Back to School HOMESCHOOL Supply Shopping List

Because we’re preparing for a trip to watch the total eclipse, I’ve been out and about at the store a lot lately and I keep seeing this same phenomenon at every store I visit. Have you seen them? They’re everywhere. They look like moms but they have this glazed look in their eyes, a paper in their hand, and a cart full of school supplies. You’ve seen them, too??

I don’t envy them. And I do. All at the same time.

I’m so glad that we don’t have to follow a list of requirements, that we can set our own list of supplies, but I always loved back to school shopping when I was a kid! New EVERYTHING for the new year. New binders, new spirals, new pencils, new pens. (I feel like a twitchy junky just thinking about it now.) But now, I don’t NEED to BUY all those things every year. We have plenty of supplies at home.

So I’ve been strolling wistfully past the school supply aisles, observing and thinking, “I’m glad I don’t have to go down those aisles today,” and “I wonder what I could justify buying down that aisle today?”

This got me thinking, “If I were to make a supply list for myself, a Back to School HOMESCHOOL Supply List, what WOULD I put on it? And then I thought, “I bet half of the list wouldn’t even be school supplies!” And then I thought, “I’m totally posting this question on Facebook.” 😉

Back to School HOMESCHOOL Supply Shopping List

(In no particular order.)

Lots and lots and lots of pencils. 

For all those extra reports you make your kids write. Or something? By my math, it seems like my kids lose a pencil a day, so by my calculations, I need about 180 pencils per kid. So in my case, I need about 540 pencils for the school year. With any luck, we’ll have a few left over! (Seriously though, I’m buying NINETY-SIX PENCILS; that’s almost a pencil a week per kid. If those don’t last all year. . .???)

Lots and lots of . . . rulers?

To see if you your kids measure up.. Apparently, a lot of you also have disappearing rulers? This isn’t something we’ve ever experienced at our house, but it seems like some kids lose rulers like my kids lose pencils. Who knew? At our house, the supplies that go missing are the scissors, the scotch tape, and the aforementioned pencils. Now that I think about it, perhaps we need to add a LOCK BOX to our supply list? That will keep the kids out of mom’s supply stash. 😉 

Coffee. Or Tea. Or Dr. Pepper. (Or all three.) 

Caffeine, we needz it. Whatever your beverage of choice, stock up! Those first few weeks of the new year are always rough (even we school year round and only took two weeks off in between.) I love me some coffee. And some iced sweet tea. And some Dr. Pepper. (And if that’s not a clear giveaway that I’m Texan, I don’t know what is…)

Teacher Uniform: AKA Yoga Pants (or LuLaRoe)

Because yoga pants are the new denim jumper. All kidding aside and I don’t care about the stereotypes: I love to be comfy and my preferred uniform is some kind of yoga pant, athletic pants, or even pajama pants!! I will get dressed in the morning INTO PJ’s. Don’t judge. My mom just bought me a LuLaRoe outfit and I predict those leggings will make more than the occasional appearance on many a school day this year.

An Entire CASE of paper.

Especially for large family homeschoolers! I have a “small” family of three and I’ve come to terms with the fact that I need to stop buying paper a ream at a time, and just get the whole case.

A giant package of paper plates. Preferably from SAMS.

‘Nuff Said.

Big packages of beautiful Sharpies.

I’m addicted to Sharpies, (and I don’t mean that I’m sniffing them.) I have a bucket just for them, and I like to buy a new, beautiful, muti-color pack each year and just add them to the bucket, because you never know which color is going to run out when. 😉

Essential Oils for focus, harmony, and mood-balance (mine AND theirs.)

You too can manipulate our school day by diffusing oils in your diffuser! I already said I don’t care about stereotypes, so I’m not afraid to admit that oils are in my school mom arsenal. It can’t hurt to drop a little Peace and Calming in, I’m just sayin.

Laminator and pouches. 

While we’re embracing stereotypes, let’s just add the laminator, shall we?

Duct Tape and Nerf Darts

For when those kids get unruly. Just kidding!! I have a Facebook friend that added Duct Tape and Nerf Darts to the list. I don’t know where she’s going with these, but I think I like it! All kidding aside, we already know that Duct Tape fixes anything, and taking time out for a Nerf Dart war can fix plenty of things, too. I bet you can get all kinds of creative with “schooling with Nerf darts.” Fodder for a future blog post?

Something to cover the gray hair.

Whether it’s a box of hair color or a trendy hat. Because homeschooling is worth it, but it might give you a few extra gray hairs.

Noise-Canceling Headphones

We can’t send our kids off to school for peace and quiet,.. this IS their school. We CAN send them to their rooms, pop in our noise-canceling headphones, and listen to Hamilton in peace. (Just kidding, I haven’t listened to Hamilton.)

LOTS OF “CHOCKLIT.”

Dark chocolate preferably. Individually wrapped Dove Dark Chocolate. Hidden in the back of the freezer in a “frozen lima beans” bag.

And last but not least,…

An OFF Button for the outside world.

Otherwise known as “No.” Saying “no” is something that has always been difficult! There are too many opportunities to take them all. Just because I’m home all day, doesn’t mean I have time to help people all day. There are too many ways to allow ourselves get distracted (with internet and cell phones etc.) Say it with me: “No, we can’t do that right now, we’re doing school work.” It feels good, doesn’t it? Let’s rock the Good “Yes” and the Good “No” this year!

What would you add? Let me know. Y’all have fun shopping!

Photo by Kai Oberhäuser on Unsplash