I was so excited to take Janie school supply shopping. I have a deep love for pens and papers and markers and those little Whit-Out things that you drag across the paper to correct mistakes and I have a feeling that Janie feels the same way. Plus, we had a list from the school of things to buy, which makes it even more fun because not only did we get to buy school supplies, but we got to check them off the list as we went.  What could be better?  Really?

Trouble was on the horizon as we neared the Target parking garage (yes, our target has a parking garage.  big city, baby.) and we were backed up to the second stoplight. It’s never backed up to the second stoplight. Even at Christmas time. I should have heeded the warning signs and hightailed it over to Fred Meyer, but no. I am a loyal Target girl and there was no way I could cheat on this special occasion.

Someone really needs to write a manual for parents of kindergartners because I had no idea that a week before school starts, Target would be out of school supplies. The 12 glue sticks on our list? Nope. The 12-pack of 3×3 Super Sticky Post-it Notes in any color? Gone. The two thin dry erase pens in black only? Don’t even bother. One mom was wandering around aimlessly crying out for pencils. Nope, not a No. 2 in sight.

Poor Janie was following me around like the last puppy who didn’t get adopted trying to find things that we might need. “Mommy, I found one pair of left-handed scissors under the shelves! Are these on our list? “

Target. You bitch. I saved myself for you. For this special trip with my oldest child going to school for the first time and you let me down.

Janie and I ended up zipping to Staples on our way home from Target to pick up the rest of the things on our list and now we have three full bags of school supplies, plus two backpacks and a lunchbox ready by the door for kindergarten next week.