
As we got closer to his 'deploy date', we did more things to prepare myself and my children. We made a countdown calendar for the wall, a 'kisses from dad' jar, build-a-bear stuffed animals with a voice recording, and my husband recorded a book on video for every week that he would be gone.
Aside from the obvious fact that you are now playing BOTH roles and have no back-ups, I had to come face to face with the things that I do, as a mother, that have ADVERSE results. Let me tell you, thats humbling. My shortcomings became obvious almost immediately and I needed to figure it out if I wanted things to run smoothly. This was my first lesson.

And lastly, I learned how important it is to take a break. Depending on the length of dad's trip, breaks equate to different things. Whether its going to dinner alone or taking a full 24 hours away from the kids, it is necessary. What we don't realize at the time is that stress has a tendancy to build up and we don't know we are losing it until we are just about to or already have lost it! It's important to address this on an ongoing basis instead of a 'rescue me, I'm sinking' basis.
So, when it comes down to it, my concerns about my kids during my husbands time away had nothing to do with them but, rather, EVERYTHING to do with me as a mom! The power, more or less, is in my hands and I could make or break this whole experience. And no matter HOW long your husband is gone, don't shortchange yourself, doing this alone is HARD, and it's okay to admit it!
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