Countdown to school...T-13

As I sit outside and watch my kids play with our new neighbors I realize that summer is almost over which means school is about to start.

I can hardly believe that our extended summer vacation is about to end (3 months summer vacation because of the move from the Georgia to Maryland).  I have been so busy unpacking our new house and trying to make it OUR home I almost forgot how important this post is for families with school-aged children.  My friends in Georgia have already started school so to all my friends in states that start at the end of August.....whew, you still have time.


Here are a few tips of what you should accomplish over the next few weeks:

At least two weeks prior
1.  Order a book bag and lunch bag.  If you are getting it personalized do it as soon as possible as it takes a few extra days to get it from the company.  I love L.L. Bean book bags.  My son has had the book bag since the beginning of 1st grade and he is now entering 2nd grade.  The bag still looks brand new.  I just ordered a Land's End book bag for my daughter which is entering Kindergarten this year as they had more patterns to choose from.  A friend of mine highly recommends Land's End book bag and says they are reliable and I trust her judgment.  Therefore if you don't want to purchase a new book bag every year try out Land's End or L.L Bean bags for this coming school year.

2.  Go through your child's closet and have them try on their clothes to see what items need to be purchased for the coming year (jeans, short sleeve shirts long sleeve shirts, skirts etc...and don't forget the underwear and socks).

Before you hit the stores make sure you have a budget in mind so that you don't overspend.  Also, try to hit the stores during tax-free week.  To find out when/if your state has tax free week click here.

3.  Obtain a supply list from your child's school and head out to Walmart.  I suggest getting everything on the list plus a few extras while the back to school sale is going on.  In addition, try to find out what your child's teacher may need for the classroom and pick up a few extra things to help out.  Also try to  stock up on school supplies necessary for completing homework and projects.

4.  Organize your pantry and refrigerator so that you can easily prepare lunch and have after school snacks readily available for them when they get home.  I would love to let them eat school lunch everyday but unfortunately they are not always the most balanced.  Take a look at a few blogs that have great ideas for organizing your refrigerator and pantry for school and your kids.

• Organizing Made Fun
• Delightful Order

One week prior
1.  Start getting back to your school year routine.  During the summer my kids bedtime and morning routine was anything but a routine.  There were good 8pm days and bad 11pm days.  So, at the start of school draws closer get them to go to sleep earlier so that they get at least 8-10 hours of rest.

2.  Attend school orientation and decide if you are going to carpool or let your child ride the school bus.  I am still undecided here.

3.  Go food shopping and stock up your house with food for family meals and school food and snacks. In addition, plan your meals for the upcoming week so that the first week of school runs smoothly.  Here is a site I like on menu planning tips here.

• i heart organizing

4.  Designate a special place for homework and studying.  Make sure you have a system in place to ensure school work/paper stay organized and don't get loss.  This is when a family command station comes in handy.  Take a look at a few of these for a little inspiration.

• i heart organizing

Weekend before school
1.  Take out all outfits for upcoming school week.

2.  Print off a sheet that says "1st day of school" with the grade they are entering so that you can take a picture of them holding that sign on their first day of school  I got this great idea from....

Prepare an interview sheet for the kids to fill out before they go to school the first day.  Great idea I found from: Positively Splendid

Night before school
1.  Make sure all book bags are packed and ready to go
2.  Prepare lunch.  There are so many great ideas on how the kids can help you with this.
3.  Make sure alarm clocks are set.
4.  Get the kids to bed on time
5.  Kiss the kiddios Goodnight and RELAX they will be fine

Morning of 1st day
1.  Get them up on time
2.  Feed them a good breakfast
3.  Take a 1st day of school picture
4.  Kisses, Hugs and Thank God school has started!!!

How do you prepare for the first day of school.  Do you have any first day of school traditions.