Being away from the kids for four days is just about the perfect amount of time.  It was short enough for me to thrill at my new-found freedom but with none of the guilt.  I was also so happy that they were getting quality time with their mom.  When I returned on the redeye Tuesday morning I was afraid that rush hour traffic would have made me miss them before they left for school so I told them that I wouldn't see them until after school when I picked them up, but I just caught them as they were leaving.  They shouted, "Daddy" and pounced on me.  I realize that that is normal for most dads with small kids when the dad comes home from work every day but since I'm their mommy/daddy my regular appearances aren't such a big deal.  Their mom cooked for them while I was gone, which I appreciated. I'm more of a semi-professional microwaver, but she left the kitchen, the whole apartment really, a bit of a mess.  After she left I called the kids to attention and had them unloading the dishwasher and sweeping the kitchen floor.  

Upon returning I was also greeted by a flood of emails.  MSN.com had rerun an article that I had written about dating after divorce.   The funniest part was the graphic they used for me. Not my best likeness:

 And a real step down from the way they had portrayed me the last time:

I showed the kids and Ava especially, laughed herself silly.