Let's take a look at the deck first:
Is that not awful? We've had the deck since about 2014. We moved into the house in 2013 and needed something to cover the yard. It was filled with rocks and gravel that the previous owner had used for his dogs. It was, to put it nicely, a huge mess. So I talked to hubby, begged, pleaded, and generally convinced him to let me put in a deck. We looked around for contractors to tackle this huge project (roughly 17' X 19') that runs along the fence on two sides. I was very specific, wanting low level since the kiddos were way littler then. We found a contractor who was within our budget and he went to work. About a week and a half later, the deck was completely done! I love this thing, I really do! I have a beautiful table that sits on it that hubby and I found on sale at Kmart. It's the nice kind with the ceramic tile tops and comfy chairs. I love it! He bought me a wrought iron canopy for my birthday that had a canvas top, but unfortunately long winters and too much rain destroyed the wrought iron. A huge snowstorm took the thing completely down. 😞 So for now, we sit in the sun! About two years after we got the deck, I stained it a light cedar color, not really understanding that cedar is orange! UGH!! The stain didn't last long, so we've spent the last two weeks sanding, powerwashing, scrubbing, and sanding some more. We were able to get most of the original stain off so we could do this:
WHOA BABY!
Now as for the school supply trip:
Since I have three in school, the shopping trip was crazy! As a teacher, I can understand the lists that get sent home, but as a parent, I was yanking my hair out! We did get everything on the list, knowing that some things get put into a community supply box. This I definitely understand. Some kids do come to school without their supplies and it can negatively impact their learning. If I am in a position to make their lives (and their teachers' lives) easier by providing some extra supplies, then I will. Yes, it can get expensive, but I can see it from the teacher's perspective. We do spend a lot of money out of pocket trying to provide for all kids. It's a huge relief when parents are willing to donate a couple extra notebooks or folders, or send in an extra box of crayons. Or go crazy and do what my dad did a couple years ago. Two separate instances come to mind.
First one goes like this (phone call with my dad):
Me: Hey Dad!
Dad: What's up Kat?
Me: Staples is having a notebook sale. $0.17
a piece. Could you pick me up a handful?
Dad: Sure, no problem.
A few hours later...
Dad: Hey Kat, I got your notebooks.
Me: Thanks, I appreciate it.
Dad: What did you mean by a handful?
Me: Just like 20 or so.
Dad: Well, I think my hands are a litter
bigger than yours.
Me: Ha ha! Probably. How many did you get?
Dad: 160.
Me: Wait... What? 60?
Dad: No, 160.
Yes! This man picked up 160 notebooks for me! 160!
Second instance... We had gone to Walmart for school supplies for the kids. He lived about 6 hours away at the time and wanted to help out. He picked up most of their supplies, then ordered a pallet of Kleenex to be delivered to their school. I repeat. A. PALLET. OF. KLEENEX. If you've never seen the way kids use tissues in school, then you may not understand. He bought enough tissues to last at least until Halloween! HA HA! Just kidding on that. Maybe it lasted until Christmas. It was just one more thing the teachers didn't have to buy out of their pockets. Extremely helpful and just straight generous. He's very supportive of his daughters (teacher me and nurse practitioner sister). So to end this, when you go shopping for school supplies, pick up a couple extra folders or notebooks or an extra box of crayons if you can. Send it with your child to school and have them give it to his or her teacher. You will not only make the teacher's day, you'll also be contributing to another child's education.
Until next time,
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