Recently I’ve been wondering if Mr Wallace has swapped his office job for a role as a travelling salesman. He’s been jetting around the country for work, leaving me to kid wrangle. I bitch and moan about it, partly because it’s hard work when he’s away but mostly because I am jealous. How amazing would it be to sit on an aeroplane, all by yourself, for a couple of hours? Call an entire hotel room your own? Bliss! I kind of begrudge Mr Wallace’s travel because I’ve never been able to jet off in the same way he does. He can’t really comprehend how tough it is parenting three small boys on your own. Bedtime is especially relentless. Looking on the bright side, here are ten reasons why having a travelling husband is not all bad.
1. You can cook whatever you fancy
Mr Wallace doesn’t like mushrooms. I love them. When he’s away mushrooms are back on the menu!
2. There are no whiskers in the sink
There’s no man shaving in the morning. It’s fabulous to clean your teeth without having to simultaneously wash whiskers down the sink. Strangely this might be my favourite reason why a travelling husband is not all bad! Argh whiskers.
3. There are no shoes littering the floor
Mr Wallace often wears big, heavy boots to work. He tends to take them off in a different place each night. That’s where they stay. Less tripping hazards around the house makes me happy!
4. The surfaces stay clear
Mr Wallace has a habit of emptying the contents of his pockets on to his bedside table or the chest of drawers. While he’s away there’s no mentos wrappers, receipts, plane tickets or other scribbled notes randomly discarded about the house.
5. The kitchen is cleaner
Basically I cook dinner and Mr Wallace cleans the kitchen. When he’s away, I do both. The difference is, I clean the kitchen at night in one foul swoop. Mr Wallace tends to do it in patches, so there’s rarely a time when it’s all clean. I’m grateful he takes charge of the kitchen, but it’s fair to say I prefer my approach!
6. You can watch what you like on TV
ABC (not the kids version) is our channel of choice, so much so that I don’t even know what night The Bachelor is on TV. But when Mr Wallace is away, I surf the channels and occasionally I settle on something more low-brow than our usual viewing.
7. You can go to bed when you like
I’m a bit of an night owl but when Mr Wallace goes to bed (never before 10pm), I feel obliged to follow him. When he’s away I just go to bed whenever I fancy, usually late!
8. You get the whole bed to yourself
When you do trot off to bed, the whole bed is yours! No one snoring next to you, no one hogging the blankets. What’s not to love?
9. You make the rules and you stick to them
It seems our boys are somewhat more manageable when there is one parent. Maybe it’s because there’s no automatic appeal process to the other parent. Either way, when Mr Wallace is away I set the rules and we all stick to them.
10. Distance makes the heart grow fonder
By the time Mr Wallace returns I am very keen to have another adult to help with the boys. I can shower for more than 30 seconds. Of course, it’s alway fabulous to have him home. Every now and then he brings me back a present, last week it was a complimentary nail file from the conference. Lucky me!
That’s my 10 reasons why having a travelling husband is not all bad. Maybe I’m grasping at straws but you’ve got to focus on the positives! I honestly don’t know how FIFO or Defence families do it. What do you think, a travelling husband is not all bad or downright awful? What’s your favourite thing about your significant other travelling?
I’d have to agree with all of these! Whilst N doesn’t travel as often as Mr Wallace as you know when he does travel it tends to be for longer periods. I’ll add a few more reasons why it’s not so bad:
Less washing/folding to do. Somehow N seems to wear lots of clothes, and if there’s one thing I hate it’s folding small items of clothing, like socks and undies.
We all get to childcare and work earlier, which means we get to leave earlier! N is quite relaxed about the morning routine but once I’m up I like to get out the door as fast as possible. This is much easier and less frustrating when we don’t have to wait for N to take his 20 minute shower.
Because he’s not home I don’t get cross at N for not doing things, so even though I have to do everything myself I don’t spend my evening quietly seething that I’m doing all the chores whilst he’s relaxing. So yes, absence definitely makes this heart fonder 🙂
Oh yes, I know the feeling of that resentment quietly simmering beneath the surface xx
I just had 10 days on my own with my 14 month old and I tell you what, it was MUCH easier! My reasons were just lowering my expectations of what could be done aka not doing much cleaning at all! I also used the opportunity to try a few new things with regards to sleeping and eating for my son – just generally changing up the routine and having a more relaxed attitude. Guess what?? It worked! Great article 🙂
It’s weird isn’t it Amber? You’d think it’d be infinitely harder but it just isn’t!
It does sound like you are making the best of a difficult situation. I love number 10!
That’s my aim Stephanie, always look on the bright side of life!
6 and 8. Oh yeah.
High five to that Mrs Cunningham!
We’re a Defence family and I think at last count, he had been away for a total of 4.5 years since we first met, close to two years of that was since kids. I’ve learned I can do just about anything around the house and I remember being on such a high after I fixed our broken timber fence all by myself! The best thing when he’s away is the house staying clean and tidy, and not being judged for watching trashy TV. Or anyone asking me where the rest of the ice cream went… 🙂
Good on you Emma, it is empowering to realise you are self-sufficient without a man around the house!
Totally relate! When he was commuting to Canberra weekly when we were in Hobart- I resented him coming home as it would disrupt my flow 🙂 Now the kids are older- we have a great groove when he’s away! Because we usually wait for him to get home from work to all eat as a family, we usually eat 6.30/7pm. When he’s away, I can have them fed and bathed by 6.30 so we can then play a game, watch a show or similar! And I generally cook extra every second day and we eat leftovers on the off day! Or if we have a easy meal and I eat cheese and crackers 😋
Oh yes Bel, that all sounds very familiar!
I hate it when my partner goes away, but when he does, I don’t tidy a thing or make the beds until the night before he gets home (did I just say that out loud? opps!)
Never mind Lydia, your secret is safe with me!
A great post! I’m totally with you. My husband travels quite a bit too but I don’t mind .. exactly for all of those points you’ve mentioned!
Thanks for your kind words Andrea. There are certainly many great things about having the house to yourself!
Claire, you had me with the title! I really enjoy the time when my hubby is away. He studies at night 3 nights a week and it is blissful once the kids are in bed to have the TV all to myself and do exactly as I please. Stick with the positives. Bron x
Absolutely Bron, you have to focus on the positives!
Having the bed to myself for ONE NIGHT is actually on my bucket list.
Maybe you ought to shout yourself a night in a hotel?!?
A bed to myself and control of the TV remote sounds like my idea of heaven 🙂
It’s the little things Rachel!
It’s generally me who isn’t home (shift work) but the odd sleeping patterns mean I get the bed to myself….and sleeping diagonal is awesome.
I like to just fling my arms out in random directions, it’s a perk!
Particularly love 1, 6, 7 & 8!!! I don’t mind too much as can get on with my knitting or blogging without feeling bad. Also I’m not as stressed putting the kids to bed as I know someone isn’t waiting for me downstairs, except sometimes that means I fall asleep next to my boy as I still stay with him until he falls asleep. Xo
I always try and look at the perks . Being able to choose tv and spreading out more in bed are good but come the end of week 2 I am hanging out to share the load . X