Good luck with that, Bob. I have a den AND a cave AND the garage but I spend almost no time in any of them. Maybe I'll try to change that this summer.

When you go to make a beer fridge, I have some pointers. There should be brewery in KC that sells beer in 5 gallon kegs. That's the way to go. The place in Indianapolis that has a Keg Club has an $80 membership fee (deposit) and refils of the 5.3 gallon keg at about $50. That's $1 a pint.

Now the rest of the system won't be cheap, but it's a good way to go.

I need to get some of this documented...

It's not about drinking a lot, but having the option whenever you want and not having to drink a bottle at a time and paying $2 for 12 oz.

Yeah this is tough. I usually know a few nights a week where the wife has her shows in the bedroom and i can catch up on my shows in the family room.

Then on the weekends I usually get the kids' nap time to myself. The kids are 26 and 11 months so it's sometimes 3 hours and i can watch golf or baseball. During NFL season the wife knows Dolphins games are dad time. Thats the only time I flex my "muscles" on me time.

Oh and i do get to play golf but usually with my father in law so I don't get gult for that.

The father in law golf card is bullet proof, sucks mine lives in New Mexico and hasn't played golf in 30 years. I have carved out Longhorn Football and Basketball games as me time, it's even better as my oldest son is really starting to dig the games. The more sports you can encourage your children to watch the better!

Nope. No strategy here, though I seriously need one before I lose my mind. I'm a a SAHD PLUS I work from home all day Saturday/Sunday. My wife works midnights, 7 days on/7 days off.

So, basically I have a 5 day stretch every other week when we are both off. The first day is usually a wash since the wife is catching up on sleep. 4 days left, there are all sorts of things to get done around the house, wife has stuff to do, etc., etc. Somehow a chunk of 'me time' never seems to get figured into the equation. Part of it is my fault since I do not manage my time or plan ahead very well. Part of it is my wife's fault since she does not realize that I NEED some time to myself, even if it is just being at home and NOT BEING BOTHERED BY ANYONE for a few hours.

Clearly, there needs to be some discussion at my house and I need to step up and plan my time more efficiently.

Here's an instant 'me-time' method that I've used a few times, to great success.

Step one - realize you will not get something for nothing. There's a little work involved in this method, but there's no rule that says you can't enjoy the work.


"Honey, I know you mentioned the other day about how the house needed a good cleaning. If you can take the munchkin out for the afternoon, I'll take care of it."

If your wife is like mine (female), she'll be shocked and impressed. Then remind her that you'll need about 4-5 hours ('oven cleaner fumes are bad for the baby').

Start getting things ready. Pull out the oven cleaner, vaccum, mop, rags, a tool kit, pull the garbage cans and recycling bins out into the open. As you're running around, keep asking your wife if she needs any help getting ready, (ask from a different area of the house each time - this prevents you getting tied up with larger tasks such as dressing the children).

By the time she leaves, you'll already have all the things you need out in the open, and she'll know you mean business.

By getting things ready in advance, you've bought yourself 1 of the 4-5 hours you negotiated for.

Make the cleaning fun. Grab a homebrew, crank up the stereo and clean whatever she will see first when she gets home (usually the vaccuming around the entrance). Do it with the same panic and fervor that you had when you were in high-school and threw a party that got out of control while your parents were away.

You should get it done in half the time.

Have another beer, watch your favorite show, or, in my case, play guitar as loudly as possible to an audience of stuffed animals

About an hour before she returns, put away the beer (this can't look like fun or part 2 won't work) get back to cleaning or whatever household project you can think of so you're not caught napping.

When she returns, she should be impressed. Now is the time to negotiate for a 'night-out with the boys', in exchange.

2-3 hours of real hard work now pays off in 2-3 hours of me-time, and a night out with the boys...

groovedaddy: sounds like an abuse to the system! but a very effective way to abuse it! She gets what she wants and you get what you want and she still has to take of the little ones for 4-6 hours.

Being a Part-time SAHD I have found it effective to get alot of cleaning done during the day while I am watching the baby. It doesn't take that long and when she comes home she see's all the work you've done and she takes the baby for the night and I'm able to escape to "the office" and be a geek/sports nut.