Boarding School?

Bella spent the day and night and part of today with her grandparents. She went to a movie, bungee bounced at the mall, had a mani and pedi, and came home with fishnet gloves and hot pink fake-rayban sunglasses.

While she was away, Zo and I planned a few adventures of our own. We had lunch at Chick-fil-A, went to Sams (I had an errand, not Zo's choice), saw Night at the Museum (I fell asleep), and went to the pool for the first time this year. It was the nicest, most relaxed, fun time I have had as a parent in a looong time.

I think I have narrowed down the reason to the fact that there was no arguing, no fighting, no bickering (those may all seem the same to you but I will be glad to explain the differences). There was no whining, no tattling, no tears. Zo, who we have had some behavior issues with lately, was so sweet and calm. It was pure joy, not because we didn't miss Bella but because there was no one for Zo to argue with.

I am now planning weekly, one-on-one times with each child. I have heard people talk about "quality" time before but I thought I was spending quality time with my kids. It just involved a lot of frustration, yelling, tears, arguing, whining, screaming, and exhaustion. So I plan on sending Zo with her Dad or grandparent sometime soon and Bella and I will do something together.

Or, the other option I am considering is boarding school. The girls can take turns there every other month.

Either option works for me.