When Mom's Away...

I am having surgery, and spending one night in the hospital next week.  Recovery, I am being told, can be anywhere from 5 days to 6 weeks, WHAT!?!?!  Don't these people know that time frame is NO WHERE specific enough for me?  So, how do you prepare a family and a household for mom to be gone (or out of commission) for an undetermined amount of time?

I have a great husband who is an AMAZING father!  My girls really look forward to my Girls' Night Out times, it has become a special time with their dad, when they almost always eat beans and chips (why not, right?).

Many wives complain that their husband doesn't do enough around the house or with the kids.  Well, do you EXPECT them to, or LET them get involved?  Ladies, a 90% clean toilet done by hubby is WAY better than having to do every chore yourself!

Because my husband is well versed at cooking, homework, carpool, and chores, it allows me to concentrate more on my future recovery.  Some of the planning and scheduling elements are not his specialty, but I can do that ahead of time!

Not knowing how long I will be "out", I am planning on the entire month of October being a wash.  I have NOT planned anything extra, but I have a very specific calendar color coded and posted on the fridge for my man.  I have created a meal plan for the entire month, and have done all of the grocery shopping for those meals.  Milk, eggs, and produce should be the only things that he HAS to shop for.  Because he has had a lot of practice, I know that things will run smoothly in my "absence".

Time to prepare for the family to be fully functional even when mom is gone.  Even though it may not be exactly as you would do it, it will get done, and, it might even allow for a future girls trip!