Thursday, July 12, 2012

Alaskan Mamas

Being away from Drew for this extended Alaska visit is working its marital magic by remininding me of just how much he does for me and the girls (the fact that he has changed zero of Marguerite's diapers aside). 

Spending time with my Alaskan Mama friends (and my own Alaskan Mama) who go solo for many months out of the year while their men are fishing or on the north slope makes me feel grateful for Drew's normal proximity of thirty feet from our house during the work day and otherwise home. 

What do I do when:
1.  the cat brings a rat into the house? 
2.  I have a tantruming toddler refusing to walk home from the playground? 
3.  the alarm on the septic tank goes off?
4.  One of the girls gets stung by a bee?
5.  Marguerite is still napping and I need to pick Genevieve up from preschool?
6.  My car battery is dead?
7.  I need to make a work related phone call?
8.  I have two sleeping girls and a car full of groceries to haul inside?
9.  I can't get my shit together to cook dinner?
10.  the dishwasher starts leaking?

I call Drew, who within minutes can help me out of a tight spot.

What do Alaskan Mamas do when:
1.  there is a bear on their porch.
2.  their water pipes are frozen.
3.  their front door is snowed in.
4.  their car is stuck in the driveway.
5.  some  hypothermic drunk guy is knocking on their door in the middle of the night after running his truck off the road.
6.  their basement is flooding.
7.  "time out" stops working with the kids.
8.  they haven't had an in person conversation with an adult in eight days.
9.  the power goes out in the middle of a snow storm.
10.  a moose in the yard is keeping them from sending the kids outside.

They DEAL with it.  Alone (well, not completely alone - there is probably a baby strapped to their back and a toddler hanging on their Carhartt loop).

Props to you Alaskan Mamas.  Better you than me.

1 comment:

  1. Generally... We make a pot of coffee, check Facebook, pretend for ten minutes that we're living in a cozy suburb of Portland in small, graciously appointed home with a nice yard for ten minutes, then do just what you would do, R.M. Nice blog.

    ReplyDelete