Things to do while the spouse is away

[Auspicious]

Peggy's post about coping with her husband's upcoming absence made me think of this. There are a few advantages to being the "sole head of household," and I try to focus on indulging and enjoying them whenever I find myself boyfriend-less for a few days. It helps to comfort me. Maybe everyone could post theirs. These are some of mine:

--Sleeping in the middle of the bed
--Always finding the toilet seat down
--Keeping the place cleaner than it's possible to keep it when he's around
--Eating things he despises (like split peas soup with ham--unfortunate childhood incident)
--Getting to hold the remote 100% of the time

[DCJenn]

I'm game!

Getting to sleep in- even on the weekdays, he's up way earlier than I am!

Keeping the radio off- it used to be the TV but since that blew up, he's got the stereo going all the time.

Not having to share the computer!!

Walking the dog when I want to, not waiting for him to get home from work to take him for a run.

Eating liver and onions. (but I have tohave the house cleared of the smell before he returns)

Dying my hair orange....like I did tonight

Jenn

[peggyfromwastate]

I'm thinking there will be lots less laundry-- he takes 2 showers a day, has his workout clothes, and his work clothes... Yeah, lots less laundry over 6 weeks time!

[houseelf]

I'm in....

a) having final say with child rearing decisions;
b) being able to talk on the phone long distance for hours without getting flak;
c) not having to make a big production out of dinner;
d) holing up in my bedroom with magazines or a good book after the little guy goes to sleep;
e) being able to have a TV free day.

Kelly

[Phoebe]

Let's see...

1. Avoiding things like laundry, doing dishes or picking up toys
2. Watching HGTV
3. Falling asleep with a book instead of the TV
4. Sometimes ordering a pizza instead of cooking
5. Getting a better night's rest since he won't be hogging the bed

Jennifer

[Rapunzel]

OK, here's mine (you're about to see the seedy underbelly of Jennifer):

1)I get to feed the kids Cheerios and milk for dinner

2)I watch TLC after the kids are in bed

3)I don't have to pick up ALL the toys in the house (that's one of his pet peeves - coming home and stepping on the kids' toys)

4)I can rearrange his stuff the way I want

[SueC]

1. Not being kept awake by snoring.
2. The house stays much cleaner.
3. It is easier to make the bed in the morning since I don't move around that much.
4. Not being irritated at him for not helping me--since he's not here I expect and don't mind doing it all myself.
5. Not having to iron a shirt for him to wear in the morning.
6. I'm much more productive--I put the kids to bed and stay up until the wee hours of the morning working. If he is at home I'm more tempted to go to bed and put it off till tomorrow.

I would put many of the above on my list...here's some others:

-Not having to pick up after him (dirty socks, random receipts on the coffee table)
-Not having to wipe down the sink from the toothpaste he leaves
-I get to do things when I want to rather than depending on his schedule
-Staying in bed really late on the weekends

Sharon

Great idea!

1. Stretching out in our bed
2. Eating whatever I want for dinner
3. Watching whatever I want on TV, or nothing at all
4. Staying up late
5. Talking on the phone to my girlfriends excessively
6. Shopping

Mine are the same as many of yours.

1. No TV unless there is something special I want to watch and then I have full control of the remote!

2. Making my kids something REALLY simple for dinner, i.e. macaroni and cheese.

3. I don't worry about the house being cleaned up.

4. No snoring!

5. I don't have to stress about everything he is going through. When he is home I hear about all the "trials" and it is nice to get a break from that once in a awhile and just not have to deal with it.

6. Getting the whole bed to myself!!!!

Robin