Back-to-School Shopping

If there were no schools to take the children away from home part of the time, the insane asylums would be filled with mothers. ~Edgar W. Howe

As a kid I used to love this time of the summer, the end of August, the Back-to-School shopping and the flurry of activity that surrounded it.  It was like this annual rite of passage as I was entering a new grade each year that started with the fall issue of Seventeen Magazine and ended at the mall with a day long shopping spree.

Seventeen Magazine was my fashion bible during my high school days and the fall issue was always twice the size of the normal, monthly issue.  It had all the must have clothes, makeup and hairstyles for the upcoming school year.  I remember going through every single page about 50 times before marking the pages I liked.

Once I decided on the clothes I liked I had to get my mother’s approval, which wasn’t always easy.  (Sorry Mom, but you were pretty strict about what I wore.)  To her defense, she didn’t want me to look like a “common street hooker” or something to that effect.  After that was all hashed out, it was time for my poor stepfather to take my mother and I out shopping.

My stepfather would drive my mother and I from mall to mall until we found everything we were looking for…he probably still has nightmares about the pink and white saddle shoes and pink cashmere sweater I just had to have but couldn’t find anywhere.  Yes, pink and white saddle shoes.

Every year it was this same marathon of purchasing new shirts, skirts, shoes, jeans, and purses.

I admit it, I was a very lucky teenager and it was all a lot of fun.  I know my mother also had a lot of fun in this frenzy every year.

Many of you know that I’m the mother of two girls, two Tween girls and you would think that they love shopping.  In fact you would think that they love fashion, love clothes and would look forward to Back-to-School shopping because they are my children.  They don’t.  Both of them actually hate shopping and throw a fit if I make them try clothes on in a fitting room.

Yesterday, I took Teenie shopping for Back-to-School clothes.  I had to promise her that we would go to only one store.  I even had to bribe her with ice cream by promising to take her to the Cold Stone Creamery after we went shopping.  However she only got the ice cream because she behaved.  It was as if I was torturing my eight year old Tween with new clothing.

Today, I’m taking the other Tween, Cam shopping for Back-to-School clothes and this is sheer torture for her.  She’s about to start Junior High School so her wardrobe needs to step it up from the Pokemon T-shirts and jeans she loves so much.   Cam is probably one of the shortest and most petite girls in her class so it’s time for her to leave the Elementary school look behind and start looking like she belongs in Junior High School.

Still, she will act like I am torturing her this evening when we go shopping.

Thank God my mother is coming with Cam and I so that when I pick out outfit that doesn’t resemble Pokemon but will make her look fabulous, I have backup that I’m not a crazy lunatic.  Of course I had to bribe both of them with ice cream.

In other news: I’ve received quite a few emails about bracelets.  I’ve been saving a dollar here and there for the past year so that I can go to the Philadelphia Bead Expo this weekend and get more supplies.  I love the bead expo!!!  The last time I went was two years ago and I got enough supplies for two years.  It’s time to restock!

With September fast approaching, I will be making more Ovarian Cancer Awareness bracelets because September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness month.  For October I will have Breast Cancer Awareness bracelets.

I currently have 13 pieces available and have posted the pictures on Flickr.  If you are interested in any of those pieces, please email me at lisa@clusterfook.com.