the good and the bad, the peace and the quiet

My husband took the three older kids camping this weekend, leaving me alone at home with one tiny baby. There are both good and bad things about this.

Good:
1. I got me some SLEEP! I was reminded of what is was like to have just one tiny little baby that slept 20 hours a day. Sigh... it was nice to relive that this weekend.
2. This is probably the first time in a year that my laundry has been all caught up. But once those kids walk in with their camp fire smelling clothes, that will go right out the door.
3. I had the chance to sit and focus on Porter's little face and study it. I have discovered a favorite look he pulls. After he sneezes, His eyes bug out and he gets this look like he was just in another dimension and he is wondering how he just got back. It's priceless.
4. The house stayed relatively clean. And spill free for a few days. I'm pretty sure that is a record for the books.
5. There is nothing like a little alone time to make you reflect and renew your appreciation for your family. Especially the husband that changes the light bulbs (doing laundry in the dark is a lot more time consuming than doing laundry with light). And the husband that takes out the garbage. It is sitting by me right now, stinking up the joint.

Bad:
1. I realized how total silence in a LARGE, empty house at night can be a little creepy. I channeled my husbands OCD for checking the doors to make sure they were locked. Which takes half the night because there are like a thousand doors on this house.
2. I spent way too much time and money downloading songs off itunes. Loving her (listen to "it doesn't hurt") and this. and this.
3. I wasted a lot of time watching stupid movies that I never cared to take time to watch before like Flashdance.
4. While camping, Brian got the privilege of taking Caleb to his first visit to the ER for stitches. (apparently Caleb is so efficient at being pathetic, he managed to make the nurse cry.)
5. I had grand plans of being very productive; Porter, however, had plans of getting all his mommy cuddling time in. He won.

All in all, it was a nice, quiet, much needed restful weekend. And I have a feeling my kids will be having me pay for it all next week.