Maintaining My Back-to-School Sanity

Disclosure:  This post was sponsored by The Motherhood for review and educational purposes only. All thoughts and opinions are TMC’s only.

Last week I decided to start my back-to-school shopping. As I strolled into the store I saw a sign reading, “Virginia Tax Free Day!” Oh, what a happy, lucky coincidence! I would buy my school supplies, coupons in hand and all three kids hanging off the cart and not have to pay taxes. Bonus!

Clearly, my intuition failed me.

As I walked through the store it was quiet and empty up front. Had a zombie apocalypse occurred without my knowledge? Should I find something sharp to beat off the brain-eaters we might encounter as we selected broad-tip markers? Wait. What is that buzzing sound?

That my friends would be the total mayhem that was taking place in the three aisles in the back of the store that was designated for back-to-school supplies. Carts banged into each other. Kids collided with other kids and more carts. Moms used glazed over eyes to scan the colored slips of paper containing their schools precious school supply list. I gripped the cart handle tighter, narrowed my eyes and set a determined smile on my face as I prepared to enter the melee. I fought off other kids from my cart, snail-paced the aisles and tried not to have total mutiny on my hands as I chucked things into my cart I just prayed were actually on my list. It’s hard to find that specific red 2-pocket, 3 ring-binder ready folder in a mess of moms, kids, 80 types of folders and my own screaming children as your cart is being pushed away by a kid that isn’t your own. The girls began to melt down from the chaos and confusion. Snacks were flung overboard and everyone begged for a new lunch box whether they needed one or not. It was madness and I knew for all our sanity’s sake we had to get out fast.

I headed to the snack aisles to stock up a bit before snack and lunch-making season fully depletes my grocery budget each week. It was there that I realized I had bought two sets of water bottles for my preschoolers who despise drinking water. Their schools don’t sell milk either. Deep breaths! Then I remembered that my youngest loves drinking the shelf-safe vanilla milk from Starbucks each time we go. Genius! I quickly found some a few aisles over and loaded some low-fat white shelf-safe milk into the cart. I tossed a few chocolate milk Tetra-Paks (eco-friendly packaging!) in the mix for special days. Why I never thought about this option before I just don’t know. I used shelf-safe Almond Milk almost daily and love that I can store it in my basement pantry or kitchen pantry until I’m ready to use it. My husband and I both drink chocolate milk after runs and workouts, why not the kids after soccer? I can freeze the girl’s lunch milk paks and by the time they want to drink it at school it will be thawed and deliciously cold. I almost high-fived myself right there in the aisle.
I feel a little saner now that I have the school supplies and milk question solved. I might be ready for back to school.

Bring it back-to-school season! Next up, outlet shopping for school clothes on a Saturday! With all three kids! Relax, I’m not that crazy.

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