Thank God for Husbands

The saying, "distance makes the heart grow fonder", couldn't be more true!  Steve left for New Orleans last Sunday for a business trip and when we picked him up on Thursday I was filled with happiness, relief, and thanksgiving.  I hate when he leaves for trips, and this time proved to be the most difficult.  Instead of heading to work and dropping the kids off at daycare (I've come to realize work is a reprieve from all the challenges of being at home with the kids all day), I had to take care of both kids 24/7 all by myself.  Steve didn't come home at 5:30 to take the kids off my hands, he wasn't there in the middle of the night to help change a diaper or feed William.  It was me and me alone, and it sucked!  I quickly realized how much Steve does for this family, not that I ever doubted his hard work and willingness to help out.  I got to hand it to all you single parents out there, the work you do is hard and I admire you so much.

The worst part of Steve being away was not being the only parent, but instead being the only one around period.  Sure I had the kids to keep me company but, when they went to bed, it was me and a silent house.  I would lay in bed and listen to all the sounds of the house, and soon I was convinced someone was trying to break in and kill me and kidnap the kids (I have a very active imagination!).  On one occasion I walked around the house carrying my pepper spray ready to attack my attacker.  My attacker turned out to be our cat Harrison, trying to jump on top of Samantha's closet shelf.  I didn't get much sleep that night or any night that Steve was away.  It's scary and a bit unsettling realizing that I am responsible for my childrens' safety.  They count on me to protect them!  How can I protect them when I feel like I can't protect myself?  I know the chances of anything bad happening to us is low since we live in a nice neighborhood, and I have a ton of friends and family close by, but I still worry.

And you know the saying, "when it rains it pours"? Yeah that one turned out to be true, too.  That Monday it snowed and snowed and snowed until there was close to 12 inches of snow on the ground.  I felt trapped!  There was no way I was going to pack up two kids, take them out in the cold and windy weather, and try to brave the icy roads down the hill.  Nope, not this mom!  So we stayed inside, watched movies, and ate popcorn.  Well, one thing is for sure, I didn't feel bad about being a couch potato that evening.

To sum up this post, because quite honestly I don't have a lot of time, this week taught me to never take my husband for granted.  He never grumbles when I hand him a "honey do" list, he'll go outside to check on things when I get scared (even if it's one o'clock in the morning), and he always makes time to play and snuggle with our kids.