A Dozen Reasons

Much to everyone's surprise, my ex did pick up the three youngest kids and take them to his place in Canada for a week...well, for a week if all goes well.  If it doesn't, he will bring them back early.  But I asked the kids to please be on their best behavior for their dad, so maybe they will stay the entire week.

I miss them already, and they've been away from me less than 48 hours.  Their older sister also misses them.  But we need to look on the bright side of this.  So guess what?  I have another list for you!  This time, it's a dozen reasons why having my kids gone until next Friday is a good thing.

1. I get to spend some quality time with my eldest, who will be off to college in just over a year.  I am going to make the most of our time together, because too often, in the busyness of life, my time with her is cut short by chores and interruptions from her siblings.

2. I may be able to clean house more effectively without people following me around messing it up as fast as I clean it.

3.  We can eat things the younger kids don't like, which generally means that we will be eating much healthier this week...well, except that...

4. I can afford to go to the local ice cream joint, since I will only have to buy ice cream for two of us!

5. I can take care of paperwork and other chores that are hard to do with interruptions of "Hey Mom," which is usually followed by some earth-shattering news about the video game my son has been trying to master or a bit of trivia about whichever animal my daughter is reading about.  And THAT is followed by me pulling my hair out as I start over AGAIN!

6. I can go to bed earlier than usual...or stay up later than usual to read.

7. I can run around the house in my summer jammies, which is something I don't do if my boys are home, for reasons of modesty and not grossing anyone out.

8.  I can blog every day if I have something worth saying every day, since nobody will interrupt me while I am writing.

9. My daughter and I can go out with one of her friends and her friend's mom, without worrying about leaving the kids home with their 15-year-old brother. 

10. We can watch chick flicks!

11. When I put food in the refrigerator or pantry, I know it will still be there when I return, instead of having vast quantities of food disappear into the bottomless pit that my oldest boy has become.

12. I can play "Just Dance" on the wii with only ONE person laughing at me, instead of four. 

And there they are:  a dozen reasons to be glad that my kids are spending a week with their dad. 

If you are a divorced parent, what are some of the positives to your time without your kids?