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From shift straight to a wild fire deployment my husband was gone for 22 days and left me with our toddlers. This was the first time I have done this long of a time with both our three year old and 1 year old. Before we get into it, whether you are running solo for a long day, a weekend, or a couple weeks – it is all hard, and you are allowed to feel that.
After the first week I had a groove going that made the time easier.
Meal Plan
Plan out your dinners for the week before you grocery shop. Make sure you have all the ingredients ready to go. This way when you wake up you know what you’re doing for dinner that night and ideally what you’ll have for lunch and everything in between. It’s a battle up front but it makes it easier during the week for sure.
Take Time For Yourself
Hear me out. I know when we’re solo it is even harder to do this than when our partner is home, especially if you have a very small village near you. For me, taking time for myself meant still taking the 5-10 mins to wash my face and get ready for the day. Usually I’d set my kids up with a little screen time and snacks to hopefully get this time uninterrupted. At night I would treat myself to a mug of ice cream and watch my Gilmore Girls reruns. These small moments really helped me to keep my calm in the chaos – as best I could!
Get Out of the House
For us we tried to get out on a walk every morning. Usually I set my kids up with breakfast in the stroller and went for a few miles around our neighborhood. On good days we also tried to get out of the house and go to playgrounds, splash pads, the library, etc. If you’re not used to taking your kids out on adventures solo, start small and work up to bigger outings! You are so capable.
You are a great mom. xx Ciara
