tgif! {24 hours.}

Eric took Max camping Tuesday night. They went with Eric's childhood best friend (who happens to live just five minutes from us) and his  seven year old daughter. They camped near Mt. St. Helens somewhere (bad mom - I didn't know exactly where they were staying...) They left at about 11am Tuesday and were gone exactly 24 hours. Dare I say how much I loved every minute of those 24 hours?...I mean I'm a mom and wife, right? And I'm supposed to love being mom and wife first and foremost, every single day, right?...maybe not all the time...

So here are a few things I realized about my time sans men:

1. I loved not having to spend a minute of my time walking around toys and cleaning-up toys. Toys were cleaned-up Monday night and they stayed put till Wednesday when Max got home.

2. I SOOO did not miss the "mom talk." You know what I mean, right? The same 30 or so phrases that you repeat over and over each day. Examples from my life:
"Please flush the toilet! And then pull up your pants and wash your hands!"
"Go sit down and eat!"
"No more Goldfish. If you are that hungery that you want more then I'll make you lunch/dinner."
"Please use your napkin to wipe your face."
"I'm on the phone - you need to be patient and wait till I get off."
"You need to pick-up your toys before you go to bed or the ones left on the floor are mine."
"Brush your teeth! Don't just eat the toothpaste."
"Pick your books and get in bed."
"Get in bed!"
"Just a minute!"
Just a small sampling of the things I say over and over...

3. I loved hopping in the car and running my errands in a quick and timely manner. In and out. OR... linger and browse. It was my decision.

4. Loved every minute of sipping my iced latte outside, in the sun (with a nice breeze I might add) just enjoying the quiet.

5. No bathtime. Need I say more?

6. I didn't have to make dinner for anyone but lil old me! LOVE! And leftover Tuscan bean soup was just lovely, nuked with a little grated parmesan cheese.

7. I had the couch and the TV all to myself. All. Day. Of course I didn't sit infront of it all day (there really is nothing worthwhile on till after 8pm anyway.) But I could have sat there all day if I wanted to. It's all about having options available, friends. I did sit on the couch and read and look at magazines and watch a little TV that night.

8. I stayed-up late, reading in bed. And then I slept-in till 9:30. (Ok, so I was actually awake around 8:30, but there was no way I was getting out of bed till after 9!)

9. I was reminded that I really, truly love having the whole bed to myself. Really. I could stretch-out and find the "cool" areas of the sheets whenever needed. I had all of the pillows to myself. It was lovely...

10. I loved the quite of my day. So nice...

11. Last, but not least...my 24 hours alone wasn't quite the same without my Mags to follow me around and keep me company. She was always my security system when Eric was out of town. It was a little weird to be completely alone.

Let me just be honest here and say that I probably could have gone a full week alone before I really started missing them deep, down in my bones. For 24 hours I was just Andrea. Not mom. Not wife. Just me. It was great. It was much needed.

And the men came back promptly at 11am.
Super dirty and smelling like a campfire.
And I was so, so happy to see my little man and hear all about his fun 24 hours.

{All photos courtesy of my husband. Stolen off his FB page. Thanks, Dear.}

Happy Friday, friends!
A.