When The Cat Is Away

When my man is out of town...

I clean more. Because if I don't do it, no one will. This is sometimes the case even when he is around, but a girl can dream. A girl can dream that the dishwasher will unload and reload itself overnight, right? It's funny. When the man's not here, I clean more. When he is here, I clean less in the hope that he will pick up my slack in the kitchen, but that's why the house is messier on weekends. Here's the flaw in my plan: although we used to share the housework equally before we had our boys because we were both working, cleaning the house is primarily my responsibility now, and rightly so; it's part of my job description. So on days when the man of the house is not working, he's too busy catching up on things like yard work and painting and repairing (things I never do) to think about the dishes I've been neglecting.

I stay up too late. Why? Is it because I am subconsciously waiting to go to bed with him? I don't think so. We don't always go to bed at the same time. When we do, it's because he announces his intention to hit the sack and I race him upstairs so I don't have to turn off the lights. I think it's because I am too busy enjoying being enveloped in sweet, sweet solitude. The combination of silence and freedom is intoxicating. If I were to go to sleep, it would be at the expense of this rare privilege, and that would just be irresponsible time management.

I regret my late bedtime every morning. I stay up later and later each night and get grumpier and grumpier each morning until he comes home.

I spend the entire week in a near-constant state of half-fear. Fear that a ghost-child will pay me a visit in the dark basement. Fear that someone will break in and I won't know which child to rescue first. Fear that I'll fall through a black hole and it will be days before anyone figures out that the boys have been subsisting on animal crackers and raisins from the kitchen floor.

I eat a late dinner. I was going to say I eat a very late dinner, but let's face it: 8:30 is not very late. It only seems that way because everyone in my house is asleep except me. Yes, when I am acting the role of a single parent, I sometimes wait to enjoy my dinner until the boys are in bed. That way, for one meal, I get to sit down, taste my food, and enjoy more than two consecutive bites. But hey, if I'm going to consume my calories after hours, this isn't a bad way to go, eh?

Gourmet Grilled Cheese

havarti cheese

mozzarella cheese

butter

honey

fresh basil, chopped

tomato, sliced

crusty multigrain bread

Butter 2 slices of bread and place in frying pan, butter side down. Top one slice with havarti and one slice with mozzarella. Cook until golden on bottom and the cheese starts to melt. Place tomato slices on mozzarella side and drizzle honey on havarti side. Place under broiler for a few minutes to heat tomato and melt cheese completely. Sprinkle with basil and assemble sandwich. Enjoy!