What do you plan to do when the kids are gone...

[BusynMember]

besides throw a party .

My youngest kids are 15 and 13 and not high maintenance (yet--I hope my daughter stays pretty easy, but ya never know).

I'm kind of having an identity crisis. Not sure what to do with myself. I'd love to do pet rescue, but I have too many pets and not enough room so that's out. Hub is still working so we can't travel. Any ideas?

What do YOU plan on doing? Will you be sad?

I think I'll miss being a mom if these two kids stay easy. However, easy kids don't need minute-by-minute monitoring either so there is less to do. I already feel like an empty nester.

 

[Star*]

I went back to sleeping in the buff.......
Buying those little Milano cookies that girls eat one or two at a time....
I set my toiletries out on the sink.....
I bought fabric softener that smells
I planted flowers
I bought food for 2

-=---------------------------

I have slept in grandma pajamas for years since no one respected a closed door
I stopped buying "kid" cookies in bulk because no one should eat cookies like that and if you buy the ones you like when they are home - they eat $3.00 bag of cookies, throw the wrappers on your floor, you pick them up, pick the bag up off the counter and THEN have to hear - When is dinner? DO we have any DECENT cookies????ARRRRRRRRR

No one uses my deoderant, hair gel, hair spray, astringent, expensive shampoo and conditioner on a shaved head (in bulk).....

Actually got some fabric softener that I liked instead of just SOME because now that I'm not being eaten out of house and home, and don't have to replace my snacks, and shampoo every other day I could afford something nice

No one tramples my flowers and then says "Well if you wouldn't plant them all over I would have a place to walk."

I can actually afford to buy for three and invite Dude over a lot - so that's been nice to be able to do a steak grill out or something instead of hotdogs and mac and cheese.

SO let me think some more about how I'm dealing with Empty Nest syndrome - OH that's right - they actually have to LEAVE and STAY GONE for me to miss him. Since he moved out he's at our house MORE than he was when he lived here. lol He just doesn't touch as much stuff IN the house - now he's got a car so its DAD's turn - (bwa ha ha) and the magical garage is missing so many things.....

UNDERSTAND MY FRUSTRATION NOW DADDY??? hahah. ahem.

 

[hearts and roses]

I plan on going back to school again once I have paid off my student loan for easy child.

I plan on having a cleaner house.

I plan on enjoying my time with them more when they visit or we meet for a girls day out.

I plan on sleeping through the night without the dogs barking when difficult child/easy child comes in [through the garage] at 3AM.

I plan on cutting my food bill way down and eating more of the foods I enjoy.

I plan on using less water, less electric, less oil, less AC, less everything.

I plan on being able to watch one of the three tv shows I watch in peace in another room so I don't have to struggle with H for the remote.

And lastly, yes, I plan on missing them just a little bit.

 

[gcvmom]

You mean, they will ALL actually be GONE someday?! I can't even imagine that right now!

I'm with Jo -- my house will be cleaner (mostly). I will watch what I want to watch. I will have less junk food in the house.

I will have more time for my garden.

I will go kayaking more.

I will have lunch with my mother more.

I will...

 

[DammitJanet]

Well...I will tell you when I ever get them all gone! I think there was a week or two when they all were out of the house at once. It was heaven!

When the kids were younger I used to say that I couldnt wait until they were all 18 and GONE. HA! I thought that would be a magical number and they would all jump ship and run for the hills. I think I have some kind of magnet in my house that keeps pulling them back. Even Jamie still talks about wanting us all closer. He used talk about buying some huge house where the whole family could live...lol. That would be his dream...all members of the family...his family, Corys family, Billy, and us...all on one piece of property. My idea of torture...lol. Nice thought though.

 

[klmno]

As everyone knows, I am unexpectedly finding that out now!! So I guess I have 2 lists- one being what I had planned for assuming difficult child left home after high school either to go to college, or because I kicked him out after graduating high school and he refused to go to college or work. LOL The second, what I'm really doing now that he's temporarily gone at 14yo.

Ok- The planned one:
get back into watercolor painting, focus more on my career, get the house the way I really want it and keep it that way, try new things like gardening vegies and roses, travel some more, catch up on the books I have but never read, have an adult social life- not one centered around parenting, take night classes to learn new and fun things, block all phone numbers from county Department of Juvenile Justice and schools

The current, unplanned one:
Sleep, stay awake trying to regroup, try to figure out how to repair damage to house (how to be able to afford it), try to meet some people, learn how to cook for one again, stay caught up on yardwork since now I have no help,.... (I don't like this one as much, LOL!)

 

[klmno]

Well...I will tell you when I ever get them all gone!

 

[nvts]

moooooove and leave NO forwarding address....

tough couple of weeks!

Beth

 

[Star*]

JANET.............OMG............lol

 

[mstang67chic]

When my difficult child is gone? Oh Happy Day!

I will:

Buy food and NOT hide it or lock it in my room
Clean out all the carp I store in my room and put it out where it belongs
Have a cleaner house
Keep my bathroom stuff (shampoo, hair goop, etc.) actually IN the bathroom
Hang the neat Chinese picture that my father in law got us in China
Put out my nice candles and candle holders
Buy nice silverware because it won't disappear anymore
Buy more towels
Not lock my bedroom door anymore
Hang up my windchimes with all of the enticing beads
Have a guest room that doesn't smell like 19 year old difficult child funk
Have a mattress in said room that isn't cut down both sides because SOMEONE wanted to make it into a couch
Not worry during spring/fall clean up that anyone will drag nasty, smelly, stained furniture home to put in his room
Pee with the bathroom door unlocked


OMG.....sooooooooo many things I will do and all of them are just NORMAL things for your typical household!

 

[DammitJanet]

When my kids were real little I used to swear I would break their plates when they grew up and moved out and then when the final one was gone, we would buy a RV and run away and leave no forwarding address...lol. We planned to drop in on the boys from time to time to see our grandkids. In the RV!

Such is life.

When we thought Cory was going to be evicted, we really thought about giving him our mobile home and us taking off in the car like gypsy's. LOL. Let Cory take care of Billy.

 

[Star*]

Pee with the door unlocked?????

OMG........I SO WANT THAT.

 

[Nomad]

Both of my kids are out of the home.

Haven't come down from the chandelier yet.

 

[TerryJ2]

Woo hoo, you GO, Nomad!!! LOL.

I was just going to go for the M&Ms, cookies and ice cream, but hey, s*x is good, too!

I will:
ramp up my nonexistent career
paint
write
submit proposals
garden
play with the dogs
get more dogs
redecorate
read ... a lot
listen to *my* kind of music
go out to lunch all the time
be calmer.

 

[DammitJanet]

The question is Terry...will you remember what s*x is? I may not be that old but my mind is getting foggy on that subject! Tony works out of town all week and then we have a toddler almost every weekend...lmao.

 

[amazeofgrace]

buy a shack in the woods and become a hermit and save all my $ for a nice assisted living because there's no way in h e double drum sticks difficult child's are taking care of me

 

[totoro]

I don't even know what you guy's are talking about.
She says while eyeballing N's donut....

 

[Wiped Out]

husband and I are looking forward to the empty nest right now but I guess sometimes you have to watch what you wish for.

husband and I will be able to go to early movies and maybe even do some traveling.

We will enjoy being able to stay up late with-o difficult child waking us up at 7 in the morning.

I'm sure there is more but don't want to get too excited dreaming, my fear is it will never happen!

 

[Hound dog]

I plan to run around naked as a Jay all day long.

Why??

Cuz I can!

Ahhhhhhhhh, freedom! Will it ever get here??

 

[Fran]

I can tell you my all time favorite part. Silence. No tv, video games, music, phones, talking, yelling, feet on the stairs. Just silence.

I have no problem with moving on into other chapters of my life. I look forward to their lives as they progress to jobs, and marriage and grand children from a bit more distance than the upstairs bedroom.

husband and I can eat what we want, when we want. We can watch something on tv without difficult child coming in at the exciting climax to tell me some obscure fact that I didn't know nor did I care if I ever knew and which I usually don't understand.

My kids aren't 100% out of the house but we are close. I haven't had any trouble being busy that's for sure.