Gone Daddy Gone

We've been without Matt for a couple days now. His company sent him to San Diego to live the good life and get some training on the side.
It's funny the changes that occur in our home when he's away. Dinner's are no longer a battle for one. This is because I make whatever is the most quick and easy, which of course are the meals that are rather lacking in nutrition but the kids polish off and ask for more (dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets anyone?) Bedtime is also pretty easy because I let the kids stay up way past their bedtime just to keep me company in the evenings. By the time I actually make them get in bed they're passing out from exhaustion.
One phenomenon I can't figure out is that the house stays a lot cleaner when he's gone. Now he is no where near the messiest person in the house (Joanna holds that honor). So why is it that his absence leads to less mess? Am I a better housekeeper when he's gone? How sad if that's the case.
For the first little bit everyone deals with Matt's absence in their own way. Ethan becomes more clingy and whiny, Joanna more of a bawl baby, Ginny doesn't nap as well, and I play way too many video games until way too late at night because I can't stand going to bed by myself. The house is so quiet without him that I can't go to sleep. I'm so used to either his breathing if he's asleep or the clicking of computer keys or the turning of book pages or the sudden exclamations of anger at video games. His presence is very noticeably missing at night.
He comes home tomorrow. There will be an initial burst of excitement followed by everyone falling to pieces as the pent up anxiousness that built while he was gone is released. Once we've all had a good fit or two we'll settle back into routine, feeling good for having had the reminder of how much more happy we are when we're all together.