Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Surviving Duty Daze

This is how I survive duty daze.  The days when Morgan has duty.  I'm assuming Duty can last anywhere from 9 to 48 hours, just from past experience.  Duty days range depending on their jobs.  Currently for M's job he has duty every 24 days.  The last duty he had was a 26 hour shift.

Now I don't want it to sound like a death sentence, because it's not.  Nor do I want to take away from the spouses who are dealing with TDYs (Temporary duty in yonder; duty away from home for a period of time) or deployments, I've been there and that isn't easy either.  Another day, another post. But today we're talking about duty.

When M is on duty I have to mentally prepare.  I mean, I'm running the show for practically the next two days.  Sure he's coming back home and its only for a day or so, but it's still out of the norm and we have to adjust accordingly.   The next day he is usually off.   When he comes back from duty,  the next morning, he is still out of commission and I'm a one man show till he gets some rest.

Here are 5 things I do to survive duty daze::

 Plan easy dinner::
Made corned beef and cabbage MmmMMmm

Since it's just me and the kids for dindin, I like to make things easy on myself.  No point in making an extravagant dinner for 2 kids whose favorite foods are hot dogs and jelly sandwiches.  Not to mention that I'm one serving and the kids combined is another serving, so a lot of work for 2 servings isn't happeing.  However, I do make the usual amount because M will eat when he gets home.  I almost always make dinner in the crock pot or the nuwave for duty nights.  Both really simple cooking appliances that make cooking dinner super duper easy.

Activities::
Out and about running some errands for today's activity

I like to keep the kiddies busy on duty days.  It helps the day go by faster and keeps them occupied.  We'll plan a play date, I'll set up some arts and crafts, we'll head to the park, or even spend time in our front yard {in Japan our front yard acts as a backyard because of the limited space}.


Forgo naps::
Normally this was nap time but I just popped in the Croods, a fave movie in our house

Sounds nuts, but it helps.  I'd rather just power through the day and have them go to sleep extra early.   Sure I would love the midday break, but I find it more beneficial for them to go to sleep at 6:30 pm or 7 pm.  That way I get the whole rest of the night to catch up on chores or relax.

Sleep in my bed::
Yes, that's Hello Kitty.  My view , putting the kids to sleep in our bed.  Mills has a Hello Kitty pillow pet.

When M is gone, I have the kids sleep with me.  I love cuddling with them and makes my bed extra cozy.  Another great thing about co-sleeping is I'm right there for bathroom breaks, nightmares, water, and whatever else comes up in the middle of the night.  I don't have to leave my room.  Plus I'm really really paranoid and I constantly check on the kids. So them sleeping in my bed gives me more sleep and keeps me comfortable.  Double WIN!

Chores are down to a minimum::
No picking up toys today!!

They don't come to a screeching halt but ain't a lot getting done that day.  Both my kids are under 5 so lots of mischief happens, even if I turn my back for a second.  Especially Nono, he is also known as Evil Kenevil because that kid fears nothing.  He will climb a bookcase, he will jump off the couch, he will hang off the table...he's nuts.  When I'm alone with them I have to be alert.  Plus with all the running around and activities, it's hard to fit in a chore.  I usually save those for when they are in bed, if I still have the strength.

Well, there you have it.  My 5 go to's , to survive duty daze.

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