Erieversible

They have always been, of course, but this weekend felt particulary bad as hubby was home and the time just flew past.  Now he is on his way back to Buffalo and the house feels really empty.  Of course the kids are here, and usually they make enough noise and commotion for ten kids, but today it just feels too quiet and too empty here.

I know I’m overreacting!  The week will just fly past and hubby will be back on Friday night.  Then there are two short work weeks with Christmas and New Year.  And, hopefully, by the end of all of that we will be much closer to closing on the house and getting us moved to Buffalo as well.

It just feels “wrong” to be apart.  The kids are grumpy and hard to get along with (and at least SOME of that can be blamed on hubby being away!) and I feel even more short-tempered than normal!

I know there are a lot of people who are a lot worse off.  I have nothing but admiration for the spouses of the brave men and women who serve in the armed forces throughout the world, for instance.  It is hard having hubby away for a week at a time.  At least I know the most dangerous thing he is likely to encounter this week is “IT Pig Fest”, and that should be dangerous only to his waistline!!! 

Hubby bought the little one a bear dressed in a bunny costume to keep her company on the journey and to look after her while he is in the IOM and we are in the US.  Mr. Bunny Bear was really cute…for the first three or four hours.  Now I don’t care if I ever see Mr. Bunny Bear again.

Children are hard work.  Children on long journeys are very hard work.  Actually, the older one just settled in and got on with things.  Aside from tapping my arm every two minutes to show me something “totally cool” on his GameBoy, I wouldn’t have known he was there.  The price of something approximating peace was three new games for his GameBoy.

The five year old, however, decided to have no attention span today…and I mean none.  No activity occupied her for more than 10 minutes and everything needed my help/admiration/comment/etc.  Which wouldn’t have been too bad, except I am a terrible traveller. 

I never had a problem before I had kids.  Something weird happened when I had them and now I get motion sickness in a car/bus/plane/train/airplane!  I took tablets, I wore Sea Bands, I ate nothing from yesterday afternoon, and I still got sick.  When I am feeling queasy and unwell, I really don’t feel like helping to put the stickers in a PowerPuff Girl sticker book.  I just want to sit absolutely still and try not to move anything!

Usually, I feel okay for the first few hours, so I usually entertain the kids until I start to feel horrible and then hubby takes over.  Today I felt okay for the first few hours…but no hubby to take over!  Which brings me to the bigger problem. 

We are here now.  No matter how bad the journey (and it wasn’t at all bad in terms of flights and connections and everything…even the luggage all made it at the same time as us!)…we are here and hubby is there.  I’ve gotten the two little people to bed now, and the hotel room feels so very empty and strange.  You know how you take your husband/partner/significant other for granted after you have been together for a while?  It will be a while before I take mine for granted again.  Once he gets here, of course!

I’d wish the time would go by faster, but I have so much to do before he gets here that it better not fly by too fast.  Just feel stuck in limbo really…he is there, closing down the house…we are here, in a hotel.  When we made the plans, they all sounded perfectly logical and reasonable.  In practice it all just feels wrong!