how do you greet him when he returns? I know it is not easy, you want to tell him about all the problems you've encountered while he was away and what you need him to do, but sometimes you have to bite your tongue and not do that.

my H travels for his business - sometimes away all week and just home for the weekend; returns exhausted and doesn't want to hear about any problems or anything he needs to do.

so a few tips that I picked up over time:

1) don't sit around waiting for him to come back. GAL! do fun things with your friends and your daughters.

2) don't expect him to do repairs when he comes home. (ok in our case, besides my H being too tired when he gets home, he's not the "handy" type.) you know who can do repairs better than the average husband? yep, the average wife! smile ever see a man trying to open a stuck drawer, and how a woman does it? the man will pull on the drawer handle; and then pull harder; until the front of the drawer comes off. the woman will jiggle and jiggle it till she gets it open with no damage done. smile and for repairs that are out of your expertise, get a good handyman (ask friends for recommendations) and call him whenever anything needs to be fixed. a lot less expensive than counselling would be (after you ask your H, tired from a long trip, to fix something and you argue about it).

3) set a time for you and H to talk on the phone for an hour a day, in the evening. H and I used to do this when he started travelling; even though in those days there weren't cell phones or skype or IM, and long distance phone calls cost money! but it is important to be able to just chat and share ideas, as you would do if he were home. since he is in MLC, don't spend this time criticizing him. talk about neutral, fun things, the news from home about your daughters, etc.

good luck!

Me: 60 H: 63
married 40, together 42
3 grown kids