The week the Husband left

Last week. my Husband flew to Vienna to visit his twin brother Shane, for 10 days. Which meant leaving me alone, with all 4 kids for 10 days. Mike works alot, which leaves me to referee the kids frequently on my own, but never for this long.

Compared to many other families, 10 days is just a hiccup. There are so many spouses who have to travel for work and ones who are forced to be left alone with their kids for so much longer! Those parents deserve medals, a free puppy, or a trip to Disney!
It's not easy to be home as the primary parent and it's not easy to be the parent away from your loved ones. Although Mike was touring a beautiful historic city and enjoying all you can eat ribs, while I was hosting birthday parties, cleaning throw up and breaking up fist fights.

Here are a few tips that helped me survive my "spouse-less stay-cation"!

Keep in contact
Nowadays, with Facebook and Skype, it's easy to keep in contact with loved ones who are far away.
We skyped with Mike every few days to check in and catch up on his trip. We sent pictures and Facebook messages daily, updating him on our happenings at home

Ask for help
I'm fortunate enough to be surrounded by family and friends who were able to help out when I needed them. Helping to drive a kid to an appointment, drop them at dance class, or even keep one for an overnight! The help was very much appreciated.

Do something special
Just because Mike was away didn't mean we couldn't do something fun right here at home! I took the kids to a hotel for a night and we ordered pizza, swam in the pool and watched an in-room movie. (that we received free of charge because Jessee told them it was her Birthday and that their father had left them for Easter) They obviously took pity on us!Who knows what they were thinking! Haha!
It was a great way to take their mind off Mike being away, and it was nice to treat them to a little get-away as well.

Find time for yourself
Whether it was cleaning to some music, watching a movie, or enjoying a glass of wine and surfing the web, I made sure to set aside a few evenings just for me, doing whatever I wanted to do.

Set up an organized schedule
Since I was the only one doing the dishes, laundry and house cleaning, I set up a little schedule for myself so I wouldn't get overwhelmed. For example, laundry in the morning, dishes and tidying up in the afternoon and my evenings were free to spend with the kids!


Now he's back! Reality continues on, and I have a cupboard full of delicious Austrian chocolate. It just might have been worth it :)