I had to take Ben to find some new shorts at the mall tonight. It seems that his collection of appropriate school attire was not as complete at I thought. Here's what I learned.

1) You can not walk leisurely through the mall without being attacked by someone working a kiosk who wants to curl your hair, apply some magic product to your face, or pluck your eyebrows with a string.

2) As impossible as it is to avoid the sales associates in the kiosks, it is equally impossible to find one in a store where you actually want to buy something.

3) The selection of shorts in stores in August is minimal.

As we were heading up the escalator, Ben gets this frightened look on his face, grabs my hand, and tries to stear me to the opposite side of the mall. He was seriously trying to avoid something.

Totally expecting some crazy kiosk person coming toward us with a product we MUST try, I look to my left to see the Auburn store. Ben was ready to get as far away from it as possible. Hmmm, I wonder why he acts this way? I might have made all my kids hold their nose on the way to the beach as we drove through Auburn once. Why? Because Auburn stinks.

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6

Mother of the Year

Another summer is over, and we've started school. I sent my second born off to Kindergarten this year. I really don't know where the last 5, almost 6, years has gone.


Ben and Mrs. Miles

Anna Beth and Mrs. Morelli

The first day of school!

Last year, we moved int0 our house and started school about 10 days later. It was a nightmare. My kitchen wasn't unpacked, due to the roaches that were threatening a takeover. Billy was working here and in Nashville. I was trying to make 2400 square foot of stuff fit into 1400, I mean 1397 square feet. And the move was....TEMPORARY. Boxes that we could do without, or stuff that didn't fit was left unpacked because we were surely going to be back in Tennessee in about 9 months.

All that to say I started out the year unsettled, and it set the tone. I was that mom. The one who forgets to sign the daily homework agenda. The one who doesn't send in permission slips or field trip money until I got the nice little e-mail reminder from the teacher the day before said trip. (It's not that I didn't look at the stuff, it would either get buried in the pile of stuff on the counter, or I would just forget.) I don't even think I ever sent in party money - I'm sure I got talked about for that one!

This year is going to be different. I am stopping everything at 3 to sign, fill out, take care of whatever needs to be done for the kids for school the next day. Snacks are packed and lunch menus set the night before. I am getting up earlier to avoid morning mahem. So far so good. Setting the tone for success.

Ben came home today and said something about his "I am" project. The project that is due September 18 - or might have been due today (August 18). First assignment of "big school" and its late. Lovely.
Mother of the Year. That's me.