It's been close to two months since Son#1 and his family moved out, over two months since Son#2 married and set up home with his new bride, and a month since Son#3 and Son#4 left home to go to university.
It's so quiet around here. And while there are times when I enjoy my peace and quiet there are lots of other things that I miss. Like:
Chatter. "Nana, I have something to tell you." "Yes darling?" "Ummm ..." First thing in the morning. Late at night. All day in between. It's not the same over the phone although I did enjoy listening to the Most Adorable Granddaughter#1 singing to me on the phone yesterday and telling me that she wanted a tractor (a real one) for Christmas. Yes, I definitely miss all the chatter.
Smiles. If someone's face has never lit up when you enter a room you don't know what you're missing. The Most Adorable Granddaughter#2 is such a happy baby and would smile whenever I entered the room. I don't get that response from anyone else and I miss it.
Cuddles and kisses.
Bath times. Soft skin. Bubbles. Fluffy towels. Powder. Wet floors.
Music practice. If you've never tried to practice the flute while an almost three-year-old accompanies you on the recorder then you've never laughed until your sides split. And she used to make me sound good!
Seeing my sons with their nieces. The love which goes both ways. Beautiful.
Seeing my son with his daughters. Beautiful beyond words.
Bedtimes. Stories. Struggles. Yes, even that I miss.
Having all my sons under the one roof. As they've grown older this has obviously become less frequent. To have them all together - even all sleeping under the same roof - was precious. And I'm so thankful that they all get on so well together.
Conversations.
Family meal times.
Other females in the house. It was about time this family got more feminine input!
Just having a full house.
I loved it.
But there was one thing I didn't love and which I don't miss.
The housework.
Obviously with ten people (or thereabouts - it fluctuated) in the house there was a lot of housework and it got dirty quickly. Now, there's only three of us and it stays reasonably clean.
However while less people in the house means less housework it also means less people to do the work.
Yesterday I read that in 1965 women spent 27 hours a week on housework but today that figure has dropped to below 16 hours.
Sixteen hours??? I like a clean house but I'm not sure I even spend that much time on housework unless that includes everything from picking up a staple off the floor to throwing a load of washing in the machine to straightening the cushions on the couch to doing the dishes.
Those sixteen hours I could be spending quilting or writing or pulling out everything in my neglected garden that has died or shouldn't be there. Sixteen hours sounds like a lot (what did our mothers and grandmothers do to fill in twenty seven hours?).
But you know what? I'd gladly spend sixteen hours - or more - doing housework for the joy of having all the family home again.
It's so quiet around here. And while there are times when I enjoy my peace and quiet there are lots of other things that I miss. Like:
Chatter. "Nana, I have something to tell you." "Yes darling?" "Ummm ..." First thing in the morning. Late at night. All day in between. It's not the same over the phone although I did enjoy listening to the Most Adorable Granddaughter#1 singing to me on the phone yesterday and telling me that she wanted a tractor (a real one) for Christmas. Yes, I definitely miss all the chatter.
Smiles. If someone's face has never lit up when you enter a room you don't know what you're missing. The Most Adorable Granddaughter#2 is such a happy baby and would smile whenever I entered the room. I don't get that response from anyone else and I miss it.
Cuddles and kisses.
Bath times. Soft skin. Bubbles. Fluffy towels. Powder. Wet floors.
Music practice. If you've never tried to practice the flute while an almost three-year-old accompanies you on the recorder then you've never laughed until your sides split. And she used to make me sound good!
Seeing my sons with their nieces. The love which goes both ways. Beautiful.
Seeing my son with his daughters. Beautiful beyond words.
Bedtimes. Stories. Struggles. Yes, even that I miss.
Having all my sons under the one roof. As they've grown older this has obviously become less frequent. To have them all together - even all sleeping under the same roof - was precious. And I'm so thankful that they all get on so well together.
Conversations.
Family meal times.
Other females in the house. It was about time this family got more feminine input!
Just having a full house.
I loved it.
But there was one thing I didn't love and which I don't miss.
The housework.
Obviously with ten people (or thereabouts - it fluctuated) in the house there was a lot of housework and it got dirty quickly. Now, there's only three of us and it stays reasonably clean.
However while less people in the house means less housework it also means less people to do the work.
Yesterday I read that in 1965 women spent 27 hours a week on housework but today that figure has dropped to below 16 hours.
Sixteen hours??? I like a clean house but I'm not sure I even spend that much time on housework unless that includes everything from picking up a staple off the floor to throwing a load of washing in the machine to straightening the cushions on the couch to doing the dishes.
Those sixteen hours I could be spending quilting or writing or pulling out everything in my neglected garden that has died or shouldn't be there. Sixteen hours sounds like a lot (what did our mothers and grandmothers do to fill in twenty seven hours?).
But you know what? I'd gladly spend sixteen hours - or more - doing housework for the joy of having all the family home again.
Comments
I hope that your house starts to feel more full again soon :O)
Thinking of you!!
I wonder if those 16 hours include cooking and cleaning up after meals? With most women working outside the home these days, and running kids around after school, I don't think that is a realistic figure. It seems that most of the working moms I know don't even cook -- they go out or taken in nearly every night of the week! So, I'm not even sure they spend 16 hours a week when you include meal prep!!!
As a working Mum (albeit only part-time work outside the home) I know that it is hard to come home from work and cook but with some planning it can be done. When we had a full house last year I found that planning meals ahead of time and making a friend of my slow cooker made the task so much easier. It's wonderful to get home at the end of the day and smell dinner cooking.
I think eating out is still relatively expensive in NZ compared to some other countries. For a lot of families - at least outside the main cities - it wouldn't be an option on more than a once weekly basis. And anyway, there's only so much fastfood the body can handle. I think even once a week would be too often for me.