Single Parenting: A Chronicle

This week I was a single mom.

No, my husband didn't leave me.  He just went out-of-town for business.  This is a regular occurrence in our household and although I'm used to it, I don't like it.  The three-day trips aren't so bad.  After a 10-day trip, I'm ready for the mental health ward.  This is why.  This week's trip was five days.  Five full days.  From before-the-sun-is-even-up Monday to after-we-are-in-bed-asleep Friday.  Here is a chronicle of our week.

Day 1:

The hubby had to leave for the airport at 6 am.

Early in the morning, "in the middle of the night" actually, Joey was awake vomiting.  In my bed.  I barely slept.  Once I would doze off, I would wake up to her wretching.  I figured that she would wake up sick and want to cuddle and take lots of naps, but she woke up feeling great and didn't want to cuddle or nap.  In fact, she was bouncing off the walls.  All day long.  I did find the time to finish making her Halloween costume and was even able to blog about it.  Thank you, PBS, for Caillou.  I love that little bald kid.

Excursion:  Hobby Lobby for costume supplies
Meals:  Macaroni and cheese, PB&J
Entertainment:  Shrek the Third
Number of baths:  2
Bedtime:  Asleep by 8:30 pm, but awake at 9:30 pm, crying uncontrollably until Mom came to bed too.

Day 2:
Joey woke up at about 6 am, before the sun had even risen.  PBS kids' programming doesn't even start until 7, so turning on the TV and going back to sleep was not an option.  At the end of the day, after just two days of single parenting, I was exhausted. 

Excursion:  A local coffee shop with my mom and step-dad
Meals:  Macaroni and cheese, hot dogs
Entertainment:  Shrek the Third
Potty Progress:  Nil.  Refuses to use the potty.  Pooped under the deck.
Number of baths:  2.5
Bedtime:  7:51 p.m.
Stress Level:  High, although Joey's early-ish bedtime significantly lowered it

Day 3:
Yesterday was a good great fabulous mail day.  In the mailbox was a $20 Starbucks gift card from my dad and a $10 Home Depot gift card for registering with eBates.  I also got a lipstick sample from Clarins so I can look pretty while doing my home improvement projects.  Since we had gift cards to burn, Joey and I hit the road for some errands.  At the Home Depot's Garden Center we purchased our outdoor fall decor, and then headed to Starbucks to treat ourselves to a vanilla milk and a latte.

After three days, I was sick of eating kid food.  I found a head of iceberg lettuce in my crisper and got a little too excited when I realized it was perfectly good.  I made myself a really big salad for dinner and even boiled some eggs.

After Joey went to sleep, I watched footage of the Chilean miners' rescue.  Chilean miner #21 was greeted by his mistress while his wife stayed home.  He looked like he wanted his wife. 

Excursions:  Target, Home Depot, Starbucks
Meals:  Grilled cheese sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, salad, hard-boiled eggs
Entertainment:  Shrek the Third
Number of baths:  2
Number of diapers:  3 (Joey spent most of the day running around naked)
Bedtime:  7:58 p.m.

Day 4:
Joey and I took our usual weekly trip to the public library for story time and to check out new books and videos.  Afterward we went to the Chikin Park.  We usually stay at the playground for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, which may seem excessive to some, but for me, it gives me some peace.  After Joey finishes her lunch she can go into the play area while I watch through the window.  Unless it appears that she's not playing nicely, or if there are much-too-big kids there, I can sit at the table and do a crossword, read the newspaper, look at a magazine, or whatever, until it's time to go.  There are usually plenty of kids to play with when we normally go to the Chikin Park, but there were none on this particular day.  And when another kid did finally come to play, Joey started a scuffle.  So we left. 

Thanks to my mom and Jim for babysitting, I was able to meet up with my girlfriends at Alcove for happy hour.  Don't judge.  I had a mocktail, of course.  And the bar is non-smoking. 

Excursions:  Public Library for story time, the Chikin Park for lunch, happy hour for me, Grandma's house for Joey 
Meals:  Chick-Fil-A, macaroni and cheese, salad, hard-boiled eggs
Time spent at the Chikin Park:  45 minutes
Entertainment:  Shrek the Third
Number of baths: 2
Bedtime:  not enforced...I had hoped that Joey would fall asleep in the car on the way home from Grandmas, but no such luck.  She and I went to sleep at 9:30 p.m.

Day 5:
This morning I woke up at 7 a.m., while Joey slept until 7:45 a.m.  Woo hoo!  I actually woke up feeling rested!  Joey and I went to Belk to buy a baby gift for a friend and also to see their $4.2 million remodel.  I was employed at Belk in the midst of the remodel, while walls were being knocked down and departments were moving all over the place, and I was still completely disoriented in the new store.  It looks fabulous.  And the make-up artists at MAC were enamored with Joey.  They dressed her up as the witch from Snow White.

I began a new project today.  What else is new, right? 

Excursion: Belk
Meals:  Macaroni and cheese, pizza (!)
Slices of pizza eaten by Joey:  2
Entertainment:  Shrek the Third (perhaps I should actually purchase this movie rather than paying Netflix $9 per month to rent it)
Number of baths: 2
Potty progress:  POOP in the potty!
Bedtime:  still to be determined


The week is coming to an end and I am so SO SO ready for the hubby to be home.  I'm sure he's ready to be home, as well.  A restful night's sleep in a hotel bed can't compare to getting pushed out of your own bed by a two-year-old.  Or can it?