The big boys went back to school last week.  I admit that this is the first year that I have actually been glad that school was starting.  Don’t get me wrong, I love my boys and love when they’re home but lately there is just so much fighting.  It is exhausting.  I know it’s really my fault because I don’t manage the fighting well which allows them to continue.  So I am glad for a break during the day so that I can think about things and try to regroup.  Plus, it’s really nice to only have to haul two kids everywhere.  I think I got more done today than I could in a week with all the kids home.

This back to school year I definitely learned some lessons.  The biggest one is don’t wait until after the first day of school to get your kids school supplies.  In true Heather style I procrastinated the school shopping trip until the last two days before school started.  In my defense, I was waiting on the supply lists that we would get on Back to School night.  Then when I went to Target I forgot the lists.  And it was packed.  See, I can usually handle having all four kids at the store and I can usually handle shopping a crowded store but when you put the two together I just can’t do it.  And since I knew I would forget to buy at least half of what was on their list I let Big Boy choose a backpack and I figured I would get the rest later.

On the first day I brought the boys to school and planned on walking them into their classes.  Big Boy is starting 4th grade this year and I asked him before we left home if he wanted me to bring him to his class.  I didn’t want to embarrass him if he didn’t want me there.  I guess I’m not too embarrassing yet because he did want me to walk him to his room.

Medium Boy is starting first grade and his first year in the French immersion program that our school offers.  Not only is he having to get used to being at school for the whole day, his whole morning is spent in a class where the teacher only speaks a language that he doesn’t understand.  It can be hard and I knew he was a little nervous.  I thought for sure he would want me to bring him to his classroom to help him get settled.  He still hasn’t caught on to the fact that mom’s can be embarrassing.  But on our way into the school he told me that I didn’t need to bring him, he wanted to go by himself.  So, I told him he could and I would come check on him after I brought Big Boy to his class.

I let Medium Boy go alone.  I stopped down the hall to try and watch him but he got lost in the sea of kids.  So I just brought Big Boy to his room.  The first thing his French teacher asked him is if he had crayons.  He said no.  After a minute of hesitation he went into his class and I went to check on Medium Boy.  When I walked into his classroom he was sitting at his desk with a picture on his desk that he was supposed to be coloring.  When I walked up to him his eyes were red, on the verge of tears.  He looked at me and said “I don’t have any crayons.”  I could see the nerves on his face  and my heart broke.

Next year I’m buying school supplies in July.