Ready...

Today was devoted to shopping for school supplies.

I read something that said that the average family spends $500 PER CHILD on back to school.

I don't have that kind of cash at the moment, so I was very adamant that we were going to stick to the list provided by the teachers.

The only school-supply related tangential purchase was some extraordinarily cool paper clips that I had to have. They are shaped like little musical instruments, and hands and feet. I mean, you HAVE to have those, right?

There is a big bulk-candy-like thing at Staples, $5.99 for all you can fit into a butter-tub like container. I was careful to shove a LOT in there. Still probably not $5.99 worth, but they were too fun. And at least sort of practical. Sort of.

Of course Sprout and Tater both needed new underwear, and a shirt or two. Tater needs new pants, but since he tends to grow about 2 inches every time I purchase pants for him (some growth-inducing effect in the fabric?), I am waiting until the weather justifies long pants before going down that road.

The trickiest thing to find was pens with multiple colors inside them. Sprout was SO excited that her teacher required these - because, how cool does that teacher have to be??

We got out the label maker and labeled anything that could fit a label. Tater wanted to label his pencils and erasers, but that seemed a bit much.

So now everything is packed away in the backpacks waiting for the first day of school.

12 days.

Not that I am counting.