A Day in the Life of Mr. Army Wife

I was recently asked what a day in the life of a typical Mr. Army Wife looks like.  Well, I really can’t answer that.  First, there are so few of us that everyone’s day is going to look different.  It is my guess that most army husbands work 9 to 5 type jobs, and I don’t.  Second, I am anything but typical.  I enjoy being an enigma to my friends and family and yes, even to my wife.  It’s a lot of fun.  But, I can’t really tell you what a typical day looks like; I can only hope to share what I do with my time.

I think I should share a little bit of how I feel about being a stay at home hubby first.  I consider it a privilege.  I have heard from women on both sides of the issue.  Some absolutely adore the fact that I am willing to do the cooking and cleaning, all the while supporting my wife in her career.  Others don’t like it all.  They believe wholeheartedly that if I can work, have the education to work, and have the time to work then I should be out there working.  I respect their opinion.  They can have it. 

However, I understand the unique position that I am in.  Because of that I have one prevailing philosophy.  If there is something I can do to make sure that my wife doesn’t have to do it when she is off of work then I make sure it gets done.  There isn’t a chore that I won’t do, (although there are plenty I don’t like to do.)  There isn’t a meal I won’t cook.  There isn’t an errand I won’t run. (There is one, actually, but it was agreed upon pre-marriage.)  If there is some small way I can make Heather’s life easier, then that is my job, and I take too it with extreme urgency.

So, how does this translate into my day?  Well, first, I start my day early.  If I am not awake by the time Heather comes home from PT, then that is when I get out of bed.  I have pretty much always stuck to the thought that if Heather is awake, then I should be too.  The only exception to this is when she goes to PT.  She doesn’t see a reason for me to be up at 4:45.  Thank God for that. 

I make breakfast for Heather each morning.  I do my best to vary it up each day.  She likes pretty much any food, so it isn’t hard to make something I know she will enjoy.  Yesterday for example, I made her a spinach, mushroom and jalapeño breakfast quesadilla.  She liked it.  It was healthy.  I believe nothing can start your day off better than a good hearty and healthy meal. 

Once Heather is taken care of, I have to do a little something for myself.  Usually, I go for a run.  I don’t always want to do it, but let me say this.  Nothing has made a difference in my health or my attitude then becoming consistent with my exercise.  I honestly believe that if people would take up consistent exercises, they would not only start to feel healthier physically, but mentally and emotionally as well.  Get out and do something. 

Take a shower, eat breakfast, feed the dogs and cats are all other activities that get taken care of after the run.  Then comes the fun time.  I have to do my daily chore list.  Like I said earlier, I don’t want Heather coming home thinking that she has to do any work.  For this reason I have a weekly cleaning chart.  Each day of the week has a different room or area of the house that I have to clean.  For example, Thursday is bathroom day.  I will clean both bathrooms thoroughly.  I don’t have to like it, but it has to be done. 

Like any other stay at home person, I also have errands to run, meals to cook, and some small things that have to get done.  Around 5, I will start dinner hoping she will get off of work in time to be home before it is finished.  Some days she does, some days she doesn’t.  In either case, it will be hot and ready for her whenever she wants it. 

Of course, there is some downtime.  It doesn’t take me 3 hours to clean the bathrooms, at least not 3 consecutive hours.  I do have TV shows that I watch on the DVR.  I do answer emails and chat with other Army Wives around the globe.  I do meet with Army friends who live in the local area.  Heck, I may even take in a movie every once in a while.  Recently, I even started selling Pampered Chef.  What can I say, I love to cook and love their stuff. 

When Heather comes home we eat dinner, spend some quality time together and then get ready for bed.  She usually falls asleep a little earlier than me, so I watch TV, answer more emails and write.  That’s about it.  Nothing too exciting.

So there it is.  A typical day in the life of Mr. Army Wife is probably very similar to a lot of military housewives without kids.  We cook.  We clean.  We run errands.  We make sure that our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coastguardsmen have everything they need to get through their days.  It may not seem like much, but Heather reminded me why it was important once when someone questioned her about my lack of serious employment.

She responded with this.  “You have no idea all that he does, or why this is the best decision for us.  When I deploy, I don’t have to worry about anything.  I know the house is going to be taken care of.  I know the dogs and cats are going to be fed.  I know that all of those things I could be worried about aren’t even things I have to think about.  He will take care of it.   His support of this life, and of me is way more important.  He is available if I need him.  He can be anywhere I need him to be, or get anything I need him to get.  I get to focus on my mission because he takes his role as a military spouse so seriously.  It is a great weight lifted off my shoulder.” 

I love that girl.  The fact is that I have always said that if Heather would rather have me at a full time job earning tons of money then I would get out there and do that.  But she doesn’t, she wants me right where I am.  She wants me helping other military spouses as an Administrator with Operation: Stand By Your Man.  She wants me coming up with creative recipes that I can share at Army Wives Do It In the Kitchen.  She wants me to write, create, and love what I do.  No one could ask for more than that.

Besides all of the things I mentioned above I also have a lot of other hobbies.  I like to golf, perform in Community Theater, and go thrift store shopping.  But nothing, absolutely nothing, is more important to me than my role as Mr. Army Wife.  I love it.  I believe I was made for it.  It is my purpose.  There is nothing I would rather do. 

Now if you will excuse me, Heather just got home from PT…time to make the doughnuts.