I got nothing today, which is a good thing

Jon was gone on a business trip three days last week and he'll be gone four days next week. Jon misses the boys a lot while he's gone, which is one of the main reasons I write something every day here, even on the days I might not have a lot to say. I try very hard not to tell Jon what will be on my blog so that he has a little extra surprise about the boys each day he's gone.

In between traveling stints, Jon takes on extra parenting responsibilities so that I get a chance to feel refreshed. Yesterday morning I slept in while he got the boys ready for school. Yesterday evening, I quickly picked the boys up from school then headed out to dinner and a movie with a friend . Again this morning, I slept in while Jon had kid duty.

What that means is I've got nothing about the kids for the blog. No entertaining stories, no cute anecdotes, nothing about them that sparked my day. What I do have is a completely refreshed attitude about seeing the boys this afternoon. I can't wait to hear what they'll tell me about their day. I can't wait to spend some time outside with them. I can't wait for bath time craziness.

I know the traveling-spouse thing wouldn't work for everyone, but it works for us. I often feel that it gives each of us some time to be the parent we want to be, rather than lots of time co-parenting the boys. As you might tell from reading this blog, I'm the parent who lets the kids eat popscicles in winter and teaches them to jump down the stairs. Jon is the parent who has unending patience when they want to play the same game over and over for hours. We are a good balance for each other, but a key component of that balance is giving each other some space. It might not work for every couple, but it works for us.