Weekend Working

When Mr Dibble works on a weekend I feel like a single parent, when most of our friends have family days out on a weekend, we feel lucky to see him for a few hours or even minutes before he goes to work on a late, or to bed after a night shift. Tea, bath and bedtimes are the worst for me, as that's when the kids are getting tired and grumpy, and dealing with tired kids is no fun, especially when you are on your own!
Sometimes they want a friend over for the day or for a sleepover on a Saturday night, but its never as easy as 'yes OK, we will have little Johnny to sleep on Saturday' as I need to check what shift Mr Dibble is working, as I won't have friends over when he is on nights or lates, keeping excited kids quiet on a Sunday morning is almost impossible if not completely so.
But, on the plus side of shift work, Mr Dibble often takes the little Dibbles to school on his rest days, so I get a little longer in bed, before I have to get up for work. We also occasionally go for lunch together on a week day. So all in all its not too bad, just not as easy as 9-5 Monday to Friday and Bank Holidays off.