A Few of My Favorite Home Things

We are home. 

We have actually been home since Monday morning. There's nothing like taking a trip to bring home (ha, yes, I did that on purpose) to you what it is you love about where you live. That is certainly even more true for me, the homebodiest homebody that ever was.

You want to know what made me happiest about being home again? Of course you do. Here, have a list.

My bed.  It is always the case that my own bed always feels best. But after sleeping on rangeland with cow patties and rocks under me? I could write a ten-stanza Ode to My Bed full of superlatives with no trouble whatsoever. (Aren't you glad I stuck to writing this list instead?)

It looks smooth, but trust me, dried cow patties can really ruin your night.

More-consistent sleep for the kids. None of them sleep as well or as long when they're not in their own rooms and their own beds. Some wake up in the night, some wake up early in the morning, all stay awake later than they normally would. Once we get home, I have every expectation that all the children will be asleep by 8:30 p.m., sleep through the night, and not wake up until 6:30 or so. Since sleep time is the only time I am not actively caring for children, knowing I have that block of time is really important to me.

Quiet and peace. Driving is loud. The car itself is loud. The places we're driving through and to are loud.  Unfamiliar urban environments are noisy, visually stimulating, and a little anxiety-inducing as I count kids and make sure I know where everyone is. I'm on high alert at all times. Not only is it quiet at our home, but the kids can be out of my sight and I'm not worried that they're going to get lost or kidnapped or something.

Home toilets. With four kids on the road, I spend a lot of time either in public bathrooms, or holding steady a kid who needs to use a bathroom where there's nothing but empty space all around. (I prefer the latter. Peeing in the middle of the range is much cleaner than a gas station bathroom. Gross.) Having not one, but two toilets that are stationary and on hand whenever anyone needs them means that I am not constantly hunting around for the toilet paper in the van or waiting in line at a rest stop.

My garden. I wrote about this before. And yes, the first thing I did after we got home (once I had released all dogs and children from the van) was visit my plants. The lettuce survived the heat! Hooray!

In sum, traveling is fun, but getting home is better.

 What do you most appreciate when you get home from being away?