Too real. One of my kid’s schools have started having us just give them the money and they buy the supplies, which has made my life a little bit easier!
This is so spot on. We were sorting through our supplies last night - comparing the list to what arrived - and realized I'd bought un-sharpened pencils when it asked for sharpened. Signed up for ALL the accounts, no clue what they're for, the list goes on and on and on. Godspeed.
Yaaaaassssss! #5 and #14 are soooo funny. This was such a good laugh. And then such a thoughtful roundup of resources! And then! Such a fun giveaway! And then! Even more fun when you ask us to engage. Just wow.
This is my first year to prep my own kid, though I helped many families through the process as a nanny. It’s so different on this side of the coin. For me this year I’m still just letting myself and my family take everything easy while we adjust which means tons more down time at home, and reminding myself that it’s ok if I (and my kid) move slowly into new friendships and new routines. (Aka, more time on the couch reading books).
This is hilarious. We also have to make sure the uniform still fits. And that the next size up isn’t so big that it looks like he’s playing dress up in daddy’s clothes!
Oh yes--I didn't even include the clothing aspect-- making sure everyone had clothes that fit. Dragging growing children to store because we need to know in person if clothes will fit. So much to navigate.
And some of us are so busy that we don’t have time to do in-person shopping. A friend of mine ordered online and accidentally got the wrong size. As for mine, the school uniform supplier is in Montreal and we’re in Toronto. Their sizing is also huge compared to mainstream clothing stores so last year when he was new and we didn’t know better we found that what we got was a whole size too big! He’s also skinny for his height so the pants were not only long but also too big at the waist!
Yes, this was the first year we took one of our kids to a store for back to school shopping because he's growing and all over the place is size. So tricky!
Some good laughs today--I think feet might be preferable to the smell of soured watermelon, which is what one lunchbox smelled like this morning after sitting with a cracked open compartment of watermelon allllll weekend. After a run through the washer, maybe it will just smell like feet.
We try to have a very low key week the week before school starts. Attempts are made to get our sleep schedule aligned with school, but this usually fails! Other than that, I try to remember that this is the hardest time of year for me. Even when I make sure to plan an escape to cooler temps, August is just a hard month where nothing feels quite right yet. Acknowledging that it is a challenging month *and it will end* helps.
Hahaha omg I totally missed the satire part 🤦♀️ This is what I get for not reading in one sitting. I was totally flabbergasted and even asked my friends if they’d heard of this 🤣
I’m not completely the target audience for this post yet (my daughter has one year left of preschool before starting kindergarten), but my twin sister has two boys who already started kindergarten and second grade this year, so it is still so funny for me to read. We don’t have the summer off since I work as an infant teacher at her preschool, but my husband is moving to a new community policing unit which means his hours are changing. Thankfully for all intents and purposes it will be mostly the same (he was working 6 am-6 pm on the days he worked, and now it will be 8 am-6:30 pm). My daughter and I are at school from 9-6 and get home close to 7 due to traffic at the end of the day/it takes us a while to get her things together and wrap up after I have clocked out. Our biggest meal prep strategy has been that I don’t really do it, and I leave it to my husband who has proven himself more than capable of handling dinner prep.
My husband took on the lion’s share of cooking dinner/meal prepping/grocery shopping when I was pregnant in 2019, and he has continued in that role since then. He usually only cooks 2-3 meals a week because he plans how to make meals that last. Of course we have been known to go out without planning ahead for it (we have a couple quick sit down places nearby) because he got held up at work or I have done the eggs and toast and yogurt meal or something else quick.
Husbands are very capable of dinner prep. We split it in our house dependent on schedules. And quick meals are a joyful strategy. I have a handful of them in my back pocket for busy weeks. Breakfast for dinner is a go to and so easy, even if it is just frozen waffles, fruit and turkey bacon. My kids love it and it's so much easier.
Ocean and I have a tradition of going to family camp at a Y in the mountains where there’s no cell service or internet. I got a call about Ocean’s IEP, and the call dropped halfway through the conversation and I couldn’t get a signal again…
So I have no choice but to say “Oh well!” and look at trees, draw trees, walk in the woods, and teach tree pose… while my kid is off climbing trees and fighting with sticks.
🌳🌳🌳
We got home yesterday and there’s no time to worry about the lack of folders in specific rainbow 🌈 colors for each subject, and I am definitely not volunteering for anything this year.
I love it Kate. I have to say as I've had more and more BTS seasons I definitely get better at not getting swept up in the group anxiety. It's going to be okay.
Too real. One of my kid’s schools have started having us just give them the money and they buy the supplies, which has made my life a little bit easier!
I will say that this year was the shortest supply list we have ever had, so maybe times are changing.
Love this!!! Why? Why don’t they do this?
Agreed.
The Reply-Alls!!! Every time!!!
It drives me nuts.
This is so spot on. We were sorting through our supplies last night - comparing the list to what arrived - and realized I'd bought un-sharpened pencils when it asked for sharpened. Signed up for ALL the accounts, no clue what they're for, the list goes on and on and on. Godspeed.
Thank you Lindsey! My kids had to sharpen the pencils this year, it was good for them.
Laughing 😆
Thank you Sasha!
Yaaaaassssss! #5 and #14 are soooo funny. This was such a good laugh. And then such a thoughtful roundup of resources! And then! Such a fun giveaway! And then! Even more fun when you ask us to engage. Just wow.
This is my first year to prep my own kid, though I helped many families through the process as a nanny. It’s so different on this side of the coin. For me this year I’m still just letting myself and my family take everything easy while we adjust which means tons more down time at home, and reminding myself that it’s ok if I (and my kid) move slowly into new friendships and new routines. (Aka, more time on the couch reading books).
Thank you Alexis, laughter is so important. And yes take it slow, it's easy to get swept up in it all. There is time.
This is hilarious. We also have to make sure the uniform still fits. And that the next size up isn’t so big that it looks like he’s playing dress up in daddy’s clothes!
Oh yes--I didn't even include the clothing aspect-- making sure everyone had clothes that fit. Dragging growing children to store because we need to know in person if clothes will fit. So much to navigate.
And some of us are so busy that we don’t have time to do in-person shopping. A friend of mine ordered online and accidentally got the wrong size. As for mine, the school uniform supplier is in Montreal and we’re in Toronto. Their sizing is also huge compared to mainstream clothing stores so last year when he was new and we didn’t know better we found that what we got was a whole size too big! He’s also skinny for his height so the pants were not only long but also too big at the waist!
Yes, this was the first year we took one of our kids to a store for back to school shopping because he's growing and all over the place is size. So tricky!
As a mum of 2 I'd also add to the list: "Mentally prepare for the inevitable breakfast spill ten minutes before we need to leave".
We've got this Kathryn!!!
Oh yes, it definitely will take longer than expected and spills and mishaps will occur. This is true.
Some good laughs today--I think feet might be preferable to the smell of soured watermelon, which is what one lunchbox smelled like this morning after sitting with a cracked open compartment of watermelon allllll weekend. After a run through the washer, maybe it will just smell like feet.
We try to have a very low key week the week before school starts. Attempts are made to get our sleep schedule aligned with school, but this usually fails! Other than that, I try to remember that this is the hardest time of year for me. Even when I make sure to plan an escape to cooler temps, August is just a hard month where nothing feels quite right yet. Acknowledging that it is a challenging month *and it will end* helps.
Love that radical acceptance. It's so true--it's hard and it will end, too.
And I totally know the lunchbox in the backpack over the weekend...eek.
Thank you so much for the mention, Kathryn!
Of course Eileen, navigating supporting kids with friendship is such an important topic. I am so glad that we have access to you!
Thank you for the shout out!
Also, what are rubber corners for paper?! 😳
You are welcome. I made them up but I am sure they do exist...because everything exists somewhere on the internet.
Hahaha omg I totally missed the satire part 🤦♀️ This is what I get for not reading in one sitting. I was totally flabbergasted and even asked my friends if they’d heard of this 🤣
And see that is how rumors get started--it's going to become a trend.
Absolutely going to start this rumor. Bets on how long it takes before it shows up on Amazon?
And then there will be a controversy over the school district that requires rubber corners.
I’m not completely the target audience for this post yet (my daughter has one year left of preschool before starting kindergarten), but my twin sister has two boys who already started kindergarten and second grade this year, so it is still so funny for me to read. We don’t have the summer off since I work as an infant teacher at her preschool, but my husband is moving to a new community policing unit which means his hours are changing. Thankfully for all intents and purposes it will be mostly the same (he was working 6 am-6 pm on the days he worked, and now it will be 8 am-6:30 pm). My daughter and I are at school from 9-6 and get home close to 7 due to traffic at the end of the day/it takes us a while to get her things together and wrap up after I have clocked out. Our biggest meal prep strategy has been that I don’t really do it, and I leave it to my husband who has proven himself more than capable of handling dinner prep.
My husband took on the lion’s share of cooking dinner/meal prepping/grocery shopping when I was pregnant in 2019, and he has continued in that role since then. He usually only cooks 2-3 meals a week because he plans how to make meals that last. Of course we have been known to go out without planning ahead for it (we have a couple quick sit down places nearby) because he got held up at work or I have done the eggs and toast and yogurt meal or something else quick.
Husbands are very capable of dinner prep. We split it in our house dependent on schedules. And quick meals are a joyful strategy. I have a handful of them in my back pocket for busy weeks. Breakfast for dinner is a go to and so easy, even if it is just frozen waffles, fruit and turkey bacon. My kids love it and it's so much easier.
Some husbands. My husband’s idea of “dinner prep” would either be Door Dash or UberEats. I’m not even sure he can heat up a frozen pizza.
My father was an excellent user of restaurants and we thoroughly appreciated it.
Mine too, but I knew it when I married him.
My strategy is to completely check out. ☁️
Ocean and I have a tradition of going to family camp at a Y in the mountains where there’s no cell service or internet. I got a call about Ocean’s IEP, and the call dropped halfway through the conversation and I couldn’t get a signal again…
So I have no choice but to say “Oh well!” and look at trees, draw trees, walk in the woods, and teach tree pose… while my kid is off climbing trees and fighting with sticks.
🌳🌳🌳
We got home yesterday and there’s no time to worry about the lack of folders in specific rainbow 🌈 colors for each subject, and I am definitely not volunteering for anything this year.
I love it Kate. I have to say as I've had more and more BTS seasons I definitely get better at not getting swept up in the group anxiety. It's going to be okay.
…or not. But the pencils ✏️ don’t have much to do with it.
Brava! Yes... THEY SHARE! lololol And I'm always SCREWED when I don't get to that parent volunteer list first! Dang!
They share sooo much...bracing for the germs.