Not Me Monday....and a rant about school supplies

My sister-n-law has a blog about her life and family and one day as I lurked around her friends' blogs...(yes I admit I lurked. I'm a lurker.) I caught onto one blog that I have found myself reading consistently. On this lady's site...besides her BEAUTIFUL photography of her kids is a weekly blog post called "Not me Monday." www.mycharmingkids.net

Basically, as the author pens it, the point is "being brutally honest and living to tell about it." The point is to spread the word how people arent always perfect.

So welcome to "Not me Monday"

This past week Sean (hubby) was practicing all week long for a children's production called "Children's letters to God." (He was playing bass in it, not performing) So it was just Connor and I for most nights. Usually Sean puts Connor to sleep because he does it so much faster. ....However....
I most certainly did not rock my almost 2 year old to sleep. And he certainly did not fall asleep in my arms with a sweet little smirk on his face.

This past week I did not pretend not to be home when the ADT man came to solicit his home security systems at my door. Even after my son crashed over to the window and blinds and looked at the solicitor and smiled.

Last weekend, it certainly wasn't me who flashed my backyard lights at my backyard neighbors for making so much noise at 2 am that it woke up my toddler 3 times. Nope, not me!

I did not bake cookies for the new neighbors as an excuse to have some for myself.

I also did not just eat tuna and crackers for dinner last night. On the couch. At 9PM.

And finally I did not throw a slight fit at Sunday School upon hearing the news that teachers are no longer allowed to "require" school supplies. Nope not me.

Okay, maybe I did.

I have to admit something to you. I am a school supplies nerd. School Supplies nerd with a capital N. I love it. And I dont even have school aged children. But I love seeing new packs of crayons for 20 cents and new packs of blunt tip scissors for buy one get one free offers. Siggghhh....

Dont judge me.

Anyway. I totally understand there are many moms and dads out there who having a hard time making ends meet and school supplies are just another addend expense stress. And I sympathize with that fact. I truly do. Our church is running a back to school drive to help these very parents. And I love that as a church family we are doing this. There is nothing sadder on a first day of school when a child is upset that they dont have their supplies and everyone else does.
However...with this news I received from a friend in Sunday School who's sister is a new teacher in the school system....school supplies are no longer "required"...makes me shake my head and want to throw a bottle of voluntarily bought Elmer's glue at whoever came up with this idea.

Now granted, this is what you would call "hear say" news. And I really dont know if school supplies were ever really "required" in the first place. Because really, are they going to look at that first grader and say..."Hmmm no zippered pencil case?? You're outta here kid! Back to kindergarten with you!"
Last night I tried looking for some piece of news or article on the web that talked about this but couldnt find anything. However, after being in the school system and remembering when our principal had told us that the school board said we could no longer ask for items students didnt "need" but we "liked" having in our class....like tissues or a pack of computer paper, this recent underground announcement in the school system does not surprise me....but it definitely angers me. (Oh and by the way...Tissues I think are a NEED in a classroom, not a want. If you insist on sending your sick kid to school....I NEED tissues in my room. Period. Gross. This is another blog entry and I digress.)

Back to voluntary supplies. Supposedly this is being done to alleviate parents of the cost of school supplies due to the economy. Again as I stated before there are parents out there who legitimately need some extra help when it comes to school supplies. My problem is, if you make a blanket statement like that....that no one has to bring in school supplies then some parents who have the means of buying school supplies, wont and will be covered by that blanket statement. So who buys the NEEDED school supplies? Not the school system! Enter the teacher and her mediocre salary check.

Last night I was at Walmart and the school supplies lists are out. No where on the list is it mentioned that these are not required. So maybe all this is, is that teachers cannot ASK for the supplies, but they wont say anything to discourage parents from bringing in supplies. I dont know.

What I do know is that Walmart has folders for 15 cents.

-Brooke