I have nothing but awe for all you single parents out there. I don't know how you do it. I have been a "single" mother for the last few days, and I'm pooped.

I mean, I'll admit, there are many a night that my husband works late and doesn't come home until after the kids go to bed, so, in a sense, that's pretty much the same thing. I always tell him that if he's not going to come home before 7, he can stay out all night.

And, I'll admit this. There are certain activities and times of the day that go much more smoothly when my husband isn't around. i hate to admit that, but it's true. Things like dinners and bedtime. When there's two of us, it always seems to be a battle of some kind. When it was just me and the kids, dinners went smoothly, my son ate for the first time in weeks, and the kids went to bed easily. Okay, fine, Joshie always goes to bed easily, but Emily's usually impossible. When Gav was away, she was good.

But, it's certainly a lonely existance. Once the kids are in bed, what's there to do? cook, clean, get some work done. That's about it. There's no one to de-brief with, no one to share funny stories or crappy moments with. i did watch a girly girl movie last night - one that Gav would never watch with me - Mona Lisa Smile. I hadn't seen it, and I'm a big fan of Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, and Maggie Gyllenhaal, so I figured last night was as good a night as any. What i should have done was gone to bed at 8:00 - because right now I'm falling on my face with exhaustion.

Saturday afternoon was the hardest day for me. I agreed to take both kids, by myself, to friends for lunch. big mistake. 12:30 is joshie's naptime - but we skipped it, so we could go. The two kids were so tired and were fighting and screaming and crying the entire meal. I didn't get to eat very much, and got lots of good exercise running Emily to and from her time-outs. I think the next time I'm alone with the kids i will stick close to home, and close to routine.

anyway, kudos to single parents. Whether you are doing it out of necessity, or out of choice, it's a tough thing to do. and i give you tons of credit.