The List

You know its September because time just flys by.

It’s as though the whole world woke up from a summer siesta and discovers that there is a lot of work to do.

So things are busy. Busy at home. Busy at work.

Our girls, like all other North American kids – started school back up a couple of weeks ago. In our case it was the day after Labor Day. All went fairly smooth, understanding of course that they are starting a new school. And while they miss their old friends – are quickly making new ones.

In the mornings, my efforts have had to accelerate. The girls have to get dressed nice for school, not just shorts and t-shirt for the daycare. They have to eat, have lunches packed, and dressed.

Of course each of these steps is met with “I don’t want to eat that”, or “I hate those clothes, can I wear [some outfit that is just not appropriate] instead?”

Darlene does the shopping for our family. And she does a great job. But back to school shopping is at least as great a feat to achieve – a chore to tackle – a task to undertake – as Christmas shopping.

I suggested Darlene document the events of her experience this year. She happily obliged - in a little piece she calls:

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THE LIST

Well, it is that time of year again. The time where mothers all around the continent rejoice that school is now back in session.

This has, of course one major drawback. It’s called the ‘school list of supplies needed’
In our day, one went to school and everything you needed was supplied. Not so anymore. Now, the first week of school ‘the list’ makes its way home.

I looked in disbelief at the length. My youngest list wasn’t bad. Only five - six items- -for senior kindergarten. My oldest, however, who is going into grade 1, was a whopping whole page.

“When are you going to get my school stuff, Mom, when? When?” she pleaded.

“When mommy gets off of work Thursday night”, I replied.

“OK” she said, and off she went to watch Johnny Test on the telly.

Well, now it is Thursday night……THREE DAYS after school is in session. I am two hours late leaving work, the border traffic was a mess and by the time I got to Wal-Mart’s of course there was nothing left.

Lesson? OH YES I will know next year what to buy for Ashley-Rae AND to not leave it till too late!

I walked into the store. I looked around. There were still scores of parents frantically looking about with children tugging on their arms.

”NO NO Mom! Not those!! Miss said these ones!!!” I continued down the aisle.

Thankfully I had left my two darlings with their father. As I held the list in my hand another mother chuckled softly and said “Uh Oh, she has the list”. I scowled fixing her with my mutinous green stare.

“I don’t have to do that anymore, thank God.”

”Bully for you!” I said. I turned down the aisle with the markers, crayons, pencils, etc.

Again my eyes widened in disbelief. Nothing. Nada. Big fat donut. There was not a pencil, crayon, eraser, ruler left. I groaned out loud. In the next aisle I had found the same thing. Not one color of duo-tang binder left.

I mumbled a few choice words under my breath and heard a giggle behind me. It was a young woman with her son who was about 9 years of age. He had a on a right wrist cast, long black greasy hair down past his shoulders.

I hurriedly sputtered, “Can you seriously believe this list?!!” She smiled, nodded and her son piped up with, “HA! Wait till you see the Grade 4 list!! It’s THREE PAGES!!” I shook my head and resignedly left the store to head for Staples. I knew at least there I would find everything I would need.

Dinner consisted of a hurriedly wolfed-down burrito supreme washed down with a pop. That is all I knew I would have time for.

Staples. What an experience. The staff are always helpful, friendly and willing to assist you to attain what you need. In no time I was finished and on my way home.

Geez, $185.00 later; I was ready. I did not get home till 10 pm. By the time I got the supplies labeled and doled out it was 12:45 am.

LESSON: Next year I will be ready. Before we start school.

In the end, it was the excitement and joy on my girls’ faces when they got up and saw all their school supplies packed neatly in their packs that made the whole experience worth it. I sure do love my little girls

- Darlene

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Resting Up From Vacation

It is the first day back to work after using my vacation last week to move into our new house. Thank goodness.

I need the rest.

The bad news is I have another week off next week.

It’s been a long week of slogging back and forth from the new house to the old house – still picking up the remainders of what the movers didn’t.

I fell down our new basement stairs once. I could swear my heels touched my shoulders. I screamed quite loudly. Have you ever thought you were on the last step but you weren’t?

I did that with about five steps to go.

I was carrying Darlene’s favorite framed pictures at the time.

As I laid there, I moaned “it’s broken”. I was talking about my leg. Dar thought I was talking about the frames.

“It better not be!” she growled. I still thought she was talking about my leg too!

She pulled the best picture out of the box – “No, it’s fine”, she said as she pranced away happily.

I untied my legs from their new pretzel configuration and was delighted to find that I did not break anything, only sprained my ankle and twisted my bad knee, And the only nurse in the house just pranced away happy.

Both the ankle and knee swelled right up. But unfortunately I could still walk. I got a reprieve that afternoon, and tried out the new pool with ice on both joints. But the next day we went right back at it. And it got hot again.

My Mum is coming up from Pensacola for a visit. She arrives Thursday night. She is anxious I believe to see the new place. And we have everything all ready for her.

Except a bed.

We took this opportunity to move my youngest from her Dora the Explorer toddler bed, into the cabin bed that my eldest had. And we moved my eldest up to the double bed we kept in what we called “The Grandma’s Room”.

Unfortunately we have to wait until this weekend before we can replace that bed with a new pillow topped one for Grandma.

I also put my old TV in my eldest’s room. I plugged in the cable for it, and the cable TV was still working. We are trying a satellite company now, so we did not move our cable.

The girls were very excited. They spent all their free time in my eldest’s room watching TV – their own TV.

Then the cable guy turned off the service.

And to my daughters, I am an “Indian giver”.

I apologize for using this term, I know it is derogatory in nature, but I do not know of another way to describe someone who gives a gift and then takes it back. And if I am not mistaken, the term truly means what the white men did to the Native Americans, they gave them something, and then they took it back.

Notice I used the royal “They”.

But I digress.

So now I have to call the cable company, and get them to turn on the cheapest service they have.

My Mum shipped up a package for my youngest daughter’s fifth birthday. She shipped it UPS. She asked us not to open it until she arrived.

When it came, Darlene’s Mum received it from the UPS driver. It was no longer a rectangular shape. It was now a triangle. The driver quipped “It looks like it’s been around the world”.

I opened the box, and everything is Ok.

But the morale to my entire moving experience is:

“If you hire a service – be it movers or UPS delivery, they likely won’t do a good job. But when you decide you no longer need a service, like cable TV, just watch how quickly and efficiently they discontinue it for you.”

Or …

The path of least resistance is most often followed by those that choose not to leave.