When The Kids Are Away...The Mom Will Play

I am the mother of three teenagers.  To that statement some would say, "What fun!", others who are more realistic and not on mind altering drugs, would say, "Let me knock you out and put you out of your misery."  I'm just teasing. I have good kids. Most of the time. Especially when they are all sleeping. Just teasing again. Really.

My two sons and one daughter left for youth camp this week. Actually they will be gone for ten whole days. This has never happened before. All of them gone....at the same time.....for this long of a period. I don't know whether to cry or do the happy dance. Maybe both. It is very quiet around here without them, but it was a whole lot easier to fix dinner for my hubs and me without three ravenous teens hanging around me while I fix the grub. No blaring video games, no wrestling on the floor, so endless questions that begin at 10 o'clock at night, or hanging out in the bathroom--for forever. I suppose I will have a taste of what the "empty nest" will be like in the not so distant future. Hmmmm.....I think my not so distant future will be very quiet. I'm not sure how I feel about that.

MY TOP TEN LIST OF THINGS TO DO WHEN THE TEENS ARE GONE ALL WEEK:

1. Take a nap in the middle of the day...because I can.

2. Fix dinner when I feel like it, because there are no teens to say, " What's for dinner? I'm STARVED! Is dinner ready yet?"

3. Clean the house in the buff. Haha. That caught your attention. I'm not really going to clean the house in my birthday suit....but, I could if I wanted to. I'm just wild and crazy like that. Besides we only have llamas as neighbors. They wouldn't care.

4. Turn the TV on the channel that I WANT to watch. Leave the room and come back and the same channel is on the TV. No one changed it!

5. Watch every show on HGTV...once again, because I can!

6. Go out and get an ice cream cone. Eat it guilt free. Don't feel guilty because I am eating an ice cream and they aren't. After all they are at camp and will have fun. Ice cream is better than camp. At least to me.

7. Sleep like a baby. No worries about who is roaming around the house at night. Invading the kitchen.... and what snacks have been confiscated to someone's bedroom. Whatever is in the kitchen this next week---will stay where I put it!

8. Take a long, hot bath. Also do this guilt free. The kids will be swimming in a lake this week. Out in nature. I prefer a Whirlpool myself.

9. Enjoy time with my husband. It's like we are on a honeymoon. Well, except that he works from home and is on the phone and computer a lot. So, he is really busy and all that mumbo jumbo. Maybe I will clean his office for him. Refer back to number 3. (big, goofy grin)

10. Enjoy my week, but look forward to the kids return. After all, we won't have them at home for very much longer. Time doesn't slow down for any one. Even if we wish it would sometimes.