I’m reveling in my last few days of quiet. Not that my kid-free month hasn’t been busy and full – it has. But it has been nice to take a break from 24/7 parenting of teens.
I’ve been out with friends – restaurants and back yard parties. I’ve strolled through farmers markets and malls. I’ve cooked fish and other seafood for many times, and I’ve even had popcorn for once (OK, maybe twice!) without worrying about what message I’m sending. A business trip gave me a few hours to wander in Montreal. I’ve spent more than one Saturday morning just doing nothing more than reading huge chunks of novels in one sitting and enjoying my back garden.
Because nobody was home to put fingers in paint, I’ve refreshed trim in parts of the house that really needed it. I had new carpet put in the upstairs bedrooms – a job that’s needed to be done for years.
My house has stayed clean. Things are where I’ve left them. There are no mysteriously almost-emptied boxes in my pantry. And oh, how my grocery bills shrank in size!
I haven’t been lonely, and yet I have missed them. My house seems a big for just me. So I’m looking forward to the kids back – even though I know the chaos that is about to come.
I have just less than 76 hours(not that I’m counting) until I begin the journey to bring the first home. The second follows a day later and the third needs collecting on Saturday. I’m looking forward to hearing of their summer adventures while we sort through the mountains of laundry that will come with them (and probably a lot of sand and dirt!)
I’ll take a deep breath and dive into the insanity of back-to-school preparations, trying to make order of the chaos that has come. With one headed back to university (God help me next year when there are two at once!) and two back to high school, there will be an inordinate number of things to do and not enough hours to do them in. Shopping, paperwork, rides to friends’ (and girl friends’) houses, my daughter’s agony over the first day of school outfit…..I’m exhausted already!
But I’m really looking forward to it. I only have a few more of these years left with my “gang” and I’m going to enjoy every single one of them. And besides – in 11 months, I’ll have my quiet time again!
