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When I go through a difficult time, my perspective can become skewed towards negativity. The grievousness of the situation shields my eyes from the simple joys, the happy times, the laughs. Although there was sadness this past summer, there were also precious times and good moments to remember. Once again, a great thankfulness has overtaken me that we are all alive and well. I am ever grateful to have been raised in a family that finds pockets of peace and joy even during the hard times.

With the start of school comes the painful process of enforcing earlier bed times. Josiah has been the least likely to fight this, primarily because for the last three weeks, he has had a schedule that looked like this:

0600 Wake up and run the neighbor’s dog.

0800 Cross Country practice – run 6 to 8 miles.

1700 Walk the neighbor’s dog, because you can no longer run, attempt not to pass out in the humid 90 degree heat.

2200 Go to bed because you are exhausted just thinking about doing the same thing tomorrow.

Abby pretends she goes to bed, but has a flash light hidden in her bed, so she doesn’t actually go to sleep.

Gabe just goes to bed. He, like his father, is an early bird. No  matter when he goes to sleep, he usually wakes up before 7.

Zeke knows he is supposed to go to sleep, doesn’t want to go to sleep, and thinks of new maneuvers each night to drag out the “go to bed” drama.

Below is the conversation he had with his father the other night:

Zeke: “I’m just getting a drink of water.”

Dale: “You don’t need any more drinks of water. You have had plenty of drinks.”

Zeke: “I have a lot of saliva.”

Dale: “Well, go spit in the trash can!”

(Zeke goes over and spits in the trash can. I am laughing hysterically. Dale finally cracks.)

Dale: “Get a drink and go to bed.”

(His siblings are justified in their complaints that the boy is spoiled. However, in our defense, the things the boy says are just plain funny.)

This year, in an attempt to maintain my current level of sanity, I gave the task of consolidating the school supply lists to Abby. She sorted through the miscellaneous supply box in the office, dug through each child’s box of stuff in their rooms, and set out four paper bags. She then began to cross things off the lists.

Once Abby had narrowed the lists down, she consolidated them into a spreadsheet. We then traveled to the cheapest store which all Manrys love. For the first time in three years, in a shocking change of course, we actually bought the items during tax free weekend. (The first weekend of August, the Commonwealth of Virginia allows all school supplies with an individual cost of less than $20 and all clothing with an individual cost of less than $100 to be purchased tax free.) I did not know about this the first year I lived here and forgot about this the second year I lived here.

The third time’s a charm they say.

There is a down side to purchasing items on tax free weekend. You have to fight for the school supplies in the aisles. The aisles became so crowded and the people so aggressive, I parked the cart at the end and sent my children on brief forays for glue sticks or  markers. I stayed to guard the cart. When they came back, mostly unharmed, with the sought after item, I told them “good job!” and sent them off again in search of something else.

Because he was not allowed on these forays, Zeke insisted on carrying the list and crossing things off. This made for a slow go of it.

When some items proved unattainable, we relocated to the store that all Melochs shop at. There, we checked off more items on the list and then moved on to the office supply store. It is always the last stop, because it is the most expensive. However, there are always some items that can be found no where else. This year, the most difficult to attain items were green pens and 5 x 8 index cards. We found them both there. We needed 40 5×8 cards. Unfortunately for us, they only sold them in packs of 500.

It would, of course,  be too easy for my school supply shopping to end in one day after going to just 3 stores. When we arrived home, Abby made me new lists of school items to be purchased at the military grocery store, the music store, and the Christian book store.

The kids brought all their supplies to school on orientation day. I would love to breathe a sigh of relief, but I know better. Soon, their teachers will send home notes listing additional items that would be helpful, were accidentally left off the list, or are new for this year.

Back to School Shopping…Oh the joy.

Today is the first day of school. Yesterday, I went to Gabe and Zeke’s orientation in the morning, and Josiah and Abby’s orientation in the afternoon. I am now fully orientated as to what is required of me.

I had only one requirement for Zeke today and that was to make sure he wore his popcorn name tag. Unfortunately,  I remembered that requirement after I dropped him off for school.

Gabe was ready for his first day of asking his teacher to clarify all requirements. He had his hand raised during the class room orientation, but I asked him to please wait to ask his questions until all the parents were gone. His first question arose when his teacher informed the class that each student must read for 15 minutes, 4 times a week. Gabe wanted to ask, “Can I just read for 60 minutes on one day and get it over with?”

And so it goes with him.

Gabe and Zeke on First Day of School

Abby wandered around the high school lost, periodically asking a passersby for directions. I consider this an improvement over Josiah who also wandered around on the first day last year lost. He, however, never asked for directions. Like his father, he figured he’d happen by his destination eventually.

Josiah and Abby Load the Bus

To all those who have asked and will ask me, “What will you do all day?” I’ll give you my father’s reply, “she’ll sit on the couch all day and eat bonbons.”

In May, Dale and Gabe measured out a sunflower bed which we all planted. The sunflowers survived the ten days of our absence even though we had no rain and then they survived the endless heat of this summer where every day seemed to be above 90 degrees. I watered them often and they grew quite tall. While running on the path, I can see their faces smiling at me over the back fence.