Time freezes when we’re stuck inside all day,

because one of our kids is sick.

Because the weather doesn't permit us to go outside, let alone drive: it’s a snow day.

It’s like the last hour of the day until bedtime ALL DAY LONG. You know that last lingering hour where everyone is running around like wild chickens, and we’re their commander trying to get them in some order?

We start counting the minutes, but they seem to move the wrong way.

I mean,

are they going backwards?

We get stuck in a loop of repetition, trying to figure out what to do, and finding ourselves doing the same things over and over again.

When we’re not doing,

and just staying put--

that’s when our mental health plummets

We look at the clock. It’s 4:05 PM.

We play with the kids and then look again. It must be closer to 5 PM.

Nope—it’s 4:10 PM.

What are we going to do with the kids to pass the time?

“STOP HITTING ME!” The oldest screams at the middle.

The baby hears her loud scream and starts wailing.

4:15 PM

“Let’s do an art project.”

4:25 PM

“Don’t pour water on the floor! And don’t paint on your hand… Okay, we’re done!”

4:30 PM

“Don’t tackle each other! You’re not football players! We don’t need CTE on top of whatever crazy runs in our family.”

4:45 PM

“Let’s watch a movie!”

5:00 PM

"Okay, maybe another one…" * switches the movie hoping this one captivates them

5:10 PM

Nope.

5:20 PM

Dinnertime!

6 PM

It’s finally the last real hour of the day, and the outside world seems to be moving at lightning speed—but we’re still in slow motion. Do you know that forever feeling like you’re stuck on a long car ride at five-years-old? The journey takes forever. It’s like we’re sitting there watching the orange-yellow street lights and houses pass by, wondering if we’ll ever make it home.

“Are we there yet?”

“Getting there.”

Well, that's the exact feeling as we approach bedtime.

And it’s not that we don’t love our kids—

We adore them.

It’s just that being stuck inside with them-

makes the day last forever, and that's just a fact.

This post originally appeared on the author's Facebook. Her book "Living FULL: Winning My Battle with Eating Disorder" is available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2O4mJId