I was not a restful day.

My daughter is not old enough for college yet, but I have been helping my best friend’s daughter get organized for her first year of college. My best friend works a lot and I am off in the summers, so I rose to the occasion and got involved in list making and shopping trips and packing, packing, packing.

One cool tool I did not have back in the day was the CampusReady app on Facebook. You can do everything from design your dormroom in 3D before you even more in to setting up a gift registry so your friends and family knoiw what you need to prepare for the big move.

I keep adding items to the lists, remembering that day when I moved into campus for the first time and found myself a whole lot less prepared than I thought. However, since we are smack dab in the middle of the information age, making up for things you have forgot to pack is easier than it was twenty years ago.

For example, Sears department stores has an innovative program that allows you to browse and buy online almost anything your new college student might need (like microwaves, dorm fridges, twin XL sheets and other bedding) and then have the items made ready for you at a Sears store closer to your child’s school. It sure beats trying to over-pack your car trunk or rushing around after you’ve arrived in a bustling University town trying to locate everything you need. And, who wants to pay shipping? Not me. I love that you can just pick the stuff up at any Sears store.

I mentioned XL twin sheets in my last paragraph. Don’t overlook these. Most colleges have beds in their dorms that use extra long mattresses and a standard twin sheet set is not going to fit right. XL sheets do not cost more than standard sheets, but you need to make sure you have the right size for your bed. If you are unsure, then Sears allowing you to order and pick up at a local store is just the thing for you. Check your kid into the dorms, measure the mattress, fire up the laptop and go to Sears,com to order your sheets. Not a bad way to get things done, huh?

And, while you’re ordering from Sears, make sure you make all of your purchases via Upromise.com. Upromise members who purchase on Sears.com are automatically entered into CampusReady for a chance to win money to use toward your child’s tuition. You can also enter for free by going to sears.com/campusready.

I love that I am able to segue from my associate job into the classroom teacher job, at the same school I was at last year. I know most of my students and am already comfortable at the school. I have a support system in place, several good friends on the staff, and know what I need to do to fit in and be a productive part of the school community. It’s a blessing to not have to fumble along in a brand new school and face class after class of students I have never seen before.

All those years ago in college I had thought I wanted to be an English teacher. I had an adviser as well as the chair of the communications department talk me out of that plan, instead convincing me I had a great career in writing. My career has been exciting, involved a lot of writing, and allowed me to accomplish a great number of interesting things. However, I never stopped knowing I would make a good teacher.

So, when I got divorced, I took a look at my life and decided to start over and accomplish some of my original goals in life. It feels good. I love my job and I adore the students. I relish how each day is different and the challenges keep coming my way. It is also easy to admit that having the summers off to be with my daughter is a dream come true. It is actually a little bit like having the best of both worlds – a satisfying carer AND the time I need to spend with my child.

I don’t know about you, but when I was a kid my mom would often take us to Kmart for things like school supplies or new sheets for the bed or so we could choose a special new toy. Almost every time we were there I would hear that random announcement: “Attention Kmart shoppers…” and then that disembodied voice would direct you to the current Blue Special somewhere in the store. Under that light would be some product (from patio furniture, to grills, to jewelry) on sale for a really low price and that price would only last an hour. Get ‘em while they’re hot!

It was always so exciting for me and my sister to run off and locate that iconic blue light.

I’ve missed those blue light specials.

And now they are back!

Kmart Bluelight specials are flat out a piece of Americana, something distinctly middle American and comforting – like apple pie and ice cream in the summer and baseball game with your folks. That’s why I’ve been excited to see that Kmart is bringing them back. This summer, Kmart has been bringing back their super low priced limited time specials on certain days – usually on Saturdays.

Last weekend, Kmart stores staged great sales on more than 40 items. For example, they offered all of their patio furniture for 70% off. That’s a steal, huh? They also had filler paper priced at two packs for just a buck. With school just around the corner, that’s a price worth getting up and going on over to Kmart.

It it silly that I feel a sort of relief to see Kmart going back to the way they used to do things when I was a kid? The world just seems to be changing SO fast. I feel warm and fuzzy when I see that old blue light.

Of course, that’s not to say that Kmart is behind the times either. This is, after all, the age of technology and you can even follow Kmart on Twitter!

That cute little Mr. Blue Light has never been this busy!

I spent the summer losing my hair, developing ulcers, and sleeping poorly. I had lost my own position and was worried about supporting myself and my daughter. In the 11th hour, though, another teacher left my old school in my department and I am going to be taking his place. I will be teaching my favorite subject (English), working at the school I love, and teaching challenging (yet rewarding) students.

It’s all good and in the end I learned how little I was trusting God to work things out for me.

I was a little nervous that the kids at the party might not know about the whole sock monkey phenomenon, but was greatly relived upon the opening of the gift to hear several of the children exclaim “Sock Monkey!!”

So, the gift was a success. And, the party was fun. Unfortunately, I somehow did not hear Chloe’s mom tell me it was a POOL party. On the upside, we only live about a mile away and I was able to run home quickly and get Gigi’s suit. Gigi had a blast. I got a sunburn.

The good news is that I do not have to depend on mom if I want to get my hands on another sock monkey. You can buy a vibrant, updated sock monkey at www.genuinemonkeez.com. They sent me a Colonial Candle Sock Monkey night light to try out and the entire family has fallen in love with the cute little guy. It’s a little bit of nostalgia in the face of the modern world. And, it’s been a great way to introduce my six-year-old daughter to the classic Sock Monkey of my youth. The updated versions come in red, blue, green and orange and really appeal more to kids my daughter’s age than the classic brown monkey dolls. Plus, this version has magnets in the hands and feet that can cling to one another or any metal surface. The options for fun are endless. The site offers clothing for the dolls and related accessories. That’s where you can find the link to buy one of the night lights like the one I have pictured in this review.

Vibrant, stained-glass style colors.

The warm glow of the light when it is switched on in a dark room.

I have been looking at Moen faucets every time I go to one of the home improvement stores here in town. I have an idea of what I want and have been watching the prices. Of course, once I got it in my head about the styles I thought I liked I went to my friend Bekah’s house and saw the new faucets she installed. Now I am giving some serious thought to getting one like hers. I think most brands call it a single-handle country pump style faucet. You do not get a very forceful stream of water, but it looks so pretty.

Of course, little things like the iced coffee I have sitting here on the desk are not helping. I used about half a cup of whole milk and some real sugar when I made it. In the past, I would have used Splenda or Truvia and skim milk. It’s not that hard to make smart choices, I just have to want to do it.

Do I dare to load Photoshop on my laptop, though? It would probably buck and scream and start to smoke. I am pretty sure the district will not be giving me a computer when I get a teaching job (unlike Pasco County), so I will probably be taking the cheap HP to school with me. I won’t be too concerned with damage or theft, but will it do the job if I need to load a lot of new software?

Admittedly, I used my roadside assistance a lot more when I lived up north and got stuck in the show from time to time. I have slid into my fear share of ditches. I also used to lock my keys in the car fairly often. Thank goodness I grew out of that bad habit.

I still carry AAA, because now it is what my mother gives me for my birthday every year. Is it just my family that finds a roadside assistance policy to be a phenomenal gift? I cannot help now, but think of things like AAA as something I should give as a gift.

I guess this is on my mind right now, because I have a car out in the driveway that needs towed – again. I cannot seem to keep the battery charged. The car is small, inexpensive, and paid off. I do not have it insured right now, because I have not been driving it. A lot of people ask why I bother to keep the thing tagged and registered. I guess I just hate the idea that if something happens to my van I would have to go out and buy a new car when I could have this backup car available in an emergency.