It is actually almost time for school to start back up. The summer is so much shorter than it used to be. Thank goodness the kids get a fall break, at least! But we will need to go shopping for school clothes and we better do it pretty soon! My daughter was listing to me last night all of the things that she needs and my head was starting to spin! ;) Her backpack is broken, so she needs a new backpack, and she needs her school supplies, and she needs new clothes, and she needs new shoes. And then, of course, we get to multiply that by three. I always wanted a bunch of kids, and I guess this is one time of year that I can be grateful I didn’t get my wish! And with the boys being in high school, they are starting to notice that clothes and shoes from the discount stores aren’t really all that cool. I can see that some compromises will have to be made, because, while we may not buy them Air Jordan shoes, we might see what the local sports store has that is a little better from the giant discount stores. They can save up some of their own money from chores and birthdays and stuff to get some of the more expensive shoes, if they really want them. Personally, I would rather buy some mid-price shoes, and use the money I saved to buy books! I just can’t see spending oodles of money on shoes like that. And I usually buy used books, at that!