DIR Return Create A Forum - Home
---------------------------------------------------------
Jack's House
HTML https://jackshouse.createaforum.com
---------------------------------------------------------
*****************************************************
DIR Return to: Jack's Blog
*****************************************************
#Post#: 14172--------------------------------------------------
Back to School 2019
By: Jack Date: July 31, 2019, 4:43 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
It's getting close to that time again.
School starts 21 August this year, which gives us three weeks
from today.
Since my local 'grands' (my grandsons and grandnephews - I do
have granddaughters, but they don't live here in town) spend so
much time here, I end up having to coordinate with their parents
when it comes to shopping.
Next Monday, we have the doctor's visit. All my kids (under
18), along with the grands, will be seeing Dr. Sammy. Ed and
Drake Simpson and the Tidwells will be going with us, to take
advantage of my sweetheart deal (Dr. Sammy closes down for the
morning shift, giving us the entire clinic, which lets some of
his help have an extra half day off - makes things go much more
quickly).
Marcus is taking all his boys shopping tomorrow, since he has to
start back Monday (football coach and all). Chris is taking
Rhett and Ryder. Jason (my step-nephew) isn't taking his boys
until Saturday, since he and his wife both work pretty normal
schedules. I'm going to take C&C tomorrow morning. I've talked
to Craig, Kenny, Colt, and Devon, and they've agreed to go as a
group. I haven't had a lot of spare time for one-on-one trips
with the boys, but I've managed to do some minor stuff (sneaking
off for lunch or in the mornings or evenings), so none of them
seem aggrieved or to feel cheated by doing their shopping as a
group.
#Post#: 14199--------------------------------------------------
Re: Back to School 2019
By: Zyngaru Date: August 1, 2019, 10:10 am
---------------------------------------------------------
August 7th is the first day of school here. My sister gets home
from Colorado tomorrow (Friday 2nd.) She promised to take her
grandson school clothes shopping when she gets back. So her
grandson has been asking when she is getting home. He's
starting Kindergarten.
#Post#: 14200--------------------------------------------------
Re: Back to School 2019
By: Adric Date: August 1, 2019, 11:06 am
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=Zyngaru link=topic=1398.msg14199#msg14199
date=1564672231]
August 7th is the first day of school here.[/quote]
That seems really early for school to start. (Mine didn't start
until the day after Labor Day, but that was TX and before any
schools were air-conditioned.) August 7th at 7:52 a.m. EDT is
the exact mid-summer, halfway between the Summer Solstice and
the Fall Equinox.
[quote author=Zyngaru link=topic=1398.msg14199#msg14199
date=1564672231]
She promised to take her grandson school clothes shopping when
she gets back.[/quote]
Hope she can manage to buy him comfortable underwear (so he
won't need to "play with himself").
#Post#: 14201--------------------------------------------------
Re: Back to School 2019
By: Jack Date: August 1, 2019, 1:16 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Adric, as far as I remember, that's when school always started
here as well, at least when I was a student. I think that's
when it started when I was teaching the first time around, but
by the time Steve was living with me, I think it had started to
creep earlier. I'm actually pretty satisfied with this start
date, because it allows us to complete the first semester before
the kids leave for Christmas Break, which makes things a lot
easier on everyone when they start back. Of course the...
people of questionable intelligence... still run more than 18
weeks in the Spring and have finals and graduation after
Memorial Day, but I guess no one can really understand what
passes for the mind of a bureaucrat.
[hr]
I took Curtis and Connor back to school shopping today.
For those of you who don't know, before we do back to school
shopping, I get with each kid (usually by bedroom, so normally
more than one at a time). We dig out all their clothes -
closet, drawers, laundry has just been done - whatever. They
strip down to their underpants, and we try on everything. We
have a pile for rags, a pile for outgrown and stuff they'll
never wear again for whatever reason, and the stuff that needs
to be put away again.
As you can imagine, I have given more than one spanking over
this, but the boys these days seem to benefit from the elders'
experiences, and they're usually pretty compliant with doing
this.
Once we have everything sorted, we see what the kids need for
school.
Much to my disappointment, Connor asked if he could get boxer
briefs. Curtis is lean enough that he still fits his funpals,
so he got one pack of Pokemon and one pack on Ninjago dinosaurs.
Hopefully some of Connor's peers will stick with white briefs
another year or two. Connor is only starting fifth grade, but
this is an area I feel it would be unfair for me to force or
persuade them.
While the BISD doesn't have a uniform, I've always required my
boys to dress nice, so most of their clothes are like a uniform.
We actually got four pair of pants for each boy, three pair of
shorts (that they can probably wear until December, at least),
and two pair of jeans. I didn't bother with any cold
weather/long sleeve tops right now. They got eight shirts - at
least six of them collared - mixing and matching polos, button
fronts, and a couple of fancy tees (designs, no logos).
To finish it off, we got each of them one pack of undershirts,
new socks, a couple of new pair of good shoes, and a set of good
clothes JIC (both of them still have dress shoes that fit from
last Spring).
Shopping with the older boys isn't quite as hard, since I can
let them do most of the selection themselves, then just double
check that it's all appropriate and pay for it. That's what I'm
doing with the next youngest ones in just a few minutes.
#Post#: 14202--------------------------------------------------
Re: Back to School 2019
By: Zyngaru Date: August 1, 2019, 1:58 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=Adric link=topic=1398.msg14200#msg14200
date=1564675581]
[quote author=Zyngaru link=topic=1398.msg14199#msg14199
date=1564672231]
August 7th is the first day of school here.[/quote]
That seems really early for school to start. (Mine didn't start
until the day after Labor Day, but that was TX and before any
schools were air-conditioned.) August 7th at 7:52 a.m. EDT is
the exact mid-summer, halfway between the Summer Solstice and
the Fall Equinox.
[quote author=Zyngaru link=topic=1398.msg14199#msg14199
date=1564672231]
She promised to take her grandson school clothes shopping when
she gets back.[/quote]
Hope she can manage to buy him comfortable underwear (so he
won't need to "play with himself").
[/quote]
I talked to her this morning and she has backed off to just
buying him new shoes for opening day. She says he has enough
shorts and tee shirts, so will wait until later and take him for
winter clothes later.
Now he and his brother both wear briefs. Superhero briefs. And
they like running around in their briefs showing them off. But
his mom buys his undies, not his grandma.
Yes, they keep starting school earlier and earlier. Less summer
break. We do have a mandatory 180 school days in this state.
They don't want school to go past Memorial Day, thus they have
to start early in August. Many of our schools have year round
school, with just three weeks off here and there. Another
nephew started school yesterday. August 1st. So our start
times for school around here are all over the place.
I grew up when school started the first day after Labor Day and
ended Memorial day week. Back before Air Conditioning.
#Post#: 14203--------------------------------------------------
Re: Back to School 2019
By: Zyngaru Date: August 1, 2019, 2:19 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=Jack link=topic=1398.msg14201#msg14201
date=1564683409]
Much to my disappointment, Connor asked if he could get boxer
briefs. Curtis is lean enough that he still fits his funpals,
so he got one pack of Pokemon and one pack on Ninjago dinosaurs.
Hopefully some of Connor's peers will stick with white briefs
another year or two. Connor is only starting fifth grade, but
this is an area I feel it would be unfair for me to force or
persuade them.
[/quote]
Yep it's a shame when they decide they want to switch undies. I
do agree to let them decide what undies they want to wear. They
have to live with their peers, so no reason to give other boys a
reason to bully your boys. Fitting in is one of the most
important things for kids. It's important for adults also, but
it is even more important for boys. That is why I am okay with
crazy haircuts, crazy colors of shoes or normal sneakers but
with wild shoestrings. I don't have a problem with kids dying
their hair blue, or green or purple. Schools seem to have a
problem with it, but I don't. Some individuality is good. Now
something that I find funny is when something like Mohawk
haircuts are a fad and all the boys and some of the girls get
them so they can be different. But since so many other kids got
them, they weren't different anymore. That seems to happen with
any and all fads.
#Post#: 14218--------------------------------------------------
Re: Back to School 2019
By: Jack Date: August 2, 2019, 3:17 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
We have all the younger kids done now - I was able to take
Craig, Kenny, Colt, Devon, Jake and Ryan Tucker all in one
group. The other boys can all drive, so most of them are doing
their own shopping (instead of telling them how much to buy, we
figure out what they need, then I figure a budget and give them
the money, so they can have a bit of experience making
decisions). The exception to that is that Chance and Zeke
aren't used to doing their own shopping, so I'm going with the
two of them. Chance has most of what he needs, but he needs a
few more things for a school wardrobe. Zeke is full grown, so
he doesn't need a lot, but it's nice to have a few new things
to start one's college career.
*****************************************************