As I mentioned a few months ago, my husband got a new job that is requiring him to travel more than he used to. Overall it's not bad, but it definitely led me to change some of my management strategies when he is away.
1. Asking for Help: Since we have no family in the area, I have to rely on hired sitters & help from friends while my husband is away. I hired a sitter to help out when my son had a soccer game at the same time my daughter had dance class. The awesome sitter took my girl to dance and brought her home and fixed her lunch while I took the boys to my oldest's soccer game. It worked out great! I also hired her to come for a few hours so I could go to BSF one evening. I am getting so much out of BSF that spending a few dollars to I can keep up my weekly participation is well worth it! My awesome friends have been a huge help assisting with getting one of my kids home from a b-day party when I had to be home with other 2 who needed to nap. Also, I am so luck to have girlfriends with AWESOME taste in clothes! I needed a cocktail dress for a wedding reception and didn't have to to shop for one...one of my friends had a bunch of them for me to try and choose from - soooo wonderful!
2. Closing the kitchen after dinner: This one has made SUCH a difference in the evenings when I'm trying to get all 3 kids (+2 dogs) fed and settled before bedtime. After we eat dinner, everything is immediately cleaned up and the kitchen is CLOSED!!! No snacks, no extra cups of milk (except for the baby who gets some before bed), no "finishing dinner later". Once my older kids decide to get up from the table, THAT-IS-IT! The first night we did this I got some push back and tears, but the benefits have far outweighed the fussing! The kitchen is clean for the day by 7:00.
3. Taking care of my needs: While he is gone I make exercise a priority for me. This probably seems counterintuitive since it just adds to the busyness of my day, but exercise is critical for my mental health. I have to be disciplined to get the workouts in, whether it's getting up at 5AM, or braving the afternoon heat at 3:30 to get in a run before picking up the kids from school. It's so worth it - I'm a better mom when I have exercised! Likewise, I have to remember to eat...this also may sound ridiculous, but when you have 5 other beings dependent on you, often your hunger gets overlooked in order to get everyone else taken care of. It's detrimental mostly b/c when I get hungry, I get cranky - and a cranky, impatient mom is not good for the family. So, while I don't usually eat meals when my husband is gone, I keep plenty of snacks (mostly unhealthy!) around in case I need to eat but don't have time to sit down. :)
4. Early Bedtime: When I'm home alone with the kids, I'm on my feet from sun-up until all 3 are in bed. Work is often a welcome relief (even though I teach for 2-3 hrs a day) b/c I have some time to sit down when working in my office. Therefore, I go to bed early. That way, when my husband gets home, we're all well rested and ready to have fun as a family.
These are just a few things that work for me when I'm juggling solo. Hope everyone had a great weekend!
Keeping exercise a priority definitely helps. But I can say it all I want without following through. I just finished ten days on the road and did not exercise except for one swim. :-)
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