It is the magical time at night. The kids are in bed (awake, but in bed…for now). You are not quite ready to commit to bedtime for yourself, but you also have no remaining energy to do any work around the house. You know what that means? It’s time for your 8pm snack. Maybe you are one of those more disciplined people who don’t eat after 7pm at night, but that isn’t me, has never been me, will never be me. I am okay with that, and I own it. If you’re in the same camp as me, let’s talk about that 8pm snack.
First you go into the kitchen. You fling open the cupboards to discover what is inside as if you hadn’t already opened the same exact cupboards fifty times earlier in the day to find snacks/more snacks/lunch/dinner/more snacks for your children. But this time, you only have one person in mind.
Next, you start to pull out some options and decide if they are “the one.” Here’s my thought process…
“Should I make some popcorn? That sounds so good and it makes a lot for me to eat (pro) but it also makes a lot of noise in the microwave (con). I cannot risk waking up my kids.” (Note: small house with kitchen located next to kids rooms…will add this to list of things to not have in our next house.)
Moves to next option.
“You know…I don’t think I’ve had my suggested servings of fruit or vegetables today. Unless Veggie Straws count? But we all know they don’t. But that doesn’t quite sound like what I’m craving right now…”
Moves to next option.
“Toast with peanut butter sounds pretty delicious right now…but I know that my 3-year-old is still awake in his bed…and if he as much as smells a tiny particle of toast in the toaster, he will be in the kitchen in 1.03 seconds asking for a slice for himself…and then stay awake for 45 more minutes.”
Moves to next option.
“Maybe I will just enjoy a glass of red wine…minimal noise to open fridge and pour a glass, no smell for kids to sense. Perfect!” Opens fridge and realizes we have no wine on hand.
Moves to next option.
“I feel like I’ve exhausted all options – I’ll just settle in with a bowl of ice cream. No noise, no smell, always on hand.”
And let’s just keep it real…one hundred percent of the time this is where I end with my 8pm snack. The rest of this song-and-dance is me pretending I am not eating ice cream almost every night.
Cheers to you and your 8pm snack of choice! What are you snacking on tonight?
