Married to the 3rd Shift

Every night at about 9:30, my sweet hubby kisses me on the forehead and heads out the door to work. I am so very proud of him, and how hard he works. But, having a third-shift husband has a whole different set of challenges. In case you've never been down this road, allow me to illuminate the path for you.

This is our second stint into Third Shift World. Before my husband got laid off from his job two years ago, he worked nights. It wasn't so bad, then. Things were a little more quite and controlled. But our life is much more chaotic now, and it makes his return to third a lot more frustrating - for both of us.


Dilemma #1: What free time?

During the day, he sleeps and I run with the kids. During the evening, he's preparing for work. Our weekend is in the middle of the week, when the rest of the world still thinks we need to run on "real" time, and we still have things like doctor's appointments to keep us on our toes.


Dilemma #2: Muzzles on 2-year-olds are illegal

Red bosses around Fluffyheaded Diva and makes her scream. Fluffyheaded Diva annoys Sir Smiley and he screams. Sir Smiley gets mad at Red and hits him, and then Red yells. And so the cycle continues. All. Day. LONG. Hubby doesn't sleep nearly as deeply as he should, nor as long as he should, and I'm a ragged mess with pulled-out hair and my lips permanently pursed into the "shush" position.


Dilemma #3: Dinner for breakfast

Meals no longer make sense in this house. When Hubby walks in the door, he doesn't want bacon and eggs, he wants a cheeseburger. My tummy never knows what to expect anymore. I knew it was bad the other day when Fluffy asked for cereal and mashed potatoes. *sigh*


Dilemma #4: Writing blogs at 2:30 in the morning

Yeah, that's what time it is right now. My sleep schedule is so far from normal, I'm not sure it will ever return. No one to snuggle with, no one to make fun of stupid people on TV with, and no one to get up and shut off the lights and make sure the a/c is set on the correct temperature. I just haven't been able to sleep as well without him here lately.


*~*

All that being said, there are some silver linings ... the time that we spend together is so very much more precious than it used to be. Also, in this economy, no one really wants to argue about having a job. We can do fun things when everyone else is in work or school, and that's been a huge benefit over the years.

Too bad none of that balances out the empty side of the bed....