The wheat fields were bursting at the seams and Hobby Lobby was awash in Christmas decorations which could mean only one thing: school was a-startin’.
“Would anyone like to go school supply shopping?” I had asked a few weeks prior, my mind flashing to my own childhood joy of picking out the perfect pencil box and getting my backpack packed up juuust right.
“No, thanks,” My nine-year-old said.
“I think you can order everything online or whatever,” Thirteen said, not looking up from his phone.
“I mean, I can,” I said. “But we could also get a first day of school outfit while we’re out.” My own favorite first day of school outfit was a red prairie-printed dress with a white lacy Peter Pan collar.
“I don’t need a first day of school outfit,” Thirteen said. “I want to wear my summer stuff.”
“Me, too,” Nine said. “I already went shopping once this summer and that’s enough.”
“I’ll go with you to get a first day of school outfit,” Kyle said, referencing the fact that he is an adjunct professor at the University of North Dakota in Sports Business, which is something I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned on this blog until right now. “Although I’d prefer to go another day.”
“Fiiine,” I sighed. “I’ll order the supplies, but I expect you boys to get yourselves ready for your first day of school.”
“Deal,” Nine said.
“Yep,” Thirteen said.
“You got it,” Kyle said.
“This means getting a gym uniform,” I said to Thirteen, who had refused my offer to purchase said uniform at the conveniently-located Gym Uniform Purchasing Table at his middle school open house because he wanted to buy the exact same uniform at the exact same price at a local hockey store so that he and his dad had an excuse to go look at new neck protector (which, apparently, didn’t count as shopping).
“We’re on it,” Thirteen said.
School started on a Tuesday. The Sunday prior, I lovingly sorted and laid out all of the lovingly previously-ordered school supplies. Two of the items had not been available online, and so I had gone to several local stores to locate them.
“Here are your supplies,” I said. “Would you like to put them in your backpack now?”
“No, thanks,” Nine said.
“Can’t you put them in my backpack?” Thirteen asked.
“No, I can’t,” I said. “You agreed to get yourselves ready for your first day of school.”
“Oh, right,” Thirteen said.
“This includes your gym uniform,” I said.
“We got that already,” Kyle said. “When we bought his new neck protector and that beef jerky and Nine’s school shoes.” (Again, apparently shopping at the hockey store doesn’t count as shopping.)
“Great,” I said. “Better get it ready.”
“It’s ready,” Thirteen said.
The evening prior to the start of school, I lovingly laid the boys’ backpacks and Nine’s snack box on the counter. I lovingly put Thirteen’s school schedule into one of the pockets. Then I lovingly said,
“Everyone is going to bed by 9:00pm and you’d all better be clean and packed up and ready by 8:05am so we can take a picture on the front step or BY JOVE.”
“By jove what?” Nine asked.
“Just BY JOVE,” I said, since I really had no idea.
“Sounds good,” Nine said, rolling off the couch and ceremoniously placing his Chromebook cover into his backpack. “I’ll be ready.”
“Great,” I said.
The first day of school dawned.
“Good morning, it’s the first day of school!” Nine said, bouncing into our room in his school outfit, which consisted of a short-sleeved blue shark camo shirt (as in the pattern for the camo was a bunch of shark shapes) and jeans. He had brushed and gelled his hair.
“Good morning, you look great!” I said. “I’m very happy you’re ready for school.”
“I’m VERY READY,” he said.
“Is your brother very ready?” I asked.
“He’s in the shower, so YEP,” Nine said.
“Great,” I said.
I got dressed, packed up my own laptop (for work, since I am not a professor anywhere), and went to descend the stairs for the aforementioned photo – and was stopped in my tracks by Thirteen, who was in a panic.
“I don’t have any socks,” he said. “And I don’t have my gym uniform.”
“Here are your socks,” Kyle said. “Do you remember where we put your gym uniform?”
“Do you remember what?” I asked, casually, in the most painfully difficult attempt any mother has ever made to be chill.
“We bought the gym uniform, but I can’t remember where we put it.,” Kyle said. “Did you see it?”
“No, I didn’t see it,” I said. “Although I do feel confident in saying there was probably a better time other than now to look for it.”
“You’re probably right,” Kyle said, also gently, because Thirteen had turned a slight shade of green.
“You’ll have to wear your regular clothes today,” I told Thirteen. “You can find your uniform when you get home.”
It was time to go, so we took the mom-required front step photo, piled into the car, and headed to school. Kyle called me after the drop off.
“Found the gym uniform!” He said. “It was in the closet in your office.”
“Why did you put it there?” I asked.
“So we’d remember where it was,” he said.
“Well, sure,” I said.
“Only one small hiccup; pretty good for a first day of school,” he said.
“Maybe next year everyone will listen to me and we’ll have zero hiccups,” I said.
“What would be the fun in that?” Kyle said.
“Fair point,” I said, slowing down so a mom could push her three-year-old on a scooter across the street.
The photo above is the Facebook memory that popped up on the first day of school. It’s from Thirteen’s 1st grade start, back when he was all about shopping for first day outfits and packing up his backpack early.
This week on North Dakota Today we talked about Shauna and Nick Wimer, my Nice “People” of the Week, as well as a much-loved New England art teacher whose family could use a helping hand (and she tragically passed away the day of my segment, so the need is even greater). Check it out. (Valley News Live)
Lakota’s Peyton Marquart has a goat and a heart of gold. (Sanford Health)
Mandan’s Frank Kraft has received his high school diploma at the ripe young age of 96. (KFYR TV)
In North Dakota-adjacent news, Vergas’ Jaxon Schrupp is a butterfly connoisseur. (Fargo Forum)
Congratulations to Fargo’s Melissa Evensen, North Dakota’s History Teacher of the Year! (Fargo Forum)
Did you take a trip on the Enchanted Highway this summer? If not, read this to go their in your mind. (Minot Daily News)
You can now buy North Dakota-made pasta nationwide at Safeway, Albertson’s, Meijer (Kyle’s favorite store, by the way), and Whole Foods. (Ag Web)
Three hundred first responders in Fargo got a free meal thanks to a few area businesses. (Valley News Live)
Not a lot of rain means quite a lot of pheasants. (Minot Daily News)
Kyle and his friends, Corey and Kelly, have a podcast called North Dakota After Dark where they talk about youth hockey in North Dakota. The latest episode is up and is an interview with Annie Spicer. Check it out. Bonus: you can watch it on YouTube. (North Dakota After Dark)
One of my readers, Faye, sent me a stack of nice news that she found in her own travels around the Internet. Here they are (thanks, Faye!):
Have a kid starting school? Here is a list of back-to-school mental health and wellbeing resources. (KX Net)
Minot’s “Community Rocks” has raised over $750,000 for local nonprofits. (Facebook)
Thank you to everyone who “Checked out hunger.” (Valley News Live)
The downtown Grand Forks Street Fair was a record-breaking success. (Grand Forks Herald)
Concordia College celebrated its 50th anniversary with a lot of free corn. (KVRR)
Wondering where Seth Varner is in North Dakota? Here’s his latest update. (KX Net)
