Getting used to looking after kids alone

this is only a short term thing but i though their might be some military wives or single mums out there that might be able to help

DH is moving to aussie in 10 days and ill be moving over once he finds us somewhere to live which could be 3 weeks - 3 months. How did you get used to running the house on your own.

i have a nearly 4 month old and a nearly 17 month old and i am at uni as well but only have 3 weeks of classes left. DH is pretty hands on. he does the dishes, baths the kids and gets up during the night to feed the baby a bottle as he still wakes 3-4 hourly so we take turns.

so any ideas on how to help the kids cope without their daddy who comes home and drops everything he is doing to play with them and tuck them in. how i keep up with the house, uni, the packing, the kids and everything else and well as the fact we have never been apart more than 3 days and i have to not fall apart as well. lol

Is there anyone you can call on for some support, either to help get organized with packing, or to do some occasional childminding / take some of the weight off?

I only have one child but have been a single parent for nearly a year now. I usually prioritise things - stuff that has to be done and stuff that can either wait or is not that important. Baths don't always happen in our house, I do hands, face and neck wash every day but G can do a day or two without one. I only wash what is absolutely necessary, I use the least amount of dishes possible and turn a blind eye to some of the house work. Feeding us and getting us out the door to work/daycare, and getting dinner organised and her in to bed are my top priorities every day. Sometimes I do have to lie on the couch and take a breather, I try not to feel guilty when I have stuff piling up because you have to look after yourself to look after them.

I guess my number one point is that you should decided what is the most important to you (uni and getting packed up I guess) and then work out how much you can realistically get done round that. I do some work from home when Gabrielle is asleep and I try and wash at night and hang it on the clothes airer.

I second the point that minik8ke made about sleep issues. G has been not that great about sleeping, she likes to follow me round during the day and doesn't like me to go out of her line of sight. I have tried to just cope with this as best I can, I let her sleep with me when I have to and try to catch a few winks when she is asleep during the day if I am not at work.

As for entertaining them - your 17 month old might enjoy "helping" you do the stuff you have to do. I have Gabrielle standing on a chair next to me while I make dinner, she usually has measuring cups and some bowls and spoons, sometimes mixed veges or water to mess with. She likes to hand me pegs or put them away when I am washing and she will carry washing to be put away. Try and set aside 10 mins for playing esp with your older boy coz if your DH usually plays with them they will miss having the attention.

I also use a crockpot sometimes (slow cooker) so that I can prepare the meal in the morning and its ready at night. It makes dealing with the whole dinner/bedtime routine a bit easier if you don't actually have to cook.

Also (and I have no experience of this but just thought I'd mention it) could you set up skype so that you and the kids could talk to your DH each day. Might help them and you with the whole missing him part.