The Kids Are With Us... Even When They Aren't

Sometimes you don't realize how much noise fills your home until, suddenly, it's gone.

With five kids, I've learned that when even one child leaves the house, things get noticeably quieter. So when my nephew pleaded with his mom (my sister) to let my three boys come stay for a sleepover since there was no school for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, she agreed.

How nice!

I mean, after all... three less children in the house? Can you imagine the peace and quiet?

Within minutes, though, I got a phone call from my mother-in-law.

I held my breath.

Could it be?

Was she calling to ask if my two daughters could spend the night too?

There was no school tomorrow after all...

Sure enough!

She was on her way, and the girls were already packed and excited before I even had time to process it.

Did I mention how much I love Martin Luther King Jr. Day?

Within minutes, our house was completely quiet, the sun was still shining, and I was convinced a miracle had occurred.

Did I call my husband to let him know he would be coming home to an empty house?

Nope.

I was completely selfish and decided to enjoy every minute of my unexpected alone time.

I took a bubble bath.

I painted my very overdue toenails.

I read.

I edited photos.

And I let my husband discover the surprise when he walked through the door.

It had been years (before kids) since we had our house completely to ourselves.

We enjoyed a quiet dinner together. My food was still warm when I took a bite. Cleanup took only seconds.

Ahhh... peace and quiet.

After dinner, I headed to my favorite room in the house...our bedroom. We love crawling into our little "love nest," watching our favorite recorded shows, talking, and simply enjoying each other's company.

It was perfect.

Until...

I was brushing my teeth and getting ready for bed when I heard my husband call from the other end of the house.

His voice sounded unusually frustrated.

That caught my attention.

"What’s wrong?" I called back, already imagining the worst.

Now, my husband is one of the calmest people I know. The house could be on fire, or the world could be ending, and he would probably remain as calm as a monk.

So when I heard frustration in his voice, I knew something had happened.

His response?

"NOTHING! Just one of our children taking after their mother!"

Okay... now I was really interested.

I dropped what I was doing and found him in the hall bathroom. He was standing there, clearly annoyed.

"Honey, what happened?"

He lowered the toilet lid and pointed.

Written across the seat with a SHARPIE marker were the words:

"No Yousing"

I immediately understood.

And I burst out laughing.

Not only was the spelling absolutely adorable, but if you know my husband, you know that this was probably the one thing that could truly test his patience.

A broken appliance? Calm.

A stressful situation? Calm.

A Sharpie on the toilet seat? Apparently, that was the limit.

I thought it was hilarious.

He did not.

The mystery was quickly solved.

Breeley, my little helper, noticed that the toilet was clogged and decided to leave a note for her fellow "live-ins."

And the funniest part?

She was only following my example.

Several months earlier, I had written a similar reminder using a dry erase marker after the toilet remained clogged despite my husband's best efforts and even a plumber's visit with a snake.

The toilet remained a mystery until my husband finally removed it from the base and discovered the culprit...

Mr. Nemo, the toy fish.

No worries...the Sharpie came right off with an eraser. (Thanks, Leah, for that little discovery!)

So much for a completely child free evening.

Because even when the kids aren't home...

they somehow find a way to leave their mark.

Now, back to our favorite room in the house for a little more peace and quiet.