We are less than two weeks before school begins again. My youngest is going into grade six. While on vacation this week, I took a moment to re-read a column I wrote for the Daily News a few years ago. I need to read it on a regular basis……Enjoy!

The ads are absolutely right. This IS the most wonderful time of the year. Back to school is on the doorstep and you can smell the change in the air. Already a few trees are starting show the new colours of the season and the sun doesn’t seem as bright or warm.

But you won’t find me crying in the aisles of Staples, no sir. It’s been a good 15 years since I’ve needed to buy school supplies for me, or anyone else, but during that time I’ve made the pilgrimage to the mall every September. It didn’t matter if it was just a package of Hilroy scribblers or some new hi-lighter markers, there was a deep rooted need to buy a school supply of some description.

There’s a sense of renewal that comes with back to school. The sneakers are new, the friends are new, the commitments are new. I WILL finish all my assignments on time and write them up neatly. I WILL pay attention in class and not pass notes. I WILL pass chemistry and not blow up the classroom like I did last year.

Now that my own daughter is going into grade one, my September resolutions have been replaced with new ones designed to preserve my own sanity.

Thou shalt embrace the fact that you are not perfect. That means no guilt in canned fruit and cheese whiz sandwiches in the Scooby-Doo lunch bag. Not everything has to be made from scratch. It’s ok to skip over the last three pages of the goodnight story and simply sum it up by saying “they lived happily ever after.”

Thou shalt learn to love the chaos. Kids throw up. Laundry piles up. Toilets back up. Deal with it and move on. If you spend too much time dwelling on the things you can’t change, you’ll miss out on the daily miracles like sticky jam toast kisses and the occasional game of Crazy Eights.

Thou shalt make time to play with the kids every day. Get down on the floor, pick up that dinky car and spend 10 minutes seeing the world from their perspective. That face to face time is invaluable. A child’s play is their way of expressing their emotions and you’ll learn more in those ten minutes than in any parent-teacher conference.

Thou shalt make eating as a family a priority. I don’t care if it’s canned beans and franks, it’s not the food that matters. It’s the connection with your kid on a daily basis that counts. So turn off the television, sit down at the table and ask your kids how their day was. Even if they grunt a reply, you’ll both know you cared enough to ask.

Thou shalt remember it’s not selfish to carve out time every day for yourself. It doesn’t matter if it’s 15 minutes with a glass of wine in the bathtub, it will be your time. Ignore the hard water stains on the shower door, tuck the tub toys away somewhere and make the time. Sure the phone will ring, someone will need a band-aid and school lunches will need to be made, but it will be there when you get out of the tub.

Thou shalt remember that kids don’t need you to be perfect, they just need you.

Having said that, I’ll probably still feel guilty the first time I don’t make my own fruit salad for school lunch, the first time I have to do the sniff test to see if Bronwyn’s shirt is clean or the first time I actually pour that glass of wine and close the bathroom door. Mind you, by the time the wine bottle is empty, and the tub bubbles have melted away, I’ll feel a little better about my constitution.

Now if you’ll excuse me, there are pencil crayons needing to be sharpened.

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The Dalhousie Students Union came up with a great idea.
A lot of hard work obviously went into the making of this promotional video done to the tune of Katy Perry’s California Gurls.
I can’t believe they did it all in one take!!!
WELL DONE !!!

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You don’t have to speak the language to know that this is the meanest Dad in the world.
Her reaction is priceless.
Today’s lesson:
“If all else fails … call Mom!”

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How do you open a bottle of wine without a corkscrew?
WHY, USE YOUR SHOE OF COURSE!!
As a courtesy to all LITE 92.9 listeners, I present this public service announcement.

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It’s good to see people HAVING FUN on an airplane for a change. This pillow fight broke out on a flight from Tel-Aviv to Frankfurt. After losing, the flight attendant grabbed a beer, deployed the emergency slide and exited the plane. ☺

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In honour of the Halifax Buskers festival which wrapped up this weekend, here’s my suggestion for next year..

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Thank you Jeremy for sending me this.
You’re going to need plenty of Kleenex for this one!

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This girl is AMAZING !!
one question…
Is that a turntable or a tape recorder in her mouth?

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If you’re like me, you’re getting tired of watching videos of people failing.
So here’s a video full of things that GO RIGHT!
Amazing!

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Hate to tell you, but summer is officially over. Got the first glimpse last week when I saw Christmas decorations at Costco. It was a small display, hidden in the back, but it there was no doubting it was holiday decorations. Then this morning, the first rumblings on Facebook….someone got their hands on the Christmas Wishbook. I don’t know if they work on the inside and can get it before the rest of the unwashed masses, but the arrival is BIG deal in my house…and not for the 10 year old!  The Sears Wishbook is one of those triggers that whips me right back to childhood. It was first published in 1933 as a supplement to the store’s massive Christmas catalogue, but has outlived it to become one of the most anticipated publications of the year. Want to take a trip back in time? Check out this website http://www.wishbookweb.com/ . It’s a link to look at old catalogues from yuletimes past! The one from 1982 is a real head spinner! It features the “Electronics of the Future” in the form of a 19 inch floor model colour TV with beautiful wood grain finish! And on page 10 you can pick up legwarmers in a selection of designer colours! Check it out….and let me know if you get your hands on a 2010 Wishbook!

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