6. Your spouse will be working long hours. Netflix and the Internet are your friends!

This little piece of advice is pretty self-explanatory, so I won't delve into it too deeply. Let's just say that there will be times when you will find yourself all alone with nothing to do because your resident spouse will be putting in (yet, again) a moonlighting shift at one hospital, and you won't be seeing him/her again until some time the next day when his/her shift at a different hospital ends. The best thing to do in this situation is to learn a new hobby or two (preferably those that need only one person to do them) or to re-establish old hobbies that have been put aside for one reason or another. My favorite (solitary) things to do in life are to read books, watch movies, and surf the Internet. A long time ago, I decided to join Netflix, partly because I hated going to the video store, and partly because we never had the time to go to the theater to see new movies. Netflix was a godsend for me. No late fees, no lines at the video store. I just add a new movie to my long queue on the Internet, and whenever I'm done with one movie, I send it back in the mail and receive the next movie on my list a couple of days later. I've been able to see all types of films, and at just under $20 a month, it really has paid for itself. My favorite part is that I don't have to worry if I get a movie my husband doesn't want to watch. It made his moonlighting shifts and call nights at the hospital so much fun for me! I'd actually look forward to some alone time, so I could watch an epic period piece, foreign film, or "chick flick" without him being disgusted or bored by the film. Of course, B has a say in some of the films on our list, and he's enjoyed having his own time to watch movies that I may not enjoy. It's been a win-win situation all around! And, it's saved us a ton of money because before Netflix, I'd always buy DVDs to add to our very large collection. Now, I decide after watching a movie from Netflix whether it's worth it or not to buy it for keeps. Another thing that has really helped me get through the long, lonely nights is the Internet. Okay, it might be an addiction, but I'm happy to admit that I'm a web surfer, and I enjoy it! E-mail has kept me in contact with friends and family who used to live long distances away from me (and it will continue to do so after our big move). I've discovered one of my teenage crushes from TV and film is now a successful blogger/author/actor/father (go read Wil Wheaton's blog; I promise you that it won't disappoint). I've found oodles of web-comics and gaming resources and parenting resources and other funky, fun websites that have helped me spend my time in a (sort of) constructive way. Mostly, it's kept me sane through those nights when I really missed my hubby. Finally, I rediscovered my love for books, and though having a son has lessened the amount of time I have to actually sit down and read, I still have found some amazing stories to fill my alone time. Really, it all boils down to finding something you enjoy doing and doing it at a time when it'll matter the most to you. I'll talk more later about finding new hobbies and things to do with your solitary time, but for now, I'm going to enjoy some leftover ice cream cake from my birthday last Friday with my son in front of our new satellite TV. I'll see ya when I see ya.
Best to you all,
Amanda