School clothes shopping...why does it cost so much?

2007-08-05
8:41 a.m.

The mini vacation to Birmingham was great, a much-needed break from the monotony this summer has been. We all thoroughly enjoyed the baseball game, would skip the water park/theme park next time (it was so overcrowded in the water park, and too hot for the theme park), and definitely would plan plenty of pool time again.

I think the kids enjoyed just playing in the hotel pool way more than the water park. And I actually read about half of a book I've been limping through (Plain Truth, by Jodi Picoult) while sitting out under an umbrella by the pool...and it was wonderful.

That is an excellent book, by the way, but it's taking me forever to get through it for lack of reading time. Burdened by kids to take care of, transcripts to do, and Big Brother on three times a week, not to mention Big Love on HBO once a week, my schedule is packed with priorities.

***************************************

The kids and I went school clothes shopping (starts next Tuesday, the 7th, woo to the hoo!!!) last night at J.C. Penney's, and shirt-wise, they're both set for a little while. We also picked out book bags for both of them.

I'd hoped to get them new tennis shoes, too, but the shoe department was staffed with exactly one employee. She was so overrun with customers, I didn't have the heart/stamina/patience to ask for another box of shoes for both kids. Oldest Son's were too big, and Youngest Son's were two different sizes in one box, neither of which fit. We stacked them neatly by the back wall and left, much to both boys' dismay. Too bad. We'll have to go shoe shopping next week sometime.

I'm finding it harder and harder to fit Oldest Son in jeans. Or any pants, for that matter. He's 110 pounds and about 5' tall now. He's definitely got a belly, but the biggest obstacle is he swears his waist is actually right around his hips. My brother and my dad wore their pants the same way. I remember as a kid my mom insisting to Mike his waist was up 'here' and him insisting, 'no, it's here.'

Consequently, to find jeans that fit OS where he insists his waist is, I've got to buy a couple sizes up in waist size, which means they're about four inches too long. Arrrrggggghhh! We ended up buying none last night, because mama's no seamstress, if you know what I mean. I will probably have to buy some sized up and take them to be altered, though.

That can wait till about October. Oldest Son always slims down a little when school starts again anyway, away from the video games and TV and adding in PE, recess, and soccer.

***************************************

I've got two weeks until my next court term starts, and plenty of work to do to fill that time. Right now I have three appeals and am waiting on a fourth and fifth. One of them is huge, but the others are all medium sized.

Yesterday I tried to work on the next one in the line, which isn't due till August 28th, but finally gave up and played around with the kids instead. Maybe once they get back into school I can get my nose pressed to the grindstone again. That's what I'm hoping, anyway!

Until then, I'll plug away at my three or four guilty pleas a day.

Over and out.

previous // next