School starts in a little over a week... can you hear me cheering now. I am so terribly happy (more so than I should be). I have been buying supplies for weeks. I must admit, I love school supplies so that's no hardship on my part—just ask the other girls here. The kids, in the mean time, are driving me nuts! They are on each other's nerves like crazy. Unfortunately, it's too hot here to shove them out the door and make them play——last week it got up to 108° on Monday, 110° Tues. thru Thurs., and back down to 108° of Friday. We're breaking heat records left and right and left again. Which of course, is not outside-kid conducive. Though frying an egg on the driveway was fun, for all of 10 secs—then it was just too dern hot!


Still, lots to do. There are several stages getting the kids ready for school. Every year (and I mean every single year, every single school... such a huge pain) we have to schlep out to the school and prove we *still* live where we say we do. I hate that the most. It seems to be the biggest waste of time. But as I have no choice, I do it. This year they're putting all the forms we have to fill out online. That is a godsend. With four boys time six to 8 pages of repetitive crap every dang year, it will save time. Once it's in it's in and I only have to tweak the changes.


Soon we should be getting schedules. For all but the youngest this is a huge deal. (the youngest is only in fourth grade so you get what you get—and now that one of the least favored teachers has retired, he's not worried at all). The other three are worried about their classes and teachers and one was going to drop athletics then thought better of it. Another wanted in athletics (and signed up for it) is now also fretting being in it—but he's also in honors band so who knows how that will play out.


We have already been buying clothes here and there, too. They are a little put out I won't let them wear it 'til school starts. But such is life.


All this back-to-school drama is so *much* drama. And considering it's all boys... I can only imagine what girls would do to me.