Today, I was home throughout the entire work day by myself. I did not have to referee any fights between siblings. I had no one to tell to do the dishes (they aren’t done yet). And I was able to clean the house, and it STAYED clean.
It was weird. When you have four children, you don’t usually have times where you are absolutely alone — especially when it is summertime, and the children are not leaving every day to go to school.
So where did my children go?
Two of them went to their friends’ house where they could argue with each other in front of someone else’s mother. (Autumn and Maxine’s best friends are sisters, too.)
Justin, after lots of worry and angst, finally was able to make plans with a friend. He usually gets left out. I’ve learned after having three girls and a boy that boys just don’t plan as many get togethers as girls do. Plus, he isn’t as good at getting his friends’ phone numbers, and with everyone giving up home phones for cell phones, if you don’t know the number, you are out of luck.
And that just left Amanda who hasn’t been home for three weeks. Sniff. OK, technically, I was with her for those first two weeks because we were camping, but this last week she has been off on her own at (sniff) ranch camp. I’m sure she is missing me horribly, and I am sure she could not be distracted by spending the week with horses and sleeping just up a small hill from the barn. Right. I’m not sure Amanda even missed Lilly this week.
That meant last night, my husband and I were in our house alone. We did something really unusual — we had banana split blizzards. (Don’t tell the kids.)
But tonight, one child is home (Justin), and the husband is already in bed, and I am once alone for all intents and purposes alone with my computer.
And tomorrow? Tomorrow, everyone comes home! I am supposed to pick Amanda up from ranch camp at 2 p.m. Do you think she will mind if I arrive at noon? It isn’t like I’ll make her leave early — there is a little bit of a rodeo where the ranch camp kids show off their new skills on the horse.
And my house will once again be filled with bickering siblings, and I will be happier. What the….?
