Back to School

Hey hey hey... my kids go back to school on Tuesday and I am jumping for joy. This has been the longest three weeks since I have been back to Arizona without Russ and trying to keep the boys happy while barely being able to go outside because of the heat. Whew... It might sound terrible that I want them to GOOOO to school but I am so looking forward to the routine and the kids having lots to do without constantly wanting me to find something for them. Besides, my grocery bill should go down considerably! They are eating me out of house and home (as my mom used to say! )

We found their classrooms on Friday and both of the older boys teachers were there so we got to visit. Now the kids are excited and I think it will be a great school year for them. My preschooler's teachers also came for a home visit this past week and he can't wait to get back in the swing of things. It is going to still be VERY busy but I am hopeful that the kids will have great experiences and that our time together at home will be more quality time.

Just thought I would share the good news!

Robin

Woohoo for you!! Mine don't start back until Sept. 4th!!! Isn't it awful to be excited about that? I'm sure I'll be sad when they finally get on the school bus (after my little summer survivor party dance ). No really, I have mixed feelings but the predominant one right now is...BACK TO SCHOOL!!! This is the first year that anyone will ride school buses and I have mixed feelings on that one too....both my kindergartener and first-grader will get on the bus at 7.05am They are thrilled about this....but I feel like they might be too young....

Anyway...have you been shopping for back-to-school stuff? What is UP with those lists from the teachers? We got this long list of things to buy with little notes from the teachers: ONLY brand X...do NOT buy Rose Art....only Crayola, No EAGLE brand pencils, ONLY BLANK folders...no decorated folders, ONLY YELLOW pencils...no decorations....blah, blah...it was the most unenjoyable back-to-school shopping I have done. I brought the kids with me and then we were all frustrated by the lines, crowded isles and inability to find the little particulars that we were supposed to get..For example, the markers had to be Crayola Washable, broad line,classic colors...which were sold out in two major stores.....we ended just taking the Rose Art which was significantly cheaper and gave us one extra marker....but I'm wondering if they'll be sent back at the beginning of the year because they aren't crayola? We were even mandated to buy a particular brand of scissors and pencil box for the kids

I thought that I was the only one feeling frustrated and then one of the other mothers just freaked out...she snapped to everyone in the aisle that if the teachers were going to be so flippin' picky about the brands, etc...that they should come out and buy the supplies themselves ...which caused a little uproar in the isle.... . I felt sorry for her and for all of us shopping actually

Well, at least it is done and we are one step closer to going back to SCHOOL!

What kind of bookbags did you get? We got powerpuffgirls (in pink) and a neat rugrats blue one that has a water bottle and pencil case attached (of course not the one specified, so we did buy him the special one too )

It is so exciting to see the kids getting ready to go back!



Kris

That is funny that you should talk about back to school supplies. I JUST got back from Wal-Mart after a HORRIFIC morning of buying last minute supplies. I had gone much earlier to buy the standard stuff but on Friday, when we met with the teachers they added a whole bunch of things. The teachers here at least weren't so picky. They gave suggested brandnames but not absolutes. Wait til you get to 4th grade! Holy cow, Jacob had to have more stuff than anybody from 3 x 5 cards to a white t-shirt etc.

This morning was crazy just because my kids didn't want to behave and the back to school section looked like a landmine had hit it! Stuff everywhere. We couldn't find a pencil sharpener until we searched through a pile of stuff in a box! It was crazy but I think I am about done. Oh... would you believe that Wal-Mart was sold out of white t-shirts?! So, I still have to do that.

I am afraid I am quite boring when it comes to the backpacks. I get generic ones in great colors like forest green, navy etc. so that I can hand them down to the next child. Not much fun I am sure but at least they don't go out of style and at this point of Russ' medical career (or lack thereof!) it works for us. I saw a Scooby Doo one that I thought would be a lot of fun!!!

So... tomorrow is the day. I am excited and yet nervous for the kids. I remember how excited I was when I was a kid but there was also a lot of anxiety. I am just hoping that they have a GREAT first day to start off the new year. I am not looking forward to all the papers I will get this week! I will sign more forms ... But... they are going back to school so I can't complain!

Robin