I Need a Break!

[crp]

My husband travels frequently for work. He calls every night to talk to the kids and tell me he misses me. I'm not so sure. There seems to be too much joy is his voice, almost a giggle. Hell, why not. He's staying at a Marriott and has a lady come in and pick up after him every day, goes out to eat every night and doesn't have to deal with the every day hassles at home like:

1. homework
2. laundry
3. running the kids to their activities
4. refereeing the kids fights
5. rescuing the cat from the kids when they have a tug-o-war with the poor thing everynight because they both want it to sleep with them.
6. Choking at dinner and then having to clean up milk my son spit across the table tonight when his sister asked what unprotected sex was.

I really need a break. His work must keep him sane. Meanwhile, I've turned into a screaming lunatic! My daughter told me last night I sounded like grandma! :rolleyes: Not sure if I'll hug my husband when he comes home or slap him! :D

[Petie]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7524354#post7524354 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by crp
My husband travels frequently for work. He calls every night to talk to the kids and tell me he misses me. I'm not so sure. There seems to be too much joy is his voice, almost a giggle. Hell, why not. He's staying at a Marriott and has a lady come in and pick up after him every day, goes out to eat every night and doesn't have to deal with the every day hassles at home like:

1. homework
2. laundry
3. running the kids to their activities
4. refereeing the kids fights
5. rescuing the cat from the kids when they have a tug-o-war with the poor thing everynight because they both want it to sleep with them.
6. Choking at dinner and then having to clean up milk my son spit across the table tonight when his sister asked what unprotected sex was.

I really need a break. His work must keep him sane. Meanwhile, I've turned into a screaming lunatic! My daughter told me last night I sounded like grandma! :rolleyes: Not sure if I'll hug my husband when he comes home or slap him! :D Does this mean I should clean up the water I spit on my monitor when I read #6?

[dc]

:lol: The joys of parenting!

[TheBimbo]

Heck I know what you're talking about ;) ... You can kiss, and hug your hubby when he walks through the door... Then you can smack him silly :D ...Then go out and do something for yourself and leave him with the kids;) , it will make you feel better!!!


Christy...:)

[beerguy]

Shouldn't all 3 of you be in the kitchen and not fiddling around on the Internet?

[dc]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7524613#post7524613 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by beerguy
Shouldn't all 3 of you be in the kitchen and not fiddling around on the Internet?


Come here and say that!!!!

[beerguy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7524618#post7524618 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dc
Come here and say that!!!!

Not on your life!

:lol:

[dc]

:D I suspected so!

[TheBimbo]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7524613#post7524613 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by beerguy
Shouldn't all 3 of you be in the kitchen and not fiddling around on the Internet?



Here ya go girls, hope this hurts him !!!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v236/thebimbo/thfryingpansmiley.gif


Christy...

[Jamie2337]

Carrie,

I hear ya! I know how it is. Is there someone who can watch the kids for a day so you can have a little time out?

Just out of curiosity how did you answer the question? How old is your daughter?

[Minuteman]

I've been on both sides of it... gone for months at a time and now here I sit waiting for my woman to come home in 3 weeks. Neither end is any better, trust me. You can bet that he's sitting in a cheap hotel room, lonely, wishing he was home with you and the kids. It's a particular kind of lonely that just don't feel good.

I feel for you, he ain't got it any better though.

[catdoc]

My husband travels a lot for work too. I know he doesn't enjoy it or go out of his way, but it IS a break for him. A year and a half ago, I went to a vet conference with 2 of my coworkers and left the family at home. I'd mentioned the possibility to my husband when I registered for it, got a non-committal "whatever" answer so I signed up. (The registration deadline was getting very close so there wasn't time to wait for him to hem and haw over it.) He didn't speak to me for several days over that one! I went, had a great time, but did feel a bit guilty about going. Still, I got a few well-deserved nights of uninterrupted sleep and that made it worthwhile. ;)

Yeah, I prefer being the one on travel rather than the one left at home. Playing the single parent IS harder than a week away!

[Dastank]

As a person that travels extensively for work, I would like to say it's not all it's cracked up to be. While I understand your frustration with running the household on your own, being away from your family for weeks at a time, long hours, living on restaurant food, and sleeping in hotel beds, while it's fun on vacation, it gets old quickly. I love my job and the money, that's the only reason I keep traveling, but if I could do this job and stay at home I would prefer it. IMO it's not as fun as people imagine it should be. I agree with you needing a break, and your frustration, but is it your husbands fault?

This hits close to home for me. My wife and I had to work through these same feelings and ideas. There's nothing like being away from home for a week or two and coming home to "How was your vacation?" or the explanation of how difficult it was because you left. Guess what I didn't really want to go and I would have rather been here with you.

I think the traveling aspect can be difficult on the family unit and can lead people down a very slippery slope if they aren't careful about how they deal with it.

Good luck!

[TheBimbo]

Great insight there Dastank... When hubby started to drive he was gone all week basically, and that was very hard... I had 3 small kids to care for... I was very used to hubby being here with me... He would work doubles in the mill but that wasn't bad at all... Then he got a job driving and had to do the long runs and everything was left up to me... It was difficult at first being on my own, doing things by myself... And the sleeping part was the hardest thing ever... He didn't have a cell phone at the time so he had to call me when he could, and that was hard also... Then I got into a routine of things, doing things on my own became to be a great empowerment for me... I became very independant and when hubby would get home I'd not want him to help me b/c he'd mess it all up :lol: ...


Christy...

[crp]

Ok, I just got home after 2 1/2 hours at karate practice. My son is a 2nd degree black belt and my daughter is a 1st degree black belt. They are in a huge demostration on Friday and Saturday night at our community festival. I managed to scarf down a hot dog in the 15 minutes I had between work and leaving for that.

Petie, water is much easier to clean. I think my son had milk in his nose. I hope I got it all before it starts to smell on my carpet.

Beerguy is gonna get smacked as soon as I'm done with my husband! :D

Bimbo, when I'm not working, I'm with the kids or cleaning and doing errands. I very rarely get any me time. Once I get them in bed around 10:00, I have an hour or so to relax. Working on another jigsaw puzzle for my daughter's room. I'm planning on doing nothing on Sunday!

It really isn't so bad since they are older now. He used to travel every weekend when they were really little which was really really hard. Now he has a bunch of people under him so its usually only about once a month for a few days. He was gone all last week Tuesday through Friday and this week Monday to Friday so I'm just tired and ranting.

Jena is 12. I told her it was having sex without a condom. She then asked what a condom was. I told her to go change, we had to go. I'm going to have to have that conversation with her this weekend when I have more time to explain stuff to her (and more time to figure out what to say!)

He's on a corporate credit card. Only stays at nice Marriott's. I know he gets lonely and he really doesn't like being away. It's part of his job and he's paid well for it. I know he would much rather be here with us. We've been married 15 years now (in fact he was out of town on our anniversary and completely forgot about it :( ) I was just urked when he called to tell me he was going to drive to the coast and have lobster for dinner tonight. I had a stinking hotdog! :mad2: He calls during the day to see how my day is and calls every night. He has a cell phone so I can call him anytime I need to.

Catdoc, you're right. It is a break for him but he works 10-12 hour days when he's gone so he can get home faster. But he doesn't have to deal with the everyday hassles of trying to raise 2 teenagers. The best part is I sleep much much better when he's gone. No snoring.... and he doesn't wake me up at 5:30 am when he gets up and gets ready for work. I can actually go to bed at night knowing he's not going to walk into the bed and stub is toe (does this just about EVERY night). The bed has been in the SAME place for 15 years!

I'm pretty good about handling things on my own and always have been. I guess that's why he stays with this job knowing I'll be ok.

Carrie

:lol:

[fat-tony]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7525460#post7525460 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TheBimbo
I'd not want him to help me b/c he'd mess it all up :lol: ...


Christy...



hehe.....I learned that trick LOOONG ago :D

[dc]

LOL, some of us already did our time! :D This used to be on our fridge for many years.

http://images9.fotki.com/v164/photos/2/28482/69415/Nametags-vi.jpg

[catdoc]

I get to run solo again next week. Hubby has a week-long intensive study course for a grad program he's doing through work. That means he's gone all week for it. Carrie, send your teens here and they can help me manage my 3 while he's gone! ;) I work full-time and then come home to 4-year-old twins and their 6-year-old sister. It keeps us hopping when there are two of us here, when it's just me...whew! I feel like it's a successful day if they get fed and into bed before 10, LOL!

I understand that sometimes these things just have to be done and I'm fortunate that I rarely have to travel for my job. I'm not saying it's fun to be away, it's just tough to pick up the slack. I really have to admire single parents who do it on a daily basis!

[crp]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7525736#post7525736 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by catdoc
I get to run solo again next week. Hubby has a week-long intensive study course for a grad program he's doing through work. That means he's gone all week for it. Carrie, send your teens here and they can help me manage my 3 while he's gone! ;) I work full-time and then come home to 4-year-old twins and their 6-year-old sister. It keeps us hopping when there are two of us here, when it's just me...whew! I feel like it's a successful day if they get fed and into bed before 10, LOL!

I understand that sometimes these things just have to be done and I'm fortunate that I rarely have to travel for my job. I'm not saying it's fun to be away, it's just tough to pick up the slack. I really have to admire single parents who do it on a daily basis!

You know when they were younger, I thought it would be so much easier as they got older. Not true! With homework, karate and girl scouts we have something going on every night. I'm rarely home before 8:00 at night. When they were little, I could have them fed and bathed and in bed by 8:00. I try to have them in bed by 9:30. Never happens. It's 10:15 and I'm yelling! :mad2: