Out with the Trash.....

Here in my family we are experiencing something new - my husband is travelling for work.  I don't mean just an overnight trip or even a week long trip - I am talking about 3 weeks in Sweden!  And not just 1 trip but 5 or more trips over the next 6 months.  So it is just me and the boys and the dog and the trash.  I hate dealing with the trash and since that is my husband's job I am having to fill in for him.  It is funny how much I rely on him to empty the trash and then take it to the curb once a week - and I don't have to ask a thousand times - he just does it.

After 8 years of marriage, two kids, James and I have settled into our routines and roles.  We have taken the chores and divided them (not necessarily evenly, but divided nonetheless) and we move forward.  When the schedule is disrupted, like James being in Europe and me home alone with the kids, suddenly the routine is gone.  Not only do I have to take care of the grocery shopping, getting the kids to preschool, doing the laundry, keeping the house clean (sort of clean anyway), working, and going to school, I now have to take care of the trash, clean up dog poop in the backyard, handle bath and pj time with the kids, do all the disciplining, listen to the the "I want Daddy" chant, and find a way for the kids to work out their need to wrestle (not with me by the way because they are too rough!).  So as I think about all of the new tasks I have, I am reminded of the millions of families where there is only one parent present.  Single moms and dads amaze me.  Raising kids is hard enough with two parents, I can't imagine having to do it alone.  A mom of one recently said to me - "I can't imagine having more than one child" and I thought - ha! - that is easy, what would be hard is being a single parent.

So while my husband is out of town, I may find myself grumbling about the added responsibilities - but - I am reminded of the sacrifices made daily by single parents and there goes my grumbling.... out with the trash.