Nothing new in the realm of the sucky custody situation. Right now I am just trying to survive the August hell that is otherwise known as back-to-school shopping.
Don’t get me wrong, I love paper products and supplies. There is something so soothing about stacks of clean, perfect paper, packages of pens that flow in thick, smooth lines and binders that line up perfectly-like primary colored ducks in a row. I get all teary-eyed and glowy just thinking about it. Still, this annual shopping excursion hurts my head every year. It doesn’t help that I put it off until the week before school and do it in one fell swoop, so I have no one to blame but me.
First stop was Old Navy. (Memo to me: Employment at this store goes on the list of “Jobs That Would Make You Lose Your Sanity and Stick a Fork in Your Eye in Ten Seconds or Less”) Still, despite the crowds, music, and MESS that people leave after pawing through everything, Old Navy has good clothes that are budget friendly to parents of boys that can destroy a new outfit faster than you can say “American Express”.
The dress code for our school is really straight forward and boring. No denim and solid color shirts that have a collar and no logos. I LOVE IT because it is so easy, but it just doesn’t make shopping for it all that exciting, you know? Plus, shopping with a gaggle of boys is just different than shopping on your own or with girls. Getting my boys to try things on is like trying to persuade a cat to go swimming. They hate it. I finally got Christopher into an outfit and it was too big. When I told him we would have to look for something in a different size, he got huffy.
“WHAT? You mean I tried this on for NOTHING?”
“Welcome to shopping, son.”
After we finished at Old Navy we went to ShopKo (NEVER go to Wal-demort for back to school shopping. EVER. It is like entering a war zone to fight for items so picked over there are usually just folders with Sailor Moon and Garfield left on the shelves.) The selection at ShopKo was adequate for the pounds of paper supplies both kids need and new backpacks at 60% off for the kind with wheels is a smokin’ deal.
The last stop was for shoes.
I love Payless. Especially when you have boys that always seem to lose every pair of shoes they have with in a month or two of purchase (It’s damn frustrating, that.) I can’t believe how BIG they have gotten. They are both out of the kids section and into the men’s. :S
Jonathan and I disagreed on shoes. He thought the totally cute pair of American Eagle shoes I liked were “Totally girly” and I thought that the shoes he wanted for Christopher were such a painful throwback to the 80’s that I would have no choice but to start calling Christopher, “Punky Brewster”, if he purchased them.
Seriously??? LOOK AT THAT SHOE!!!!!! GAG. Am I alone, here? The one on the left is way cuter!
In the end, I just.didn’t.care. We had been shopping for 4 hours, I was dead tired, hungry, had a huge headache and was DONE. I waved the white flag, made myself acquainted with the floor, and let my husband finish the shoe shopping.
The final decisions were made and everyone was happy. (Can you tell by the final shoe selection why I feel like I am raising Calvin and Alex P. Keaton in the same household?).
James:
Christopher:
Four stores and hundreds of dollars later, we are D-O-N-E.
So…Y’all finished with your shopping?
Sharon says:
I miss those days… especially with my daughter. She was a bargain hunter! We’d go to second hand stores, rummage sales, consignment stores. She made each dollar go REALLY far! My son would have one style of jeans he wanted (3 pr.), then a couple shirts and he was DONE!
August 9th, 2007 at 9:06 pm
applesonastick says:
I finished a week before school started, well if you don’t count the pair of shoes I bought yesterday $30!!! My kids grow out of shoes in a matter of seconds, I bought this pair a 1/2size bigger in hopes that it will fit for at least 2 min.
My son’s uniform is similar to your kids’. I highly recommend Lands End Overstocks in addition to Old Navy..
August 9th, 2007 at 9:10 pm
falwyn says:
There are Sailor Moon folders at your Walmart? My almost-five-year-old would lose her mind…
August 9th, 2007 at 9:42 pm
falwyn says:
P.S. You’re right on about those shoes. Punky Brewster, indeed.
August 9th, 2007 at 9:43 pm
Bridge says:
For the first time EVER I am done with school shopping early. /gulp So early in fact that I was actually done over two weeks ago. Does it sound like someone here is excited that school is going to start???
Lucky you. I had to go alone with my kids. I guess I am just LUCKY that Nat likes to try on clothes.
August 9th, 2007 at 10:00 pm
macpipergirl says:
I seem to remember a job interview a long time ago (at least 15 years) where Someone declared her undying love of office supplies…(ahhahahahahahaaa) It’s nice to see that somethings NEVER change. As to the custody thing, my heart is hurting - I have a plate of Sushi & a WHOPPING Diet Coke just waiting for you. Come see me and bring the kids (Jon is included in the kids part). Rexburg will never be the same! Call me if you want/need to. Queen Sty
August 9th, 2007 at 10:28 pm
Seredne says:
I thought the 80’s shoes said “Atari” on the inside for a moment.
I love that one of your kids picked a tasteful pair of plain black shoes… HAHA.
August 10th, 2007 at 5:48 am
coolbeans says:
I got them all back-to-school haircuts and paid tuition and registration.
So far, that’s all I’ve got.
That, and a panic attack.
August 10th, 2007 at 7:33 am
Charli says:
This is my last year NOT shopping for school supplies. Hali will hopefully somehow magically become less attached to me enough to go to pre-k next year and we will be joining the crowds.
Hali likes shopping, as long as I don’t try and do it for three hours at a time- just one or two stores at a time is all the patience she has. She gets bored and repeatedly tells me “I tiiiired”. Perks right up at the mention of some chicken nuggets, though. Funny how that works…
August 10th, 2007 at 8:48 am
Angela says:
You would think since I haven’t been to school in over 4 years I would be more excited about back to school shopping, but so far I have done nothing. Well I did buy a pair of shoes last night, but I am only calling them back to school shoes so no one panics over the price. I should get a move on shouldn’t I? Hmm….
August 10th, 2007 at 8:59 am
Alison says:
Interesting tidbit. Down here in my part of Texas, they make the school supply shopping so diffigult, it is best to just order the packet of everything they need from the PTA. Not to mention you can not have fun folders with characters on them. Nope, they are red or blue plain folders. And while my daughter will be starting kindergarten, so I have never had to back to school shop for her. I took the advice from other mom’s and took one look at that list and signed the check over to the PTA. I really wish we could pick out some cute folders, binders, and pens. Oh well…
Oh and because this is her first year, I was ahead of the game on shoes and all that. Ask me next year when I get it done. Something tells me I won’t be so on top of things…
August 10th, 2007 at 9:13 am
loralee says:
Sharon-I know that I am going to miss this time with my kids. I try to keep that in mind when I’m so frustrated that I feel like throwing them out the window. They grow up so flippin fast.
Apples-Oh, I love landsend. In fact, the only sanctioned pattern in the dress code is the hunter plaid by lands end. Their clothes are indestructible. I just waited too long this year.
Falwyn-Yes, but Sailor Moon doesn’t seem to hold the same excitement for an 11-year-old boy. I’m a fan of plain old red, but no one else seems to agree with me.
Bridge-Oh, I am excited for them to go back to school (Although, then we have the Great Homework Saga every day. :() I’m just wwwwwaaaaayyyyy lazier than you are!
Macpipergirl(Erin or “Queen Sty”) HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! Holy cow. How the freak do you remember the details of that interview?????? So damn funny. It’s true. I heart paper. They should let me be on “The Office” just for that reason alone. I would totally kick Pam’s tail for Jim. Sigh. I’ll call ya about coming up. I just may be able to swing it before school starts. It would just be Christopher and me.
:*(
Seredne-Dude. You kill me. Seriously. I think I should make my husband a pair of 80’s Atari Shoes. You have given me such a good idea for a craft project.
Coolbeans-So, you have your kids in private school? How do you like that? Was this driven by crappy schools in your area or something else? (I’m just curious as I had to be totally interested in stats like this when I was on the PO board and my kids school. Which is a charter school. Public, but different.)
Charli- The first year of adjusting can be really hard (And sometimes Kindergarten, too.) I’m glad you have her in a preschool for that very reason. It really helps them socially. I didn’t put James in and I totally noticed a difference by doing it with Christopher. Her tolerance for shopping should get a bit better by next year, too. A year is like a lifetime for kids that age.
Angela- I love the masking the cost of your shoes with a back to school justification! I don’t know one college person who likes back to school shopping. Because it means horrifying amounts of money for books. Dude. One book of mine? TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY BUCKS. I wanted to vomit. Even more when I recall that I have 420 credits and no damn degree. The waste…
Alison-My sister lived in El Paso and I have been on many a back to school shopping trip with her. I do think it’s cool that they do the whole “No sales tax” before school to help families with the cost. It’s groovy of them, but it would make it a crowded nightmare!
YOUR PTA DOES SCHOOL SUPPLIES!? Holy frick. There is nothing anyone, ANYONE could have done to convince me to do this when I was PTA President. Seriously. I have enough trouble doing it for 2 kids, let alone a whole school?! ACK!
August 10th, 2007 at 10:53 am
Kami says:
Wow, this is what I have to look forward too… I have two boys….
Tee hee, Alex P Keaton and Calvin - too funny!
August 10th, 2007 at 3:30 pm
Rachel says:
I LOVED school supply shopping when I was a kid (because I was just that big of a nerd, and I grew up to be an office nerd and also love office supplies). I look forward to shopping with my future kids. (P.S. Loving the picture of you on the floor. Poor LoLee was just worn out by her boys.)
August 10th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
Alicia says:
I don’t have any kids (yet), and I’m in grad school, so, yeah, I’m done with school shopping. It consisted of purchasing a three-subject notebook from Target. You know you love me.
But you know what? Back-to-school shopping was one of my favorite parts of the fall when I was a kid, and my mom did it with three girls. Probably way easier than with two boys, but we wanted to try EVERYTHING on, so I dunno.
I love the picture of you on the floor. I would love to do that half the time when I’m in the electronics section shopping with the hubby. Sigh.
You survived another year….
August 10th, 2007 at 7:29 pm
hairyshoefairy says:
School supplies are so exciting and I love shopping, I just can’t handle the crowds. I would rather go in the middle of the night when no one is around, but then I guess your boys would hopefully be sleeping then. :S
Also, those shoes are very cute and so not girly.
I liked the Calvin and Family Ties references.
August 10th, 2007 at 7:31 pm