Looking Back – Back to School

In my email the other day I got a message from my daughter’s elementary, it was the list of school supplies needed for 1^st grades for the upcoming year.  Wait a second…didn’t we just get out and have summer going?  Then looking at the calendar, and man it’s almost the end of July.  Time has flown.  Guess the softball, work and now 3 kids has made it go by quicker than usual.  But yea, it has.  With a newborn and daycare costs, we haven’t got to do a family vacation like we hoped to but next year its coming.  We’ve gone fishing, trips to the zoo and all around town on the weekends to keep the kids busy and entertained, but school supplies already?  Even Target is ready with all their school supplies now taking over the area where summer items were.

Getting the list I was thinking back to when I was a kid, did I really need all that stuff?  A list of 20-30 items?  Usually it was a folder so, some crayons, glue, pencils and pens and notebooks.  Some years we’d supply some Kleenex so we wouldn’t have to use the sandpaper the school usually had for us.  Also there was the new shoes and backpack if needed and a few shirts and jeans. 

The one thing I loved to get was my 5 star notebooks.  Why I’m not really sure.  I usually got 2, one was one I used for logging college football scores, the other was used for school.  Maybe it was because of the dividers with folders, the harder cover.  I don’t know, but that’s the first school supply I went to grab.  Usually to make sure I could get a black or blue cover and not red or green.  I couldn’t possibly get Cyclone or Packer colors!

Now back to my daughter’s list for 1^st grade…check this out.

And this is what the list looks like.....

A lot different than what I was bringing.  Then I’m sure will also add an outfit or something and then a picture day outfit too.  Now I like the school she goes to, she loves it but I wonder if the cuts the government makes is what is causing these lists to be more extensive than in years pasts.  Cut education and fund other programs and salaries…way to go elected officials!

So now that the list is out, the calendar if it isn’t out already will be in my mailbox and I’ll be working to get that on my calendar to see what days she has off and getting out early.  In 2 years she’ll have a brother in kindergarten which is even harder to believe.  Where is the time going?