A gal pal of mine recently told me a fabulous secret (that she gave me permission to share). She loves that her husband genuinely tries to help around the house (there are guys out there like this, it’s not an urban myth). He even cooks! A true keeper, right?! However, he seems to not get the whole idea that you don’t just take out the trash, you do occasionally have to also clean out the bins. However, she doesn’t want to discourage his good deeds, so, she confided that when he is traveling or out of the house for a while, she does this:
I thought the addition of the little rubber ducky was a nice touch.
This got me to thinking: What else do we do when our spouse/partner/significant other is away?
I’ll begin with a confession of my own: when the Hubs is out of town I sort through his greying undershirt drawer and clear out the ones that are past their prime. Now, do not confuse this with his t-shirt collection. Oh no, I know full well not to touch his precious assortment of shirts with keeper slogans such as I’m With Stupid. When we finally move to the lake, I’m sure we will find Hoffa, Waldo, and Elvis tucked away in the back of the closet.
I crowd-sourced my gal pals to find out what they do when the cat’s away. The answers I received were wonderful. Here are just a few gems.
Many of us use our time alone for a little pampering, relaxing, and needed self-indulgence:
Put on a cloth anti-aging mask (with eye and mouth holes) and stay up late with good red wine and an entire season of The Gilmore Girls! ~ Vikki C.
Watch Netflix and eat chips or cereal for dinner. Any day I don’t have to cook is a good day. ~ Jill B.
I ordered Thai food and watched an entire season of The Real Housewives of Orange County. I also cleaned and organized my laundry room and stayed in my pajamas until 12:00. It was a good day! ~Marnie C.
We also take care of a few things on the honey-do list that need fixin’:
My husband considers himself a pretty good handyman. And most often he’s able to ‘MacGyver’ his way through with some duct tape and a wrench. But the bathroom sink had been dripping for weeks and the washer replacement was not cutting it. So, when my Mr. Fixit was on travel recently, I called a plumber who took care of the drip in about 15 minutes. The Hubby never even noticed. ~ Wishes to remain anonymous for obvious reasons.
Image provided courtesy of MorgueFile, Image URI: http://mrg.bz/YQLrtm
Many of us catch up on our writing (this one is definitely me too):
Take-out of whatever my teenage boys want for dinner, wine, chick flicks for company, and sprawling notebooks and laptop all over the bed while I take advantage of the solitude and write. ~ Deborah B.
With Halloween happening this weekend, this was one of my favorite responses:
One thing I don’t do anymore is watch Dateline or 48 Hours when hubby’s away! Scares the bejeezes out of me! ~ Camille T.
So how about you, what do you do when you find yourself with some free time, a quiet house, and no weekend agenda?
Cheers,
Kimba
PS: & please join me in wishing my wonderful son Jimmy a very Happy Birthday – he turns the big 25 this weekend. Love ya babe!!
Estelle says
November 2, 2015 at 10:33 pmWhen my hubby travels I watch Bravo shows all I want!
Kimba says
November 4, 2015 at 2:10 pmWhite trash TV – BRAVO is SO my guilty pleasure!
Cheryl Nicholl says
November 2, 2015 at 7:20 pmOh yes- the t shirts are tossed, as well as, other unmeantionables, as I turn up the volume and dance to Donna Summers! Go out of town more often!!! *wink*
Kimba says
November 2, 2015 at 8:54 pmDonna Summers – I knew I liked you Cheryl!
Lois Alter Mark says
November 2, 2015 at 4:55 pmI love this. When my husband’s away, I binge watch the shows that makes him crazy and clean out my closets filled with stuff he doesn’t even know exists 🙂
Kim Dalferes says
November 2, 2015 at 5:35 pmOh that’s a good one – there are things in my closet I definitely need to mark for charity!
Lois Alter Mark says
November 2, 2015 at 4:54 pmI love this. When my husband’s away, I binge watch the stuff that makes him crazy and clean out my closets filled with stuff he doesn’t even know exists 🙂
Carol Cassara says
November 2, 2015 at 2:01 pmWhen the tom cat’s away, I enjoy the peace and quiet of solitude. We are both home 24/7 and it is something I still can’t get used to, even after 6 years!
Kim Dalferes says
November 2, 2015 at 5:35 pmI know what you mean. Especially when I’m writing, there are times when I need to Hubs to go to the movies!
Hobs says
November 2, 2015 at 10:44 amCan’t you do some of the boat maintenance while I’m gone ? No wait, bad idea……….
Kim Dalferes says
November 2, 2015 at 1:51 pmHi Hubs, and LOL, I KNOW you don’t want me anywhere near your boat!!
Linda Ursin says
October 30, 2015 at 6:51 pmMy husband is the stereotype of not helping with dishes, washing or cleaning. When he’s away I do what I feel like, and definitely not housework. I may indulge in pampering, or eat something he won’t eat. And I will do art 🙂 Any work with essential oils or herbs that smell also has to get done when he’s away.
Leigh Powell Hines says
October 30, 2015 at 6:44 pmThis is so cute. I agree. I tend to read magazines, play on the computer, and watch movies that I want when the cat is away.
Marcia @ Menopausal Mother says
October 30, 2015 at 3:51 pmI like to watch chick flicks, drink wine and indulge in my secret stash of chocolate. Happy birthday to you son!
Kim Dalferes says
October 30, 2015 at 4:32 pmThx Chica – can’t believe he is going to be 25! Make sure to bring some of that chocolate secret stash to EBWW2016!
Marquita Herald says
October 30, 2015 at 2:25 pmReally enjoyed the shares Kimba! My housemate is my little dog Lucy. Outside of work the only place my Ex used to go was to visit his drug dealer so no stories to share there, and since I’ve sworn off remarrying – ever – I don’t cohabitate with my current squeeze so nothing juicy there either. But there’s no question my favorite “me” time indulgence is curling up some place comfy with a good book and glass of wine. 🙂
Kim Dalferes says
October 30, 2015 at 3:13 pm“…my Ex used to go was to visit his drug dealer so no stories to share there…” – gurrll, you are the only one I know who would write that so nonchalantly! Wishing you a nice weekend with a good book and little vino.
Brenda Pace says
October 30, 2015 at 12:26 pmWhat a great post! I know some that tend to be a bit “bad” when their partner is away. I’m not like that. It’s rare when mine goes away now but when he does, I look at it this way. Me and my 2 furkids and sleep in late, wear jammies all day long, watch horror movies 24 hours a day, eat whatever we want, and enjoy a peaceful night of not wearing earplugs cause the snorer isn’t around. 🙂 My hubs is retired military so I will say on his deployments, I didn’t act like this. He traveled to scary parts of the world and it was no picnic around my home.
Thanks for the giggles!
Kim Dalferes says
October 30, 2015 at 12:42 pmI’m military too – mine retires next year. So, I definitely understand about deployments, a very different issue than 1 week or less traveling. Mine’s a snorer too – in the spring, with the addition of allergies, it’s a rumbling time in the bedroom for sure!
Vicki says
October 30, 2015 at 10:57 amI don’t have a “cat”, but I loved the comments. And LOVED the Birthday greeting to Jimmy. Classy Mom!
Kim Dalferes says
October 30, 2015 at 12:42 pmAw, can you believe it’s #25 for Jimmy??
Diane Topkis says
October 30, 2015 at 10:44 amKim, fun to think about…
I secretly re-do anything that wasn’t fixed right the first time – he never realizes it
I tackle any big job that I know he’ll moan about and just do it – he always laughs when he sees it
I basically do anything that I want done “my way”
And then I eat dinner in front of the TV and binge watch whatever makes me feel good
Kim Dalferes says
October 30, 2015 at 12:44 pmNow with Netflix, binge watching can take over an entire weekend, and sometimes that’s just what we need. I STILL need to get caught up with House of Cards…