Not having my other half around the house is like trying to breathe with one lung. I don't know what that would feel like, you know, since I have two functioning lungs, but I imagine the stress of trying to get stuff done without having my back-up feels like trying to breathe with only one lung. It's only for a short while, and there are other families whose other halves stay away for much longer periods, but it's still harder than I imagined. My two babies are 5 and 3, so I'm not constantly attending to them, but they're fiercely independent and energetic, so it's extremely physical and mentally exhausting keeping up with them and answering all their questions.
I'm a big boy, so I can do it, but I'm a big sook, so I'm just complaining :)