently invisible to anyone under 5 feet tall. I'm the ONLY one that can see the mess that needs cleaned up. I have to point out each and every item that needs cleaned up, and I'm not talking about the two year old, he's very neatly, one at a time, oh so slowly, picking up toys except the dilophosaurus that he will not put down except to go to bed. Good boy!

 

And when it's all over I swear it will never happen again. But it always does. I started dinner at 3:30 one day just so that I wouldn't have to go through the 5 O'Clock shuffle, and it STILL happened.

 

Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffet say "It's 5 O'clock somewhere" and makes it sound like a happy time. I'm thinking it's the 9th Circle of Hell and I will be sent there for all of eternity.

 

Oh my gosh, your post was hilarious!!!

 

And yes, I'd forgotten about the "dinner shuffle" as well LOL! I do that all.the.time. My husband didnt marry me for my culinary skills.

[happyWImom]

My problem: DH is home-98% of the time!:eek: So, the problem is, if I'm having "one of those days", I get criticized for it. If we do school at the table, or on the couch, Dh doesn't think we're doing school. So, I leave the breakfast dishes on the counter! So, there are books covering every surface! I am teaching our kids!!!:rant:

 

Okay-you get the picture! No, you are not the only one.

[Lovedtodeath]

And when it's all over I swear it will never happen again. But it always does. I started dinner at 3:30 one day just so that I wouldn't have to go through the 5 O'Clock shuffle, and it STILL happened.

 

Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffet say "It's 5 O'clock somewhere" and makes it sound like a happy time. I'm thinking it's the 9th Circle of Hell and I will be sent there for all of eternity.

That sounds like my life. Loved your post!

 

My problem: DH is home-98% of the time!:eek: So, the problem is, if I'm having "one of those days", I get criticized for it. If we do school at the table, or on the couch, Dh doesn't think we're doing school. So, I leave the breakfast dishes on the counter! So, there are books covering every surface! I am teaching our kids!!!:rant:

 

Okay-you get the picture! No, you are not the only one.

I am sorry Tammi. :grouphug: Can he not see that you are truly busy and not playing around all day? I would think he would if he were there! Do you have a school room that you are supposed to use? I love using the kitchen table because sometimes I can get away with multi-tasking there.

[TheCoffeeChick]

I can't imagine being able to pick up what my little ones destroy in just 30 minutes! Oh, those were the days. Now the big ones help a lot, but it's a pain to them each day to find everything destroyed while we were doing school...

 

 

We had this conversation about 10 years ago (we'll celebrate 20 years in the spring). My dh's version was: dirty toilets, dishes in the sink, and toys on the floor. Over the years he's added: dirty kitchen table, island, and highchair; unfolded laundry on the couch; and having to step over shoes when walking in the front door...

 

Yup. We have to do the shuffle too. Ours just takes a LOT longer than 30 minutes, considering I rotate at least 4 loads of laundry every day...

 

Well, it only takes 30 minutes because I have the kids pick up the toys from the house (but this does NOT include their rooms -- they have to pick those up during our bedtime routine) and then I hurry and wash the dishes from the day, which is only breakfast and lunch because I also do dishes after dinner most nights. I make my bed in the morning and the kids make their own beds in the mornings too. Those are the 3 things that he says constitute a clean house! So really -- my 30 minutes are spent washing dishes while the kids pick up. :)

 

Also, really the bulk of my day is spent either schooling or doing other chores like laundry, vacuuming, sweeping, cleaning bathrooms, .... no way I could do those in my 30 minute shuffle!! :tongue_smilie: Ahh, the life of a stay at home mom is really an all day shuffle! :lol:

[Lovedtodeath]

Also, really the bulk of my day is spent either schooling or doing other chores like laundry, vacuuming, sweeping, cleaning bathrooms, .... no way I could do those in my 30 minute shuffle!! :tongue_smilie: Ahh, the life of a stay at home mom is really an all day shuffle! :lol:

You can say that again!

[Dawn in OH]

Oh my gosh, your post was hilarious!!!

 

 

 

Every now and then I manage a good one. Thank you. Although it's definitely anything BUT funny while it's happening.

 

happyWImom, when my husband owned his own business and worked from home getting anything done seemed nearly impossible. He had this idea (although he would never admit to it) that I was to be in control and organized all the time. While we may have been getting something done, I know it didn't LOOK like it to him or any other observer. He also used to dig up extra work for me (unknowingly).

[happyWImom]

That sounds like my life. Loved your post!

 

I am sorry Tammi. :grouphug: Can he not see that you are truly busy and not playing around all day? I would think he would if he were there! Do you have a school room that you are supposed to use? I love using the kitchen table because sometimes I can get away with multi-tasking there.

 

Carmen:

Thanks for the :grouphug:. We do have a schoolroom, and I am much better with using it this year, but I love using the table also! And yes, you would think he should be able to see that I'm not goofing off all day. Don't get me started-we're going through some stuff right now. Having him here is sometimes a blessing, sometimes not. I'd like him to do school for a week & see how differently he sees everything.:D

[ChristusG]

Every now and then I manage a good one. Thank you. Although it's definitely anything BUT funny while it's happening.

 

happyWImom, when my husband owned his own business and worked from home getting anything done seemed nearly impossible. He had this idea (although he would never admit to it) that I was to be in control and organized all the time. While we may have been getting something done, I know it didn't LOOK like it to him or any other observer. He also used to dig up extra work for me (unknowingly).

 

No, definitely not any fun while it's happening. I have a two year old as well....they always want to be held at the most inopportune times, huh? :tongue_smilie:

[Dawn in OH]

No, definitely not any fun while it's happening. I have a two year old as well....they always want to be held at the most inopportune times, huh? :tongue_smilie:

 

Definitely. I LOVE to hold and cuddle him, but I MUST have dinner on the table on time to get my husband fed and off to work.

 

I will be so relieved when and if my husband ever gets back onto the shift he's supposed to be on. This so not family friendly.

[Lovedtodeath]

Doesn't the very idea of the 5 o clock shuffle seem to imply that the only reason we clean up the house is for our husbands?

[ChristusG]

Doesn't the very idea of the 5 o clock shuffle seem to imply that the only reason we clean up the house is for our husbands?

 

LOL, it would seem that way.

 

Actually, I'm the neat freak though. I cannot stand clutter laying around. DH doesn't really mind, I just want it to look like I haven't been the lazy stay at home mom stereotype LOL. (which some days that stereotype does come true....not often, but it happens!)

[Dawn in OH]

I like to have my living room, dining room cleaned up before dinner and then again before bed. I like waking up to a neat and tidy home, even if I know it isn't going to stay that way very long.