Becky,
I don’t really have coping mechanisms. I just go with the flow. Sometimes I take the kids out to a really early dinner and then we’ll watch a movie until bedtime.
The first couple of times, I had all of the laundry, cleaning, and cooking done before Kevin left, so it was like a mini-vacation for me. The boys and I just goofed off and I worked on projects after they went to bed. It’s hard to be that organized though!