Afternoon Dip

When I say afternoon dip, I am not talking about taking a refreshing swim in some lovely watering hole, but rather the dip in energy that normally comes around 2 p.m.

 This is when the baby is up from her post-lunch nap. My son, Constantine has finished snoozing. My daughter, Christiane has enjoyed her “quiet” time, which she involves me in, whether it’s putting together a puzzle or playing a concentration game with butterflies and bugs that all look vaguely the same.

 Around 2 p.m., they can all have a snack, which fills the hour. They go outside by 3 p.m., if the weather is okay. Today, my older kids learned how to throw a Frisbee my baby girl,  Clea-Noelle learned how to march about the grass on our front lawn. The dog was jumping about – some happy picture.

Then Constantine wanted to be carried sitting on the Frisbee as though it were a flying saucer. He’s heavier like this. It only lasts so long.

Raising the Boys

When I only had the boys,  I was almost completely knocked out daily by 2:30 p.m. They’d have to revive me. I’d lay on the couch on the third floor of Bart Drive and say,  “I’ll lay, you play.” It never worked.

 Then, I started taking them anywhere on daily 3 to 4 p.m. car rides, mostly to the furthest reaches of Canton. They loved it – being in the car in winter, like another form of stroller rides. I loved not having to come up with something to do. Not having to fully engage. By 4 p.m., everything seemed better, as the day moved along quicker. Dinner for them was then 5 pm. Baths at 6. At 7 p.m., my husband, Fotis and I would sit on the floor of their playroom and enjoy them. He’d fly our son, Petros around like an airplane or pop him up to the sky like a rocket, no one’s ideal for settling down for sleep.

After they were down, I’d go do their laundry. Yes, me, with total pleasure as I washed the stains out from the day to get a jump-start on tomorrow.

Taking Breaks

I don’t remember being as tired then, but I do recall the afternoon slump being like quicksand. It was dangerous and today it still happens.

I go from reading Us Magazine to staring at the ceiling before drifting into a deep five-to-eight-minute sleep at my desk. Sad, but true.

You don’t realize that you have not taken a break until it overtakes you and you hit a wall.

Breaks are essential, but how do you make time for them?

Maybe ask you husband or mother-in-law to step in, or hire a sitter to play with the kids while you are relaxing at home.

Come up for air. Or heck, go ahead and skinny dip if you’d like. Just wear a wig.