Do you see me doing the happy dance? Do you?

It’s because today is September 2. September means SCHOOL!!! This isn’t your average, run-of-the-mill school year either. Both of my girls are going to school. Don’t get me wrong. I love these girls. But these girls love school. They like the structure as much as I do. They want to be with friends. They want to do messy projects. They probably want a break from my face 24/7.

Let’s recap the Summer: We joined a pool club, we hung out with friends, we enjoyed ourselves. It was nice. I think we are finally at the stage/ages where things get a bit easier. Abs likes the pool. M isn’t terrified anymore. I can almost relax while they play at a pool or playground. Almost. But, I’m kind of pool-ed out. I’m ready for my routine again. I’m ready to be forced to get up, have breakfast, get dressed and get out of the house. Bring it on!

I’m also ready to say goodbye to a few things, namely sunblock and air conditioning. My arch enemies. My nemesis (nemesi? Whatever.) I hate air conditioning. I would rather be too hot than too cold. I just don’t think it’s right to need long pants, socks and a sweatshirt in your house when it’s 80 degrees out. I think that’s a good sign that it’s too cold. One would never go outside on a 75 degree day and complain about the heat. Why does my house need to be any colder than that? Why?

Then there’s sunblock. Don’t even get me started. So far this Summer, I have spent ridiculous amounts of money on sunblock, because Abs reacts to everything. Her eyes, her skin…so irritated. I have resigned myself to the fact that I need to buy her the $25 tube that is the size of travel toothpaste, or watch the poor girl scratch herself silly. Couple that with a squirmy 5 year old, and it’s just not fun.

Back to my point. School. I can’t wait. They can’t wait. It’s a win-win for all. Sure, I’ll get a little emotional sending them off, but it will quickly pass with a coffee and a book and a few hours of silence.

A recent trip to the beach…

Thanks to a new friend, I am loving the Hipstamatic app for my phone. I am responsible for none of the fanciness of these pictures…

Abs starts school in 3 weeks. 3 weeks.

It’s pre-school, and she needs to be potty trained. Or, let me clarify, she can wear a pull-up/diaper and I will get a phone call if she needs to be changed. My morning alone time with M will be over in a poop filled moment.

I started potty-training yesterday. At a friend’s suggestion, I bought, “Potty training in less than a Day.” She swore it worked. The author swears it works. ‘After 1 day, 100% of children were trained.’ Wow…can’t beat those stats. Can’t believe them either, but they sure sound great. I could let slide that he suggested you decide on a word for pee and poop and one of his examples was ‘defecation.’ Could you really see someone using that word with a child?

I started reading the book. The ideas made a lot of sense. Block off a 4 hour period of time with no TV, phone or other distractions. Buy a doll that pees. Have your child teach the doll to pee. All good ideas. We woke up yesterday ready to go. Doll? Check. Lots of underwear? Check. Elmo Potty that congratulates her in Spanish? Check.

The first time she tried? Nothing but a big fart. But she was proud of that sound! Of course, so was I! We clicked Elmo and he said something that had to be good (Does anyone have this potty? How do I switch to English?) She got up, I gave her another drink. A half-hour later, she ran in on her own and sat down in her underwear and peed. I call this success! So did Elmo. I think.

The day went pretty smooth. She asked a few times to use the potty, she had a few accidents.

We woke up today and started again. She has gone a few times on her own. No accidents…until…she decided to tell me she needed to go and then shit on the floor next to the potty. But, she told me. This time, I’m certain Elmo said something disapproving, but I told him to back off.