This post is sponsored by Kleenex, Scott, Cottonelle and Viva but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.
Wow! Where did the summer go? This summer went by way too fast for this family. We went from planning our pool fun to now getting things ready for school. Here is how we are prepping for the new school year.
Setup a Command Center
I did not realize how awesome it was to have an area where I kept all things organized until, well, I set it up. The backpacks had a place to hang. No searching for them the night before or day of. My favorite part of a command center is that you can have all that is important in one area. When the kids come home with important papers that need to be signed, I just clip it on the hanging clothes pin organizer. A calendar is also hanging in this area for me to have appointments, field trips and any other important dates right in front of me.
I am not the best at remembering when someone has what or when. To be honest, it gets even worse during the school year. So find that perfect spot to keep everything organized to help make your year less chaotic.
Get those backpacks & uniforms.
Even though my kids will only be entering 1st and 2nd grade, I feel like I know some of the ends and outs when it comes to backpacks and uniforms. The best time to shop for these are now: great back to school prices pretty much everywhere. Just remember you pay for what you get. I would always opt for those ‘cheaper’ backpacks. I paid the price by the end of the school year when I was having to replace them multiple times due to broken straps, zippers and even holes in the bag.
As for uniforms, I just find what works and actually lasts for my kids. It literally took me less than 1 year to realize what brands bit the dust by the end of the school year. Everything having to be replaced and not due to my kids outgrowing it all. Another tip is to spray the backpacks and shoes with a stain-resistant guard beforehand. This will help keep those backpacks lasting or at least looking clean for longer.
Decide on lunchboxes or cafeteria lunches.
When it comes to lunch, my son is all about homemade lunches. No cafeteria lunches for him. Then on the other hand, my oldest has a love for both cafeteria lunches and those made by me. I make sure to have both kids’ lunchboxes, insulated travel cups, and now bento boxes to help me keep things well-sealed and organized in for their lunches. I even try to come up with a ‘meal plan’ to make those lunches easier to pack.
As obvious as this may sound, I just find what works for my kids. I do try and switch up their lunch menu every so often. They easily get burned out on the same thing every day. Sometimes cutting up those sandwiches in fun shapes, having fruit pieces that could assemble into a funny face or image makes their lunches a little more entertaining. Having ‘shaped’ sandwiches made it easier for my daughter to start loving those peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Purchasing school supplies with ease.
Those school supply lists can seem a bit overwhelming at first when you are already trying to get everything else in order. Thanks to Amazon for making my life easier when it comes to purchasing our Kleenex, Scott, Viva, and Cottonelle products! Not only does shopping with Amazon offer the convenience of skipping the store, which is huge when you have all the kids home for the summer, but you can also sign up for subscribe & save. You can save up to $3 on these products, great when you are already purchasing so much to get ready for school.
I also love the fact that you can purchase in bulk. Both my kids’ supplies were covered in one single order at a great price. When my older kids saw the Amazon box arrive with their school supplies, they were a little bit more excited about starting back this week. Let’s face it, we all know we are a tad bit excited to get back to our school routine and having Amazon to make purchasing all our Kleenex, Scott, Viva, and Cottonelle supplies!
Check out the great deals on these back to school essentials here.
Amazon is also great for all those supplies outside of the paper products. Quick and easy without the stress of digging or running around a store.
Set those alarms ahead of time.
Are your kids already early risers? Mine are from time to time, but don’t wake up as early as during the school year. Even though those first few days of getting back into a school routine may seem a bit chaotic in the mornings, I find that practicing a few days before that first day makes it a little easier when waking up the sleeping bears.
My daughter is the worst at waking up. She is so grumpy, I literally dread to do it. This is where alarm clocks come in handy. I let her pick out her own alarm clock, and we set it each night before. There is just something about her being woken up by her alarm clock rather than me. The way I see it, you find what works best and go with it!
Wishing everyone a stress-free and less-chaotic beginning of the school year! Don’t forget to check out Amazon! Do any of you have any tips that have worked when it comes to prepping for back to school?
great tips and while we have started getting ready for back to school there are still things that we have to do before the first day
thanks for sharing
Thank you! It is crazy how fast the summer went!
These are great tips! I used to buy L.L. Bean backpacks for my kids because they were guaranteed forever. They lasted so long, that I didn’t feel bad replacing them. Unfortunately, they don’t have that guarantee any more. The school lists may be long, but if you can afford it, get extras now. The glue that’s 50 cents now will be $1.50 before Christmas.
Yes! I love L.L. Bean! You are so right about stocking up now. The prices are great for all the back to school sales.
A lot of parents tell me that I shouldn’t be looking forward to it, but I am really excited for my toddler to go to school haha Thank you for this guide 🙂
Your so welcome! It really is a bittersweet when they start going to school. I know my mom would always tell me how much faster the time seems to go when they enter school. It is very true, but also exciting to watch them 🙂
time past so fast. The summer holiday almost over! Your kids are so cute
Thank you so much! I know, right?! I feel like this summer went by too fast!
I always feel warm and tingly inside when I think of BTS shopping. Online is definitely the way to go at this point.
Same here! I think I have always gotten a little excited about school supplies haha! Online shopping is a life saver!
It’s so weird to see so many people use Amazon for back to school supplies. I had to suffer the old fashioned way. We went to the store with the other 1,000 people and waited in line until 10 pm. I am so glad that is over! Yay, Amazon.!
Ugh! Lines are my worst enemy, more so with my almost 2 year old. So thankful for Amazon and those great prices for sure!
I can’t believe that our two-month summer holiday is coming to an end and that my two go back to school on Monday – crazy!
I think we’re good to go with backpacks, snack boxes, and lunch boxes …. and I’m so very glad we don’t have a school uniform for me to worry about! (Although generally speaking I wish our school DID insist on a uniform as it would solve the battle of ‘what to wear’ every morning!!!)
I know, right?! The summer went by way too fast! Doesn’t it feel good when you get all those important school supplies and essentials?! I love uniforms for that very reason, but then get bummed that we don’t get to by as many back to school cute outfits :/
Soo thankful for Amazon and the fact that we can just order online and have it quickly delivered. It’s hard to juggle all the back-to-school planning, work, responsibilities and the purchases as well. At least this makes it a bit easier.
Yes! I couldn’t agree more with this! Amazon definitely has made my life easier 🙂
What great tips! A command center sounds like a great idea. Saving this for when my girl starts pre-school in a few.
Thank you so much! The command center has been a life saver in that it helps me keep things organized!
Havent started back to school yet because I still have a baby, but I loved this!
Thank you! My youngest is almost 2 and starting to miss her ‘baby’ days!
Most of my kids are difficult to wake up in the morning when there are classes. But if you wake them for an outing, they will be up immediately.
I can’t believe that in a couple weeks, it will be back to school already. These are great tips….I need to step up my game
This back to school season has me feeling all kinds of ways… lol my youngest just graduated last school year. but I still cant help search for all the best back to school deals! Been doing it for so many years I don’t know how not too!
Great tips. These will definitely help save us some time as we prepare for the new school year.