SURVIVAL!!!

 

My hubby went out of town on his first business trip since we married. He was gone for the week, returning friday night, late.  I've got lots of 'tools' in my 'bag' now, so I knew a few things to do to make the wek easier for me. 

I ensured I'd have super easy food & meals for the kids, that I'd gotten all the chores and laundry finished BEFORE he left, and all the grocery shopping done. I lined up a few 'playdates' and activities for the kids, gotten a few new crafts for them to work on, and rented an armload of movies from the store.

For bedtime, the first night I tried to do it myself the 'usual' way, but I felt like a game show contestant, running back and forth from room to room, tucking in each child, doing the requisite number of songs and stories and letting them know; NO FUNNY BUSINESS tonight.  For the rest of the week, about an hour before bedtime, I'd start a new movie in the dvd player and they'd chill-out with me and fell asleep pretty quick. Once soundly asleep I'd just transfer each one (VERY delicately) into bed and was done, with minimal energy expenditure and  zero resistance. 

Things I learned from my week;

 

It isn't worth it to 'sweat the small stuff'.

I CAN manage the kids alone, for days on end  (something I could not have done 1 or 2 years ago).

The kids were responding well by the end of the week, we became 'a crew'

  (I'm guessing because there were no mixed messages coming in from mom & dad)

Organization is the KEY to ease, and a PLAN lets the day 'flow'

The house managed to stay cleaner than when hubby is home

 

 

I pampered myself, when hubby returned, by getting my hair 'done'