The House to Myself (kinda)

Dan left to go on his annual hunting trip this morning after weeks of preparation. These preparations actually are a year long event (those woman that have men that hunt know exactly what I'm talking about). After last years hunt the men continue to gather together to discuss the big hunt they had, after a few months of this and the stories being told over and over and over yet again, they start to talk about the hunt to come.
What would men think of us woman if we talked about our shopping endeavors this way?)
Then when the new hunt is a couple of months away they must go scout out their territory (which is the same spot normally year after year), but this has to be done by camping for the entire weekend with just the men, and again they discuss last years hunt. Then it becomes phone call after phone call about what gun they are going to bring, the shells that they will shoot, the food they are going to cook (though they always seem to come home with receipts from restaurants?) and the gear that each man needs to bring. Two weeks before the hunt the house is in chaos with hunting paraphenilia everywhere. Where is my orange jacket, where are my camping dishes, can I take this with me from the pantry for cooking? The list goes on and on and then they finally leave! Thank you lord for a few days with the house to myself.

Each year I have a mental agenda of what I want to do. First on the list is always clean, clean, clean because the house stays clean the entire time he his gone, how do men make such a mess? After the house is clean then it is relaxation time, a few beers, a few phone calls, a shopping day and a movie or two that I know Dan will never watch.

Before kids my list went more like this: clean, clean, clean and relax at home with a movie and beers, sleep in all morning, shopping - which I always made Dan leave me some extra shopping money because he should feel guilty that he was leaving me home alone, and I usually had a friend staying with me from out of town and it would be how much beer can we consume in one weekend. (This is obviously not an option any longer, when the kid wakes up at 6am you better be ready!)

So post children list extends to this: come home and cook supper for the two of you, run to the grocery store, play with kiddo before night night time (yes, I said night night time), clean, clean, clean after kiddo goes to bed, make a green chile in the crockpot to freeze as a few meals for the cold months ahead, watch a little TV and off to bed because 6am comes fast and you better be ready.