First Day of School!

Ahhhh.... tomorrow is the day I've waited for, anticipated and looked longingly at the calendar for the last 89 days (but who's counting). It's what makes parents look at each other knowingly when one of their kids screeches because they've been socked by a sibling, and it's all the parents can do to prevent themselves from responding: "Oh, just shut it." They know the countdown to sanity is imminent. Freedom is almost here; it's within our grasp
Yep, that's right. It's almost the first day of school.
The last week has been a whirlwind of activity. Getting four kids ready for school requires tactical planning similar to a military maneuver.
Supplies.
Doctor appointments.
Dentist appointments.
Hair appointments.
Activity sign ups and registrations.
More supplies.
Forms to fill out.
And since 3 of my 4 kids are girls, we can't ever forget the most important aspect of all: back-to-school clothes. And really, the attention my girls pay to their first day of school outfit is my own damn fault. If you ask them what are the two most important days for clothes selection are, they'll be able to answer in their sleep: "First day of school and last day of school. Because they deal with first and last impressions."
Re-reading that sentence makes me realize my shallow and self-absorbed skills as a parent. That's ok, though... I realize my fashion nonsense teachings counter-balance perfectly with their father's teachings of more important life lessons. Like virtues, responsibility and parallel parking.
The last two days have been hectic to say the least. Because I'm horse shit at personal planning, I've been attempting to cram a week's worth of activities into 48 hours.
Yesterday my schedule was this:
Get up at the crack of dawn and grocery shop at 6:30 am. It was the only time in the foreseeable future that I could afford to go, and my kids were getting sick of the bread and water treatment. Ingrates. So there I was at Econo Foods, wearing a dress and heels and stocking up on food.
Go work from about 8-4:30.
Drive furiously home after work, hit the driveway on two wheels and scream out the window "Get in the car!" Took Sophie to middle school orientation and ignored eye contact with all the teachers because I didn't have time to make small talk.
Drove her immediately to a dentist appointment, then to Walgreen's to pick up prescriptions.
Finally get home at 8:30 to a house that looked like it had been taken over by homeless squatters. I changed into my pajamas, threw a box of wine into a grocery bag, turned to my children and announced "I am going to the neighbor's. I will be home in less than an hour. I expect this house to be cleaned or I am going to lose.my.freaking.mind."
I have no idea what the other neighbors thought when they saw a pajama-clad mother clutching a grocery bag and mumbling to herself while walking down the driveway, but my mini-breakdown seemed to do the trick. Housework was done when I got back and I could actually see the bottom of my kitchen sink.
Tonight was equally chaotic. I had to pick up two kids from karate, buy toilet paper, drop off something at a friends, bring Sophie to Shopko and be back home by 7. While I still had the younger two kids in the car, I took Sophie to the store and told her I'd pick her up about 20 minutes later after I was done running errands.
She called me when she was ready and I told her I'd be there in a few minutes. I had just one more errand to run. Just one. Trying to cram it all in the night before school. But after running that errand and getting a call from a friend, I did the unthinkable.
I forgot all about Sophie and left her at the store.
I was almost home when she called me. I looked at the caller ID and thought "Why in the world is Sophie calling me when she's in the car with me?" I looked at the empty passenger seat next to me, mumbled a quick expletive and whipped a U turn on Main Street. I promptly picked her up and tried to pretend I didn't hear her question "Where were you?"
I finally drove them home, counted heads and breathed a sigh of relief. Whew... they were all there. Of course, three of them were distinctly aware I had temporarily "lost one" earlier, so they all looked at me a little warily. I don't blame 'em. Who forgets a kid at Shopko?
Tonight the girls already excitedly have their outfits picked out for tomorrow. I don't think Wyatt really cares. He just casually mentioned he wants to wear a Twins shirt. Apparently boys don't put as much thought into coordinating accessories for the first day of school as girls do. As long as Wyatt has dry socks and clean underwear each day, he's fine. And even the clean underwear is iffy sometimes.
Tomorrow morning I'll take their annual First Day of School photo and probably be just as excited as they are. The beginning of each school year is a blank slate, just like their brand new notebooks and art pads. The possibilities are endless.
I found a picture of me at the beginning of kindergarten. Color coordinated barrettes, a locket necklace and the best part of all - Hee Haw bibs with a matching purse. I remember wearing that outfit and thinking I was the cat's meow. I think the only thing that could have topped a Hee Haw outfit would have been something with the "Gilligan's Island" cast on the front.
Hee Haw?
I say Yee Haw! School is starting!