What Would You Do with Two Weeks Kiddo-Free?

[midweststache]

Our kiddos are going to be at sleep away camp for two weeks, and while DH and I will still be working FT during this period we're hoping to use this period to get some stuff accomplished that's... well, not easy with the kiddos around. Some key items on our list:

- Deep clean house (think washing curtains, deep cleaning the oven, rinsing out garbage cans, etc.)
- Organizing projects (going through clothes/linens, taking specialty items to be recycled, cleaning out garage, etc.)
- Kitchen pantry clean out (eating down things the kiddos are less adventurous with: arborio rice, canned tuna, etc. - we're trying to get our our grocery shop essentially be limited to perishable foods, mainly fruit & veg)
- Mid-year household financial review

Any suggestions on things to do sans kiddos for a bit - specifically, at-home projects that are low- or no-cost that are on that "just can't get to it" list we all have? Maybe they fit into the above categories, or maybe not?

(Looking to crowdsource this because, to be frank, between FT work and two high-energy kiddos I don't even have the brain space to plan for this rn.)

[reeshau]

Spend some vacation days on the two of you.  If you don't have a lot, then stretch a weekend into a long weekend.

Remember what vacations were like before kiddos.

[TheFrenchCat]

Spend some vacation days on the two of you.  If you don't have a lot, then stretch a week3nd into a long weekend.

Remember what vacations were like before kiddos.

Seconding this.  DD does a 5 day/4 night camp and last year was a really great time for DH and I to reconnect.  We took one day off and spent it just hanging out together.  It was glorious.  If we had two whole weeks, I think I'd take at least a 3 night vacation with just the two of us. 

But we're the house of perpetually unfinished projects, so take that as you will. Though I think if your kids are old enough to go to a two week sleep away camp, then in my house they'd be old enough to help with the deep cleaning and organization projects.  So I'd do that with them during the summer too.  For the financial review, maybe make it kind of like an at-home date where you also go over the books?  Make a nice meal or order take-out and then spend an uninterrupted evening going over your numbers, goals and such.

[Just_Me]

Thirding what @reeshau said.

@TheFrenchCat  had a good pointon getting the kids engaged. Also, our house is also full of unfinished projects (lol).

How old are your kids? Ours are both elementary aged, and if they were gone for two weeks, it would probably take me a week to decompress to figure out how I wanted to spend the next week.

I definitely would not be forcing myself to do household cleaning/organizing projects, unless they would vastly improve my QoL and ease of parenting when kids get back. We just did their winter/spring &summer clothing swap from the attic, but that's something that only takes a few hours. A list of house projects would mentally and physically exhaust me more than having kids around (maybe) but that kind of stuff doesn't recharge me.

If DW and I did end up working full time and only had evenings and weekends together, I'd consider an outing or three. Also I'd push us to rebel a bit more since the kids aren't home and we don't have to tend to their needs. For me, that means staying out a bit later/waking up later and pushing my body a bit more in the name of having a good time together.

I recently did a 36 hour tech cleanse when I had an overnight sitter lined up with nothing on the agenda other than relaxing, eating, reading, and drawing/hobbying. I didn't even have a clock. It was a great way of getting out of the schedule wrapped around kids/school/work.

[deborah]

When I worked, I sometimes took a week off as a “me” week, when I’d do a lot of things that were exhausting me just thinking about them - checking out insurance policies to see if we were on the best ones, going individually into each room and looking at what I wanted to change about it to make it work better in future, planning the garden, getting people to fix things around the house…

[FireLane]

If I had two kid-free weeks, I'd use that time to catch up on my sleep, cook a romantic candlelight dinner for my wife and me, open a bottle of wine, watch a non-kid-friendly movie or TV show... all the stuff that's hard or impossible to do with children underfoot. I definitely wouldn't spend the whole time catching up on chores.

Granted, after a few days of leisure, I'd probably get bored and I might want to tackle whatever projects seemed most appealing and/or urgent. But I wouldn't devote all my free time to that.

If you don't have the brain space to plan for those two weeks, it sounds like you need some time for rest and relaxation! Make that your highest priority. Have an at-home date night with your spouse, or go to a fancy restaurant that doesn't have a kids' menu. It shouldn't take long until you feel rested, and then you should have plenty of time left to make progress on your backlog of tasks.

[AuspiciousEight]

That would be...glorious.

Honestly it's hard for me to even comprehend such a thing. I would probably take the time off of work and reconnect with my spouse. Go on dates, local activities, out to eat, hiking, playing tennis or pickleball.

I would catch up on sleep, relax, and enjoy the peace and quiet.

I would not spend the time catching up on chores.

[GuitarStv]

Cleaning, eating weird food and organization?  C'mon.

Fortnight of fucking!

[Laura33]

1.  Nap.

2.  Sex.

3.  Repeat 1 and 2. 

[Just_Me]

1.  Nap.

2.  Sex.

3.  Repeat 1 and 2.

Yes!

[achvfi]

Take vacation/leave and explore Europe with my wife... Its long overdue.

[midweststache]

Thanks all - I think I just needed some external validation to take a breather (and a nap or four).

I also really like the idea of a tech cleanse, but I think I'm gonna give myself some grace to binge watch crap TV if that's where the mood takes me. :)

[Just_Me]

Don't forget the sex

[GuitarStv]

Don't forget the sex

But use protection this time.  Forgetting that is how you got into this mess in the first place.  :P

[Just_Me]

Don't forget the sex

But use protection this time.  Forgetting that is how you got into this mess in the first place.  :P

Yeah, let's not go too crazy now. Fuck responsibly

[JupiterGreen]

1.  Nap.

2.  Sex.

3.  Repeat 1 and 2.

Solid advice 10/10

[yachi]

(eating down things the kiddos are less adventurous with: arborio rice

hold up, what?  This is begging for some recipes.  Arborio rice has that genetic defect that makes it possible to get al-dente easier.  That could be the texture your kids don't like.  I make mine like a risotto, starting with butter and adding almost-boiling chicken stock by the ladleful until done, stirring constantly.  It's best made with protein that can be baked so that you can focus your attention on it.  Bonus points if you can get your kids to stir it.  I found that makes mine more likely to try the food.  After you take if off the burner, I finish it with 1/4 to  half cup of parmesan cheese.

But mostly, I agree with Laura33's suggestions.  Daytime sex is awesome, as are naps afterward.  An awesome part of early retirement.
 This will be sorely missed in our household now that summer break is here for the kids.  I'll add that it this isn't as large a part in your relationship, don't despair.  We went through some very long dry spells, and it's 100% different now.

[Chris Pascale]

We had one of these in 2006 and I screwed it up by not taking time off work because I felt like I couldn't just put in for leave last-minute to have the time of my life with the girl I love. As an older man, I now know this would have been the very best thing to do above all other things.

My wife did a good job of making it great. One night on a Wednesday we went out dancing until midnight. Another day we went to the beach. One of them she rented a movie I'd really like and we ate pizza in bed while watching it.

The first week, we really couldn't believe how fast the last year had gone by, and we realized that while we weren't going to have a kid too soon, we were definitely going to have more. Up to this point, I was considering a vasectomy. In fact, it might have been this week that led to me not joining the Secret Service. I'd later applied to be a special agent in North Carolina, and they asked that I re-apply to be in the White House's uniformed division. On the one hand, saying you're a sniper would be cool. On the other, I could not have afforded to have more kids on that salary in DC, so decided against it.

Thinking about it now, I'd actually turned down this same job - White House Guard - in the marine recruiting office in 2003 when I was single, so perhaps I never would have taken it under any circumstance.