a; b; c; or d, all of the above?

I haven't had any time to write lately because Stupid Daddy is studying for a very important exam that he'll be taking later this week. I can't say anything more about it because I need to keep his professional life couched in a protective haze in case I say anything damning and his boss at the CIA finds out about it.

The impact of all this studying on me has been twofold. First, I have been dealing with the kids pretty much solo since Friday. Stupid Daddy has made it quite clear that until the exam is over, he will donate a half hour of his time at most each day to family matters, and I should be fucking grateful he's giving us that much.

And though I still enjoy complaining about having to do it all alone, to my amazement these 13-hour days haven't been as hard as I expected. The kids have been in generally good spirits. They've been going to bed early and easily. There have been lots of play dates and excursions, though it's true that there has been a lot of frozen food and TV as well. And also, tomorrow they're all in school.

Second, the stress has transformed my normally even-tempered and easygoing husband into a snappy, tightly wound, demanding, humorless, irritable, prickly bonehead. That's supposed to be my role in this relationship! Dude is totally stealing my thunder.