14 days as a single mom

I’m independent. I’ve mentioned this, right? Well, ok, I pretend like I’m independent. In truth, I rely very heavily on my partnership. Yes, I bitch when I leave him a list of TWO things to do ALL DAY (clean the sink & wash the sheets) and he wipes the sink with soap & water but doesn’t use softscrub to get the coffee stains out and he washes the sheets but doesn’t make the bed. Really, the list of things I do to make him crazy is much, much longer. Someday I will make that list but it is embarrassing to admit just how often I fail to close the garage door or how many times I’ve left candles burning unattended.

So last night he gets the “14 Day Dispatch” call.

What does this mean?

Wildland firefighters often go “off area” to other places with severe fires. Hot Stuff has been to Colorado, Florida, California, and Arizona in the last few years. This dispatch is to western Montana so at least he won’t have to fly commercially to get there.

The beauty of the 14-day dispatch is the timing. Pack-yer-shit-yer-leaving-in-2-hours-or-2-days….. This, people, is why the Homestead Household MUST keep up with the laundry…. Gotta dispatch those fire boys with clean panties.

This is the first off-area dispatch he’s accepted since Sweet Boy was born.

I’m filled with excitement, anticipation and dread. I will miss him terribly and being a single-mom is not something I am very good at doing. I will be late for work every day and I dread dragging Sweet Boy with me to every little detail of my day…. Like showering & taking out the garbage. I don’t sleep well without Hot Stuff and I get lonely with no one to talk too but the dog.

So, I try to look on the bright side….

I will get a lot done while he is gone. I do like eating what I want, when I want and not worrying about meals. (Those who know me laugh now…. Like I’ve ever been a very dedicated or conscientious cook.) I will whittle away at the every growing stack of unread magazines by my bed. I will check my email (sorry to anyone patiently waiting for an email response). I will listen to all the music he hates. (Yes, that is Jimmy Buffett shaking the dust off the lamps.) I will read blogs. I will play with photoshop. I will work on Sweet Boy’s baby book. I will work on my flower beds. I will take Sweet Boy to the Big Slide at the park. I will take many, many pictures. I will go swimming with Sweet Boy. I will eat ice cream every day. I need to think of some other things to do to keep myself busy for the next 14 days….. help me out here people.