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When you spend as much time with your children as I have recently, you get a lot of love and a lot of insults too. J is the most up and down. On any given day he tells me that he loves me and am "the best mom ever" as well as that he hates me and sorts of variations like "mothers are bad and fathers are gooder. You are no longer in my family." He has gotten very fresh at times, and what could seem funny and cute to some, is actually straight up back talk. He was so naughty yesterday (admittedly a boring-ish day- MoJo had to come to the doctor with me and to PT- but they got a nice lunch out and playground time as well), that when I told him to "listen" on the bus and he answered "no, you listen", I realized just how fresh this midget is. It is hard to believe that it is almost September. It is also hard to fathom that M's first full day of school is not until Sept 10 and J's until Sept 12- help! This has been the most intense child summer ever. I have never, before this summer, not had a job. Not a single tutoring gig, no camp, nada. This coupled with four children, two of whom are way wilder than they were last summer (AleVit is a terror!), made for a tiring summer. We have had fun. We had madness. We have done many parks, museums, tv, the pool, you name it, we did it. When I am back to (a just renovated and gorgeous) school Sept 4, I will miss the kids, but it will be good for all of us. If I get too nostalgic, I can find two in my place of work, as well as know that AleVit and I have our pre 7am daily milk date. In a few years when none of them care about me or need me, when I do not hear "mamá" 30000 times per day and prepare 24 meals and snacks per day, I will wish I had basked in this phase more. I already miss them as younger versions of themselves and then I realize that they have to grow up, for all of our sakes!