It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Getting them back to school that is. I really think that song should be reallocated to back to school. Let's start with some random thoughts:

1. Book Sox- anyone want to lynch the person who's marketing these? Between Book Sox and scientific calculators, these two items took up probably the majority of the near 200 dollars we spent at Staples for back to school supplies (OUCH!).
   
2. Nervous/depressed kids- I don't know about any of you adults out there, but in retrospect, I LIKE to learn new things; but my oldest daughter referred to school as a subversive plot to imprison the masses of children this morning.
3. Back to school night- otherwise known in our household as "How are we going to clone ourselves THIS year? I do like to meet the new teachers but, as far as the school systems in our town, we're old pros, not like these 'amateurs' with one or two kids that want to see what the cafeteria looks like. We should have some kind of easy pass where we can go to the front of the line and get out to the next one...
4. Paperwork- The amount of information they are asking from us nowadays borders on encroachment of privacy. If you think one of two kids in school is hard, try 5! Linda was up until one in the morning answering questions on the 'getting to know you' page like 'what's your child's favorite TV show.' Grace's teacher wants BIOGRAPHY! I just think we need in boxes and outboxes; I know, my office mentality showing.

Well good news is that the girls are in a school with good programs, Jason's in LOVE with his teacher (shhh, don't say we told!); Aly's has all her friends in the same lunch; and Dillan yet again has an opportunity to become Mr Popularity (he only knows a couple of kids from previous years, but this kid gets along with ANYONE, he'd make friends with the Grinch after 3 weeks in class).

Linda has 5 glorious hours of freedom between when the last one leaves and the first one gets back. Of course the law of linear sicknesses will have at least one kid home roughly half the school year, but we won't reminder her of that eventuality. Heck, we might even get caught up before the fist wave starts. Hope your school start is going as well as ours, and those without kids can stop laughing now, yea, nothing to do and all day to do it...hammock comfy?