Wal-Mart's evil plan and other back to school musings

We are less than a week away from school starting.  The fact that the summer seemed to fly by was very apparent Tuesday night when I broke down and bought Cade's school supply.  I could see the shock on the other parent's face while we kept passing each other trying to find the items on our lists.  It's kind of a numb, can this really be happening sort of look.  I don't know what other parents think about while they are gathering supplies but here are some of my thoughts......

• Quart size baggies??? I've bought these every year for 6 years.  What in the heck do they use these things for?  I've never seen Cade bring one home.  Good grief, I'll have to go over to the food aisle to see if they have any left.  The supply here is wiped out.
• Dry Eraser.....what happens to 20+ dry erasers throughout the year.  Why does every kid need to bring an eraser?
• Pencils....why are the cheap pencils gone?  I am not buying the package of 10 that are presharpened.  They cost almost $2 and I have to buy 4 of them.  That's going to have to wait until I can go to another store. I can't believe there are no pencils at Wal-Mart!
• What the heck are Post-It flags and where do I find them
• Finally, I found the dry eraser....but I don't want the cleaner and the colored markers.  Why can't I just buy a plain eraser?
• Where are the scissors????  Where the heck are the scissors?????
• 2 red pens????  I have to get a package of pens so I can send two red pens with Cade?
• Crap....I forgot the pink pearl eraser.  Was that over by the sparkly folders or the calculators? I'll have to circle all the aisles again.  My feet hurt, I should've wore different sandals.
• I wish this family letting their kindergarten student decide on the colors of his 4 folders would move over a little.....If they don't move so I can grab the last thing of highlighters I'm going to pick the 4 folders for the kid....
• Why do teachers hate Trapper Keepers?  Every class list has in bold writing NO TRAPPER KEEPERS...even the other schools have the same thing.  Why all the hate for trapper keepers....I think I had one with kitties on it...or was it puppies...no, it was definitely kitties.  Was I in the 3rd grade that year.....
• Will anyone notice if I take two pencils out of one of the boxes I'm supplying for the classroom and put them with the required art supplies? Oh wait...WAL-MART DOESN'T HAVE ANY PENCILS

After going to 2 different stores and finding nary a package of $0.98 pencils and only 1 dry eraser/cleaner/multi-colored marker package I've decided that is Wal-Mart's evil plan.  They purposely under buy those items so that we parents have to make multiple trips to look for them.  Apparently they know every student in this area needs a dry eraser.  So they purposely under bought by 1 just to drive me crazy.  But they knew my feet hurt and I was in a school supply stupor so I bought the whole package of things we don't need just so I could mark eraser off my list.  But I will not fall for their tricks on the $2 pencils.  At least not yet.....

Since most of the school supplies are now purcahsed I've turned by attention on how to make this year smoother.  Last year was pretty bad in the organization department.  Actually, I was pretty non-present with Cade and his homework.  It seriously almost gave me a panic attack every night.  Thanks goodness Mrs. D was pretty easy with it because Jay was around to handle it most nights.  I doubt I'll be so lucky this year. 

I spent Tuesday in Greenfield trying to think through how to make things better.  I met Jay for lunch and told him I'd been trying to think through how to handle the backpack mess.  Jay said "you mean how you NEVER looked in his backpack?"  Yeah, that is what I'm trying to fix.  Along with just our whole distribution of crap every time we walk in the door.  Since we walk into our kitchen everything tends to get dumped on the kitchen table....backpack, mail, Jay's odds and ends from his pockets, my bag of stuff I carry around every day and just other things from the day.  It creates a mess in the kitchen then I'm trying to do dinner but I feel claustrophobic.  Then everything gets moved around and the backpack is out of sight, out of mind.  I also need a better system for remembering to send Cade's lunch money check each month and all the other papers I need to sign and send back.  Did I mention Cade is playing football this year....so we'll have to add practices 10 nights a week and a helmet to the mess in the kitchen.  AHHHHH.

This week I got the monthly newsletter from the FCS Credit Union that had a story about what I'm feeling right now.  There is seriously a name for this....something like Post Vacation Depression I think....Interesting.  I had a name for this problem about 3rd grade...Backpack Fatigue. 

I do have some systems worked out.  I think we will be doing good if they stay in place through Labor Day.  Then I'm sure it will be back to utter chaos.  But the school has help for people like me.  I love the new automated call system that lets me know Cade's lunch account is negative and he will be eating a cheese sandwich if I don't send in a check.  So helpful!!! Seriously it was helpful last year...otherwise I would've never remembered. 

2012-2013 school year here we come....kicking and screaming every step of the way.