The backpack

For some of you, choosing your child's backpack for his first year of school is easy, some not so easy - but still okay, and for some it is a life or death situation...or so it seems that way anyway. Maybe there really are people who have life or death situations when it comes to picking a backpack like if their child was allergic to the material or something.

In my case, this was another decision I had to make on my own - and it's not easy! There are backpacks of all different kinds out there, as you are probably aware of if you are in the same situation as I was. Ones with characters, ones plain, big ones, small ones, ones with wheels, ones that had cute little owls on them only to find out it was actually for girls (oops!). I do not take these decisions lightly by any means.

Because this will be M's first year of actual school, I am freaking out. First of all, I am wondering how he is going to get there because his school is half day, everyday - definitely catered to the moms (or dads) who stay home while their significant other goes out to work. That being said, I worry about being the mom and dad. The one who is ALWAYS there. I already felt that way when we went to the interview for the school, but I am sure it will be much more real when school actually starts.

On a side note, this school stuff is really going to make me insane. There have been so many monumental events we have done alone. Birthdays two through five, surgeries, moving houses - they have all been just us and for some reason this one sticks out as a huge one. One of the ones where I stress about it (and probably even cry about it at night) because I'm a loser like that.

Back to the backpack though - I am sure there will be much more single mom whines once the year actually starts so stay tuned. I have lots of time, but everybody knows that all the good backpacks are gone way before school actually starts, and this one had to be special. Same with Halloween costumes, the good ones always sell out - even before September starts (that was my tip of the day). Seriously, I used to call Old Navy at least twice a week to find out when the costumes were actually out on the floor.

So choosing a backpack was a very big deal for me (one that Mason had absolutely no say in because what I say goes - just kidding - sorta). In the end, we chose a spaceship one, but decided against the matching lunchbox (which actually I'm kinda thinking I might go back and snatch up for the following year - grade one..eek!!). I chose it for the durability, comfort and of course the cute little "retro" spaceships.

If R. were still alive, he would be all like "you paid HOW much for that?" and I would be all like "honey, it was 30% off" and then his head would explode and he would die again. Although I would probably talk to him about it, be all ambiguous and mention it at the dinner table - because I knew how much he hated spending money - total opposite of me, but it was great! He would then let me down gently, tell me it was too much and that he would get an old backpack, slap a few AC/DC, Rolling Stones and Kid Rock (cuz that's how he rolled) patches on the back and he would be the coolest kid in school. To which I would then get upset^* and he would give in - because that's just how it was, and it worked well for both of us.

So I got the backpack, but now I am kind of regretting my decision and wish I would have seen this one. I'm just not so sure it is big enough...opinions? Not that they will matter (kidding!!)

^* - I was a 23 year old brat.