Lois and the Back to School Supplies

Tomorrow is DD1's first day of second grade! Holy cow, I am not ready for that! Emotionally, that is. Physically we have everything we need to get her off and running - - but that wasn't the case earlier today. Let's backtrack, shall we?

Friday night was the family back to school picnic. (Yea!) Got to meet her teacher. (Yea!) Heard all about the curriculum. (Yea!) Saw old friends. (Yea!) Went to pick up "The Box" that I had ordered last spring. (Boo!) Why Boo? BECAUSE IT WASN'T THERE! Now, if you don't know what "the box" is, it's the magical box of all the correct school supplies that the PTCO organizes for us every spring for the following fall. It has everything, and it's at a very good price - so this year I was going with "The Box." Everyone always raves about how "the box" had saved them time and how "the box" was so easy. I was looking forward to it - I had even throw away the supply list that was mailed to me... confidant that "The Box" was going to be waiting for us on Friday night.

My packet of information was there. No Box.

Track down the PTCO lady who is in charge of organizing "The Box" shipments. I am not on the spreadsheet, so no box was ordered. She asks me if my payment has gone through. Ummm, well, see I'm not normally that attentive to the mastercard statements. I glance to see if the charges all look like something we might have actually charged - but I don't really download the specifics to my brain. So I can't tell her the answer. She gives me the big "eye roll" (and I assume this is the same eye roll taught to ALL PTCO members nationwide, so I'm sure you've seen it if you've had to deal with them at all), and says, "Then I'm not sure there is anything we can do for you, but I'm looking for someone to take over this position - and if you think it could use improving you're more than welcome to have the job." Excuse me? I wasn't even my usual patronizing self - I was being polite and she gave me the eye roll and "the speech". (Now, I'm plenty familiar with "the speech", having been on pool committee for a number of years I've been know to give "the speech" a time or two... but only when truly warranted... usually.)

Now, I'm pissed off. I look at her and reply, "Actually, I don't see myself as a PTCO member in that capacity. I'm more of a people person." But, truthfully, its not really her that has me all po'd... it's the fact that the weekend before school starts I have to begin my search for school supplies. Crap! You know all the good stuff is gone - and that I'm going to have to visit 3 stores to get everything on the list because Walmart is sure to have only half the stuff, while Target will have about a third, and Office Max will be my expensive last resort "go to" for the missing supplies. AND, don't bother shopping in the part of town that is closest to my house - because school started here over a month ago, and the stores are now on to Halloween with BACK TO SCHOOL dwindled to one crummy isle next to the clearance summer toys.

But we managed to get her supplies. All of them. For only about $5.oo more than the box would have cost me if they had actually not lost my form.

Next year, I'm finding out who "The Box" mom is, and I'm handing her my form in person. AND, I'm never going to volunteer for that position because they weren't nice to me.

That'll show em! You don't eye roll the master and get away with it!

P.S. For those of you who watch Big Love on HBO... I took the sister wife quiz and the wife I'm most like is Lois. LOIS! And, those PTCO bitches better know that you don't f**k with LOIS! I'll throw a can of peas at their heads!