Getting Ready For Back to School

It's that time of year again, and I am finding myself getting my oldest child ready to go to school for the first time.  It is a bittersweet time for my house, as it is for every household.  The C-Man, my wonderfully fun and creative 4-year old son, is getting ready to embark in Pre-K.  Recently he was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder since he has a hard time handling new situations.

I feel like a nervous Nelly.  Here I am, a stay at home mom for over 4 years now, and I am sending my son away for the very first time.  We've never been a part, and his first day of school is going to be a full day, 8am until 2:30pm.  I have all the normal fears of sending my son to school.

Will he cry and glom onto me when I try to leave him in his classroom with his teacher?  Will he completely shut down as he's known to do in new situations?  Will he decide that he no longer wants me around?  Will he be ok, and I'm just making it worse than it really is?  What if he enjoys school more than his time with mom?  LOL!  The typical mom fears where I want not only for my son to go to school to make new friends, learn new things, and just separate himself from me, but I also want to keep him with me and my baby for all time.

Today we are preparing for school.  Pac-Man has headed off for a half day of work, and afterwards we are heading out to the wonders of Wal-Mart to finish our back to school shopping.  Markers for .25¢ crayons for .50¢, what isn't to love about the back to school sales of Wal-Mart.

My petite son also finally needs new clothes.  The C-Man is a petite 4-year-old, yet healthy, just on his own scale.  He's got his momma's genes.  But, he no longer fits in his 2T pants, finally needing 3T pants.  He has the tiniest waist that 2T's would probably still fit him if he wasn't getting taller.  So now it's time to update his wardrobe with the customary new clothes for back to school, as well as new sweatpants for his dance classes that also resume after labor day.

What are some ways you celebrate back to school?  Are you a seasoned mom, well versed in the back to school send off, eager to get rid of the constant barrage of "Mom, I'm bored, there's nothing to do?", or are you a new back to school mom feeling teary eyed and nostalgic about your baby heading off to school for the first time?  What are your tips and tricks for surviving the back to school season?