The youngest has flown the coop. He was inducted in the Australian Army on Tuesday. The ceremony was really quite quick. One young man stood with the Bible in hand and fluffed his lines even though it was repeat after me..he did get his own name right though,I think, he may not have as I didn't know his name. The other 5, were four young men and a young woman, they held their hands up and said the Oath ,all at the same time,so there was a jumble of confused names, a bit like singing Happy Birthday to Quintuplets.
And then we left him there.
It's the end of an era, Like selling the cot after what you hope is the last baby. I was upset coming home after the ceremony but since I've heard from him and it's all good,hard work but good,I'm fine. It was the month leading up to it that I found hard,I was getting depressed and teary knowing it was happening and wondering what it would be like with an empty house, no requests for food now, or transport now or can you wash this now?
But now the house is empty I've had to rethink my way of thinking....that sentence makes sense, right?
I'm still the kids mum and still needed in different ways,supporting them rather than organising them.
The sky didn't fall in and I'm actually enjoying having the house to ourselves.I have the room now to go through some boxes that are stored and sell or chuck what I find.
I didn't really do a lot before and the extra time was looming large in my brain, and I really need to fill it with something so I've started walking to try and shift some of this lard. 3 days in a row I've walked 3km and I've cut out junk. I'm trying to get from 90kg to 70kg by the middle of Sept.
Instead of annoying hubby part time,I get to annoy him full time !
He'd rather I learn to cook than write, he is watching cooking programmes as I write,
him... "why can't you cook like that?"
me ...
"I made a cake today, what else do you want?"
I so feel your pain. I dread the day Holly goes to college as it will just be me, Jack and the pooches, none of whom can speak! I think I will turn into Shirley Valentine and start speaking to the wall!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of you having more time to annoy the hubby though....tee hee hee and lots more time to think up really funny things to annoy him with. ;)
My youngest left and then came back after graduating. I like having him here, but, having the house to ourselves was nice, too!
ReplyDeleteFun cake! It might feel weird to cut it though.
ReplyDeleteI prefer writing over cooking, although I have a husband that cooks. So we don't have to starve.
I imagine the empty nest thing is a mixture of sorrow and joy.
Well, if you continue to make cakes like that, yuour son is sure to return home soon. :)
ReplyDeletePS Almost Hubs wants you to save him a nipple piece.
That cake cracks me up!!!
ReplyDeleteI would have liked to see him eat that cake.
ReplyDeleteit would be strange not having kids the house (i say this as mine are both under three)
ReplyDeletelyndylou, Hi, you will have to keep chatting to us squishy blog friends when the time comes.
ReplyDeletehehe I am constantly looking at him for blog materieal....he's onto me now lol
Portia, it's not bad, I look forward to his visit in a couple of months time, but I'm enjoying having the house to ourselves too.
Dina...I thought the penis cake was funnier but ....there are so many boob cakes on the internet to choose from hehe it would be weird to cut it hey!
If I leave it long enough hubby will cook, or at least start cooking ...thats a great big hint so I'll extricate my bum from the chair.
It is a mix, sad the era is over but joy that he is where I was all those years ago,wanting to make his own way.
Julianna...bahha I've never made a cake like that, mine was a very unfunny square block vanilla cake lol .sorry to dissapoint almost hubs...hey ...you can make him one!!!
Lizbeth... me too :)
Mrs Tuna ... ahhhh I have no witty answer for that lol...wait... he said he'd have a nipple...oops nibble at a time.
Dansta...hey, thanks for coming over :)
funny, I forgot what I was actually growing them for,so used to them being "mine". Not sure where the years have gone,a lot get sucked up when they go to school and one day/week runs into another.
I couldn't get my son to stand on his own two feet so at 26 I moved south and he had no choice. Sounds cruel but he's surviving. Wishing your son well in his journey. Enjoy the house!!!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh! The cake! Just...no words. :):):)
ReplyDeleteOn a more serious note, my eldest son has been on a mission for our church (LDS) for the last 16 months. He's in Brazil, having learned Portuguese in just 2 months and living with one other young man~both 19 when they went out. It's a miserable joy, this letting go of the baby birds, as they flee our nests. My nest is much cleaner, as apparently he was the biggest mess maker—didn't know that until he was gone. But my heart still lurches every Monday when I get his email, and I still weep on occasion, as I realize that the dynamics of our family have forever changed.
But it is just as it should be. And I feel your pain, as only a mother with an absent child can do. Good luck with all this entails. I'll be thinking of you. :)
Jill Y has been talking about marriage lately. She just has to say something that starts with 'm' and I immediately offer to get her a coffee or a sandwich or a couple of bottles of wine! Your cake looks great by the way.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cake!
ReplyDeleteMine just had one day of military service each to do.
My youngest went off to university 18 months ago, so I get gaps between 'wash this now' etc. I still wonder aimlessly round his room for a while everytime he leaves.
He'll be home for the summer in a few weeks - roll on September....
Nice cake!
ReplyDeleteI felt that way when my only son went to college. It was only a couple hours away, but I cried on the way home. I imagine it's different, when they go into the Army, but when they've been with you for so long...
Hope you find ways to enjoy your new-found space and freedom!
Pearl
Ug, who wants to learn to cook? I certainly don't.
ReplyDeleteI imagine that now that you're an empty nester you should probably focus on being as lazy as you possibly can be. I'm pretty sure that's what I'd do.
Barb! thats hilarious :) my SIL should have tried that ,2 of hers were at home till in their 30's lol
ReplyDeleteLisa..wow, Brazil, how exciting for him and nail biting for you. My niece met her hubby when he was in Australia on LDS mission. They have 5 beautiful kiddies now and lived in Utah for a few years ,now live in oz.
funnily enough my house is tidier too,but I'm more aware of my time and filling it, by sorting through things.
youre right, it is as it should be, I remember well wanting to leave home and make my own life.
Bill Y....make an honest Y out of Jill :) the cake is cool,wish I was that talented lol
anji...wish I looked like the cake hahah
I've cleaned up his room and stored a few things in there. He said to leave it so he'd know where everything was, but now I can see the carpet lol
Enjoy your visit when he arrives,this year is going so fast,so won't be too long.
Pearl..there were so many boob cake pics to choose from lol
it is weird going home knowing you wont see them for ages. 80 days for us,then probably a year before the next visit.
I am enjoying it,mostly.
Cake Betch... ha not me, I do what i have to,thats it lol
I'm not sure I can get any lazier lol
I know exactly how you feel---first I felt kind of sorry for myself; then I scrapbooked and organized photos-which turned into a daily cry fest; then we started on the yard. Now, two years into our empty nest, we are focused on gardening and we finally enjoy the quiet in the house! But I still miss our daughters--sh....don't tell. LOL
ReplyDeleteWow...so your nest is empty. I know people always say that time goes by fast and to treasure the time with our kids, but I read your post, and I was like, "Damn! She's done! The kid is out of the house! I'm so jealous!" I think you need to skip the cake and flash your husband instead!...then annoy him! :)
ReplyDeletei can't wait to have an empty nest! maybe i'm getting ahead of myself, seeing as i don't have any kids yet. actually, that's probably a good sign that i'm not ready to have kids yet :p
ReplyDeleteI could motorboat that cake (I'm avoiding the "leaving home" issue)
ReplyDeleteEmpty, after the first couple of days it was a bit rough, but after the phone call I was fine. I'm enjoying the letter writing lol I still miss him like crazy, but it's not hurting,you know?
ReplyDeleteSandra: lol I used to say that too, till they started disappearing, it's amazing how much time these damn kids take up lol I'm annoying him plenty...flashing not so much hahaha
manders: bahahaha
mommak picture in my head....sheesh.....the leaving home is a long way off for you I think.