Back to School - Ugh

Well ... its that time of year again.  Seriously - it just sort of totally snuck up on us.  Last we knew it was the middle of July and we had a full month to contemplate manilla paper and crayola count.  Here we are less than a week away.  Ours was filled with more angst than usual.  Zoë has been going to school out of our home district for ... well - forever.  The drive was arduous but, up until the last year, not quite so financially detrimental.  We made a decision that we were either going to move her back to her home district or home school.  Our house is zoned for a less than desirable school and I really did struggle with whether or not to send her there as a way of "school of life" kinda stuff.  I wimped out.  Couldn't do it.  So ... through some called in favors and totally legal ways and means, we have managed to successfully get her enrolled in the "good" school which is 5 miles away as opposed to 30 miles away AND to get her gifted and talented label to carry over without additional testing.  Hooray!  Seriously - it was such a load off my mind when the counselor called me this evening to let me know the district's decision to place her in the GT program.  I understand each district has their rules and whatnot, but the kid scored perfectly on the math TAKS and in the 95th percentile in the reading.  Anyway ... what I DIDN'T want to happen was for her to have to be placed in one class only to be moved later and now that won't happen.  Yeah us.

School supplies - oh sweet Lord.  I nearly had a nervous breakdown in the middle of Target.  The list was sooooo specific.  "Pre-sharpened, 7", colored pencils, 12 count" etc ... and they were out of manilla paper AND pink beveled erasers.  It really could not have been this hard when my mom was parenting because I'm pretty sure she would have homeschooled us all.  I managed to find all of what we needed after a subsequent Walmart trip.  I've also somehow wound up with 3 Halloween costumes for Sadie.  And Sadie hates Halloween.  And dress up.  I sense e-bay in my future.  Either that or a therapist.