The Last Saturday Before School: Fueled by Donuts & Retail Therapy

Listen, some people spend their last Saturday before school starts sleeping in, savoring every last moment of summer laziness. Not us. Nope. We were up and at ‘em bright and early, fueled by Dunkin’—because life is too short for bad coffee, and also because donuts.

By 9 a.m., we were living the dream: The Bad Guys 2 on a massive 270-degree screen, fully reclined in cushy heated seats… and absolutely nobody else in B&B Theater @ Wesley Chapel The Grove. Like, nobody. It was just us and an entire wall of animated chaos. The movie? Chef’s kiss. Just as funny, cute, and entertaining as the first. Honestly, I laughed enough to burn off at least half a donut, so I consider that a win.

After our private cinema experience, we made our way to TJ Maxx and Old Navy to hunt for back-to-school outfits. This is the first year in their entire academic careers that the boys don’t have to wear uniforms, so they were practically giddy. And in the middle of all this shirt-and-shorts hunting, I stumbled upon a monumental life event: my very first piece of Florida Gator attire. Yep—some super cute pants that practically screamed, Go Gators! I may or may not have done a little victory dance in the aisle.

Between both stores, we snagged a few solid outfits. Tomorrow, the hunt continues for Carson’s hoodie—because Florida may be hotter than the sun, but inside the school it’s basically Antarctica… plus there’s always the surprise monsoon-level rain showers.

Lunch stop? Chili’s. Quick, easy, and just enough to fuel our next mission: Walmart school supply shopping. We grabbed everything we needed and headed home, only to turn right back around because Mama needed new shoes. And no, this wasn’t some “oh I just feel like it” shopping moment. My feet were crying (ya know, because of the joint pain that I don’t have, smh). With Quincy’s school less than a mile away, there will be a lot of walking in my future, and since being here, I have worn nothing but flip-flops.

Enter Happy Feet Plus, where I met the fabulous Ms. Kaley Condon—manager, shoe whisperer, and bringer of foot joy. She scanned my feet (yep, like CSI but for arches) and showed exactly where I carry my weight. Thirty-or-so minutes later, Michael and I were walking out with new Hoka shoes, comfy insoles, and sandals so supportive they could probably give me life advice. The difference? Immediate. It’s like my feet are now living at a spa.

And because every epic back-to-school prep day deserves a proper finale, we wrapped it up at Mama’s favorite spot—Señor Tequila in Wesley Chapel. I ordered my ride-or-die meal: shredded chicken tacos so flavorful they could heal emotional damage, and a perfectly chilled skinny margarita that just spoke to my soul. Sitting there with my feet blissfully cushioned in my new shoes, sipping that margarita, I couldn’t help but think—yep, this is exactly how you end a day of donuts, shopping, and survival-level parenting.