It’s the most wonderful time of the year

I hauled everyone to the store yesterday in 105 degree heat because school starts tomorrow and we were out of critical educational supplies such as Oreos and Cheez-Its.

We take our advice from Napoleon and never march on an empty stomach.

It only took the kids five minutes to grab everything on the supply list.  They had birthday gift cards to spend and they didn’t see the need to agonize over just the right folder and notebook which is unfathomable to me because I can spend hours browsing through paper products and have highly evolved theories regarding binding, heft, and color and their relation to specific school subjects.

And you don’t even want to know how long it takes me to pick out a pen.

The boys’ backpacks were still in good shape.  Amazingly enough, we’ve kept the same ones since first grade.  I found them on clearance at a luggage store that was going out of business at the mall and they’ve held up well.  Their lunch boxes, however, haven’t fared so well.  We picked up new ones yesterday because the old ones were toxic health hazards their tastes changed and Spiderman wasn’t cool any more.

You should have seen us at the register.   When you’re buying supply lists times three, the cart gets filled pretty quickly.  The clerk’s eyes went wide and I settled in with a magazine for what is easily my longest checkout experience of the year.

Two of the boys are looking forward to going back to school.  The third is not and we’ve had a lot of late night discussions about new teachers and new expectations.  He truly loves his teacher every year and grieves moving on. It usually takes a couple of months before he’s settled and those allegiances have shifted to the new one.  It’s a pattern I’ve recognized and have tried to show him, but he doesn’t see it and so we begin the rough transition for a couple of months until he learns the new teacher is just as cool as the old one.

And when I say “we”I include myself.

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Today we’re going to buy new shoes and try to find six elusive yellow double pocket folders  with prongs and then celebrate our last day of summer (and buck up my saddest little camper) by going to see Toy Story 3.  I hear I’m going to need a tissue or two when I see it.

Good thing I picked up six boxes yesterday.

Have a nice day.