Who am I if I’m not a Crazed Mama experiencing utter chaos and misery when my husband goes away on business and leaves me home alone with two small children and early morning wakes ups, late afternoon whining and bedtime drudgery?
Mike has been in New York City since Monday. Even though I was up at 5am that morning (Mike caught a very early flight), the boys slept until 7am. Having two cups of coffee (maybe three) and checking my email before they woke up made it feel like I slept in. That night, they went to sleep without torturing me.
On Tuesday, Riley slept until 7am again, and I stayed in bed until I heard him. Can you imagine? I felt like a kid sleeping until noon on a Saturday. When Dylan woke up around 7:15, I discovered he had pinkeye. I had to change all of my plans and take him to the doctor instead of camp, and do you know what I thought to myself? No big deal. I can handle this. (Yes, this positive take on the situation surprised me, too.)
Dylan was a trooper with the wait at the doctor’s office and receiving eye drops, and despite his unexpected day off, I got a blog posted and I even did some work. I took the boys to the park in the afternoon (major good mommy points…it was hot as hell outside), and I had no desire to strangle anyone with dental floss at bedtime. In fact, the boys were down right adorable and no expletives were necessary.
Now, it’s Wednesday morning and the boys both slept until 7am again. They (and their clear eyes) are at camp, and I’m thinking about how I assumed this was going to be a long and exhausting week, but instead, it’s already hump day and I haven’t slept this much in weeks. I feel like an ex-smoker whose habits are harder to break than the actual nicotine addiction. I’m supposed to complain a lot and wish I had more help, but instead I’m having a great week. Am I looking forward to Friday when Mike comes home? Yes. Am I wondering if maybe he should travel for work more often? A little bit.
The Runaway Mama by Jen Gregory 