Back to School – Are We Ready for This?

AUGUST!  And we all know what that means – time to get ready to go back to school!

This summer feels like it has gone by oh so very quickly – even more quickly than usual.  With both kids on swim teams we spent a huge chunk of our time this summer at the pool, while working in housework, work-work, errands, and other fun stuff around the practices and the swim meets and holidays.  That made for a more fully scheduled summer than I had hoped for or planned on, but it worked out really well and everyone had a lot of fun.  We are now down to our last few days of swimming (Kate finished last week and Tyler will be done on Thursday) and I have found myself looking forward to a few weeks with only karate and piano lessons on the agenda.  No running around.  No stack of wet towels and swimming suits on the floor.  No having to wait until after lunch to start working on things or planning outings.  Awesome.

On top of the temporarily slower pace, I have found myself switching gears and looking forward to the school season.  Plus – I kind of like back to school shopping 😉 There’s just something about stiff new jeans, shiny new notebooks, and an untouched box of crayons.  As soon as the stores started advertising school supplies for sale I pulled out the kids’ supply lists (so happy that this school is on the ball and sent home the supply lists for this year at the end of last year), made a list, and spent a day out and about with the kids.  We had a blast, actually.

(photo collage from my Instagram for the day)
So after all the fun of shopping, we divided up the supplies and set it aside for a while.  Today I found some extra time and decided to try to finish off our back to school prep.  The notebooks and crayons are all labelled.  The pencils and erasers are all stashed in the new cases.  Kaitlyn has happily organized the Trapper Keeper type binder (remember those?!) that she talked me into (anyone else sick of those cheap plastic 3 ring binders falling apart only 6 weeks into the school year?).

The kids didn’t need new backpacks this year (thank goodness!  Once they were past the age of wanting a new character backpack every year I happily paid a bit more for sturdy backpacks that should last them for a few years) but I did spring for new lunch boxes.  I like the ones that are divided into sections or have more than one pocket so that some things can be cold while others can be hot or stay at room temperature and to keep the ice packs from smashing the more delicate food items.

Finding a little something fun in their lunch boxes adds a lot to my kids’ day, so I always try to start off the year with a few notes and jokes pre-printed and ready to go.  This year I have printed these lunchbox jokes and these cute sandwich wraps

(photo taken last fall after we moved to the new school.  Ty didn’t actually go to 2nd grade twice 😉  )
No first day is complete without a photo, right?!  This year I will be using these printable signs for our first day of school photos.

As a final touch, I always like to send a little something for the teachers on the first day.  Usually I send some lotion or hand sanitzer with an “if you need a hand…” tag but this year I wanted to change it up.  The package of dry erase markers had a few more than were requested on the school supplies list, so I combined those with some pretty black and white pencils I have been hoarding and added a tag that reads “Let’s start this year off write.”  (printable found here)

So there we have it!  T-minus 22 days and counting until school starts here.  We aren’t completely ready – Kate insists on getting the rest of her school clothes from Justice and I’m waiting for a sale on that.  Plus we are having a hard time this year finding pants that fit Tyler well – but we have plenty of time.  In fact, we are off to the Outlets today as soon as the little guy is home from swimming practice!

Are your ready for Back to School?  How do you get prepared for the big day?

These are just a few of the great ideas out there for Back to School.  You can find a lot more of my favorites on my Pinterest Board.

Also check out my other Back to School posts:
Back to School Mom’s Brunch (on of my favorite traditions!)
Back to School Countdown Blocks

Linking to:  Idea Box, Made By You Monday, Lou Lou Girls, Pin Me Link Party, Pretty Pintastic Party, BFF Open House, Frugal Friday, Lifestyle Link Up, Sundays Down Under, Snickerdoodle Sunday,