Cafe Living Room

Hubby stayed home for eight days after his three-month stint. It was just in time for Kuya's school vacation. Being the November holidays, family schedules were jammed. We tried to fit everything we could in a few days day to spend more time at home and with each other. It was really mission: impossible.

I wanted him to stay home to do a couple of home maintenance projects with me. But more than that, I just missed having him home and being with the kids. I gladly took a back seat for a couple of days and let him be in charge of everything.

Night times are my favorite. I think we may have even developed a ritual. We'll put the kids to sleep before 9 pm. I'll make a cup of coffee for him and a cup of tea for me. We'll sit in the living room with only the Tiffany lamp as light. And we'll talk about the kids, the house, our plans or reminisce about the past. He jokingly refers to this as, "Cafe Living Room." It sure beats Starbucks even if he's just having instant coffee.

Now, he's back at work. And we're back to the original routine which is seeing him one night a week and on the weekends he's off duty. I suddenly realize that eight days is short. I had hoped to do more home projects with him or just to do more stuff with the kids. It ended too soon.

Three days a week isn't too bad. I think it makes us appreciate our family even more. The kids are excited when they know he's coming home. "Yay, Dad's coming!" Kuya will bring out stuff he made in school. Kowi will show off the new nursery rhyme she learned.

But I especially look forward to the opening of the Cafe Living Room. When he has plans to come home, he calls to ask if there's coffee. Instant coffee or not, Cafe Living Room will be brewing--something. Somehow having only the Tiffany lamp for company is not the same.

Yes, I'll gladly take those couple of days a week that he's home any day.

Do It Myself

Every time Hubby goes away on his eight-week trips, the kids and I stay in the house. We don’t get to travel with him as much as we would like. But when he returns, we get to back to our routine, which is seeing him on the three weekends a month and one night on weeknights plus special occasions if applicable.

There are a few disadvantages to Hubby being away. Aside from me and the kids missing him, there are jobs around the house that a stay-at-home mom’s touch can’t cure. There are just things that he can do better just because he can. One prime example is opening of jars and bottles. He has the firmer grip so he can open them easily. I miss him when I can’t do it myself, like opening a jar of peanut butter.

Busted light bulbs have to wait for Hubby’s return before replacement. Although we have a four-step ladder on hand for purposes like this, I can never get around to changing them. I just put that on Hubby’s to-do list when he comes home.

I know that some things I just have to do myself and can’t wait eight weeks. Information like unclogging drains and toilets, I am finding out, is a must for stay-at-home moms like me. I am getting to know Mr. Plunger quite well these days.

Stay-at-home moms really need to be DIY experts. With two curious kids and a military Hubby that takes eight-week trips two to three times a year, I can’t afford to hold off important house maintainance until he returns. So it’s either I become adept at DIY or know of a really good handyperson to call for emergencies.

For now, I’m learning to do it myself…
and storing an important phone number on my cell phone just in case. You never know.

Thursday Thirteen #2

13 Reasons I Miss Hubby

I miss him because he…

13. Tells the corniest jokes.
12. Gives the best foot rubs.
11. Hogs the remote.
10. And the blanket.
9. But falls asleep every time he watches the Discovery Channel.
8. Drives and I don’t.
7. Knows how to troubleshoot when my PC conks out.
6. Waits patiently when I go through the baby section of the mall.
5. Can imitate clay-mation to a tee.
4 Eats the weirdest food like banana and Mang Tomas together.
3. Listens to his country CD over and over and over.
2. Can do a crazy “No Scrubs” dance.
1. Makes me laugh.

Hubby has been gone for 20 days.
But who’s counting?

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Hubby's Shirt

I noticed an interesting behavior recently. When Hubby is not around, which is quite often, I use his shirt for sleeping.

It’s not just any shirt, but a specific shirt. It’s Hubby’s college “Barrio Fiesta” shirt from 1997.

Yes, Hubby’s shirt is officially 11 years old. You can tell that it’s old by the way it hangs. The neckline is losing its scoop, the body is a little too loose -- okay -- it’s a little worse for wear.

But I like it.

Although the fabric maybe a little thin, it still keeps me warm, especially on chilly nights.

He’s been away for 19 days. You can guess what I’ll be wearing to bed tonight--again.

rain, rain...don't go away

Hubby came home unexpectedly last night. He was supposed go to Mindanao last Saturday, but their vehicle still under maintenance. It delayed their trip a few days. Yay!

He usually comes home on the weekends when he's not doing weekend overtime, which is like once or twice a month. And he sleeps over one night during weekdays. But this week, he has been sleeping home more often. This is because he'll be gone for at least two months. Haay...

When he was told yesterday that they would be leaving today, he decided to come home to spend dinner with us bringing KFC. The kids were ecstatic, partly because he was here for dinner and partly because of the chicken.

We checked the weather conditions via satellite last night to see if it was possible for their vehicle to brave the rains. To him, it looked like they'd have to delay their trip again until the weather clears. But it isn't his call. Well, hopefully the rain doesn't go away just yet, at least for the weekend, so we can spend more time with him.

On homeschooling and compromise

Homeschooling. It's sort of becoming the buzz among the egroups of which I am a member. This started an interest to read articles about the benefits of homeschooling. I even joined a Philippine homeschool egroup to learn more about it. By the end of the 10th article, I crossed over to the other side. With the benefits totally outweighing the disadvantages, who wouldn't?

So, armed with my newfound knowledge I became an advocate for homeschooling Kowi, my three-year-old daughter. I started a battle with the enemy. And the enemy was her dad. Not that he was an advocate for the traditional school. It's just that he doesn't like change (sorry, honey--get your own blog =P).

The battle lasted for days. In the car, at the dining table, in SM, in bed. There were days when I started to waiver, but I'd look at my armory of homeschooling articles. It gave strength and resolve to continue the fight.

Finally, we agreed to compromise. His offer: Since I am currently a stay-at-home mom, I get to homeschool Kowi for her preschool. But elementary, it has to be in a traditional school like Kuya. I gladly took it. We shook hands (and a bunch of other bleep-bleep stuff) and he slept like a baby.

I didn't get to sleep right away. My mind was awake from the flurry of activites I was cooking up for Kowi. And I was also secretly thinking that I'd have time to convince him to defect to my side. I win. Bwahahaha.

http://pinoyhomeschool@yahoogroups.com