This morning my husband leaves for the third week in a row on the road. He was home for little chunks of time in between trips, and I’m pretty sure this is it for awhile so I shouldn’t whine, but boy-oh-man does it get old.
I know some of you are single parents and that others of you have spouses who actually travel all the time every week, and I am bowing down in wonder and bewilderment. Are you extra resilient and organized and clear-headed, or do y’all just drink more wine and coffee than the rest of us?
For me, the tough bits are a little bit morning (we generally sort of swap off on getting the kids to school) and a lot evening (that stretch of time from about 5-8:30 when things like piano practice, dinner, double-checking homework, walking the dog, playing cards, reading aloud, bedtime snacks, cuddling, reminding girls to turn the lights off and reminding them again all has to happen. Right when we’re at our most wrung out. There’s a reason this is oft-referred to as the sour hour.) And then, to top it all off, we just miss ‘im, the three of us.
My sister, whose husband travels a heap more than mine does (and she’s living in the bush in Tanzania so add just a tad bit of isolation in), says the key is to do something different.
Read aloud during dinner.
Have friends over in the middle of the week.
Rent a movie.
I think she’s right, and lucky for us it’s Halloween week (are any holidays confined to single days anymore??) so we’ve got cotton balls to glue onto lamb costumes and pumpkins to carve and, in a pinch, a black cat cookie cutter we could press into service. Plus it’s fall in Texas — crisp and lovely — so the dog walks can be longer and more vigorous than usual. Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll go decide what kind of pancakes to make for supper tonight…
Chocolate chip pancakes are always the right answer here at my house. Although I also like plain, the way I used to eat them at my grandmother’s house: you pick it up in your hand, put a line of sugar down the middle, roll it up and eat it. My kids are big on that now, too. We seldom use syrup anymore as a result.
OK, Kelly, I’m almost scared to try that in case I really, really love them…
You have to get used to the gritty feel of the sugar on your teeth, but they are very tasty. And really, syrup=sugar anyhow.
I love the Family Fun cookbook. When my husband was gone a lot and the kids were little, we made so many fun meals and snacks and projects out of it, like a graham cracker haunted house. Otherwise, meals just got to be a chore.
I see that they’ve come out with a new version of the cookbook, and the website even has videos you can watch of recipes being made. (I love the Mock sushi one: http://jas.familyfun.go.com/crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=10096)
For some reason, silly games also worked. My kids played Tricky Treats, where one got to be the cat (or dog) and the other gave treats (cereal) to reward amazing cat/dog feats. Singing might also work. You could pick a long, crazy song to memorize and work on it together.
I also had great friends with whom I could trade kids. And I always moved dinner time up to 4:00. It seemed to make the rest of the night go better.
Oh my gosh. My eldest loves actual real sushi — I have got to make the mock sushi for her birthday or on a rainy day or maybe tomorrow. Just for kicks. And yes, the kid trade is key, for a little respite. But I have to say, I tucked them in tonight and I just thought, “What sweet, good kids…” Sometimes it’s not that hard afterall…
Are you extra resilient and organized and clear-headed, or do y’all just drink more wine and coffee than the rest of us?
yes and yes.
kathie