School Supplies

The boys turning 13 in a couple of weeks, I think I finally have the basic back to school shopping under control. For me it takes entering the list of supplies into my Palm Pilot, creating a check off list that can be narrowed down each an item is purchased.

I keep track of the school supply circulars, then one Sunday afternoon, when I’m in a pretty good mood. I head for the store.

Here’s the key part of this plan. I almost always don’t take the boys. They can be no where near for this to be a quick, painless experience. Trust me, all they do is add an air of panic to an otherwise pleasant day. With each pack of pens, binder, or tissue box tossed in our cart, I hear, “How many more days until school starts?” “Are you sure we really need to buy this stuff?” “Summer can’t be over…it just started!”

An hour of that and I’m ready to panic myself.

This year the school supply shopping was a breeze. What was tough was buying clothes for the boys. We’ve learned during certain growth cycles in their lives it’s silly to buy long pants, since they’ll only look like “boy capris” in a week. So we decided to stick with long shorts, meaning for them nothing that hits above the knee.

Apparently my clothing tastes and having me outside the dressing room are embarrassing. Big Al was the fashion consultant this year, while I hung out a safe distance away.

The more I think about it, summer can’t be over yet. Enjoy your last couple of days while you can.