Dear Karen,
If you're counting (and I know you are), there are only 11 days until the start of the new school year. That may seem like an eternity to you, since you did not think you would survive summer vacation at all, but just keep the following things in mind to help you get through the next week and a half . . .
1. There will not be children home 24/7 making messes in every room in the house. If you clean the pee off the toilet seat, it will still be clean when you return to use it in an hour or two.
2. You will be able to work during the day without being interrupted every 5 minutes by a child who is bored, who wants to tattle on their brother or sister, who is hungry, or just wants to put a toy as close to your face as possible.
3. You will be able to get more than 5 hours of sleep because you won't need to stay up far too late to do your work or just to enjoy a whole hour of quiet.
4. You will be able to take a shower without a child needing to use the bathroom, leading you to be trapped into a 15-minute conversation about how many poops he might still have left to come out.
5. If you're tired, you will actually be able to lie down for a short nap without being woken up every 5 minutes. (See No. 2)
Every time you feel like you need to be admitted to the nearest loony bin, just remind yourself of the 5 things above. You can make it through until the first day of school!
