Ready for school

We are officially into August and in 19 days, I will be taking not one, but two kids for their first day of school. Kendal will be starting 3rd grade and Payton will start her school "career". :)

Last night I took the girls (all three of them) to buy school supplies. I keep saying that I am going to buy the school packs through the PTA, but I am a helpless cheapskate (I get it from my mom) and I just can't bring myself to do that when I can save money by going to Walmart and getting everything myself. This year was actually a more pleasant experience because I didn't wait until almost the start of school to get everything. Last year I had to go to three different stores...what a pain that was!!! Probably didn't actually save any money when you factor in the gas that was used, but I digress.... :)

With TWO grades of school supply lists in hand, the four of us hit Walmart. I let each of them have their own cart to put their supplies in which was very cute, but was actually done to save in the arguing that I knew would ensue if we just had one and also to save me from having to re-sort everything before school starts. We were able to get EVERYTHING on both of their lists at ONE store. That was great! We only had one minor hiccup and that was the YELLOW PLASTIC FOLDER WITH POCKETS AND BRADS. I couldn't find one! Kendal, bless her heart, kept pulling out yellow folders and saying, "here's one!", but it would be one with pockets and no brads or brads with no pockets or not plastic at all. After several frustrating minutes, I finally resigned myself to the fact that we would have to locate one somewhere else. About that time, a very sweet and helpful Walmart employee (who you usually can't find to save your life) appeared and asked if I needed help finding anything. Thank you, Lord!! I told her that I was in search of the elusive yellow plastic folder with pockest and brads. She disappeared for a few minutes and when she re-appeared, was holding one in her hand and informed me that that was their last one. WHEW!!! God works in mysterious ways! :)

Kendal still has her messenger style book bag that my sis-in-law made her for last year that I absolutely love, but she informed me that she wanted a regular back pack for this year. I tried encouraging (pressuring) her to use that again, but she REALLY WANTS A BACKPACK! :) I decided that in the whole "pick your battle" scenario that this wasn't a battle that I needed to fight. The backpacks were only 10 bucks and I figure the messenger bag can be used whenever she wants to. If only I had realized the backpack she would really want, I may have fought that battle! She picked out an iCarly backpack with the iCarly girl, Miranda Cosgrove (Ithink that's her name) on it! BLEH!!! Not *bleh* Miranda Cosgrove...she's a cute girl, but *bleh* the backpack itself. I have NEVER bought any apparal anything with people or characters, whatever on them and I really didn't want to start with an iCarly backpack. I know, "what's the big deal, there are worse things", but this is just one of my crazy quirks! :) We stood in the aisle "discussing" this for about 15 min. before I finally told her that we would go ahead and get it, but that I reserve the right to continue to think about it and possibly return it. She was OK with that and threw the backpack in her cart. We will continue to look around and see if I can encourage (pressure) her to pick something else. :) Payton had already thrown her cute backpack in her cart, but when she saw that Kendal was getting the iCarly one, went running to the Princess one hanging on the wall...I just couldn't go there so she got a Princess water bottle to take to school instead. She was happy with that!

Payton, as I have mentioned in previous posts, has not been excited about the start of school because of the shot situation. She doesn't want to get shots, so she doesn't want to go to school!! I was at a birthday party last week talking to a friend that works in the school district and she was saying that if she didn't have her shots that they wouldn't even let her start until she gets them. I wasn't sure how to work that since her birthday is on Sat. the 22nd and school starts Mon. the 24th. You can't get shots prior to the birthday so what was I going to do...take her first thing Mon. morning before school to get her shots and then drop her off for her first day of Kindergarten. That just seems way mean, but the only other option was to miss the first day of school, which was also not acceptable to me. I decided I needed to look into the matter.

I went to the office where they get their shots to inquire about this dilema. The nurse pulled her records and low and behold if she doesn't need shots after all! HALLELUJAH AND PRAISE THE LORD!!!! She also pulled the other two and come to find out, Kendal has to get a second chicken pox vaccine. Made me laugh...ruined Kendal's day! :) I can wait and take her in the same time I take Bransyn in for her shots after her 4th birthday next month. I don't know where I got the idea that Payton had to get 5 year shots, but FYI...if the school nurse doesn't inform you that shots need to be given before starting school when you register them, then you're good to go. DUH!!! ;-D

Summer is winding down....I am watching my friends girls three days this week and next, we will have a few more trips to the pool (AAHHHH!!) hang out with friends and before we know it, school will begin. Two kids with homework, not really looking forward to that! With the "shot crisis of '09" averted, school supplies purchased and plenty of school clothes (thanks to my mom-in-law), we will be ready when the day comes. There will just be a few tears shed and all from this mommy!

Until next time...