Tuesday, July 22, 2008

A Sharpie is a terrible thing to waste

The boy returned from band camp Friday just fine.  It was a little shaky there, for a day or two...where his phone calls were enough to make me want to zip right up there and bring him home.  

By Wednesday, he sounded more like himself, just tired, and I was able to put my car keys back down.

The imprint of where they were gripped in my hand just wore off yesterday.

Now, it's on to bigger and better things.

We start school Monday.

I vowed this year to wait until school starts to by school supplies.  This is a novel concept for me, as those who know me well can attest.  The prospect of reams of pristine paper, new pens, and the smell of a new box of crayons is usually enough to make me veer into the nearest Target and load up like I have to supply the entire neighborhood.

I was doing quite well until a friend of mine told me that spiral notebooks were 5 cents at Walmart.  5 cents!  And so the ball started rolling in my mind, the wheels turning...I mean, having gone through this so many times before, I kinda know what they're going to need anyway...and I can get those things first, the stuff the teachers want later....and I won't go crazy.

As I stood in the checkout at Walmart yesterday with Nolan beside me,  stacks of 5 cent notebooks in front of my, I felt that pang, that good pang of "this is a great deal!"  

There was also that control-freak pang of "I'm on top of things."

It was enough to carry me through the day, even though I resisted the siren call of "special edition" Sharpies in colors I'd not seen before but love.  Later, I whispered to them, as I placed them back on the shelf gently, with the care of a lover.

I saw my friend last night, and I told her I'd checked out Walmart.  "Did you see the Walgreens ad?"  "No."  "Five pack of Bic mechanical pencils, 5 cents each, you can buy 3 packs at a time.  We bought like 30 packs, I cleaned out the one I went to, I'm hitting two more tonight."

I felt feverish. 

So I went to Walgreens as soon as I got everyone home.

I am certain that by the time school starts, my friend's picture will be posted by mine---right next to cash registers all over town.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

You crack me up!  I can imagine you running thru the stores like a crazy mom with her cart filled with school supplies! LOL
Missie

Anonymous said...

so glad your son weathered band camp just fine!! wow, school starts early for you guys! as my kids grew older, I was like you, I didn't buy a lot of school supplies until after the lists came home; we just got a few notebooks to cover them; usually sent a notebook in with them the first day of school so they'd have something to write down what they needed

hope it is a good school year for your kids and you!

betty

Anonymous said...

That is so funny.  Before I wanted to be a teacher, I wanted to own an office supply store.  I might be the only one around that can compete with your love of sharpies.  I just bought a new 8-pack of ultra-fine tips the other day...
Karen

Anonymous said...

Maybe you can help me.  To this day I do not know where the term TRAPPER KEEPER comes from.  It's a notebook thingy with a bunch of pockets.  Why can't it just be called "the thing that holds all my papers.:

Thanks for your assistance.

Mrs. L

Anonymous said...

I got packages of paper at staples for 9 cents.  I had already stocked up... but dude...it's NINE CENTS.  So, I bought my limit of 10.  (well ok, I got five and my daughter became a whole new customer to get her five.)