Groundhog evenings

6pm: calling out to the kids to the table for dinner
6:15pm: still trying to get the kids to the table for dinner
6:20pm: finally got the kids to the table for dinner
6:45pm: Buddy's almost done though it took several negotiations to have him feed himself (something about being at him that makes him want me to feed him … maybe it's me)
7:00pm: Little Guy has left the table countless times
7:10pm: finally 3 or 5 more bites left for Little Guy
7:15pm: calling out to the kids for bath time
7:20pm: no one has come to take a bath … must be patient and try humor and pretend play to get them to the bath
7:30pm: it worked, everyone in the bath and almost done
7:45pm: fruit and milk time
8:pm: in the bedroom, play, read books
8:30pm: lights out … a round of thankfulness … kisses to each kid (5 for Buddy because he's turning 5 this year and a few for Little Guy through the wooden beams of his crib because it's so fun) … I stay in the room with them for a few minutes
8:45pm: I'm out of the room … hoping that's it for the night (it isn't always)

Yup, that's my evening … everyday. Some days my patience runs thinner. Usually when I'm tired or stressed about something, my tolerance is weaker. It occurred to me recently that my evenings remind me of groundhog day, where the same events repeat themselves day after day until the groundhog doesn't see its shadow and doesn't crawl back into its hole. 

Sharing this comparison with a couple of friends this week … and they reminded me two very important lessons in my story.
1. Yes, it all sounds familiar. I'm not alone. And it's okay to not always have the patience for being on re-run day in and day out … and it's natural to feel bad about not having more patience.
2. Look at it another away … it won't be long before Buddy wants to bath himself, then Little Guy … it won't be much longer after that that Buddy will read to Little Guy … it won't be much longer after that that both Buddy and Little Guy won't want me to stay a little bit after lights are out. 

Thanks to these reminders, I shall cherish these groundhog evenings before the shadow disappears and the groundhog stays out of its hole. Just as winters don't last forever (in most places on earth), this phase won't either.