Single Parenthood

This week JAC and I are on our own. Jess is in California for business and we're holding down the fort here in D.C. Jess' job takes him out of town for about 5 days a month on average. The first time he left us JAC was only two weeks old and if it wasn't for two great ladies from my church who came over and gave me a couple of hours off I think I would have spent the whole three days in tears. Now JAC and I are used to being on our own and while we both miss Jess I've discovered some distinct advantages to his being away. Here's my short list:

1. Girl Food: When Jess is gone I can eat whatever I want. I don't have to worry about what's on the table for dinner. I typically make a big green salad, a big fruit salad and a pot of spicy chicken soup and eat that for a whole week. I supplement it with an occasional dinner of breakfast cereal.

2. Girl Dates: When Jess leaves I party. Actually I just try to make dinner dates with the girlfriends I love. This week I have two dinner dates and a picnic date planned. It's going to be awesome.

3. Girl Mess: Or lack there of. I can't explain it but it always seems like Jess creates messes without trying that I have to clean up all week. This especially pertains to laundry. It doubles with a guy in the house. This girl mess advantage also applies when I want to be a slob. I can spend two days leaving cereal bowls in the kitchen, ice cream bar wrappers in the living room and a pile of dirty clothes at the foot of my bed and then clean them up the day before Jess gets home. He'll never be the wiser.

4. Chick T.V: I love getting to watch all those guilty pleasure T.V shows - like the cop show with the lead character I think is really hot. I own the remote!

5. Phone Conversations: While Jess is gone I take the time to call all the people I really love and chat. Since most of them have jobs during the day they are only available at night but I hate to talk on the phone when Jess is home. I like to save that time for the two of us.

There are a lot of disadvantages to Jess being gone and I know that I actually have it pretty easy. Luckily I don't have to work and take care of JAC. I know a lot of single parents are juggling both. Jess is also only gone for short periods of time. There are many military spouses enduring single parenthood through long deployments. For now I'm going to be thankful and embrace the time I have to myself . Nevertheless, I'll look forward to Jess being home at the end of the week.