The Livin’ is (Mostly) Easy
August 5, 2011
Has it really been two weeks? Wow. I have opened and closed my laptop so many times and written nothing because I really have nothing to write about. Hey we went swimming. Watched yet another riveting episode of iCarly. My lawn is still dried out and dead. And the laundry pile is still three feet high in spite of the fact that I am doing laundry constantly.
We have reached the point in the summer when we are tired of the heat and the sun and we find ourselves just staying indoors. There has been a lot of movie watching, game playing, and getting on each others every last nerve. In this respect, it reminds me of February in CT.
Football has started. It’s been 110 degrees here. It doesn’t seem to bother the kids in the least. On the other hand, I want to die from sitting on the sidelines under my shade umbrella. Somehow I find myself as the Team Mom for my 10 year old son’s team. I am drunk on my power. Or possibly just drunk because I really don’t have any power. And by drunk I mean suffering from heatstroke.
School is going to be starting soon. You know what that means? Spending money I don’t have on things the kids don’t need. I missed the deadline for ordering the back to school supply packs online. So now I am forced to go out and buy the supplies one painful store visit at a time. The glue stick requirements are killing me. I need to buy 16 of large sized ones. Not the normal sized ones that are always on sale dirt cheap. No, the large ones that are over $2 each. Why the large ones? Why? I say this as I shake my fist at the sky and mutter under my breath motherfucking glue sticks. Then I hulk smash all the empty back to school displays.
I have written a bunch over at Alphamom.
Tips for novices to take better photos
What to do if your teenager has friends you don’t like. You know, other than chain your teen up in your basement. I’m pretty sure that is illegal in most states.
What do you think of places banning children from their establishments. As a mother of seven children my point of view might surprise you.
Sometimes, I lie to my kids. It’s for their own good.
Now I need to go grocery shopping. Something which is just as much fun as it sounds. The kids were complaining yesterday that there was “no food in this house to eat” I guess that is different from the food in this house that is unfit to eat. I told them to make a list. On the list: ice cream, milk, orange juice, cereal, soda. When pressed they added hamburgers, queso, chips, and buffalo wings to the list. I live in a frat house.
And if it isn’t obvious, for the first time I am not at BlogHer. I am sad not to see everyone, but at least I can live every single moment vicariously through twitter.
So tell me, what are you up to? No really, tell me. I can already recite this episode of iCarly verbatim.
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I started sweating just reading about your heat. Cannot imagine how the kids cope - in football pads no less - with practicing. And glue sticks? The big ones just mean more dries out when someone leaves the cap off. Buy 32 small ones and tell the teachers it’s the same amount of glue, so it shouldn’t matter.
What I’m up to? Buying a condo, and both exhilarated (however you spell it) and terrified (THAT one I can spell). What the heck is it with everyone nickel and diming you to death on all sort of “fees” and other crap? I’ll have a beautiful condo, but I’ll be eating ramen at least until Christmas, if not until Easter.
August 5th, 2011 at 12:37 pmour kids just started school this week, so we’ve been busy with that…also trying not to die of heat stroke here in MS. it’s been a scrocher of a week here. and that’s NOT a dry heat.
August 5th, 2011 at 12:39 pmmake that SCORCHER. that looks way too much like CROTCH above.
August 5th, 2011 at 12:40 pmSoon they will be back at school! Then the morning rush starts again. Hey did you see the ICarly #10 with the flute guy? That’s my kid…
August 5th, 2011 at 1:00 pmI refuse to buy all the school supplies on the list. And I certainly would if I had 7 to buy for. If they absolutely need it, they can send me a note when they run out in January. But seriously- who cares if a child brings a small or a large glue stick? How much are they gluing in this school anyway- every homework paper to the teacher’s desk? Will they kick your children out of school if they bring the small ones? I doubt it. So I rebel and refuse :).
August 5th, 2011 at 1:01 pmChris I feel your pain about school, supplies, and expenese.
so far this year the free public education has cost me about $500, just this week.
my juniors fees are over $200 for the year, plus $50 for a year book and then $100 a month for lunches! ITs crazy.
On the glue sticks. personally I would be a rebel and just buy twice as many of the small ones and let them deal with it!
Its been 100 here in Indiana for far too long!
Kids start school in 11 days, I start college classes in 18.
I am ready for all to come and to have some 70 degree days.
HUGS
and note: at my house when asked what we need from the grocery store: ice cream, pizza, mountian dew, and gum. thats what help I get from my 4 teens!
August 5th, 2011 at 1:11 pmEvery. Single. Moment. Through Twitter. Ain’t hashtags grand? I’m up to nothing, really: dreading the start of school b/c for the first time the oldest is not in a uniform and her style of dress is…eclectic; tired from a not quite 2 yr old waking the past two days at 4:30 a.m. ready to talk, play, and watch Elmo; aggravated that the middle girl only wants to go to camp two days a week; mad that most of our summer plans have not been realized. What’s up w/the glue sticks (but at least you have a supply list already; damned DC public schools!)?
What makes me giggle like I’m my girls’ age is my attempt to not laugh at some of the (infrequent) funny stuff on iCarly. Can’t…let…them…think…I…like…it.
I actually enjoy grocery shopping. But, admittedly, I should not be allowed to go alone. Or when hungry.
August 5th, 2011 at 1:13 pmThe glue! I can’t even imagine how schools use so much glue. Do they glue bad kids to the walls? I’m sending in a boatload of cheap, little glue sticks rather than the jumbos they requested. After all, the school mantra is, “you get what you get and you don’t throw a fit”.
Stay cool!
August 5th, 2011 at 1:36 pmI agree with you about the glue sticks. My son needed a million last year only to bring about 3/4 of them home at the end of the school year. This year I am refusing to buy any more. I am the bad mom that will be sending in used, probably dried out “last year’s” glue sticks. So there!
August 5th, 2011 at 1:39 pmI’m sitting in my nightgown at my desk at 11:00 in the morning. My daughter is asleep in her room, and my two sons are in South Carolina with my extended family. I have piles of laundry to do as well and gardening and writing and — well — boring.
Despite nothing happening at your end, I’m always happy to read your posts.
August 5th, 2011 at 1:40 pmI don’t get the whole big glue stick versus little either, so we just buy twice as many of the small ones. If they want 1 big glue stick, we send 2 small ones. We haven’t had any complaints yet, at least not to our face, haha. I’ve found a lot of the times the quantity of something they want is not how it is sold in the stores.
August 5th, 2011 at 2:00 pmSubstitute iCarly with Spongebob, and cut the kids down to 2 who act like they’re 7, and that’s what I’m dealing with. Nothing like refereeing 2 kids on opposite ends of the autism spectrum all day since ESY is over.
I live in a frat house too. When I cleaned out our refrigerator recently to devoid it of any and all science projects forming, we were left with various condiments and beer in the door, half and half, orange juice, deli meat, cheese, butter, and eggs.
August 5th, 2011 at 4:58 pmSurviving. Just. Trying. To. Survive.
August 5th, 2011 at 6:19 pmI feel you on the school supplies. My problem is Expo markers. Each child needs them, but each needs a different type. 3rd grader needs black or blue chisel tip. The store only has multicolored chisel tip. 1st grader needs multicolored regular tip. The store only has black regular tip. PreK-er needs thin, multicolored and only primary colors. The store has thin, mulicolored ones, but they aren’t primary colors.
Are you fucking kidding me? I wanted to hulk smash the empty displays too.
August 5th, 2011 at 7:04 pmYou made me laugh at motherfucking gluesticks.. Isn’t it the damn truth.
August 5th, 2011 at 8:12 pmI swear every year I’ll get those supply packs then figure they are overpriced, and now find myself mad I didn’t just take the easy way out. But seriously, except for the really young ones where it REALLY matters that they get everything on the list exactly correct, I just wing it - 10 super large purple glue sticks? well how about 15 of the smaller non purple ones and when they run out, I’ll get the slip of paper home and go buy some more. How much GLUING in 4th-12th grade do they really do?? And 5 packs of a dozen number 2 pencils? How about 2 packs and if the boys REALLY actually write more than a couple sentences in those writers notebooks (black and white comp, wide ruled) then email me and I’ll gladly supply more pencils. So, I just hone in on the key things (markers, tons of erasers) and let the other stuff slide, except for the little guys whose little boo boo faces I can’t face if they don’t have every single thing on their supply list labelled in their cute plastic supply box.
August 5th, 2011 at 8:20 pmYou know what school districts can do with their insanely specific supply lists? And their ginormous glue sticks? Well… I better not say because I work for a school district.
At the end of the school year in JUNE (I don’t like how they design our school calendar either.) I laid out everything that was left over from the school year. Guess what was at the top of the list? Those ginormous glue sticks! This year, I am buying the cheap skinny ones because they certainly don’t use that much glue anymore. (Thank you No Child Left Behind, ie: lets not have our children do anything fun in school anymore.) Also on my list, loose notebook paper. One of the boys brought it home completely untouched. He said his teacher had them used their spiral notebooks. Ugh. I figure if any of their teachers will be upset enough about it, they can march themselves down to my room.
Sorry about that, your post hit home today. Our district almost doubled enrollment costs, activity tickets, and jacked up lunch costs. We can afford it, but most of the people in this community cannot. I know the district is short, but c’mon let’s do this in small increments. Okay, I am stepping off my soapbox.
August 5th, 2011 at 9:45 pmi’m at the end of my rope with iCarly! i now change the channel immediately if i’m going to be in the living room for more than a second. my 11 yr old groans at me, but whatevs. i’d rather watch the 100th rerun of spongebob that my 2yr adores.
i live in western WA and we are *finally* having summer… it’s been over 70 for a week in a row. (yes, please, roll your eyes at me.) well, it was until today, when the temp topped out at 67. it’s supposed to be back up tomorrow.
August 5th, 2011 at 9:50 pmWe are tired of summer heat as well. I’m tired of iCarly, Good luck Charlie, and NCIS. I’ve forbidden Law and Order because I will puke if I see another episode. I have started just not being in the TV room because unless it is Nickolodeon or Disney, I’m sick of seeing murder and mayhem. Just sick of it.
August 5th, 2011 at 10:53 pmI actually did the majority of the school shopping in one trip to staples. Not having elementary aged kids anymore, the supply list gets a bit more generic. At least it does in our neck of the woods. Went to Staples and spent a butt load of money.
Put identical supplies in three containers, one for each kid. We’ll see if it works.
Now i’m up at my Mom’s house, helping my sisters sort things out(she passed away earlier this year) I brought my youngest because he is the most self sufficient.
Sunday we are going to brick fest? Some Lego thing. I see the need for large amounts of wine in my future.
I hope things get easier for you very soon.
I just have to say how funny you are!! I love it! I can relate though…my kids say and do the same things you talk about. Just today we went shopping for some school clothes they say they need. I guess because last years clothes are soo out…while I wear the same clothes for a few years in a row. Oh what we do for our kids.
August 5th, 2011 at 11:31 pmI am traveling from Canon City, Co to Montana. In a truck, pulling a travel trailer, with an irritable husband, two bored kids, and two dogs in the back. I love wireless internet
August 5th, 2011 at 11:34 pmHey, sometimes you can go to HEB and find the prepackaged supplies. I’m here in Texas too….and run from the car to the house and visa versa. :/
August 5th, 2011 at 11:58 pmI agree, summer has most definitely overstayed its welcome. At least you have the start of school to look forward to…I’ve been tempted to ditch the homeschooling, but reading about your forays for school supplies has deterred me.
August 6th, 2011 at 12:06 amI am sorry you can’t make it to BlogHer this year, but I am also secretly glad. I want to make sure when I can you are there too so I can shake your hand and thank you for making me laugh all the time.
My summer is just as stimulating as yours except from a work prospective. All I do is work, come home from work, lay around until I go to work because it is too damn hot in Vegas to do much of anything else. However, I did rouse myself enough to walk to my mailbox a time or two.
August 6th, 2011 at 12:22 amFinally getting back to blogging, I am light years worse than you!
August 6th, 2011 at 4:35 amStill winter here in Melbourne as well, so I don’t even have the excuse of sunshine dragging me away from the computer. Oh well, springtime in a month, happy days!
Yve
16 glue sticks? WTF? I feel your pain!
August 6th, 2011 at 8:40 amI just buy the small glue sticks and add a few extra in……my big gripe this year is the 60 pencils each kid needs…..please
August 6th, 2011 at 9:20 amWell, it is not as hot here, but especially my two young ones soooooooooooooooo get on each other’s nerves. I have to admit that I have sent them around the block, both in a different direction just to run off some of that fighting energy.
I had hoped to move this summer, but looks like it’s not happening yet, so instead I’ll just try to cram way too much in the last few weeks of summer.
Karen
August 6th, 2011 at 11:37 amAnd what would happen if they showed up with small glue sticks/ or heaven-forbid the wrong brand…………..they would likely be banished to the sucky school supply row of desks. No crafts for you!
It’s insanity. But I do love the smell of fresh supplies
Off to read on AlphaMom……..
August 6th, 2011 at 12:27 pmRe: the glue sticks..sometimes I’ve just gone ahead and made the executive decision to buy extra of the smaller glue sticks and send in, say, 2 small instead of one large. No one has ever commented that the littles have the wrong size glue stick. Add to that I work in an elementary school and different sizes has never been an issue there either.
August 6th, 2011 at 12:41 pmAbout banning children:
August 6th, 2011 at 3:04 pmEven though I am a comprehensive parent, I do not want to be subjected to other people’s unparented children in certain settings.
Really?
Missing my kids and wishing those years did not go by so fast. Yeah I know always easy to say when I get to do whatever I want.
Can you believe it another school year starting?
Wasn’t Miles just a baby?
Chris says: Sigh. I think he was.
August 6th, 2011 at 3:27 pmI get to go to work everyday; due to unforeseen circumstances, we may not be able to take a vacation this year. I do not mind doing things locally. BUT I DO NOT WANT TO STAY IN THE HOUSE. My boy can recite not only the theme music, but the entire episodes of some show. Including iCarly. I know it is not his fault that I actually let him sit and veg in front of the box. He’s in day camp all day so I try to squeeze some reading time in there as well. I’ve singed the family up for the free summer bowling, but so far, we’ve only gone once. Yet when they cry of boredom, it is not exciting enough. I’d like to go a few more times before it expires, but I am not going to force it. I too hate back to school shopping. You’d think we’d get the list BEFORE school begins when all of the stores have plenty of stock and plenty of sales. Nope, we get to wait until the first day of school to find out what the kids may need. Although we have some items from last year, we still need new ones. Go figure.
August 6th, 2011 at 4:45 pmLet’s see…I started out this week at a fancy pants awesome Hill country hotel, complete with waterpark for the kids—at a work conference–wah wah wah, then encountered the craziness that is school supply shopping, and finished up with repainting my daughters’ room. Apparently I am a glutton for punishment.
August 6th, 2011 at 9:45 pmMy son just finished surf camp, it is too hot here in florida to do much else. Today I dragged my son and friend ice-skating. Years of competing my horses have given my unnaturally strong ankles so I didn’t totally humiliate myself ! Seriously I just wanted to lay down on the ice face first, it was so cold and inviting.
August 6th, 2011 at 9:48 pmI wonder if I’m the only teen that reads your blog. I love it so much, it reminds me of my own family so much. My mom brought me school shopping yesterday and said “Why the fuck do you need mechanical pencils? Aren’t regular #2’s good enough?” one thing that is killing me though is not knowing the names of the other 6. I don’t know why but I just want to know if they are all as cool and handsome as Miles.
August 7th, 2011 at 11:39 amI am so glad my gluestick days are over. I am getting the oldest ready for college and living away from home. My laundy pile is noticeably smaller and his room overwhelmingly smellier. My youngest is signing up for driver’s ed next week so I am stocking up on the Mike’s hard lemonade. I’ll need one or 2 after we come back from circling empty parking lots for practice.
August 7th, 2011 at 2:11 pmMy daughter needs an obscene amount of glue sticks (5 large), pencils (60), and duo tangs (20).
The thing that pisses me off the most is those supplies are listed under “Supplies That The Teacher Will Collect” You know damn well I’ll be supplying the class with supplies.
This year I think I’m going to grow a backbone and say NO.
August 7th, 2011 at 2:30 pmOff-to-college shopping for my only son. Wishing I had more kids, but probably not seven. Worrying what I’ll do with the free time. Feeling sad that it (everyday motherhood) is over. Crying as I type this post.
And those glue sticks would be dried up before they could be used. I consider those lists as suggestions.
August 7th, 2011 at 3:22 pmI actually had to DVR the iCarly & Victorious crossover the other day since he had a camp late night. Don’t get me started on that irritating sponge.
It’s gotten so bad that when the 2 year old gets the TV I am thrilled to hear Moose & Zee again!
August 7th, 2011 at 7:51 pmI used to work at school supply store, where we packed back to school packs and, at my store at least, they overcharged on EVERYTHING. Much cheaper to go to Walmart or the like and buy it all- heck, even half of it. They’re never going to use it all and if they do, you just get some more. And definitely go for smaller glue sticks. Rebel!
August 7th, 2011 at 8:35 pmOh God! I am so with you on the Big glue sticks.. I mean, Really?? I tried to just buy 2packs of small glue sticks per kid but the hubby insisted that we follow the list. I wanted to Hulk Smash him.. lol.
August 7th, 2011 at 10:34 pmSchool supplies!!!!! Yeah! My daughter is going into 11th grade this year, so for the most part what we buy is what she wants. Then the first day of school they will get class requirements which must be in school by Friday! We start school on Wed, I get to go to work everyday so just when do these teachers think we are going to get the stuff by Friday?! I rebel as well, the “new” supplies make it to school on Monday. And I don’t know how it works in other schools, but in grade school our supplies went into school the first day and were all put in a collective bin for everyone. That always burnt my ass! At this point in her teenage life, Kelsi is bored to death and needs to go back to school! However, school doesn’t start here until September 7th…….. Stay cool!
August 8th, 2011 at 7:33 amI am the loser with only one 3 year old. When we got the supply list from the private school she will be attending my husband and I were positively giddy. We can’t wait to go and buy the stuff - No glue stick sadly. Oh what a sheltered and sad life we lead. I’m about to have my second - due the 15th. Give me a couple more years, I’m sure I’ll be complaining about back to school shopping.
August 8th, 2011 at 11:31 amwell since you asked…
August 8th, 2011 at 12:05 pmi am just back to work full time as my 3.5 month old is home with my mom (who is staying with us until daycare kicks in, September, i never want her to leave!) and the 5 year old starts kindergarten this year. Of course in APRIL (before the baby was born) was going to order the package of supplies online. HAHA yeah that didnt happen. So luckily my step-mother misses buying supplies and wants to buy them and asked for the list. After reading all the hatred of buying supplies i think she should hire herself out for those of us who missed the package online cut off dates.
Other than that i am ordering around my husband to fix stuff around the house and trying to figure out how we can fake a vacation by just planning out museum trips and such before school starts.
Also my office is freezing. It’s very confusing to dress for work when it’s 80 when you leave the house and approximately 10 below zero in the office.
you asked, i rambled! enjoy whats left of summer, add fruit and spinach to the list and make smoothies so the accidentally eat fruit and spinach. of course that may work better on 5 year olds.
I took a survey of the school supply drawer (one 1 kid in this house), and found an endless supply of glue sticks, pencils, erasers, and pens. I’m a happy mom.
It’s not on the list this year, but I’ve noticed in the some of the higher grades, copy paper and expo markers are on the list? What in the hell is my kid going to do with a pack of copy paper? Is he going to do a series of still life in black and white?
August 8th, 2011 at 12:39 pmoh my gosh…
We just bought most of the extensive and brand specific supplies for my incoming kindergartener.
12 Elmer’s glue sticks
3 boxes of Crayola crayons, 24 pk
2 10 pk Crayola markers
1 pkg Expo Dry Erase Markers
blah blah
Come to find out our school does communal supplies so she’ll actually get to use ONE of the two items we brought…maybe. The other half + will go to another kid. I don’t mind, but I would have liked to have understood that upfront. We still would have gotten the stuff but I perhaps would have not let her select the colors for each item like that the we could pick from.
Heh, well it will be good fun when they attempt to repurpose one of her HOT! PINK! take home folders to another kid.
August 8th, 2011 at 12:41 pmOn the morning news the other day, they claimed parents spend an average of $700 per child for back to school, with more than $100 of that on school supplies alone. I thought it had to be a huge exaggeration, but then I talked to some other parents, who complained about the long and expensive school supply lists, requiring visits to multiple stores, that their kids have this year. And I have one more reason to think my kids go to the best school ever, because they have small and easy supply lists that I will purchase entirely at Target and probably completely on sale. I end up spending a lot of money throughout the year for other supplies related to specific projects, but at least the cost is spread out.
August 8th, 2011 at 2:56 pmMy kids have moved from iCarly to Good Luck Charlie, which they watch over and over on Netflix. Also, last week, they started a show called “Human Wrecking Balls” which is exactly as awful as it sounds. Fortunately, I am at work all day, so their dad gets to know all the episodes by heart instead of me. With the three “men” of the house home for the summer, I’ve given up on buying anything else but frat house food. All the beautiful, healthy, organic food I grew in the garden for their benefit?! Well, I am eating a lot of fruit and vegetables these days.
I’ll fess up to being one of those teachers who requested big glue sticks. The big ones last longer, and end up being cheaper, because they don’t dry out as quickly/easily as the little ones. I can’t tell you how worthless the super cheap glue sticks are. I’m right there with some supplies that they’re supposed to buy, though. I don’t know how many spiral notebooks I’ve bought that come home in June with only the first 5 pages written in.
August 9th, 2011 at 1:21 amI’d happily trade some of our PNW summer for yours! We’ve made it up to 80 maybe 3-4x this summer. Ugh.
Something to consider concerning school supplies: sometimes the list is made out by on person for every teacher in the grade level or school. The list you get may not be teacher specific.
When you find out who your child’s teacher will be, e-mail him/her and ask a couple of questions:
1. which supplies are needed right away and which ones can wait?
2. are all these supplies to be used by your child or do they go into a classroom pot?
I hate the classroom pot. It is designed so that those of us who care will buy school supplies for the kids whose parents don’t care. I would rather the teacher came to me and said, “We have one student whose dad is out of work, and his family is struggling. Would you be able to help out with a few glue sticks and pencils?” I would be glad to do that, but don’t make me think one kid needs 60 pencils. Although at the rate some kids lose them, maybe they do need that many.
August 9th, 2011 at 1:42 pmSweating in East Tx is much like sweating in Central Tx, only with more trees dying because they’re not live oaks.
We’re trying to visit Austin before the end of Sept - to see friends & while there, tour this year’s Southern Living Idea House. It’s near/on Horseshoe Bay. Since you’ve done posts on renovating/painting etc, I figured you might want to check it out before the tours close. It looks gorgeous.
August 9th, 2011 at 4:03 pmHey Chris,
Isn’t your oldest child a senior this year? Or is he a junior? Either way, are you guys starting to think about colleges yet? My oldest is 16 and a rising junior so this year the SAT and worrying about colleges will be kicking in. Hoping to read about your journey doing the same!
August 9th, 2011 at 8:01 pm