After school is always a flurry of activity around the house. It's when the second shift starts. We walk in the door, drop our stuff and then the tasks start. Sweeping, dusting, laundry, morning dishes, prepping for dinner, more laundry, evening dishes...seldom a quiet moment. It's just our rhythm around here. To be honest most days it leaves me feeling haggard and a little crabby by the time the sun sets. I would love to say I revel in the work, that the work feels useful or important, but truth be told it's tedious and we just trudge through it. Now, I like a good nook and cranny scrubdown as much as the next girl...but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the straightening and folding and light dusting kind of tedium tasks that is our afternoon routine around here. The other night we lost power. Not just a little flicker on and off, but the whole neighborhood lost power. For hours. This may sound like a nightmare to some, but to me it was a gift from the gods. You can't dust in the dark really. Or vacuum. Or even surf the internet for that matter. The house was so incredibly quiet. And calm. It amazes me how quickly I can shift back to creative, let's make this fun mama. We lit candles all over the house and made a whole art/homework station on the floor, where the kids reveled in this new type of evening. The kinds where mama can sit and listen to their stories while they work and create by candlelight. Where I am not being pulled away for some menial task or another. They have become acustomed to "Just one minute, I'm cleaning right now" or "You'll have to wait, because..." It's a rare thing that they get my undivided attention, and it's sad to me that it took losing electricity to force me to sit down and just 'be'. The laughter came so easily that night, not just for me but the kids enjoyed each others company...The quiet we shared carried on way past when the power came back on into the next day. So what to do people? Do I let my house fall apart around me, judgement be damned so that we can all relax a little? There are just not enough hours in the day. What do you do?