For those of you who have a significant other, when they are away from home for a few days, what do you do differently? And how do you sleep?

When  my significant other was deployed or away on business I managed to come up with several ideas to keep me sane. For short trips, 7 to 14 days I would tackle all the cleaning and painting and reorganizing we had discussed. It would keep me up till I just colapsed in bed. The longer ones 6 to 12 months were unbearable. Fortunately that only happened twice. I was basically numb after the first three weeks. I was withdrawn and time tripping. I somehow purposely lost all track of time and would eventually have to take a leave of absence from work.

My situation is a bit awkward in our past... I would get so a use to him BEING gone that I would have a hard time adjusting to the 4 days he would be home on his home time (cross country truck driver.) I got so a use to doing things my way because well I HAD to in order to keep the home front a float and it would be hard to share the role of leader. I was a control freak and had to have things my way cuz in my head that was the right way. I had to get use to sleeping next to someone hearing him breathe, feeling his movements, and even sharing the covers. I had to adjust to having a partner and that included parenting! It always seemed as soon as I would adjust, it was time for him to go back over the road.

But that don't answer your question! When he was gone for 14 months I came up with clever ways to adjust especially for the kids. I kept them involved with things as much as possible which taking care of them kept my mind busy. Our favorite thing I came up with was the last 100 days. We had a count down. On the calendar I started with 100, then the next day 99, then the next day 98, so on and so forth. We each took our turn to pick out a sticker to put on the day symbolizing that day down and then write a little word or feeling or hope or encouragement or poem or what ever they felt that day for their daddy. Not only did it make them feel special but it gave them a rotation to look forward to and before we knew it that 100 day count down was over and daddy was home!!! It then became a special thing for the kids to read with him when he got settled back in.

There has only been a few times that he's been away for longer than a week.

I just do all the things i don't get to do when he's home. I don't cook. I eat things that I'd only eat. Like pie for dinner.

I sleep badly. Although as we age I am seriously considering starting to use the guest room as a bedroom more often.

That has only happened a few times. Most recently about a year and a half ago when our youngest granddaughter was born. My wife stayed at our daughter's house for a week to help my son-in-law with house work and help with the baby. They live almost two hours away.  I really didn't do anything different other than some extra household chores.

As for sleeping? I had trouble falling asleep and trouble staying asleep. It just wasn't the same without my wife lying next to me.

It's only been a few times and they were never more than a week.  I did nothing different other than less cooking.

Sleep, really it truly was better. It was so quiet.