Oh this is US!!!!! I often wish I could remove the hours of 3-7pm from my day LOL.

I was going to suggest getting the slow cooker out. The days where I am more organised is when I'm not so stressed with the kids. If i've had a bum around day, just doing bits & pieces, then comes 3pm the kids are getting cranky and needy, but stupid me realises I haven't done anything all day so decide to start dinner or picking up mess... then the low tolerance and yelling starts. They fight and scream at each other, they get under my feet, they fight & scream with me... ARGH.

If I'm in the right mood, I think of an activity like playdoh or painting or something and set them up doing that while I chop the vegies or something. But I have to be in the right kind of mood for allowing that extra mess, if that makes sense.

Anyway, sorry, I don't really have any solutions.. I'm struggling through those arsenic hours myself these days, I just wanted you to know you are not alone!! But I do think the afternoon depends upon me more than the kids. I need to stop my late nights, and if DH is home for the day and our routine (hmm.. we don't really have a routine as such.. ) but if our day is thrown out somehow, it just escalates the whole thing and I find myself just DYING to get the kids bathed and in bed so I can have some peace!