Hear that?

Me neither. Doesn't it sound beautiful?

Last night, Eddie was subbing for a scout leader, and I, by some miracle, had all three of the younger kids in bed and asleep. I sat down on the couch with my book and a bowl of ice cream and realized that the house was totally and completely silent. Then I realized how rare and beautiful the sound of silence is for a stay-at-home mom like me.

Right now, at 9:17pm, I can hear the BYU basketball game playing on the computer in the family room, Bryce is talking to himself upstairs as he falls asleep, the dishwasher is running, and I'm typing. From the moment I wake up and flip on the news to check the weather report, to the moment I go to bed at night, to the sounds of Letterman or SportsCenter entertaining my hubby, it's never quiet. With four kids, someone is always talking/ laughing/ fighting/ crying/ squealing/taunting/ instructing/ lecturing/ whining. We tend to be overconsumers of media in all its forms, and I'll leave the radio on, tuned to NPR, all day long.

My brother and sister and I all grew up and moved away, my mom frequently complained to me that she found the house to be "too quiet." Right now, with lots of people constantly and loudly vying for my attention, I don't think there can be such a thing as too quiet.