Afternoon Play Date



Mark worked late almost every night last week, so the girls and I went into “survival mode”. In case you are not familiar with “survival mode”, it goes something like this: 1. Do the bare minimum to get by with housework, laundry, or cooking. 2. Leave piles of dirty dishes on the countertops. 3. Do not invite ANYONE to your home when you are in “survival mode”, or you are sure to lose friends. Fortunately, at the end of a very long week, I was thrilled to be invited to my friend’s house for an afternoon play date! She has two daughters – one the same age as Emily, and the other is a few years older. The girls had a fabulous time. They baked cookies….





They all played with a tea set and other toys. Clara received lots of attention from my friend’s oldest daughter. She read stories to Clara and kept her entertained with rattles and stuffed animals……



Emily did not want to leave, but when we arrived home, we were all pleasantly surprised.  Daddy was already waiting for us! And fortunately (for me) very understanding about my “survival mode” tactics!

There were three important things I noted this week: 1. I do all of the grocery shopping for our household just once a month, so I did not have to worry about schlepping the girls to the grocery store or if we were going to have enough food for the week.  2. By letting my standards slip a bit (okay, a LOT), it really did help ease the stress. 3. Now that Mark is home, I cannot wait until the house is back to normal housedom! I am such a product of my environment.
Does your spouse ever work late or travel for work? How do you handle it? Do you find it harder or easier to stick to a budget?