Back To School

School will be starting soon…if you aren’t already sitting in class. It’s a sad feeling when summer vacation winds down and we have to change gears to school gear mode… class schedules, sports schedules. Rev those engines!

The BEST thing about starting school is…School Supplies. A fresh supply of mechanical pencils, notebooks, folders, and Post-Its can help soften the blow. A trip to a store like Staples can cure the back-to-school blues…at least it always did for me.

As a kid, my favorite thing EVER was….getting new pencils, pens, markers, paper…organizing my notebooks and setting up the subject dividers. So when I had kids and they started attending school….I happily skipped into the nearest Staples. Just the smell of that store makes me happy. I’m not sure what makes up that smell ….maybe it’s notebook paper mixed with No. 2 lead. I swear I would wear that scent if Giorgio made it.

I always loved to get organized….not in the clean closet, clean room manner….but in the paper, folder, file sort-of-way. I looked forward to helping the kid’s organize their supplies…but Big C and Wishy liked doing it themselves, so I could only sit on my hands…and longingly watch. But….Colin never minded my assistance. He passed off the job to me like he was the executive and I was his secretary….”Go ahead….get this back to me by the end of the day.”

Last week I had to make a trip to Staples. My eyes widened at the sight of aisles and aisles of school supplies. My heart started racing, my hands began sweating….so many supplies . I had to tell myself to calm down…Wishy likes to get her own supplies…she’s a High School senior. So I walked down the aisles…trying not to turn my head. But I couldn’t help myself…I looked. And saw the cutest pencil box called the “Vault” with pink plaid and metal edges….and a lock and key. The ultimate. Organization with security…a double bonus.

I said to myself… “Kat, What are you doing with a kid’s plaid pencil box that locks? Put down the box and leave the store right now.” It was so hard….part of me wanted to run back and grab the box. But then I knew I would also be passing the label makers, note pads, paper clips, and hole puncher…. I would be making things worse.

I need to get some self restraint…or enroll in a course. Maybe there’s a Remedial Blogging course I can take.