DH taking DS (age 5) our of town for 7 days. SEVEN DAYS! What should I do?

[Anonymous]

Subject pretty much says it all. DH taking 5 yo out of town for a week this June. That’s never happened. What should I do? Something super boring like declutter the house? Girl’s trip? Nothing?

Here’s the thing - I just did a 7 day trip to Europe in October, so I don’t really have the international travel bug. The thing I miss most about child free life is sleeping in (I’m a huge sleeper-inner). Thinking I on the weekend I should sleep in and have an extreme lazy day. The rest of the week? Just enjoy not having to worry about a drop off and a pick up and and making dinner? Would welcome ideas.

[Anonymous]

Spa day maybe?

[Anonymous]

Definitely declutter the house. It’s the gift that keeps giving.

[Anonymous]

I definitely would stay home and enjoy the house to yourself. Do you have some friends who could visit you? Would be fun to have friends stay with you for a few days and so spa day, fun long lunches, order take out and just relax

[Anonymous]

Super jealous! If it were me I would sit and enjoy the SILENCE.

[Anonymous]

Sleep and de clutter.

[Anonymous]

I’d do house projects, spend time with friends, hit the town one night, sleep in, read and eat like I did when I was single (minimum cooking/cleanup).

[Anonymous]

Host a girl's night...

[Anonymous]

I thought this was going to be a panicked post from a mom who did not think it was right for a dad to do this...

[Anonymous]

Arrange some dates with friends. See movies. Eat what you want. Enjoy!

[Anonymous]

If I had five days alone in my house I would:

Work on some home projects
PURGE!
Sleep in on the weekends
Meet up with friends for drinks/dinner after work
Go and see all the free exhibits at the various Smithsonians that I’ve wanted to see.

[Anonymous]

This happened to me about a year and a half ago. DH took DC (then 5.5) for 13 days!! when she’d never been away from me for 24 hours. I’m an extrovert, but not an extreme one, so I was looking forward to peace and alone time. I needed a break after 5.5 years— most of those spent at home with the kid!

I wasn’t worried about DC because DH knows everything about her and is extremely responsible. I did understand that I’d get lonely. We had just moved into our first house so doing the last of the unpacking, organizing, planning decor and shopping was how I spent a bunch of the time. It was also ideal for chucking toys and things I knew she’d never miss but I didn’t want to fight about!

I did a couple of fun “spa” things like cut my hair (woohoo!) and read a couple of novels, go out to a movie, etc. And I planned dinner or lunch with a different friend almost every day... but ultimately I still got lonely, especially without DH. I watched a lot of like HGTV on YouTube because we no longer have TV or streaming, so it was a “treat.” But that was kind of like eating a whole tub of subpar ice cream. Kind of fun at first, but ultimately made me appreciate not having a TV.

I think 7 days is a pretty sweet spot— just do the things you aren’t usually able to do with a kid around, but want to. Don’t do anything that you 1) don’t want to do and/or 2) won’t be really really happy and proud to have accomplished.

[Anonymous]

See a play or a movie (and invite a friend)
Chill out in front of netflix in your own house, alone, with the snacks nobody else likes
Go paddling on the river after work
Tackle a minor home improvement project (but not too much. You want chill-out time).
Host a few friends for dinner and drinks

[Anonymous]

I love to be able strike a balance. Sleep in, get some projects done and then go have fun!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love to be able strike a balance. Sleep in, get some projects done and then go have fun!

This! This is what I do every year when my husband takes our girls on a trip with the other dads and their kids. It's awesome and you get a great mix of relaxing but also being productive. I personally find that when I don't do anything I feel like the time goes by too quickly and I didn't really enjoy it. Instead if I get some stuff done either around the house or out then I can truly appreciate the down time. Enjoy!