Monday, July 23, 2012

That Time a Little Early

My last child is heading off to college in a few weeks and we've been shopping. I'm not a person who love shopping, but I have always had fun going to Office Max and Staples for school supplies. Target and Walmart have also collected some money for us as we picked up stacks of notebooks, folders, pens and pencils. And being a teacher myself, I always search out the perfect kind of pencils and pens I want.

I always use a clipboard at school and last year I bought a really nice one. Every year I've had to buy a new one. I am a PE teacher and that poor clipboard is always getting tossed aside when I join into a game. It gets stepped on, kicked and sometimes wet in the morning due outside. But the great one I used last year is still in great shape. And this is my last year of teaching. So I'll probably never buy another clipboard.

My daughter only wanted a few things. Highlighters, some nice pens, one pack of pencils and a few folders. We're done with shopping for backpacks and all those other things they want to organize themselves for the first week of school. She already has three little thumb drives and her new laptop we bought her as a graduation present. What more does a student need?

We walked up and down the aisles in Office Max, admiring the markers, the pencil sharpeners, a really cool stapler and planners of every style and size. We didn't need any of them. The only thing I really needed was a pack of pencils. My pens from last year will due me for another year. How much writing do I actually do by hand? At school? At my writing desk at home? Not much. So I still have a stack of 'post-it' notes from before. A cupful of pens. No need to buy any.

I love shopping in the office stores yet I really have no reason too. I'm thrilled my kids are done with high school. I'm excited for my daughter to experience college. But I'm sure going to miss that back to school shopping for supplies.

We're going to Walmart tomorrow for shampoo and other sundries for my daughter. I think I better pick up some paper clips for me.

Do you enjoy the office stores? Do you do much writing with pen or pencil? Are you going to take advantage of those back-to-school sales going on through the next month?

17 comments:

Anne Gallagher said...

I love shopping for back to school supplies but my daughter is going to private school this year and they take $50- and buy it for her, so I don't have to. Yay. I will still go out and buy sticky notes and gel pens. I have tons of notebooks still from last year.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I go through pens rather fast, as I do sometimes write longhand.

Tonja said...

I started back to school shopping this weekend. Good to know I wasn't the only one. I refuse to buy paper and glue sticks until the price drops to 10 cents. I did find some incredibly overpriced but super-awesome metalic colored pencils.

Maria Zannini said...

Office supply stores give me such a warm nostalgic feeling.

Good luck to your daughter on this new leg of her journey.

Jemi Fraser said...

I love office supply stores!!!! About the only shopping I do like :)

Golden Eagle said...

I like office stores. They're not my favorite places to shop, but they can be cool to walk around. The only writing I do with a pen or pencil is for school or for taking short writing notes; most other stuff is on the computer.

Unknown said...

I've a habit of buying notepads and notebooks, even though I rarely ever fill them in. I just like the idea of having a fresh new book for you to unleash your creativity into ... until I lose it or buy another one :)

Lynn Proctor said...

i love shopping but not so much for school supplies--best wishes to your daughter at college!

Christina Farley said...

New writing supplies are so much fun. I love using them for the first time too. Sounds like you guys had a blast.

Cate Masters said...

I love office supply stores too. I got so excited when I found some cool binders to keep critiques in (such a nerd, lol). Thanks for the reminder - I'm going to grab some notebooks and pens too, because I often write notes, and sometimes scenes, in longhand. I have notebooks everywhere.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

It's so comforting to know I'm not the only pen and pad geek out there. There's so many cool journals now a days.

Anonymous said...

We've already bought a bunch of stuff for the kids that are on sale at various stores. Now if ink cartridges form my printer would go on sale!

And thanks for signing up for the Blurb Blogfest!

Christine Rains said...

I can't wait for my son to start school so I can buy supplies for him! It was the only time I enjoyed shopping as a kid. I have a ton of pencils, pens, and paper as it is. Yet I like to browse office store but not as much as I love book stores!

M.J. Fifield said...

I adore going to the office supply store. If I never buy another pen as long as I live, I'll still have too many and yet my favorite Sunday mornings start with pancakes at a local restaurant followed by pen and notebook shopping.

David P. King said...

Back to school sales aren't just for kids. You bet that's when I hit the office supply places. :)

Talli Roland said...

I'm so not a shopper, in any sense or in any store! :) Just not my thing. I do enjoy a good online browse, though.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

I can go in for paper or ink and soon find myself wandering the aisles, just looking for something else to buy