School Daze

Since my children have been homeschooled, the "back to school" rush that happens every year has passed mostly unnoticed by our family. This year, as mentioned in a previous post, we are in the midst of the chaos that characterizes the beginning of a new school year, because our children are actually going to school.

As a result, I have a confession to make. I truly hate shopping. It is something that must be done, so I do it when absolutely necessary. But, it is not something I delight in. My mother-in-law proved to be an invaluable asset with aquiring all the various and sundry necessities in the clothing department, for which I will always be grateful. As the mother of five, she is an experienced pro at wardrobing school-bound children. Her wisdom and decisiveness proved invaluable. But, even after a day in the mall, we still needed school supplies.

Thankfully, my oldest daughter (who, like most of her sisters, loves to shop) helped me navigate the two isles of our local market that held all the various school supplies. With four different children going into four different grades, our list was rather extensive. And, being several months pregnant, not sleeping well and very tired, it took me a loooong time to shop. After purchasing almost everything on the list (can you believe some of the items I needed were sold out?!) and spending at least two hours (I was very tired), we left the store.

The next day, I discovered that we'd used the wrong list! So, back to the store I went. It didn't require quite as long to gather the few items not on our original list, and it didn't cost nearly as much. But, after spending a ridiculous (to me) amount of money and making two different trips to the store, we STILL don't have everything we need for the girls to start school! By the time the first day of school actually arrives, it will be a non-event at our house. But, if Mom ever recovers from her "school daze," that will be something to celebrate! Can people really survive this every year?! I think maybe next year we'll go back to homeschool - it will be easier!