My hand STILL hurts ...

Warning : This post is full of complaints and was written by someone who YESTERDAY had many expletives dancing through her head.

In just 22 days 3 of my girls will be starting back up at the local public school. The youngest one will be starting kindergarten. I registered that (now) 5 year old on the very last day of April still unsure of whether I would be sending her to kindergarten or back to pre-k. In our state the cutoff is August 15th and next year it moves to August 1st. Anyway, my husband and I were on the fence about sending our baby; all 34 pounds of her, off to school with those big kids, but she's going.

Back on the last day of April, I filled out form after form , gathered the birth certificate and social security number, and went directly to the school to register the youngest. The ONLY thing that I knew was left was the 5 year old physical and the doctor/immunization form. I "thought" I would just go back later with that completed paperwork.

I "thought" ... WRONG!!!!!!

Sometime in the very early weeks of summer, the school district informed us a couple of things. One, the school day hours would be extended by 40 minutes. School would start 30 minutes sooner (at 7:30am) and end 10 minutes later (at 2:55pm). Grrrrr! The second information given was that ALL returning students would need to RE-REGISTER for the school year. It would be a simple activity ... show up at the end of July (at your school) and bring a current utility bill. Sounded easy enough.

I "thought" ... WRONG!!!!

Yesterday I showed up to see tables of paperwork, boxes of file folders, uniform and school supply pre-orders. I looked at my 2 youngest girls and thought "we might be here for a while".

I "thought" .... correctly!

The school district changed one tiny thing on their student registration form and they had decided to have each and every parent come in to re-fill out these forms. Of course they also provided new health forms to sign and some other forms having to deal with race/economic situation (we live in a messed up district).

To make a long story a little shorter ... because I do realize this may be boring and full of complaints and who wants to hear that?

• I went back and forth to the paperwork table
• I went back and forth to table with the file folders
• I ended up having to refill out all the registration forms (even that brand new kindergarten child)
• I pre-purchased school supplies (many people convinced me to do so)
• I signed my family up for the PTA (another $5)
• I came home with some uniform stuff
• The school lost my kindergartener's copy of the birth certificate (ugh)
• My children were climbing the walls of the school (I sort of cared ... sort of NOT)

2 FREAKIN' hours later I was done at that school.

BUT, on Friday I will go back with a completed physical/immunization form, another copy of the birth certificate, and to pick up all those prepaid supplies.

UGH!

The forms that I filled out to homeschool my 12 year old were nothing ... easy as can be. I'm sure my mother never had to fill out forms like I did.

BUT, at least for another year I may be done with the hand cramping forms and will likely not complain like this again.

I think ...