That being said.... I must admit, we pulled it together quite nicely in less than a week once I realized I needed to get my act together and fast. We did the school clothes/shoes shopping; school lunch boxes and backpacks. This year I took each child on a special date to pick out these items and it was really sweet. Blake thankfully did the school supply shopping, as this is my MOST dreaded job of all. His famous last words were: how hard can this be? It's just a few supplies! He lived to regret those words two hours later as he walked in completely zombie like and ready to keel over. The supply list is SOO intricate and particular. And take that list and triple it for three kids, it's a killer. Bless that man for saving my sanity this year!
The kids and I concocted our own special trail mix for their lunches--- all of their favorite crackers and snacks in one little bag. We read ions of back to school books to prepare for the big day. (Can you see I have a problem with seasonal children's books? I even have a"back to school" collection!) The kids helped me make a few fun little treat bags for the ladies I visit teach.... a bag full of apples with gummy worms on top and the tag stating: It's that Time of Year! Happy Back to School! Idea credit goes to Nancy. Two days before school started...we put together 7 up bottles with an FHE lesson outlining 7 UP lifting ways to start your school year. Then shared these little treats with friends who hosted a fun pool party to celebrate end of summer/back to school!
For the eve before first day of school, I decided instead of picking a new theme for the year.... to focus on our general family theme-- "Have I done any good in the world today?" We haven't talked enough about that lately and I wanted to really instill in the kids how important this concept is. Especially as I send them off to face the world without me for 6 hours each day! We enjoyed a wonderful family dinner and reviewed this theme. Blake gave each child a father's blessing which is always a very sweet experience for our family.
The kids looked darling in their new outfits. They were so very nervous! In particular, Grant was a ball of nerves and cried all morning. He was so torn up, I couldn't even leave him. And when I say, I couldn't leave him, I mean to say.... I couldn't physically leave him. Every time I tried, he'd grab me so tightly and dig his feet into the ground. I simply could not overpower his force! It was such a loud and strange spectacle that the teacher just asked me to stay and help him feel comfortable rather than upset all the other children. Anna sure had a great morning. The child thought she was attending school! She picked out a seat (someone was absent), a pencil box, raised her hand when questions were asked. Danced the dances and sang the songs. She was a full participant in the school day and a favorite already of the teacher, Ms. Iler:)
But first day of school was a bit of a buzz kill for this mom who was eager to have some quiet time! When I told Blake about the incident he was appalled and stated, "we must rip off the bandaid". Wasn't sure how this was going to happen, but boy did it ever happen..... the next day. Grant did his usual thing, "I'm not going to school!" Wouldn't put his shoes on, running around the house in fear of the dreaded departure time. Blake wouldn't hear of it. He gently urged Grant to get his shoes on and hop in the car. When this didn't work, he picked the boy up, threw his shoes in the backpack and plopped him in the back seat, attempting to buck him in. But not having a strong enough grip, Grant promptly slipped through his hold exited the car and ran up the street. Not deterred in the slightest, Blake grabbed the boy, and this time threw him in the front seat, no car seat, no seat belt. He locked the doors and drove off.
Leaving mom on the front porch practically in tears at the thought of her poor baby struggling so!
The rest of this story was reported later to me by Blake. He drove through the drop off and let the other kids out... then parked a mile away (there is absolutely NO parking nearby our school) and carried a kicking, screaming and shoe-less boy six blocks to the school entrance. Blake opened the door, spotted the principal and then dropped Grant off, shoeless and all. Not another word.... he just turned around and took off, leaving the dirty work to the school leadership. Ha! I prayed and watched my phone all day-- worried sick about that sweet little boy of mine.
But crazy enough, he was all smiles at pick up. And the next day he was dropped off at the round about with the other kids....no tears. And the next day the same. And so on and so on for the past two weeks. I guess he just needed to know that there would be no way of escaping this whole "school" situation. He was going to go whether he threw a fit or not. Tough love prevailed! Much appreciation to my hubby for his determination and follow through. And that's the story of our Back to school 2014!
