It's the First Day of School!!!!!!!!

First day of school! First day of school!!!!!! Woooohoooooooooooo! It's the first day of school!!!!!!

Pardon me, I'm a little excited. You should have seen the look I got from Z2 this morning when I turned on the CD player and it blared out "The Hallelujah Chorus".

Yes. I. DID.

Played it all the way to school and all the way to work.

I'm just not one of those moms who cries on the first day of school. Maybe I will some day in the future, but not today! Had it not been for the heavens opening and me having a weekend to myself, I don't know that we would have made it to today. And although it's been a busy day (I started a new job- more on that in another post) I cannot tell you how good it feels to know they are going to come home dog-tired and no energy left to aggravate each other.

That alone makes me give thanks.

Yours, grateful to have made it through yet another summer without bloodshed and the tearing off of limbs,

Melissa

IS IT SPAM OR JUST JUNK MAIL?

Is there really a difference?  Because I have 2 different folders in my Microsoft Outlook.  One for Spam and one for Junk Mail.  Really?  What seems to be the difference between the two?

Just for fun, let’s look at some of the kinds of spam (or junk mail, whatever) that I get:

1. Anything to do with male genitalia or sex drive.  I don’t need to make it larger and and I don’t need to keep it up longer.  If they had any sort of filters on their mass emailing program, they would see that Karen is strictly a woman’s name.  Maybe they could send me something saying, “Does your man need … ?”  But no, they send the same email to everyone, assuming we are all men.
2. AARP.  I know I am approaching THAT AGE, but I still have several years to go, so LEAVE ME ALONE!!!  Enough said.
3. There is a free laptop on it’s way.  Wow, great!  Oh, wait, you’re going to need my address?  Cuz I thought you said it was already on its way.  Oh, and you need all sorts of other information, like my banking info, and maybe even my Social Security Number.  Hmmm, maybe I’ll just buy my own Dell computer.
4. Get your credit scores.  Wow, thanks for reminding me.  Every day.  But you know what?  I know who the three credit bureaus are, and I’m pretty sure I can go to them directly and get my scores myself without your help.  Hey, but thanks anyway.
5. You’re from another country and you have a great business deal for me?  Oh, golly, if only I hadn’t been warned about this one over and over again.  Or if only I had been born yesterday, I might have taken you up on it.  Darn the luck!
6. You have money available to me for a loan?  Wow, really?  I’m in luck, because instead of going to a reputable bank down the street, I’d much rather go to somebody who is soliciting me over the internet to give them personal information in the hopes of getting a loan.  Woo hoo!

There are so, so many more, but these are just a few of my favorites.  What are yours?

Karen

Friday Fun- Holy Cow!

Hello, dear Readers! A special hello to all of our followers, loyals and newbies. We're so glad you choose to follow us. Thanks!

It's Friday. Yesterday, by about this time, I was fully considering squatting in the corner, sucking my thumb and softly chanting to myself, "Only four more days until school starts. Four more days. I can make four more days...."

And would you believe, no... I can't even believe it myself.... I mean really! Who would have thought?!?!?

My husband, earlier this week, made plans to visit his niece in Oklahoma. She is leaving to go to a missionary school in Maui for three months and then on to a far away country for at least a year. He definitely should spend some time with her. He thought about taking one of the Z Kids with him and chose to take Z1. It would make for a nice weekend, just the boys, and Z2 and I could find plenty of girl things to do.

But this morning, he asked me,"Honey, what do you think about Z2 going along with us?"

Uhm . . . . .

Here, let me help you get everyone packed!

I WILL miss them. It WILL be quiet. (Did I say quiet? What is that? Silence? Can't remember what that sounds or feels like...) But frankly, after a summer of overwhelmingly high decibel levels, I could use just a bit of a break.

So now, I HAVE THE ENTIRE WEEKEND TO MYSELF.

MWAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!!!!

The only question is what do I do first?

Yours, contemplating ALL of my options,

Melissa

Thursday Thoughts- Time to PURGE.

It's Thursday. I'm thinking about purging.

With all of this getting ready for school and organizing, it's the perfect time to purge. Go through everything. Make piles of the things I'm not using. Donate. Sell. Clean out. Give away.

It's also a good time to update your information. Did your kid's school change? Better write down the new address and phone number. New schedules? Better write those down too. Yesterday I made a master schedule. It took me one and a half hours. It's to the point where I believe I may start color coding everyone. Yes, it's getting that full.

What about child ID information? We all know how much the kids grow over the course of the year. Yesterday afternoon, Z1 went to his first Fall Soccer practice. All the boys look so much older- like boys! Hard to believe he's a tween now and showing symptoms of it in choices (and attitude). But it reminds me I need to update his profile with a more current picture. Somehow, I don't think his 2nd grade photo would work anymore!

As the school year begins, take the time to clean out and update.

Yours, changing out photos,

Melissa

6 DAYS AND COUNTING…

So school starts in 6 days, and I could not be any less prepared if I tried!  But if I really think about it, what do I have to do?  Let’s make a list:

1. School supplies.  Melissa wrote a post yesterday on the trials and tribulations of buying school supplies.  Doesn’t she know about the easy way out of this?  At the end of the school year in May, we fill out a form, send a check to school, and VOILA, our supplies are waiting for us at Meet The Teacher Night, the day before school starts.  Easy Peasy!  Okay, Number 1, done!
2. School Clothes.  I have boys.  Whatever fits, works.  Done.
3. New Shoes.  Recently bought new sneakers for cub scout camp.  Done.
4. Backpacks.  No holes, rips, tears, majors stains?  Can be used again.  Done.
5. Lunch Boxes.  See above.  Done.
6. Teachers.  Found out Monday who our teachers are for the upcoming year, and we’ll meet them the day before school starts.  Through the miracle of technology (Facebook), we even know a few of the other kids in each of their classes.  Done.
7. Lunch dates and massage scheduled for first week of school.  Done.

Hmmm, unless I’m forgetting some major things, I guess I am prepared after all!  Who knew?

Karen

What Happened to the Box of Big Crayons?

Remember when you were a kid and on the first day of elementary school you would get some fresh paper and a new box or those fat crayons? They were brand new and I loved the way they felt on my hands. A whole new year with fresh crayons and blank paper. It felt like anything was possible.

Last night, I FINALLY, after three trips, finished the school supply shopping. I'm not talking about clothes or shoes or backpacks. I'm talking about a specific list about 25 items long. Specific as in : An orange two pocket folder, no prongs. A CLEAR, plastic protractor, no arm, please.

Add to that, the fact that everyone else is searching for the SAME 25 items (multiplied by the number of children in your family) and it can get a little tense at your local Wal-mart or Target. You do not even want to hear about the people I encountered on Sunday when I was trying to get a lot of the shopping finished.

I love that my children will have all they need to learn, but when did we start needing so much? I just wonder why my 2nd grader needs how many permanent markers? A fine-tip red marker? Sharpies? Really? Is it just me or does everyone else have this kind of list where it costs you $40-$60 in supplies? Just wondering. . .

Would love to hear what other school districts are like. Please, let me hear from you.

Yours, longing for a new box of eight, fat crayons and some blank paper,

Melissa

BACK TO REALITY

So Melissa and I have each returned from our family vacations.  She from Hilton Head, me from Boca Raton, Florida.  The bags are unpacked, the laundry is done (mostly), and things are returning to normal once again.  Darn!

So just to extend my vacation feelings for a little longer, I’m not really going to write much today.  I’m just going to post some pics of the past week.  Hope you don’t mind!

 

Karen