Craziness

Things have been crazy around here; I know it's not quite as crazy as the rest of you guys, like Mark and Meagan just having another baby, or Jerry and Susan with Alex, and then Mary with all of Dominic's appointments. But it just seems like this summer has been non-stop and expensive!

First there was the trip to Mary's which was a lot of fun, even if it only was for a day and a half. But then we came home and found that  a forgotten check had cleared and we went negative during our trip since we were buying food and gas. On top of that, our basement flooded while we were gone and we had to rip out of our carpet, throw out Dennis's desk, and spend a lot of money on cleaning supplies and anti-mold stuff.

There was the occasional camping trip, and Dennis being called into work nearly every other day at work. Thank goodness he had that extra work, because even though it was hard having him gone that much, it saved us with continuing to go negative.

Then I had the retreat, which also was a lot of money but I don't regret going one bit. The money that I normally would have used to help with bills was used for rent and the bill for the retreat. Then there was Luke's birthday, and later this month, I've got a much needed dentist appointment that I have been putting off for a year now. I have to first pay $120 before they will see me, so that's another month of not being able to help much with bills.

Of course, now there is the preparation for school supplies. So far we've spent over $100 in school supplies and the list is not done yet. I've jumped in to do all this in advance this year, because last year I learned the hard way that putting it off until the week before school is not smart!

I'm all for chipping in and helping the teachers with school supplies, but it seems like their lists get more and more demanding every year. Things like hand sanitizers, paper towels, wipes and so on, seem like they are mooching off the parents more than getting it from the school. I'm not great with financial topics, but isn't this what our taxes are supposed to be covering with schools anyway?

I understand the pencils, but instead of buying pencils for just your child, your buying them for the teachers pencil supply. Max's list said 48 pencils. Lucy's list said 24 pencils and Luke's list said 12 pencils. There is also things on the list like 2 pkgs of copy paper. This is on each of their lists. I have a hard time believing that each kid is going to be using their own copiers.

Oh yes, and after I get all the random stuff like erasers, highlighters, dry erase markers, fine tip markers and wide tip markers, crayons and so on, I also have to buy each child their own pair of gym shoes which has to be left at the school. "MUST BE VELCRO" is on both Lucy's and Luke's lists. "MUST BE ABLE TO TIE OWN SHOES" is on Max's list an it has me sweating because we've been working on tying shoes and he doesnt' have it mastered yet. I also have to buy each kid their own set of headphones, which also has to be left at the school.

There are tons of paperwork to still fill out and the schoolboard is calling all parents in for "cleaning parties" to help get the school ready. It's funny how they add the word "party" to the end of every request (demand), like it sweetens the deal a little. Last week it was "come and help us get the school ready by joining us in the locker assembly party!!!" (There are over 100 lockers to assemble and they still aren't done. When I asked Dennis when he thought he would be home, he said maybe September or October.) Today's party is "Moving Day party!" where they get the school offices ready and set up the furniture. (I suppose I should mention that the expansion for the school just got finished a few weeks ago.) This coming weekend is an ice cream social which I had planned on going to, but then I found out through Dennis that the ice cream comes at the end of the day--a CLEANING PARTY DAY! So we're not going.

Still, the summer is still going on and play dates for Max continues with Vinney to keep them acquainted since they may not see each other during the school year. Lucy had 2 birthday parties in one day last Saturday (she said she was "all partied out") and a few moms have emailed me asking if Lucy could do a play date with so-and-so from preschool before school begins. I'm glad for the play dates, but they take a lot of time. And then there is the sleep over with the little neighbor girl that will be at our house, that's coming up.

Dennis has jury duty this week and every day he has to call in at 11:30 to see if he has to come in. So far, he's gotten lucky, but I doubt our luck will hold out much longer. Once he is called in, all plans for the day have to be canceled, no matter how important they are, because I'm not dragging five kids to appointments, play dates and therapy.

And then at the end of the month, Dennis is going to a wedding in Oklahoma (I think it's there) for five days. He'll return with one day to spare before school starts. I'm trying not to think of the bundle of nerves I will be with him gone and school coming up so fast.

And then there's therapy and the rearranging of schedules between myself and the therapists so that Max and Luke can continue to go to therapy during the school year. Max's therapist from Frasier is going to be out until mid-September because she's having surgery, so nothing is planned for him yet with school and therapy. With his other therapy, he and Luke will be pulled out early on Wednesdays. All the therapists have been really helpful in preparing the boys for their new school and new schedules by typing up a list of "coping skills" for the boys when things gets too overwhelming for them. Both tend to shut down when this happens, but they show it in different ways.

And that is the craziness around here.