A nice evening with a book and some wine...

Kiss the last child good night.  
Go downstairs and find your book.  
Pour a nice glass of wine, grab a blanket, and spent two minutes situating yourself on the couch with said book and glass of wine.

Open your book, enter the story and feel the words pouring from the page, feel luxurious as you enjoy time with a book for the first time in recent memory.

{pitter patter of little feet entering the room}
"Mommy, I'm scared".

Emerge from the comfort of the couch, put down the wine and book, return child to bed.  Rub her back, kiss her forehead, leave her room.

Go back to the couch, sit, sip, cover, open, read...

{step, step, step...}
"Mommy, the cats are bothering me".

Return child to bed.  Tuck her in, stroke her hair, kiss her forehead, leave the room.

Sit, sip, cover, open, read....


{thud, thud, thud....}
"Mommy, I need another hug, I can't sleep...".


Silently return child to bed.  Tuck in, kiss forehead, warn of negative impact of leaving the room one more time.  Leave the room.


Sit, sip, cover, open......


Cat jumps onto coffee table.  Cat leaves a nice 'gift' on the table and your magazines.  


Get up, clean up the 'gift', clean the table.


Return to couch.  Yawn.  Look at the clock.  Open the book.  Read...


Wake up one hour later on the couch, go upstairs to your own bed, try again tomorrow.