This Really is A Little Bit of Sewing!

My intention in starting this blog was to write about my sewing and document  what I have learned and made.  However, I seem to keep writing about everything but sewing!

Tonight it is school supplies.  Have you bought school supplies lately.  My word!  I attended school in California from second grade up.  My parents didn't have to buy school supplies until I started middle school, or Junior High as it was known in California.

When our oldest daughter started school in Gearhart, Oregon I had to send a dozen pencils a couple of packages of notebook paper, a box of crayons, two boxes of cookies, a box of tissues and two rolls of paper towels.  I thought that was crazy.  Then we moved to California for a few years and we didn't have to furnish anything for school

In Hawaii, it was notebook paper, crayons, erasers, glue, paper towels.  I don't remember all of it, but I do remember walking them to school the first day and we got all of it in my red wagon (Not a station wagon, a four wheel red wagon with a long black handle. I bought it for unloading groceries and bringing them from the parking lot to our town house.  Very handy.  Yes, it was MINE.)  We even carried the neighbor's school supplies in it.  That wasn't so bad for my three and my neighbor's one.

From there it was Washington state, and I don't really even remember school supplies until the oldest one hit middle school.  Next it was Virginia, and when we arrived there we bought notebook paper, pens, pencils, and crayons, plus we paid a book fee of $2.00 for each child and a supply fee of $20.00 per child.  By then I wasn't even surprised.

I volunteer each year to get school supplies for the two grandchildren that we take care of that are school age. I met Roger for dinner and then we went over to Walmart.  Thank God he was with me or I would have turned around and come home.  I do not like Walmart; I do not like crowds, and I really do not like Walmart when there are crowds and everyone is going every which way.  I deal with an Anxiety Disorder, where my chest gets tight and pretty soon I can't breathe.  But he got in there with me and I kept my eyes on him to help me stay calm and focused.

I could not believe the amounts that they had to have.  They each had to have 4 dozen sharpened pencils, yes, 4 dozen, SHARPENED pencils.  What does Walmart have?  Packages of 8 unsharpened pencils.  So, that was six packages for each child.  Now we just have to sharpen them.  Three boxes of crayons each, three boxes of colored markers each, and a box of  colored pencils.  Two pink erasers each, and a package of pencil top erasers each.  Four dry erase markers each and two highlighters each, pink or yellow please.  Then there were the various notebooks and folders.  None of them was one or two each.  It was four, six or eight each. 

Then came the notebook paper.  First grade Keira had to have two packages of 500 sheets of wide ruled notebook paper.  Third grader Joshua needed three packages of 500 sheets of wide ruled paper.  Of course, Walmart had it in packages of 150 sheets.  We bought 17 packages of paper.  Now, I ask you, what in the world are they going to do with that much wide ruled paper?  I got to thinking about the school supplies I bought last year.  I remember buying wide ruled paper last year, but not nearly that much.  But I don't remember seeing work come home on that wide ruled paper.  I just remember worksheets coming home.

The list went on and on; white glue, glue sticks construction paper, three boxes of tissues each, liquid antibiotic hand soap, rulers, zipper bags, pencil boxes, and a new book bag for each of them, not on wheels, please.  The total was approximately $150.00. 

I have to ask the question:  Do they really need all that stuff?  Really?  What happens if the parents/grandparents can't afford to buy it all?  Is the child going to learn any less if he only has two dozen pencils, one box of crayons, and a couple of erasers?  My husband works for another school district and his question was where is the teacher going to put all this stuff for each child?  Isn't this really excessive?

Oh, and it all has to be labeled with their names.  This year I'm going to print labels and stick them onto everything instead of sitting for hours  writing their names.Oh, yes and sharpen all those pencils.

I am exhausted, so there will be no sewing tonight.

Happy Sewing?  Wish I was!
Phylly