My kids head back to school tomorrow. They’re young, so they’re pretty excited. Although I was told that, “I liked first grade because I didn’t have to do times. Now I’ll have to.”
So here’s my question – what was/is your favorite part about going back to school?
19 replies on “Monday Night Flashback Open Thread: Back to School”
school supplies/office supplies!
We were out of school before Memorial Day  in Arkansas and then we moved to Virginia where they don’t go back until after Labor Day. Even the kids are asking me when they go back to school.
My favourite part….I guess it would have to be the first day in the classrooms, especially when meeting a new teacher. There was something so fresh and wholly unsullied about that experience.
OT: I’m having a bit of a hard time at the moment as I have lost a lot of friends regarding my decision to break up with my boyfriend of four years for someone else (yes, I know – I’ve brought a lot of this on myself). My new relationship is going exceedingly well, and I am a lot happier regarding my love-life than I have in a long time. It’s just that my friends, my oldest friends, have chosen my ex-boyfriend’s side. They have told me that they have not picked sides, but it is abundantly clear that they have, whether they meant to or not. So I’m feeling a bit alone. It’s nice to have somewhere like PMag to go to when I’m a bit down :)
All of it! Â The crisp air, sweaters, school supply shopping, excitement of new things to come.
Does anyone have any good mascara recommendations? I’ve only ever worn Maybelline’s blackest black but I’ve been thinking of trying the snazzier stuff from like Sephora. I don’t wanna end up paying big money for a weird looking wand that doesn’t do much.
Favorite thing about back-to-school: New school supplies. I honestly think a good 10% of the reason I became a teacher was so  that I’d have an excuse to buy them every year.
I love Tarte’s “Lights, camera, lashes!” mascara. http://tartecosmetics.com/tarte-item-lights-camera-lashes-mascara They sell it at Sephora. It’s 19 bucks but I’ve found it’s better than the 30-dollar kind they have there. It also doesn’t have phthalates or parabens, and if I’m paying over 10 bucks for mascara I expect that.
I think the key to mascara is figuring out what you need from it. I tend to like ones that add volume and thickness and look more ‘dramatic’ – some of my faves for that include Benefit They’re Real and Dior Diorshow. I’m getting a sample of Lancome’s this week and will see how it compares. Usually Sephora has some smaller sizes of MUFE Smoky Eyes (which is nice, a bit on the thin side) and they may have smaller sizes of other ones, so it’s less money/risk to try them. I’ve tried ones from Fresh, Korres, and other brands, which are all nice for a more ‘natural’ look. If I had to pick a fave, I’d go with the Dior, but part of why I love it is because it’s a small size and the small wand works really well, so I don’t know if the full-size wand would be as great. Maybe see if they’ll let you try a couple out without the $50 makeover?
I’m seconding (3rding? 4thing?) buying school supplies. Although looking back, I rocked some majorly trippy Lisa Frank shit back in the day. Lisa Frank…who I met…in NYC..when I was like 10? And apparently she’s not a very good person but I MET LISA FRANK.
OT: Facebook is currently a bit of friendship-ruiner for me. One friend, who I had been inseparable with as kids and maintained a relatively decent albeit sometimes long distance friendship with over the years, has currently blocked me from seeing what she posts because I calmly and rationally debated her social politics with her on 2 statuses that she posted. She’s somehow turned into a libertarian Republican Ayn Rand-follower (which didn’t seem to happen until she started dating her Republican boyfriend….) and I’m extremely left leaning/pretty radical to someone like her. So long story short, she confronted me about my beliefs, I told her I didn’t have a problem with her (even though her arguments are full of holes and strawmen) and that I hoped we were still cool. She said we were and boom, two days later, I can’t see any of her stuff. And she doesn’t want to hang out with me, even though she’s moving to Florida in a month to be with her boyfriend. Sooo basically a 17 year friendship went down the tubes because she interprets political debating/discussion as a personal attack.
The other person is more of an acquaintance/runs in the same social circles than a friend but he’s being super passive aggressive to me via his FB page because I, *gasp*, stayed friends with his ex boyfriend. Even though he told me that he was cool with it.
People make me rage.
Oh how I hate when someone acts like everything is fine just to turn their back on you after. Why can’t they just be mature and say it? “No we aren’t cool because you just debated my political beliefs” it’s not that hard to say. I find it quite immature not to be able to make a difference between a personal attack and a a political opinion.
Wow. I *hate* dating. Or should I say *trying* to date. I think I’m done forever with that. Books and nail polish are my future. Has anyone tried the konad nail stamping here? I kind of wanna get a kit…but I’m not sure.
Favorite part of going back to school: New school supplies. Yay for fun pens!
boooks. I love books. Although that’s more of an adult-school kind of love. Otherwise, it was the new pens. The first year we got to use pens instead of pencils was the greatest school year ever. At this point in my life/graduate career: every semester started is another semester closer to being DONE!
sidebar: had one of those Asian (Chinese? Japanese?) mochi balls. I think it’s the closest frozen confectionary can get to resembling testicles…
School supplies were definitely my favorite. I could sell a kidney and still not have enough to buy all the stationary that I want. Current object of lust: erasable markers and highlighters. My boss uses them for our zoning charts at work and they are magical.
I get serious school supply envy when I take my kids shopping. I want all the folders and markers.
Buying school supplies and the fresh sent of the new books that were stacked together wrapped in plastics in cardboard boxes,luckily I’m a litterature student so I get to handle new books all year long.
Buying school supplies. For real. I still love school supply sales. I just bought two composition books with sparkly covers, one pink and one blue. I like to long hand my short stories, so they’ll be put to use somehow.
Also, good news of they day is that I found out that my health insurance covers the PT my doc wants me to do with a very reasonable co-pay. Awww Yis. Now I just have to figure out where there is an in plan PT place that will be convenient to get to 3 times a week. I like this not having to freak out about paying for health stuff. It’s really exciting.
Omg this gif! I’m stealing it. I must have it!
And Opifex – hils yis about getting your PT covered! I was driving all the way across town and paying to go to mine until I figured out how to switch to one about five minutes away with free parking. I feel you. Your pain in my pain. Your joy is my joy. This owl gif is making me so happy.
Gifs for everyone!
I kind of went on a gif finding spree this weekend (seriously don’t even want to think of the wasted hours. yes. hours.) so I’m glad it paid off!
Now if only my PT could involve just petting that owl until my wrists felt better…
Wow, they go back early. Are they done early in the spring? I think the kids around here go back in two weeks, and some go back after labor day. I personally can’t wait because the neighborhood gets so nice and quiet at a decent hour (since I’m an old lady) in the evening.