Good question. My husband travels a lot (sometimes 2-3 weeks out of each month), so it can be hard on me, and especially hard on my son. It helps that he is a little older and can understand why Daddy has to go away sometimes and that he always comes back, but it was a lot harder when he was two or three.
I try to have fun, special things that we do when Daddy is away for the week. We have a ';date night'; where I take him out for dinner, maybe we go see a movie, etc. When the weather is nice, we spend a lot of time outside, playing on his swingset, going for walks, or going to the park. We went on a picnic in the park last week. We have a ';sleepover'; one night out of the week, where he gets to sleep in my bed with me (something he doesn't usually get to do when my husband is home). And his grandmother usually takes him for an afternoon, which he loves. We just try to fill the time doing fun things so that it passes quicker, and before we know it, the end of the week is here, and Daddy is back.Stay at home Moms: How do you cope while your husband is away on business?
I didn't have family around, either, when my husband would be going away for a week or two at a time. Yes, it was really hard - but we talked on the phone every day - if your husband has a laptop, you could do webcam with the kids and him, that would be great.
Otherwise, it was just getting through one day/night at a time - somehow! It was a LOT of work - even though my husband didn't do tons of stuff around the house, he still was THERE, at least for support if nothing else. Plus the kids miss their dad terribly when he is gone.
Plan some activities for the week so you get out with them - storytime at the library, a craft class at a local store, ....
Good luck!
I am not a stay at home mom, but I work from home. When my husband goes out of town on business (he is away now) WE PARTY! We do all the things, daddy doesn't like to do. Today we went to a petting zoo, (he hates outdoorsy stuff) we ate at McDonald's (he hates McDonald's) and we are watching kid movies, until midnight (he likes them in bed early). Teh kids used to really miss him alot when he went away, so I tried to figure out a way, they wouldn't nag me the whole time he's gone. I keep them so busy there is not time to ask, when is daddy coming home! Of course, I DO let them call him every night. When he comes home, the kids and I cook his favorite dinner together, so it'll be waiting for him, when he arrives.
My kids are little so it's difficult to go out a lot. I am not so much a social bird but you have to talk with other moms and develop a schedule. I'm also trying to loose a little weight so I get motivated AFTER he leaves to really try. I go to the gym and we just take turns watching the kids. They get to have time to play and you get to take out your frustrations on the work out equipment. We go for plenty of walks too. The key is to stay busy and create a routine. Cooking all the time and being the only one could also be challenging. I buy lot's of quick foods like fruit and canned soups. I love my crock pot and I use it religiously. Just throw some veggies and meat and leave it! My kids go to sleep at around 8pm so I have some quiet time for myself. It's a great thing too, they start yawning at the same time every night now that their bodies are used to it.
I did this - spouse was in Europe for 3 weeks on business. More than once. The difference was mine were both in school.
We just tried to keep the household rituals and such the same; daddy called every morning and talked to them before school, emailed them pictures of interesting things (like the time he tried snails).
Otherwise, it meant taking people everywhere with me - it was a bit tiring, but keeping the rest of life normal seemed to help a lot.
My husband travels all the time too and we don't have any family close to us. Usually he's gone 3-4 days per week. I don't like it, but it affords me the ability to stay home and raise our kids. We have a 2 yr old %26amp; one on the way. I stick to the same routine when he's gone. We keep pretty busy during the day...going to the gym, playing outside, going to playgroups, running errands. There are only a few things I do differently...I don't clean the house and I let my son sleep with me sometimes. I'm sure it will get tougher when we have a new baby. It must be tough on you with 3 kids to deal with. Good luck!
My husband is Navy and we have dealt with more than our fair share of deployments over the past 7 years. With a 5 yr old and 10 month old it is never easy. I say that routine is what works best. You keep the same nightly routine you normally would to the best of your ability because that is easier for the kids. The one rule I break is letting the kids fall asleep in my bed. It gives them a sense of comfort and if your nightly routine involves daddy then that may overcome his omition.
I don't know what its like to have hubby go on a business trip but my husband works crazy hours. The worst time of the day (with 2 young children 4%26amp;6months) is dinner time at our house as he leaves to go back to work at 5pm. gets home anywhere between 9 and 12am. Its hard to feed, cook, bath kids, read, all at once. I rely on a strict routine so that I know what I'm doing at what time every night.It does wonders for me. hope this helps.
My husband traveled a lot in the beginning of the year and it was so stressful! He would go for 10 -14 days at a time. I have 4 kids and 3 of them are in school. It was the night time that was hardest on me. We would have sleepovers, like all of us sleep in the same room together. They seemed to really like that and it made me feel safe too for some reason. Crafts at night. Paper chains to hang all over the house. ;) Play dough... things that kept them occupied. After school to take up time, I would take them to the park or for some reason my insane self would take them all to target with me. Good luck with your days ahead!
i have an 8 month old daughter and when hubby goes away we move into nannas!!
my mum works so i'm still on my own during the day but it helps to have someone that can just take a wee bit of the load off while i have dinner or a bath.
also i hate being at home alone at night.
My brother is retired Air Force. Once his wife told me that she helped their small ones cope with daddy being gone by letting them sleep in his unlaundered Tee shirts. Sounds gross but apparently smelling daddy helps. Might even try it your self. : )
He is a good care-taker, he has to make money fr his family, encourage him with love.
I look forward to it. I actually have more fun with my kids when hubby isn't around.
My mum used to invite either grandma, my older cousin or her friend around while dad went away as she hated being alone with us kids. But now that my twin sis and I are older (14, nearly 15) she is a lot more relaxed. Before he left, Daddy used to give us a talk about how we had to help mum while he was away and be on our best behaviour. It made us feel special and important but as kids do, we sort of seemed to forget the talk after dad had been away for awhile.
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