Know & Tell Friday

Here's the Back-to-School edition of Know & Tell. It's my first year going back-to-school in many years. And we're not doing it the traditional way: I'm starting to home school my daughter for kindergarten this year. We officially start next week. I'm excited and nervous about it!

1. How far in advance do you start getting ready for back-to-school (whether for your own kids, or for yourself when you were in school)? Well, this is the first year for me to a have school-age child and I'm homeschooling, so it seems like I've been preparing for a while now. As for when I was in school, I probably spent the month before school getting my supplies, clothes, etc. ready. I've always been a planner!

2. Do you have any picky eaters who need special considerations for lunches? What does a typical bagged lunch look like in your house? Well, I won't have to pack lunches, but my daughter usually eats things like sandwiches, spaghetti-os, cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks and fruit for lunch. I remember my lunches in school quite well, too. I had a *cool* Peanuts lunch box for the first couple of years, then I graduated up to a *cooler* Tupperware one:) I didn't like sandwiches back then, so my mom often sent bbq Vienna sausages (I can't believe now that I ate those!), dill pickles, chips and pudding cups.

3. What school supply items do you skimp on and what are you willing to shell out the big bucks for? I'm pretty sure I'm all about getting the best deal on stuff, although I am considering some really good colored pencils.

4. Do you get your kids up, or do they get up on their own? Any snooze-hitters that have trouble waking up? How about the opposite, any kids that are up at the crack of dawn? Personally, I'm a snooze-hitter, always have had trouble getting up early (I drove my mom crazy during the school years). Now God is apparently playing a practical joke on me by giving me a son who likes to get up no later than 6 am!! My daughter likes to sleep till a more normal hour like 8 or so.

5. Any cafeteria horror stories? Is school food as bad as they say? I have no idea! The last cafeteria I ate in on a regular basis was college--it had its good days and its bad days. My two faves were chicken fingers and chili with grilled cheese.

6. How important is it to you to make sure your kids have the latest styles and trendiest accessories? Well, I do like for them to be dressed adorably, but I'll admit I won't pay out the nose for it. I usually get all their clothes for the upcoming season at the huge seasonal consignment sales in our area. I get great expensive brands for cheap, cheap, cheap!

7. Remember the movie Kindergarten Cop? If Arnold Schwarzenegger was your child's new kindergarten teacher, how would you feel? Probably uncomfortable and suspicious, which ironically is how I think I'd feel if he someday became president-ha!

Head over to Kicking it in Crazyville for some more Back-to-School fun!