Home Alone

Last Saturday was our ward's Super Saturday, a day when you spend a whole Saturday with other women at he church in classes, workshops, doing crafts, etc. Well, I went early to help set up. I think if I hadn't had a job to do I would not have gone, so I guess that part of my calling is working (see this post). I also ended up coming home about a half hour late.
When I arrived, the back door was wide open, the lights were all on, the tv in the back room was on, and Mike and the kids were no where to be found! Of course, it was also raining and blowing all sorts of stuff. I was worried something very bad had happened, causing Mike to rush out w/o even remembering to shut things down or close the door behind him. I was thinking up all sorts of ER situations. It took him about 30 minutes to answer his cell phone.
During that time, between worst-case scenario imaginings, I grabbed the broom and went through the house searching for any of our wild animal friends who might have wandered in to escape the storm. I still keep a look out at night or when opening closets, but no animals were discovered.
Of course no one was hurt. Lenna had conned him into taking them to Monkey Joe's, a giant inflatables playground indoors here. He was to busy climbing the giant slide to answer his phone. And he had left the kids in charge of turning off the TV and closing the door.
Anyway, after I was assured that everyone was alive and well I was faced with . . . ALONE TIME!
Now, I have never been home alone in this house before. Isn't that awful? Mike is here for a date night if the kids are at a sitter's. I leave them places but only while I have somewhere to be or I leave them home with Mike. I felt strange. It was different than knowing they were sleeping in another room or something. I didn't quite know what to do with myself.
I ended up finishing the genealogy art project I had started at church and then starting dinner. Then I took a nap!
And I needed it when the kids arrived home an hour later starving for food and mommy attention, resulting in demands that didn't end until they were asleep in bed later that night.
Anyway, I thought it was so strange to not have been alone here for such a long time. I did in our old apartment when Andy started playschool and Lenna as in preschool, once a week I found myself alone. But not since I started working. I think that I have to somehow arrange a little more time for myself to be home alone! Maybe it won't happen until this baby is old enough for a play date swap, in about two years. I hope I can wait that long!