What People Think

One of the interesting things I noticed when I moved from a large city to small town was an increase in interest. While most people in the large city wouldn't even open a door from me when I came up lugging a baby carrier and a bag full of groceries, people in a small town watch every move I make when I'm with my children. I'm not sure what they are watching for, perhaps they think one of my children will sprout wings or throw up on the post office floor (actually a distinct possibility,) but none of those things should concern them.
The comments started when I was pregnant. Positive things, like "Wow, you must be exited," to (with my third child,) "Don't you know what causes that?" Somehow, having kids makes you an instant conversation piece. I am a pretty friendly person and don't have a problem talking to strangers, but just because I have children does not mean it's o.k. to be rude.
I love, love, love being a mom. I've read lots of parenting books and gone to lots of great parents for advice (including my own.) I do not always get it right. I have made horrendous mistakes. I have dealt with:

• My 2 and 4 year old running off in towards the river (in two different directions!)
• My 5 year old throwing fits so violent I couldn't get him in the car until he calmed down. 
• My 14 month old throwing his shoe at a cashier
• My child peeing in a dressing room because he told his brother he could go potty first.

So yeah, I don't always get it right, though my children do get disciplined and do not get excess soda or red dye.

The other day, I was at the splash pad in town. Someone had brought several water guns for the kids to play with. And who was the terrible mom, yelling to her kids they couldn't play with the guns? Me. I was out there, getting soaked, prying them out of my kid's fingers. It's not that I'm anti-gun, I just know my kid's limitations. And they don't do well with weapons of any kind. They will start throwing them or swinging them eventually.
I could see the look on all the parent's faces. I just knew they were thinking about how mean I was. How my poor children probably only had rocks and sticks to play with at home.
Then I decided, I just don't care. People are going to judge because it's their nature to judge. I will probably have people judge me for some of the things in this blog post. But until you have walked in a mom's shoes, with HER children, there is no way you can possibly understand.

So get over it.

Save on School Supplies and Back to School Clothes

According to an article by Parenting Magazine (Here) parents will spend an average of 179.00 per child on back to school clothing alone, not even counting backpacks, lunchboxes and other school supplies. I have two bows in elementary right now, and they are especially hard on clothes at this age. But here are some steps you can take now, over the summer, to make the crunch a little softer once the end of August rolls around.

• Check backpacks for holes and zipper malfunctions. If they are in good shape, wash them in the washing machine on cold and hang them to dry. They will be good to go for another year. Same for zipper lunch bags.
• Repair shoes with Gorilla Glue. My son has a bad habit of dragging his shoes on the sidewalk, which causes the soles to tear off. Gorilla Glue works great and you can find it at Wal-mart or any craft store. 
• Check thrift stores for bulk school supplies. I've found huge containers of mixed supplies, many brand new, at thrift stores for less than 10.00. Keep a running inventory of what you have/need. Store all your supplies in a plastic container with a checklist at the top, every time you add in an item you can check it off. Watch for sales on hand sanitizer, tissues and other items you will need when you go shopping. 
• Host a clothing swap with other moms who have different-sized kids. Everyone brings clothing their kids have outgrown that is in good condition with no stains/tears. This is great for movies and toys as well. If you don't have time to do it at your house, create an event on Facebook and invite other moms to join. 
• Instead of buying expensive character notebooks, print out pictures of the character(s) or cut them out of magazines. Let your child create character collages on the front of inexpensive notebooks. You can find a great tutorial here.
• Splurge on one thing. If you feel guilty not sending your child with brand-new everything, budget for one nice thing they pick out. Maybe a shirt they really want, or a new backpack, or pair of shoes. 

I hope these ideas will help you save some money on back to school supplies! I would love to hear any other ideas in the comments below!