Is it just me, or has this summer really flown by? When my kids were babies and needed constant care and attention, I came across this parenting quote which spoke volumes to me then.
“The days are LONG, but the years are SHORT” – Gretchen Rubin
Now that they’re older it seems like both the days and years go by ever quicker! Today the kiddos had their first day back-to-school. How is it that I now have a 2nd and a 4th grader?
I’ll admit that school supply shopping makes this OCD, organization-loving mama happy! And I think I’m passing the love of it onto my kiddos – this year they actually fought over who got to use the label maker!
Knowing that we had several trips planned, early-on in the summer, we went through their uniforms and made a list of what still fit and what more we needed to buy. I’m a big fan of French Toast for uniforms – the quality is good, and they’ll last the whole year long. Then in early July, once school supply sales have started (and before the crazy storm of shoppers), we hit the stores. Someone recently shared a great tip (especially if you have multiple kiddos) that when going school supply shopping, give each kid their own basket, then during checkout have the clerk to place each student’s supplies in their backpack or reusable bag. That way they’re all ready for the first day – no further sorting needed!
Letter boards are all the trend right now, and I love seeing all the fun quotes on them, but wasn’t a fan of the cost…until I found this awesome one at Hobby Lobby (if you catch it on sale or use a coupon, it’s less than $15). We used them for first-day signs, but my kids are having a great time coming up with their own quotes for it.
And naturally I’m a gift-giver, so the kids and I put together a super simple (and cost effective) teacher’s gift. I used this printable from The TomKat Studio, the kids colored in the tags, we attached it to a set of highlighters with some bakers twine and were done in less than 5 minutes!
We all know how crazy hectic mornings can be so (especially when they were younger) we’d do a practice back-to-school day. They’d wake up early and go through their morning routines (have breakfast, get ready, change into their school clothes, etc.) and then I’d snap their official first-day photos before jumping in the car to make the drive to school, only I’d take a detour and surprise them with donuts or a fun treat instead! It was a great way to take some pressure off of their first day back.
And then don’t forget to practice some self-care for yourself – find another mama and grab some coffee together. Or this year I actually scheduled a massage while they were in school!
Happy Back-to-School and I hope your kids have an amazing school year!
