Of Course I Came Back

Here's another Top 10 List....

Top 10 Things To Do When Your Husband's Gone For A Week:

1. Work: I guess I am pretty thankful that I am currently working, since I would have been extremely bored home alone without Brian. Not that I'm not looking forward to being a (somewhat) stay at home mom, because I totally am. But...Brian would usually at least be home in the afternoons and evenings to keep me company. After Lydia goes to bed, it's just me. I guess it's a good thing, too, that we were stuck at work until past 6:00 every night our husbands have been gone. 

2. Read: I find that I head off to bed earlier without Brian around wanting to watch just "one more" episode of The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Which means I get to spend more time reading at night. I am currently reading the 3rd book in the Little Lady Agency series (I missed the 1st book). It is so good! Melissa Romney-Jones, despite her flaws (which definitely make her a likable character) is awesome. She is clever, thoughtful, and extremely helpful! I love this series. At work, I am reading Jodi Picoult's book, A Change of Heart. It is very interesting and thought provoking. I am pretty sure there is something fishy about the murders at the beginning of the novel and the supposed murderer, Shay Bourne. I don't really like Maggie or Michael, or all the talk about how religion is bad and not real...but I really want to find out if Claire gets her heart transplant.

3. Netflix: Once again, Netflix Instant View has come to my rescue. Without Brian around, I can watch whatever I want. So far, I have watched HOUNDDOG (with Dakota Fanning), ALICE IN WONDERLAND (with Johnny Depp), several episodes of SAY YES TO THE DRESS and a 17 KIDS AND COUNTING episode. All things Brian probably wouldn't want to watch.

4. Single Parenting: This probably doesn't belong on a list of something I really want to do...but I've been doing it since Monday night. It's hard. One of my kiddos has a single mom, but she at least has support from her mom, who lives with them. I am thankful for my supportive family, as well. Lydia is definitely a handful, especially for me (she seems to misbehave more with me around). She has started throwing so many tantrums over the smallest things! She has been waking up at 5:00 in the morning, instead of her usual 6:00. Brian isn't home to let her take a morning nap, so she's been extra cranky, especially at the lunch table. I am very thankful that I have a loving, attentive, helpful husband around most of the time! He is wonderful with Lydia!

5. Snacking: Unfortunately, without Brian to cook for, I've been making myself TV dinners and burritos - not very healthy. And, I've been snacking on the yummy trail mix Brian made for boys for the trip (although he made one batch for me). 

6. Hanging with Friends: There is a new game app on the iPhone called Hanging With Friends. It is like a hang man game, but much more fun. I am currently playing with several friends and am getting pretty good at it. Leah is unable to get the app on her iTouch (it's too old of a version), so she helps me. She is great at word games. 

7. The Duggars: Without Brian here for me to be embarrassed, I have allowed myself to stalk the Duggar family again. Josh (the oldest Duggar kid) and his wife Anna recently had their second child, a boy. I still haven't figured out his name. They have a daughter, Mackynzie, who is 20 months. I made a list of all the Duggar kids to see how far apart each child is from their sibling. The biggest distance from one to another is 22 months (between Johannah and Jennifer). Josh is 21 months older than twins Jana and John-David. The shortest distance is between Jordyn-Grace and Josie, 8 days away from being 12 months! Of course, Josie was a premie at 24 weeks! It always astounds me how many children there are (19!) and how they must function. I would love to spend a day with the Duggars. I wish we had cable so I could watch them on TLC!

8. Letter Writing: My friend, Mandee, and I keep up a constant communication via snail mail (or written letters). I love writing, although I hate my handwriting. I love this old-fashioned form of writing. I also love to write e-mails. I have written two to the Pfeiffer family, telling about Lydia's new habits. I love writing about Lydia!

9. Keeping the House Clean: One great thing about no Brian is that the house seems to stay clean after I clean it. Amazing! After a quick straightening up, the living room has maintained it's cleanliness, despite the fact that it has been a few days and Lydia has played in there, and I have been in there. The kitchen isn't nearly as messy. Our room is clean after I picked it up. The sheets on the bed aren't messed up. Amazing! I also find that I am a bit more motivated to clean when there's nothing else to do in the evenings!

10. Talk to Brian:  Of course, it is hard to not talk to Brian. I got upset on Wednesday when I never heard from him. All the boys in my family left to hike the Grand Canyon on Monday night. They reached Arizona Tuesday afternoon and set up camp. They headed down the Grand Canyon early Wednesday morning and didn't make it back to camp until 10:30 that night! Brian's shoe melted in the heat, Chris got blisters, dad and Jessie got heat exhaustion, and Jay got sunburned. Only Thomas survived unscathed. I knew he was having a good time and didn't have cell reception, but I wanted to hear his voice! When he called last night (they were at a hotel), I just wanted to keep talking and talking! But, I had to let him hang out with the boys.