My DH travels a lot for business. He's been gone all week in California no less, while it's started to snow again here!

We have a three level house (4 if you include the basement) and my computer is in the basement. I leave the baby monitor on one floor up from me. I swore tonight I heard DS cry out through the monitor but when I went up to the family room the monitor was silent. So I went up two more flights and checked on DS and he was sound asleep. It kind of freaked me out. It could have been the cat.

Last night I slept with some of the lights on in the house and I put the phone in the bed beside me. I was never such a chicken before, I think I'm spending way too much time alone. My big goofy dog is more of a chicken than I am. She has a big bark but is afraid of most men she doesn't know. I think my cat would come to my rescue before my silly dog would.

Do any of you have alarm systems? Do they make you feel more secure?

By Rayanne on Wednesday, March 9, 2005 - 11:09 pm:

I know exactly how you feel. I have an alarm and I love it, but I still get spooked. Chris is home everynight now, but when he was gone, I still couldn't sleep even though we have the alarm. I'm just a big wuss I guess.

By Ilovetom on Wednesday, March 9, 2005 - 11:16 pm:

I am totally there. My husband also travels and about a month ago- in the morning- I was washing clothes in the wash room. My daughter's room is right above and I can hear her walking. I heard her walking and said Oh good Leanna is up already. Went up there to be sure and she was sound asleep. I don't know.

By Bea on Thursday, March 10, 2005 - 01:07 am:

Oh well...I know we share this house with The Flapper, so I'm used to it. When things go bump in the night I just tell her to shut up so I can sleep. LOL

By Bellajoe on Thursday, March 10, 2005 - 07:51 am:

LOL Bea.

Yes I get spooked when DH is out late with his buddies. I turn on the security system and go to sleep with my bedside lamp on. I'm a chicken.

Dh is going out of town for work next week for about 4 days. I probably won't sleep at all! We don't have a dog, that may make me feel a bit better, but at least we have the security system.

By Fraggle on Thursday, March 10, 2005 - 09:14 am:

Hugs to you. I have been there, too. I used to get very spooked when I was home alone for the night. The security system in our house now definitely makes me feel more secure. I think I have also become more rational about the noises my house makes as the girls have gotten older. Even when DH is home now if he jumps up and says what is that noise, I will listen for a second and figure out what it was. One night a few weeks ago, I heard footsteps outside in the snow, I wanted to freak out but when I thought about it I realised it was probably the deer-and I ended up being right.

By Kaye on Thursday, March 10, 2005 - 09:15 am:

YES. So there are things I have to do to function. First I really prefer to be home before dark, I make sure all our errands are run early. Then I make sure I lock all the doors, I even check windows on occassion. Then I stay on the same floor with my children, I had a 2 story with a basement and just couldn't make that work for me...LOL. I would always close the basement door and put a chair in front of it. Then I sleep with a radio on which helps drown out some of the sounds.

So here is my funny story. My hubby had been out of town for almost a week. I hadn't slept well in several days and was exhausted. So I was up on the computer before bedtime. I heard the strangest sound, it really sounded like someone trying to get in a window. I knew that I needed to just go upstairs and go to bed. But decided I needed to let the dog in. I open the front door, yell Stella (the dogs name) she doesn't come. i think, oh well stupid dog. Then the imagination kicks in, If I were going to break in a house to rape and kill someone offing a dog just wouldn't be a big deal. So now I am determined to find my dog. So I am just scared out of my wits at this point, the sound keeps coming and going, so I KNOW i haven't made that up, I am trying to convince myself it is just a tree or something..lol. So I walk through the house to the back sliding door, I have all the lights out so noone can see in. I peek out the door, see noone. I gently pull back the vertical blinds open them only 4 inches, open the sliding door, just enough to peek my head out, I lean through and at that moment I feel a touch from behind, the blind wand is my shoulder height! I could of just died, I was so scared, I screamed, the dog came though..LOL UGH. Later that week I found out what the noise was, We had a porcipine fall into the basement window well and was trying to climb out (it did not).

another thing I drink a glass or two of wine to relax me if needed.

By Missmudd on Thursday, March 10, 2005 - 10:19 am:

I lock up when dh isnt home, we live in a place that normally nobody locks up, I am not even sure where the house keys are. He came home one morning b4 the kids went to school and was actually mad that the door was locked, like I had locked him out (also that he had been driving all night might have had something to do w/ it). When I explained that I locked the doors when he wasnt home he looked at me like I had been in the sun too long....

By Trina~moderator on Thursday, March 10, 2005 - 10:27 am:

You could have actually heard someone else's baby on your monitor. That has happened to us in the past and it did spook me. LOL!

DD doesn't travel for work any longer but when the kids were really little he did have to travel for training sessions several times. During one of his trips, I remember being anxious when we had a really bad thunder and lightening storm at night. The thunder shook the house so much that it set off the security alarm. THAT scared me and the kids!

By Janet on Thursday, March 10, 2005 - 10:38 am:

We also live in a big, old house. I don't sleep well when dh is gone (not too often, thank goodness). The other night, though, dd came into my room saying she'd had a bad dream, and wanted to sleep with me (dh is recovering from surgery, so he's been downstairs on the couch). The next morning, I asked her about it, and she said she'd seen a girl standing next to her bed. Ack!