Back to school shopping

This is tax free weekend here in Texas.  Normally sales will be better the weekends surrounding tax free weekend so that all you really save on the weekend is the tax.  But sometimes you can find good deals.

This is my least favorite weekend of the year.  We spend Saturday out shopping with all five kids trying to find clothes, shoes, etc.  It is a frenzy and exhausting.  Yesterday started off with IHOP for breakfast and then we headed to Kohls.  I had a 20% off, they had some decent sales, and were giving Kohl's cash.  We got all the clothes we needed there, including backpacks and lunch boxes.  I ended up with $130 Kohls cash that I can go back and spend after the kids go back to school on whatever I want.  Not a clue what I will buy yet, but I doubt it will be for the kids.  Good thing about Kohl's cash is that you buy something with it, don't want it, return it and get a gift card that never expires, whereas the Kohls Cash expires in a few days.

I hate though the whole process of going out, with everyone else, corralling the kids, just to save a few bucks.  I am ALWAYS glad when it is done, but it seems like such a chore.  I prefer just to go buy the kids clothes on my own.  Much easier.

Friday night was a lot of fun.  James and I went to a place called Kirin Court.  Authentic Chinese food. I have come to realize that the Chinese food I love down the road, and all the other little Chinese places, are very Americanized.  This was real Chinese food.  Things I would never think of eating.  We had some dim sum which was very good.  The place was not expensive either so we definitely plan on going back.  There was a wedding reception there that night as well.  Because of the reception there was a Chinese dragon show.  I am sure there is a technical name for this, but I couldn't tell you what it is.  It is really a very awesome show.  It is that type of culture I really want the kids to see.  Afterwards we stopped by outlets and did a little shopping ourselves.  Got the kids some shoes, may have gotten something else but I don't remember.  We were both really tired and simply wanted to go home to bed.

Ended up going to church last night instead of this morning.  It was nice and meant that we did not have to go anywhere today.  Just had a quiet day here at the house and I am now counting down the minutes until bed for the kids.  I so enjoy my time in the evening after they go to bed.  It is a good thing I am a night person.

This week has a lot of activity.  Tomorrow I get to meet J1's teacher and talk to the principal for a bit.  I am looking forward to it and I am taking him with me.  Hopefully that will make him a little more comfortable.  One more week till school starts and I can only hope that it flies by.  All of us are ready for it.