It's Official!

I registered the kids for Kindergarten this morning and they will start on August 1st!  After completing forms for an hour and a half(!), I was handed a packet of information with uniform, supplies and meetings info.  This is definitely going to be an adventure, but there are quite a few things that are offered nowadays to make it easier.  You can order their school supplies online for $43.90 (or $87.78 if you get the optional stuff), and it says it saves money.  I bet I can find some of the things cheaper - but this method definitely saves time.  You can also enter your school at Lands End and it calls up the things that are uniform appropriate.  This is the closest I could find that would make Katie happy - at least it is pink, and a dress!  She is also definitely my daughter since she is just begging for the warm days that she can wear sandals and flip-flops so we'll have to find some closed toed shoes that are "girlie" enough for her to like when it is school time.

Between now and August I need to teach the kids our phone number, and complete address and how to tell time - those were the areas that I wasn't able to check off that they know!  We have a parent meeting on July 31st (no children allowed - wonder how they expect that to work if they want both parents there), and then the appropriately named "Boo-Hoo Breakfast" on Thursday, August 1st which is also their first half day.    The Breakfast is an opportunity to meet the reading specialist, art, music and P.E. teachers, etc. and to encourage the parents to leave their children in the classroom.  I know that will be hard on the first day, but hopefully the kids will separate well and I can hold back my tears until they are out of sight!  Monday, August 5th is also a half day and then the full day (8:00 - 3:00) starts on the 6th!  They won't be eligible for aftercare until they are 5 so it seems like we will have lots of juggling to do in August between all of these half days, meetings, and school getting out at 3:00.  Hopefully my work will be flexible during that time!

I am probably going to start purchasing things like uniform items, backpacks, and supplies now to spread it out over the next four months (even if they hit another growth spurt I am pretty confident that the smallest sizes will still fit) and then when they get in school the savings from not being in childcare will be a huge bonus.  We will still have aftercare, but that will only be about $100 a week and saving $300 each week will probably be necessary because of Lance's poor truck - over 200,000 miles, the worst ride you have ever had with bumps and noises and shaking, and all the dashboard lights on with warnings for everything.  It  has been a great vehicle, but it is definitely on it's last leg - we are hoping it will hold on until the Fall!  I am so excited that we will soon have a bit of financial breathing room  and car issues and the like will hopefully not be as devastating!  I really am excited for the kids too - I think they will love "real" school!