well I'm officially done child rearing!!!!

**canadian gardener** · 08-02-2005, 08:17 PM

DD moved out with her friends (nice girls, lots of fun!) on Sunday evening.

CAN WE SPELL CARTWHEELS!!!! Of giddy sheer joy.

I'm me again. Solo (with dh).

I've not been this way since the bunny died (sorry pet loving people, no real bunnies bit the dust, it was a lab test back then) announcing ds's imminent arrival.

That was 26 years ago this last May. (he was born in December 79) so I hope my math is correct but who cares.

THIS MUM IS DONE!!!!!

The laundry fairy doesn't make house calls,
nor does the cleaning fairy,
the lawn mowing fairy,
the garbage removal fairy,
the cooking and shopping fairy.

They are out of business!!!!!

heheheheheheheheh I'm enjoying the freedom.

I don't have to sleep with half an ear to listen for the midnight arrival back home,

fix dinner for 3 and one of us doesn't show up, phones later, had dinner with friends

OR when I finally give up and make a nice steak dinner for two, complete with wine, romance etc she shows up with one or more friends, sniffing around for dinner.

I love her dearly and she and her brother are darling wonderful well adjusted adults and dh and I are bursting with pride over producing them,

but it's nice to be on our own again. Together.

We celebrated the next morning by going to home depot and snarfing up a sale on laminate flooring. We didn't mean to do it so fast but it was a 99 cent a sq ft sale and in Canadian price terms that is like a 69 cent a sq ft sale for you Americans.

So I"m busy patching the holes in dd's walls. (she was worse than her brother for putting up junk on the walls --posters etc) and getting ready to paint.

Dh and I will paint, pull the carpet, put down laminate and make her old bedroom into the new office.

She is a bit shocked at the speed at which we moved but we didn't realize we would find such a good sale on laminate.

And I picked up the paint on the mistints, so I'm on a roll. I am almost done the bathroom too.

Feeling better. It may take a year or two to finish this project but it's worth doing.

**canadian gardener** · 08-02-2005, 08:20 PM

oh and she picked up the old lawn mower (we saved it for a good reason-- apart from chewing up branches after pruning and storms)

so she and her friends can enjoy mowing lawns at her place!!!!

Wooo hoooo

since my surgery 2 years ago dh mows the lawns and I'm not picking that bad habit back up again.

heheheheheh loving it!!!!!

**PrairieRose** · 08-02-2005, 08:24 PM

I know how you feel Margery. I'm thrilled for you and I know you and your dh will enjoy your new found "freedom" . Gripey and I loved every minute of our children living at home but man oh man it's very liberating when the last one moves out. Enjoy how little laundry you'll be doing for sure

Congrats on a job well done, Mom.

**canadian gardener** · 08-02-2005, 08:25 PM

In Shermans March To The Sea (which is what we term this move)

she took off with a lot of the house. Some of which I've reclaimed (cleaning supplies-- at least she takes after me, and likes cleaning equipment and can recognize the good stuff!)

I let her keep the semi busted laundry baskets, and zipped out and treated myself to 2 new hip hugger ones from Rubbermaid.

She got my old dishes (no problem) and I parted with my espresso machine ($60 from sears on sale in February) because she likes it so much.

She got a lot of furniture, the best twin bed, and a lot of other odds and ends including my new box of fabric softener sheets I'd just bought.

I told Sherman she needed to give my cleaning supplies and my softener sheets back.

She laughed, but complied.

Probably because it's the tip of the iceberg.

She is so much like me!!!!!! I can read her mind at times.

**canadian gardener** · 08-02-2005, 08:26 PM

ROFL thanks Lisa!

Yup, happy woman here. And she is too I suspect. It's a nice feeling.

**Mamaw** · 08-02-2005, 08:44 PM

Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!! I still have 1 at home but am looking forward to that time....I cant wait until I can leave the house and not have to leave a note for DD to tell her where I am, when I will be home, what I am doing, who I am with, etc...

**forestdale** · 08-02-2005, 09:04 PM

I know this wonderful feeling, Margery - enjoy it! Kerry left home to explore your neck of the woods in June. Apart from blubbering my eyes out when he left, I've been on cloud nine ever since.

Kick up your heals and enjoy knowing you've launched two well adjusted and ambitious people into the world. You did good, Margery!

**dolphin** · 08-02-2005, 09:12 PM

Glad that the parting is such a joyful one for you and for her. Sounds like she will be having lots of fun too and I know you are looking forward to a new kind of life.

**favesis37** · 08-03-2005, 09:01 AM

ours all moved out 3 years ago, then my neice moved in, now my son has moved home. glad to know it worked for someone.lol after 28 years of marriage we are still looking forward to our time together

**Darlene** · 08-03-2005, 09:08 AM

Originally posted by forestdale
I know this wonderful feeling, Margery - enjoy it! Kerry left home to explore your neck of the woods in June. Apart from blubbering my eyes out when he left, I've been on cloud nine ever since.

Kick up your heals and enjoy knowing you've launched two well adjusted and ambitious people into the world. You did good, Margery!

I'm in the blubbering stage now & will be for the next few weeks. Nicole & her Dad are moving the first of her stuff today and the rest on the 14th. Mark goes the 22nd. Was really hard for me to watch the boxes going out last night but I know it's a good thing deep down.

I'm happy for you Margery and am looking forward to that exuberance that has you bouncing off the pages here with excitement. You can "see" it in your posts. Enjoy!

You did good!

**pip** · 08-03-2005, 09:14 AM

I still have at least another 8 years to go.....

. I love being a mom, for the most part anyway, but I know I will enjoy the peace and quiet of it just being me and hubby again when it's time. Congratulations to you!

**mtjsmom** · 08-03-2005, 11:41 AM

Congrats to you! It made me a little sad though..I will go BONKERS when mine are all out on their own..lol..Im only 37 and been a mom since i was 19. I am due with my last baby in 6 weeks..so it will be a LONNNGGGG time before all mine are moved out..lol

**canadian gardener** · 08-03-2005, 12:49 PM

The sad bits, I'm drowning in looking forward to a new stage of life.

New office space, chance to finally clear out the clutter from the computer room (told kids they have till October or so to get their stuff, because after that, if dad and I don't recognize it as ours and as a keeper, then IT IS GONE!)

Weight loss and taking care of myself as I should have done for years, but learnt the hard way that neglect is not unselfish love of others (aka "putting family first"), it's simply foolish

reading my bible more, reading books on style and fashion and home decor.

Call it my fix up me plan.

I figure if I view it as a new exciting fresh stage of life, I can enjoy re inventing myself, my home, my heart and mind as my daughter enjoys moving out into adult life with all it's surprises, joys and challenges.