Child-free Nights

So the children are back in Raleigh after a week spent with their mummy. I dropped them off with their papa yesterday at lunchtime after a miserable drive in the pouring rain.

I missed them as soon as I got back into the car.

It's amazing to me how I can crave me-time for so many years, and now that I've got it, I don't know what to do with it. I went to sleep last night and woke up this morning with an emptiness I can't remember having before, not in regards to the children. I wanted to see their sweet cherubic faces first thing in the morning (they don't get into full monster mode for at least fifteen minutes.) I wanted to get their milk cups ready (Say-say's is vanilla or "ice cream", Bobo usually takes strawberry.) Up until these last months, I hadn't been away from the children for more than 24 hours. It's incredibly unusual to have such time on my hands to do with as I wish be it blog, read, knit, watch movies, play solitaire, whatever. Here I sit, at a loss for words, trying to catch up my blogging and waiting until bedtime when I'll get a couple minutes to hear them say "night-night".
Xmas went well. I've never had so much fun watching kids open presents. Bobo "wowed" everything, and Say-say immediately wanted to dig into the Hot Wheels toys. I got some very nice presents including one I only halfway expected (I knew it was a "two" present, but I was very surprised and incredibly pleased to see what "two" it was :O.)
And Suzy-Q has a job! I can work at home when I have the kids and at the office other times. It's too complicated to get into, but it's an exciting opportunity, wish me luck! I'm so happy to have some money coming in, I can't stand being unemployed.
Well, boys and girls, I think I'm going to spend some of my free time left finishing up a scarf I've been working on for a couple weeks now. Ta-ta for now.