The Life of a Single Mom

My husband is a pilot. Pilots travel. He recently was promoted to a bigger jet. Now he travels A.LOT! Every time he's gone I gain new respect for single moms. I know a single mom who had her first baby while still in high school. She then had a baby every year for the next 3 years. She and her husband have divorced and she is a single mom to children who are 13, 12, 11 and 10. She works, she is involved in their school life, she is happy, her children are happy, healthy and full of a Christ like spirit. I am amazed by her. How do these women hold it together knowing there is no "he'll be home in 2 days....."? This is a shout out to all the single mommies out there. I think you are amazing!

Now - it's fall. Fall is hunting season. My husband is not only a pilot, he's a hunter. We live in a subdivision which means......you guessed it - if he wants to hunt - he has to travel (sigh). I could never take his life of hunting away from him. It is a very important part of his past, present and future. He wants to mold a piece of his father/son relationship with Remington around the deer woods. He wants to carry on the tradition that he and his dad built together with our son. In fact, our son is due opening day of modern gun season (how 'bout that irony?). Aaron has been gone for 5 days. I have been a single mom for 5 days. I have done wake ups, take to schools, take to doctors, administer medications, packed the lunches, homework, bath time, teeth brush time, story time and bed time...by myself...for 5 days. Now, some of you (including my mother who was a military wife for the first several years of her marriage and mothering years) are thinking to yourselves "cry.me.a.river" - I can....right about now - I can officially cry a whole river. I'm tired. I'm 34 weeks and one day pregnant. I have a two year old, a 5 year old and I run a pretty successful home based business. I have heart burn that makes me feel like a fire breathing dragon. My back is killing me. I am fat (and not just my belly - my butt, my face, my arms - the whole thing....and yet, I have successfully hidden an entire package of Oreos from the rest of the family and almost eaten the whole thing myself.... I.Have.No.Control) My husband will be home late tonight, probably around 10:00. Tomorrow morning he is leaving immediately after Sydney leaves for school to go hunting for 4 days. Wanna hear the exciting part? He's taking Harper with him! For 4 days I'm switching from the life of a pregnant single mom to an easier, simpler, life of a pregnant mom of a school aged child with a whole day free from 8:00 to 3:00.... FOR 4 DAYS!!!! Now, this is exciting stuff! What will I do? Well, here is the list:
1) Lunch with my friend Jessica.
2) Finish Halloween costumes
3) Work on the nursery
4) Sleep without interruption of a 2 year old
5) Nap, if I need too
6) work on my business
7) Enjoy my time and rest to be the best incubator for this fetus that I can be!
Do I feel a little guilty for being so excited at the prospect of some alone time? A little -but what I know is that Sydney and I will have LOTS of fun just the two of us and when Harper and Daddy return, I'll be a much better, well rested mommy and wife.