School shopping...or How I spent the day in the seventh level of Hell.

Take 3 children who just wanted to stay home & watch Spongebob, one dad who has a tendency to let them pick out what ever they like, one toddler feeling a bit puny, and one hungry, sleep deprived, VBS'ed out, PMS-ing mother and send them shopping for school supplies 6 days before school starts & what do you have? Something only Dante should write about.

But....we're home. Everyone has all the supplies they need. BabyGirl has shoes (but it's doubtful she'll wear them....I had to walk away from that battle & leave her to her dad. I did inform her that if this pair gets torn up or isn't worn that from here on out all her shoes will be purchased with money from her savings. I'm D.O.N.E.). #1 Son has pants & PJ's (he's passed almost all of his on to B.B.). We have underpants that have to go back because I got them a full size too big. We have a promise that next year they will not be taken school supply shopping. They will be allowed to pick their backpacks & lunch boxes at a specified date & that is all.

Tonight is closing ceremonies for VBS. It's really been a good week & I've had a great bunch of kids. I'm beat, but I wouldn't miss this week for the world. The music may be hokey (really, really hokey this year) and the evenings way too late, but the kids have such a wonderful time & learn so much. It's all worth it in the end.

School starts Thursday. BabyGirl goes half a day. #1 Son has visit day. Friday they start full swing. I like that they only have two days to deal with at first...they sort of ease into it. Part of me is ready to shoo them out the door right now. The other part of me remembers the early mornings & the battles that ensue & would rather wait for the truant officer to come a' knocking.

I'm praying that with BabyGirl's SPD a bit better in hand (or at least better understood) the battles will be fewer & farther between. I also know that with second grade comes more homework and that I am not looking forward to. BabyGirl isn't the kind of child you can send to her desk & tell her to do her home work. She has to be stood over & supervised or she won't do anything. It makes for a very long night.

I'm considering making up their rewards chart right now. Start the school year off with it. We'll see.

The pictures scattered throughout the post are from Wednesday when I put up corn & tomato sauce all day. I learned a new trick this summer for putting up corn. When you're cutting it off the cob, set the cob on the middle post in a Bundt pan. The post gives you a secure place for the corn cob & keeps it from slipping around & the pan catches all the corn keeping it off your counter & floors. But be warned, your electric knife will nick the pan on occasion, so don't use the one passed down to you from your great-grandmother, or your nice new silicon pan.