Don't let the door hit ya on the way out

It seems I go through a pattern every time my husband goes out of town: I become an instant slob. I don't get dressed or shower unless I have to, the house pretty much goes to shit; I cook, I feed my kids, I take care of them, but everything else pretty much becomes "Lord of the Flies". I'm fairly certain my husband knows this about me, but I am not tidy by nature. It takes a huge amount of effort for me to clean. Now, don't get me wrong, I enjoy a clean house. Very much so. I just don't like having to get it clean myself.

My husband is of the mindset that in order to get anything done, certain steps have to be taken - most importantly, he must have a shower. Even if the only thing he's preparing to do is to go on a 3 mile run, he must first take a shower. I personally think that's counterproductive and entirely nuts. I mean, WTF mate? Taking a shower before you do an activity that will require another shower less than an hour later. Can we say wasteful use of the world's water resources?? Or, on an even shallower level, making our fucking gas & water bill higher?

As much as I love my husband, and would love to spend every minute of every day with him (except when he's in the bathroom, uh, ew) I have to admit I enjoy when he goes out of town. I could say that's because of the old adage "Absence makes the heart grow fonder". In reality, it's so I can indulge my inner slob. The kids don't give a rat's ass if dinner isn't ready at exactly 5:30pm, they're more than happy to spend the day in their pj's, and who the hell cares if I have to hand wash a dish in order to have something to put lunch on?

Plus, I can get away with making Ramen or quesadillas as a main dish.

I love my kids to death, but I am a very selfish person. I just don't get to indulge in that side of me very often. When DH is gone, I usually don't get to bed before 2am. I spend the time after all the kids are (finally) asleep to wrap myself up on the couch, put the earbuds in, fire up my favorite Pandora station, and read. I am in my own little cocoon and the time passes quickly and enjoyably.