The Top Ten Ways...

How do you know it's time for school to begin? Well, join the linky party at Tunstall's Teaching Tidbits to discover all of the possibilities.
                       Well, here are my...
 Top Ten Ways That I Know It's Time for School to Begin
                                    (image the sound of a drumroll!) 

#10- Boot Camp for the bladder begins. Must train the bladder for those days when you don't know when you're going to get to go.
#9 - Professional Movers becomes another trait for the resume. Move things into the house bought for school. Pack things up in the house to move to the car. Unpack the car at school. Unpack the things from the car into the classroom as well as the things that are packed up in the classroom.
#8- I find myself talking to myself more than usual. Talking to myself in the car, the aisles, at the banking account (I spent what? ), the computer, etc.
#7- School becomes the major topic of my thoughts, 24/7!
#6- I find myself stocking up on yogurt and crackers for school lunches. I begin practicing taking bites between interruptions ("Could you please open my milk carton?"  "I forgot my lunch number."  " I need to use the bathroom." "****** is talking with food in his mouth.") and getting up and down while monitoring six year olds during a 20 minute time period (if I'm lucky!).
#5- I find myself dreaming and sometimes those dreams are nightmares about school. I have double the number of students, they never stop talking, what the classroom should look like, etc.)
#4- Do you find yourself injecting school language into everyday conversations and thoughts? Hmmm...I like the way that car put its' indicator on. (okay...exaggerating).
#3- When seeing friends in the real world they tend to say either, "So, when does school begin?" or "The summer is almost over."
#2- I love to make lists. But, when it's time for school to begin I tend to have a lot of different lists with many things to do. I find myself writing down "things to do" that I forgot to originally write on the list. Then, I have something to cross off! 
#1- And the number one way I know it's time to go back to school is a bittersweet memory of my mother. Every year before I began a new year I would call my mother (the champ of all "list" people) and read her the names of my students. She would write them down. Fourteen years ago I realized I couldn't continue because my mother had died 6 months earlier. So, I called my brother and broke down about my "silly" tradition. My sister-in-law began to laugh because apparently my mother would call them after receiving the list from me and share. So, now I have a new traditon and I call Scott and Laura (note: they don't write the names down.) 
Note: No matter how you know it's time for school to begin it always seems to be right around the corner. I begin tomorrow and the students begin in a week. Have a fantastic beginning to a fantastic school year. Enjoy!
Robin