What is your back to school tradition?
Writing prompt from The crazy hip blog mamas

We have so many things we do every year at back to school time, but I am not sure any of them would be considered a tradition. Of course we go school shopping. We always go to orientation to meet the teachers. We get back on a regular bedtime schedule. But these are just things we do because we have to. I do not consider these things to be traditions. So with no inspiration what so ever for this topic I called on the experts. I asked the children what they considered to be our back to school tradition, and with no problem they gave me one… Dinner and Shoe Shopping.

We have five daughters. Four of which need to go shopping for school clothes. To make things easier on us all I always divide the shopping into (at least) two trips. I do this for cost reasons as well as sanity issues. First we shop for shoes and then we go for clothes.

Before shoe shopping we always go to dinner at Lone Star. Going to dinner is not something unusual for us but this dinner is special. It is always relaxed and fun. The anticipation of getting new shoes has everyone in a good mood (well everyone except Dad). We talk about what we are going to buy and laugh about previous school shopping trips. We discuss the upcoming school year and tease each other about the boys at school.

Getting shoes for four girls is a huge undertaking and it always takes several hours. It is never a secret as to what will happen on this shoe shopping trip. Ashley (the oldest at 17) will want shoes that are over her budget (which this year is $80). Debra (age 12) will want the shoes everyone else is wearing regardless of how the shoe fits or looks on her. Jessica(10) is never any trouble and usually gets the standard pair of reeboks and Megan (5) will drag us from store to store looking for the “prettiest shoes ever”.

On this shopping trip we will go to every shoe store in the mall (some stores twice). We will get irritated and argue. We will laugh with and at each other and someone always ends up crying (sometimes me). This is the only time of year that all the girls get to buy shoes at the same time and this shopping trip is the reason for that. It is such a hectic shopping trip that each year after shoe shopping I promise myself to never again bring four girls shoe shopping at once. All through the fall, winter spring and most of summer I keep that promise. But when school time rolls around I break the promise and we all pile in the van for dinner and shoe shopping…..