Solo

So this week hasn’t gone exactly as planned. It’s Andy’s furlough week, the week-without-pay his paper is requiring everyone to take. Plans for a week of zoo and museum trips went by the wayside when Andy drove back to Illinois on Monday night. Long story short, his mom was experiencing chest pains, got herself checked out, and ended up having heart bypass surgery this morning. Thankfully, things went well, and Andy will be in Champaign through Friday or so. We both are extremely grateful that Andy had the time off this week, so he could be there for his family.

But man, am I ever thankful that Andy doesn’t have to travel for work, or hasn’t left me for Jennifer Connolly, because this solo parenting thing is hard. Those dinnertime-through-bathtime-and-bedtime hours stretch out when you’re used to a second set of hands assisting you. And did you know that the garbage doesn’t empty itself, nor does the newspaper just magically appear on the kitchen table every morning? Last night I had to clean out the cat’s litterbox for the first time in over four years (yeah, I know, cue the violins, right?). But my week has definitely been easier than, say, my mother-in-law’s, so I won’t complain. After all, I do get to spend my day with the most charming kids ever.

Any thoughts/prayers/finger-crossings for Andy’s family would be appreciated, and I’ll try to get back to blogging soon—I have a very fun weekend to tell you about.