A whole new world......

OK....so like a lot of other husbands out there...mine added his name to the list of thousands last week who have been "relieved" of their duties at a large investment firm (we'll just leave it at that...no names necessary)

Well, I have to tell you, at first I panicked - after all, we have only one income coming into this house and we have three kids, a dog and a fish (oh yeah, and we are hosting the class hamster this week as well)....but, we are one of the lucky families that had something on the back burner so my husband will be returning to work in a few weeks.

I have thoroughly enjoyed having my husband home since he lost his job. Everyone gave me a hard time at first saying things like "Oh, after a few days that will wear off and you will be begging him to back to work"....but having three small children home with me everyday was beginning to really wear on me and I needed a break too! I have joked with my friends that I now have a manny....which is something I thought only executives in Manhattan got the luxury of having....look at me now!!!

My husband has never spent this much time with our children, our baby has become a daddy's boy and now hangs on his leg instead of mine, my son has someone to play Mario Kart and wrestle on the floor with, and my daughter who is 6 going on 16 has been able to talk to him at night when he is putting her to bed and she can actually voice her concerns and talk to him about things that happened during her day.

Now, is everything rosy? Absolutely not...he puts the Tupperware away in the wrong spot, he changes the location of items in the kitchen and does not indicate on the grocery list when we are out of something.....but if those are my problems right now I consider myself very lucky!

Scary things tend to come out of his mouth like "I think I am going to demo the bathroom next week" or "I'm thinking of buying a truck and a snow plow".......he has no experience in either category.

I know when he goes back to work in a few weeks I will be the one clinging on to his leg as he walks out the door and waving out the window sobbing, I will be a glass of wine or two ahead of him when he comes home at night (once again) and we will again face the challenge of having any time together but that's OK - because somehow life always has a way of balancing itself out - right?

Now, I think I'll go ask my manny if he feels like folding the laundry and sit back and enjoy a cup of lukewarm coffee in my semi-clean robe......ahhhhh....the luxuries......