Every house has arsenic hours. And the best ways to get through them IMO is planning.

Bring out the slow cooker if you can, or make some meals in advance so you don't need to do anything during this time (like cook dinner). Try not to answer the phone or do anything that will distract and could end in meltdowns for anyone. Have a routine. ie 3pm light afternoon tea (fruit and low sugar/salt treats to avoid meltdowns if your kids are sensitive), 3:30pm outside time or inside activities like hide and seek or musical bobs (who says its just for parties!) or even get a wiggles CD and do some dancing (great exercise for mum too!) build a fort with some sheets or some pillows... 4:30 read some books sing some nursery rhymes (there's a great thread on here) but do things that are wind down activies... and then start your nighttime routine - dinner, bath, teeth, bed (or however you do it). But during arsenic hour bring out the old school games and fun that we had as kids like hide and seek, nursery rhymes or anything else.

And when it comes to mess... for your OWN sanity do not worry about it. There will be plenty of time once they're in bed for you to do a quick whip around and tidy before you relax for the night and its better to do that than spend your night feeling guilty about how you acted.

And for the record even if arsenic hour doesn't exist there will always be moments of stress, so if you're feeling the stress get down and play forget about everything off, turn off the tv and unplug the phone and just have fun. It really does work. A good friend (Miss Lulu in fact) taught me this one