Can you hear it?
The sound of silence, I mean?
Those pesky children who've been hanging around all summer have finally hightailed it back to school. No more house juddering to the soundtrack of CBBC and no one wanting their bum wiped when you're just settling down for some tea and cake. Of course I will miss them, but for now, it's nice to have a few hours' peace. And some undisturbed, unshared cake.
The back to school features here on ParentDish have, not surprisingly, welcomed a lot of readers in the past week. Busiest of all has been this one I wrote recently about what to do if your child is starting school for the very first time. Check out the comments for some excellent additional advice from parents and teachers.
Single mum Rosie Scribble is celebrating the start of the new term, and is firmly of the opinion that teachers are brilliant.
Not forgetting the pre-schoolers, Chronicles of Squidgy Boo is bursting with excitement at the first day of nursery. Don't peak too soon, SB, if you think starting nursery is this good, you'll wet yourself when it's time for big school.
The Wife of Bold confesses to being a bad mummy who ruins back to school day. Don't worry, WoB, you're not alone. I managed to give my child a nosebleed on the first school run (long story, nobody's fault, please don't tell social services).
And finally, nothing to do with school, but I couldn't let this post pass without special mention. In fact, I would like to create a special award for Maternal Tales from the South Coast. Step forward MTftSC and receive your award for Best Blog Pic of a Ginormous Poo. Urgh, nearly put me off my cake.