diff --git a/bin/nodemon.js b/bin/nodemon.js
index 01b3060..3867539 100755
--- a/bin/nodemon.js
+++ b/bin/nodemon.js
@@ -12,6 +12,5 @@ if (notifier.update) {
 }
 
 var options = cli.parse(process.argv);
-options.restartable = 'rs';
 
 nodemon(options);
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/lib/config/defaults.js b/lib/config/defaults.js
index 4bb3e3d..df24f9a 100644
--- a/lib/config/defaults.js
+++ b/lib/config/defaults.js
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 // default options for config.options
 module.exports = {
+  restartable: 'rs',
   execMap: {
     py: 'python',
     rb: 'ruby'
diff --git a/lib/config/index.js b/lib/config/index.js
index 8c02fc2..e2472d9 100644
--- a/lib/config/index.js
+++ b/lib/config/index.js
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ function reset() {
 }
 
 var config = {
+  run: false,
   system: {
     noWatch: false,
     watchWorks: false,
diff --git a/lib/monitor/run.js b/lib/monitor/run.js
index b913bad..3b912ca 100644
--- a/lib/monitor/run.js
+++ b/lib/monitor/run.js
@@ -152,6 +152,9 @@ run.kill = noop;
 run.restart = noop;
 
 bus.on('quit', function () {
+  // immediately try to stop any polling
+  config.run = false;
+
   // remove event listener
   var exit = function () {
     exit = noop; // null out in case of race condition
diff --git a/lib/monitor/watch.js b/lib/monitor/watch.js
index 61e12a6..ce70cf1 100644
--- a/lib/monitor/watch.js
+++ b/lib/monitor/watch.js
@@ -157,11 +157,13 @@ function filterAndRestart(files) {
   }
 
   if (config.system.noWatch || config.options.forceLegacyWatch) {
-    setTimeout(monitor, config.timeout);
+    if (config.run) {
+      setTimeout(watch, config.timeout);
+    }
   }
 }
 
-var monitor = module.exports = function () {
+var watch = module.exports = function () {
   // if we have noWatch or watchWorks (i.e. not using `find`)
   // then called `changeFunction` which is local to this script
   if ((config.system.noWatch || config.system.watchWorks) && !config.options.forceLegacyWatch) {
diff --git a/lib/nodemon.js b/lib/nodemon.js
index 9b603d7..9059700 100644
--- a/lib/nodemon.js
+++ b/lib/nodemon.js
@@ -125,6 +125,7 @@ function nodemon(settings) {
       }
     }
 
+    config.run = true;
     monitor.run(config.options);
   });
 
@@ -148,7 +149,7 @@ nodemon.once = function (event, handler) {
   if (!eventHandlers[event]) { eventHandlers[event] = []; }
   eventHandlers[event].push(handler);
   bus.once(event, function () {
-    eventHandlers[event].splice(eventHandlers[event].indexOf(handler), 0);
+    eventHandlers[event].splice(eventHandlers[event].indexOf(handler), 1);
     handler.apply(this, arguments);
   });
   return nodemon;
@@ -166,7 +167,7 @@ nodemon.removeAllListners = function (event) {
   }).forEach(function (event) {
     eventHandlers[event].forEach(function (handler) {
       bus.removeListener(event, handler);
-      eventHandlers[event].splice(eventHandlers[event].indexOf(handler), 0);
+      eventHandlers[event].splice(eventHandlers[event].indexOf(handler), 1);
     });
     // delete eventHandlers[event];
   });
@@ -177,6 +178,7 @@ nodemon.removeAllListners = function (event) {
 nodemon.reset = function () {
   nodemon.removeAllListners();
   utils.reset();
+  config.run = false;
 };
 
 // expose the full config
diff --git a/lib/utils/log.js b/lib/utils/log.js
index 31fc91c..e2eb1e5 100644
--- a/lib/utils/log.js
+++ b/lib/utils/log.js
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ Logger.prototype.required = function (val) {
 Logger.prototype.debug = false;
 Logger.prototype._log = function (type, msg) {
   if (required) {
-    bus.emit('log', { type: type, message: msg, colour: msg });
+    bus.emit('log', { type: type, message: msg || '', colour: msg || '' });
   } else if (type === 'error') {
     util.error(msg);
   } else {
diff --git a/test/config/load.test.js b/test/config/load.test.js
index 1424565..1820601 100644
--- a/test/config/load.test.js
+++ b/test/config/load.test.js
@@ -18,10 +18,12 @@ describe('config load', function () {
     utils.home = oldhome;
   });
 
-  after(function () {
+  after(function (done) {
     // clean up just in case.
-    nodemon.emit('quit');
-    nodemon.reset();
+    nodemon.once('exit', function () {
+      nodemon.reset();
+      done();
+    }).emit('quit');
   });
 
 
diff --git a/test/fork/watch-restart.test.js b/test/fork/watch-restart.test.js
index b879cc8..9701d52 100644
--- a/test/fork/watch-restart.test.js
+++ b/test/fork/watch-restart.test.js
@@ -54,7 +54,6 @@ describe('nodemon fork child restart', function () {
         },
         output: function (data) {
           var msg = colour.strip(data.trim());
-          console.log(data.trim());
           if (utils.match(msg, 'changes after filters')) {
             var changes = msg.slice(-5).split('/');
             var restartedOn = changes.pop();
diff --git a/test/lib/require.test.js b/test/lib/require.test.js
index b9c86e6..ea34d27 100644
--- a/test/lib/require.test.js
+++ b/test/lib/require.test.js
@@ -7,9 +7,11 @@ var nodemon = require('../../lib/'),
     appjs = path.resolve(__dirname, '..', 'fixtures', 'app.js');
 
 describe('require-able', function () {
-  afterEach(function (){
-    nodemon.emit('quit');
-    nodemon.reset()
+  afterEach(function (done) {
+    nodemon.once('exit', function () {
+      nodemon.reset();
+      done();
+    }).emit('quit');
   });
 
   it('should know nodemon has been required', function () {
@@ -28,7 +30,7 @@ describe('require-able', function () {
       nodemon.emit('quit');
     }).on('quit', function () {
       assert(restarted, 'nodemon restarted and quit properly');
-      nodemon.reset()
+      nodemon.reset();
       done();
     }).on('log', function (event) {
       // console.log(event.message);
@@ -47,8 +49,8 @@ describe('require-able', function () {
       nodemon.emit('quit');
     }).on('quit', function () {
       assert(restarted);
+      nodemon.reset();
       // unbind events for testing again
-      nodemon.reset()
       done();
     });
   });
diff --git a/test/monitor/run.test.js b/test/monitor/run.test.js
index 7ed0761..9ffb937 100644
--- a/test/monitor/run.test.js
+++ b/test/monitor/run.test.js
@@ -10,11 +10,13 @@ var nodemon = require('../../lib/'),
 describe('when nodemon runs', function () {
   var tmp = path.resolve('test/fixtures/test' + crypto.randomBytes(16).toString('hex') + '.js');
 
-  after(function () {
+  after(function (done) {
     fs.unlink(tmp);
     // clean up just in case.
-    nodemon.emit('quit');
-    nodemon.reset()
+    nodemon.once('exit', function () {
+      nodemon.reset();
+      done();
+    }).emit('quit');
   });
 
   it('should wait when the script crashes', function (done) {
@@ -28,9 +30,10 @@ describe('when nodemon runs', function () {
       }, 1000);
     }).on('restart', function () {
       assert(true, 'nodemon restarted');
-      nodemon.emit('quit');
-      nodemon.reset()
-      done();
+      nodemon.once('exit', function () {
+        nodemon.reset();
+        done();
+      }).emit('quit');
     });
   });
 
@@ -47,9 +50,10 @@ describe('when nodemon runs', function () {
       }, 500);
     }).on('restart', function () {
       assert(true, 'nodemon restarted');
-      nodemon.emit('quit');
-      nodemon.reset()
-      done();
+      nodemon.once('exit', function () {
+        nodemon.reset();
+        done();
+      }).emit('quit');
     });
   });
 
@@ -71,8 +75,7 @@ describe('when nodemon runs', function () {
       assert(false, 'detected crashed state');
     }).on('exit', function () {
       assert(true, 'quit correctly');
-      nodemon.emit('quit');
-      nodemon.reset()
+      nodemon.reset();
       done();
 
       setTimeout(function () {
diff --git a/test/monitor/watch-restart.test.js b/test/monitor/watch-restart.test.js
index 60cf206..a17af20 100644
--- a/test/monitor/watch-restart.test.js
+++ b/test/monitor/watch-restart.test.js
@@ -25,9 +25,10 @@ describe('nodemon monitor child restart', function () {
     fs.unlink(tmpjs);
     fs.unlink(tmpmd);
     // clean up just in case.
-    bus.once('exit', done);
-    nodemon.emit('quit');
-    nodemon.reset();
+    nodemon.once('exit', function () {
+      nodemon.reset();
+      done();
+    }).emit('quit');
   });
 
   it('should happen when monitoring a single extension', function (done) {
@@ -39,15 +40,16 @@ describe('nodemon monitor child restart', function () {
       }, 1000);
     }).on('restart', function () {
       assert(true, 'nodemon restarted');
-      bus.once('exit', done);
-      nodemon.emit('quit');
-      nodemon.reset();
+      nodemon.once('exit', function () {
+        nodemon.reset();
+        done();
+      }).emit('quit');
     });
   });
 
   it('should happen when monitoring multiple extensions', function (done) {
+    write(true);
     setTimeout(function () {
-      write(true);
 
       nodemon({
         script: tmpjs,
@@ -64,9 +66,10 @@ describe('nodemon monitor child restart', function () {
           var changes = msg.trim().slice(-5).split('/');
           var restartedOn = changes.pop();
           assert(restartedOn === '1', 'nodemon restarted on a single file change');
-          bus.once('exit', done);
-          nodemon.emit('quit');
-          nodemon.reset();
+          nodemon.once('exit', function () {
+            nodemon.reset();
+            done();
+          }).emit('quit');
         }
       });
     }, 2000);
@@ -91,9 +94,10 @@ describe('nodemon monitor child restart', function () {
           var changes = msg.trim().slice(-5).split('/');
           var restartedOn = changes.pop();
           assert(restartedOn === '1', 'nodemon restarted when watched directory');
-          nodemon.once('exit', done);
-          nodemon.emit('quit');
-          nodemon.reset();
+          nodemon.once('exit', function () {
+            nodemon.reset();
+            done();
+          }).emit('quit');
         }
       });
     }, 2000);