Back to School!

Excitement is in the air, even in blogland.  America's children are heading back to school.  August has to be the most mixed up emotional month of any of the twelve for me!  Not only does it make me a little sentimental to see my kiddos so rapidly making their way through grade school, but back to school also means my days at home without a 9-5+ commitment are rapidly coming to a close.  :-( 
However, the inner voice of our family is screaming for structure and mental stimulation, and school provides that better than the lazy days of summer.  The challenge of a new school year with new and returning faces in my classroom has a bit of a pull for me, as well.  :-)

So this week will find me painting, filing, sprucing, decorating, and getting ready for August 22nd.  On the home front, I was tickled pink when I pulled out my school supplies tote and found it stocked with most everything we need for this year!  I didn't realize I had so many leftover free or almost free items from last year's back to school specials.  Makes all those early morning Office Max/Office Depot runs well worth it.   Hopefully I'm that lucky when I pull out the school uniform tote. Greg measured Ryan at 5'10" tonight (last year he started school at about 5'3"), so I'm guessing we'll need to do a bit of shopping, but nothing major (crossing my fingers). 

As I peruse the blogs, I smile as I understand anew what a great country we live in.  Mom and dads have the ability to choose the education that they think is best for their child.  I sense the anticipation of homeschooling families as they compile their curriculum for the year, sometimes trying new ideas or techniques, and I understand that only in America is something like this even remotely possible.  I think about the fact that I actually drive into a church facility every morning and teach children in a Christian environment using God's Word as a basis for every subject.  How many moms and dads in intolerant countries would give anything for that privilege?  We are so blessed.  The political climate has had me a bit discouraged and frustrated, but when I remember our freedoms, I have renewed hope. 

Whatever your "back to school" situation, may your week be filled with all the best things of the season.  Happy Monday!

Care to Share? (again)

I spent the 1st half of the morning with these two, and
they had me cracking up!  I ended up being the
spokeswoman, while they provided great backup smiles.  :)

(Photos from my most recent day in sales for PCS)
The "school fundraiser" - some dread it, some crave it, others endure it.  We all have our favorite fundraiser, whether it is something we were involved in as a kid, or what we would prefer for our own children.  It is always difficult for me to "read" people when it comes to their like or dislike of a particular fundraiser, hence this post.  :)
As a young student, even up through high school, candy bars seemed to be the biggest hit, the largest profit, and the easiest to sell.  In our house, there was no choice about the matter when it came to participating in fundraisers.  My parents didn't do the work for us, either.  Mom would take candy bars to the hospital when she did shifts, but we beat on countless doors walking block to block selling candy.  This is just one of the many small things that our parents required of us that I am thrilled about to this day.  Those were our first lessons in public relations and communications, and boy, were they good ones!  The fundraisers also taught us the value of a dollar, and that nice things at school didn't just happen, but were the result of a concentrated group effort.
As fundraising coordinators @ PCS, we analyze several different facets of a particular fundraiser, including the demand for the product, quality of the product, profit margin, ease of ordering, tracking, and delivery.  Anytime a new fundraiser is introduced, we always hold our breath hoping it will be a worthwhile effort.  Very few times have we been disappointed (thank goodness!). 
In thinking toward next year's fundraisers, we already have a few good ideas in place, but I would love to hear your favorite fundraiser, whether as a student, a parent, or a consumer of the service/product.  Do you prefer a service (car wash, etc.), a product (bake sale, discount card, peeler, candles), or a student incentive, where money is donated based on a performance (bike-a-thon, etc.)?  Maybe yours is totally out of the box, which would be awesome! We need either need some fresh, fun fundraisers, or a revival of the 'oldies but goodies'!  Let me know what you think.  I would like to have lots of input from a variety of places, especially those who have been involved in a small Christian school environment.

I was able to spend the 2nd half of the day with Ryan and Rachel.
They are aggressive, friendly, and competent...it was great!

***During the morning stint with Allison and Emilee, Alli was very tuned into the whole process.  At one point, a customer responded with, "Sorry, I don't have any cash on me."  The next lady that came by wasn't too friendly, and just simply said, "No."  Allison promptly (and loudly) replied, "She doesn't have any cash on her."  That little gal is great at saying everything that I am thinking! 

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