What would you like to come home to?

I try and ask myself this question everyday around 4:00.  On really great days I start asking myself this question when I wake up and work towards it all day long, but lets face it those days aren't as frequent as I'd like.  Allen does an amazing job as a provider for our family.  He has an incredible work ethic, and works so hard at fulfilling not only our needs but our wants as well.  This is not something I ever want to take for granted.  Being able to participate in Ethan's school activities, going to dr. appt's without worrying about my job, and getting to experience all the things that happen through the day.  At this stage in our lives I don't know how I would manage an outside job and maintaining our home.  Nick demands so much time, attention, medical needs, behavioral needs...the list is never ending.  But it came to a point that I became so focused on the needs of the children that I forgot about making our house a HOME that my husband would want to come to at the end of the day.  So about 6 months ago I vowed to myself and our marriage that I would find out exactly what Allen wants when he comes home.  If the tables were turned and I was the one in the work field the last thing I would want to walk into is screaming kids, a house that is a disaster, a grumpy stressed out mate, and utter chaos.  Now let me be the first to say that I don't even almost have this all figured out, and it is not possible for Allen to walk into a calm warm environment every day after work.  But I do try, some days not as hard as others but I try. 

Here is how I try and make this happen.
By 3:00 I need to know what we are doing for dinner.  We feed a family of 5 and sometimes more.  So eating out, or delivery just isn't an option financially and it isn't healthy.  So home cooked meals are a necessity.  I make a meal plan on Sunday's find coupons to match and make our grocery list.  This way I don't have to make last minute runs to the grocery store when trying to make dinner.  I always try and ask Allen when he will want dinner.  Sometimes he is hungry when he walks in the door, other times he prefers to wait until later in the evening.  I have it lucky I find cooking therapeutic I love to cook, sometimes my time spent in the kitchen is just the detox I need from the day.
By knowing when Allen would like to eat that gives me a timeline to do the other things of necessity. 
Around 4:00 I attempt to get the house as organized as possible put up folded clothes, clean up the boys toys that have migrated through the entire house, make our bed, and clean up anything else that may need my attention.  Side note:  If I haven't been running the road back and forth to schools, dr appts, and therapy sessions then this is usually when I try and get dressed as well.  (sad I know however I think I clean house better in my pajama's)
And last but not least our children!  Allen is typically home between 5:30 and 6.  Around 5:15 I try and get all homework wrapped up and let the kids watch a cartoon for 30 mins or so.  This creates a somewhat calm house when Daddy makes it home.  This is the hardest of all tasks because meltdowns seem to happen in the 5:00 hour. 
Like I said this system is in no way perfected, and I never expect it to be.  At the end of the day after all my husband has done to provide for us I want to make it a great "place to land".


(ok so I am adding this approx 5 hours after I originally posted this.
After completing this entry I started the project of packing up all the boys summer clothes, and pulling out all the winter clothes.  So when Allen came home today he found the entire living room (we have a large living room) covered in boy clothes, AND he had to go back out to get dinner for the family because I was in the middle of such a huge undertaking.  So when I tell you I don't have the system perfected I WAS NOT KIDDING.  I had to add this because I felt hypocritical)