A Month of Single Motherhood

Does absence really make the heart grow fonder? I am about to find out. Darling Donald will be driving down to Tennessee on Monday, January 5th and won't be flying home until Friday, January 30th. Instead of coming home around the 16th for a few days and then again on the 30th for a few days, we decided he should fly home on the 30th (in time for the Super Bowl!) and stay up here until February 9th. It'll be hard being apart for so long, and at times I'm sure I'll feel like a single mom. What do I do with myself? A.C. told us that it's very important to give each other "permission to have a good time" while we are apart. That means, if I want to go out with a friend and have a good time while leaving Nicholas with a babysitter, Donald should not scold me for having fun while he's away. And if Donald wants to go to a jazz club and have a drink while listening to jazz, I should not scold him for having fun while he's away. Of course, he has to be back to his hotel by 10pm and no flirting with the girls (or boys). :-)

I haven't been without my husband for this long since before we were married. When he moved to Florida and I still lived in New York state, we went two whole years without seeing each other! We only talked by phone and via e-mail; and even that was limited. Now we have e-mail, cell phones, and text messaging; so things will be a little easier. With as many "acquaintances" as I have in Minnesota, I have very few close friends. I know that if I were in Georgia, Mandy would be right next door and she and I would have some sleepovers, especially if her hubby was traveling at the same time. Our boys, Nicholas and Will, would love having a sleepover! I know Grandma Jan will be available; she's already begging for Nicholas to come over on the 10th of January to help put away Christmas decorations. Maybe she'll be up for a sleepover?