Happy Monday! Now take a deep breath...

That's for me, anyway. The kids go to school tomorrow, and I woke up with total anxiety on Saturday. I shook my husband awake and explained we didn't have lunch boxes yet. After a bit of discussion, he asked if there was any reason he couldn't go back to sleep now? Well, I was up, anyway. A trip to Meijers was made on Sunday, and lunch boxes were bought. Good prices, too, I might add, which is not what you'd expect two days before school starts. They could have charged me an arm, leg or pile of roving, and I'd have had to hand it over. (Well, my roving collection is getting pretty sweet. They could brown bag it...)

After much arguing with the girls about whether or not their clothes were comfortable, or if the tag placement made them absolutely unwearable, I told them a little story. It's a true story about a woman who bought her children two outfits each, and she washed whatever they weren't wearing. There was no arguing in the morning over what to wear. This began a whole new discussion with my husband about why our kids need so many clothes. Do we really need to impress? Will they be shunned if their clothes are just clean, but worn overmuch? Probably/maybe/it could happen - or maybe not, even. School can be a harsh place, as I remember it. Kids judge each other and compare themselves to a standard that is amorphous and constantly changing. The only way to really win is to not care about "stuff," and that's so hard to teach, what with t.v. and peer pressure, from family as well as friends. But kids who don't care so much about how they look - as far as keeping up with fashion, I mean - were the kids who always impressed me in school. I wish my little beans well in that environment, and hope we can just keep them grounded in what's important. In the meantime, though, all clothing manufacturers should print the information on the shirts, as some do already. It takes away one more thing to argue about in the morning.

Wish me luck! I'm sure they'll do fine. I'm considering moving into a cave, just to avoid all societal pressure. Too extreme, do you think?