Dear Kristen -- I'm going on my second week of parenting alone and I'd love to know if you have any suggestions for taking solo road trips? -- Caramama There's nothing in the sometimes single mom rulebook that says you have to stick around the house while your spouse is gone. And in fact, enjoying a little jaunt away from home can do wonders in passing the time. A little change in scenery and routine will keep you just busy enough so you're not staring at the calendar, or worse, feeling overwhelmed by having to manage the house and your kid(s) alone.But if you're not used to road tripping alone, even the shortest day trip can be a bit challenging. That shouldn't discourage you from going, but these helpful tips might at least prepare you a bit better for what's to come and truly allow you to enjoy yourself.

Read More

No one ever asked me to be the primary parent when my husband started traveling. It was a fair and obvious assumption since I was the one still at home and he was the one away for long periods of time. I'm a work-at-home mom (WAHM) whose contributions are necessary to our overall household income, but I'm home, nonetheless.However, I don't think it's fair and obvious to assume that I remain the primary parent when my husband is home.

And yet, after three or so years of this lifestyle, that's very much the case.

Read More

There are only so many times I can complain about life getting wonky every time my husband comes home from a trip before it starts to get annoying, even to myself. But unless you've lived it, then the return of the away parent is pretty damn complicated.But the truth is that it doesn't need to be that way. There is predictability and consistency within the chaos if you can find it. Of course, doing so means you have to be a little more organized, take the horse by its reins, and figure out a plan of attack that works for you, your spouse, and your family. However, after doing this for the last few years, it's worth it -- not just for your own sanity but for your relationship too.So, here are a few tips that have helped us turn my husband's return home into a mostly happy occasion for everyone.

Read More

My husband was home for an entire week and let me just tell you that it was glorious.Cue angels singing.A little date night out for ourselves and keeping our sitter on her regular albeit pretty sparse schedule helped immensely. That meant that we've both had some much needed time to ourselves.

Read More

The phone rang just minutes after my husband had settled in after returning home from his requalification simular ride for his job as a commercial pilot.

A 2-day trip to LA with the red-eye home the next day.

We're usually pretty superstitious when it comes to talking about his schedule, but we've been out of practice. It's no wonder we don't generally speak of such things.

"I wonder when I'm on call next," he asked, as the phone rang in his hand.

Read More

My husband's temporary active duty military job is now over and he's back to flying the friendly skies. This means back to the unpredictable schedule that I thought I so sorely missed just a couple of months ago. The monotony of my days that had previously been broken up by long periods of him gone and then long periods of him home was challenging.

And boy did I ever dread Mondays like I've never done before. But, I've enjoyed having a regular schedule, even though he was around much less than he was as an airline pilot. For the first time in years, he was home every weekend, and while the two days went ridiculously fast, the consistency allowed me to plan a few more family activities. And because he was within driving distance, it was actually easier for me to do a bit more travel for my own work. So, it's ironic that after receiving his August schedule, I'm now scrambling to find coverage for a couple of upcoming work trips, including the BlogHer conference next week.

Read More

As much as I find the life of a sometimes single mom challenging, it definitely comes with benefits. Realllly good benefits.Yep, you know what I'm talking about.No matter how frustrating the transition of my husband returning home can be, I get the complete opposite effect in the bedroom.I mean, you knew this gig couldn't be all bad, right?

Read More

 

Every year we make a pilgrimage to the vacation of my own and my husband's youth -- the Jersey Shore. No, not that Jersey Shore. A little farther South. Slightly less hairspray. And fake tans.It's rare for my husband to get any time off in a row, but he saved up his leave from his current military position and got a whopping five days off in a row. And so, like we do every year, we took our gaggle of kids to the beach to celebrate my daughter's 6th birthday.

Read More