Have I complained to you before that Dadlando travels for work? I’ve certainly complained to him, to coworkers, neighbors, family, and friends. And to myself. Oh do I complain. Because it’s hard!
Solo parenting and working a full-time job are not for the weak. Years ago in the blissful days before kids, he traveled, I booked an extra girls night out and quality time with some Sex and the City reruns with not a care in the world. But things are different now… two kids that need to be bathed, fed, cuddled, and entertained? My goodness, your girl has her hands full.
So of course I complain! But then I got tired of hearing myself complain. Because whether or not I complain, he’s still going to travel. And I’m still going to have my hands full. I decided we needed a little positivity and some new rituals for when daddy is gone. Enter our ‘daddy’s on a trip rituals’ I recently invented that have given us something to look forward to and brightened my mood a bit.
I have a couple parameters on rituals: they can’t break the bank, they must make my life easier overall, and they have to be fun.
Floor Picnic: This is an easy one y’all. At least one meal becomes floor picnic time. I put a blanket on the living room in front of the TV and we eat dinner on the floor. It’s a treat for them to watch TV during dinner and I get a bit of a break from being the on-going entertainment. I usually pick something easy to make that won’t be a disaster if it spills. Most recently it was ravioli with butter sauce.
In search of the best chinese food: Hear me out on this one because I know it sounds a little crazy to say my stress-release fun-time ritual is taking two small children out to a restaurant. But sometimes they behave! And I don’t have to cook or clean up for a night. So I take the risk. I decided that every time dad is traveling, we’ll find a new chinese restaurant to eat at until we find the best one. I order a couple things for us to share and have gotten them to try a few new things. Plus there’s always leftovers for my lunch the next day.
Hot Chocolate: When I’m cleaning up from dinner I boil some water on the stove and make a cup of hot chocolate. I put it aside in a Corkcicle cup and don’t drink it until I’ve gotten both kids to bed. It’s a relaxing end to the chaos and a little reward for making it through the day.
As I read through my list I realize these are all food related. Well, that seems par for the course here. But the other thing I do is simply give myself grace, give the schedule a tiny bit of breathing room, and try to roll with it. Bed time takes longer, the house is messier, and it’s all okay.
Do you have a situation that keeps popping up and could use a ritual? I encourage you to find ways that you can make your world brighter with just a small energy shift. And if you know where we can find the best Chinese food in the world, tell us!
