Getting Ready For Back To School

It is that time of year again. Summer is ending and the new school year is approaching. Getting ready for back to school can be full of mixed emotions. On one hand us moms are ready for the little mess makers to be back in school, but on the other hand it can be kind of sad thinking about our little ones growing up and being away from us all day. I know that I am ready for my grocery bill to be cheaper and my house to be cleaner, but when I see the nervous looks on my their face, I remember the fear I had of the first day of school. So I started little traditions with my kids to help ease them into the back to school routine and help them be prepared for their first day.

School Shopping

Oh the dreaded school shopping! Yes it has to be done, but why not try to make it a little fun.

• Split the list up between your kids and let them have a little scavenger hunt game of finding school supplies. You could even give a little prize to the one who gets all their supplies on their list first.
• Let the kids make their own choices on school clothing. I know I cannot let my son have all the say in what he wears because he would be mismatched everyday wearing pokemon socks, but I always let him pick his own shoes and I consider his opinions.
• My kids also like picking out their own lunch items and snacks for the first week of school, but only for the first week because the items they pick are expensive!

• Finish the shopping with a sweet treat. My kids love getting frozen yogurt and picking all the crazy toppings so they can make it as heavy as they can. Waco has a lot of options for frozen yogurt but ice cream is always good as well. Or why not stop by Hey Sugar and pick up sweet treats to snack on while you shop. 

Pack in the FUN

As summer nears to the end I like to pack in as much fun as I can before we start back to school routines. With all of the school shopping my budget is usually shot, so I like to have money saving fun at home. Here are some ideas on how I pack in the fun before school.

• Outdoor movie night– Outdoor movies are always a big hit in the summer. You can hang a sheet, set up a projector and watch a movie under the stars. If you don’t have a projector, I have seen ideas on the internet to make a projector using your phone. If you have little kiddy pools, they are perfect for filling up with blankets and pillows to watch your movie. 
• Family Game Night- Who doesn’t love just playing games all night??? With our busy schedule we never find time to just sit down and play games, so before school starts I like to clear our whole schedule one night for a full on family game night. And yes that includes Monopoly, the longest game ever made. Pop some popcorn or order some pizza, just have fun!

• Family Fort Camp Night- What is it about forts?? I mean I guess I get it because I was a kid once and I always wanted a fort right in the living room. My kids bug me all summer about building fort, but come on I am the one finding all the blankets and pillows and lets be real, I will be the one taking it down. So at the end of summer we have one fort night, not the game. So yes I will drag out all the materials, sleep in a claustrophobic fort and put it all away the next day. ONCE.
• Outdoor Fun- So I am one of  those moms that hate water balloons, at the end of summer I throw a little water party with water balloons. I make snacks and fill up those tiny balloons with water and we battle it out. I also like to get water guns, but lets face it they love those dang water balloons.

The Night Before School

So by this time I am not my kid’s favorite person. I have already started forcing them to go to bed early to get back into the routine, and made them start reading again to refresh their brains. So these are a few things I like to do with them to show them how much I love them, even though they think I hate them by making them go back to school.

• Night before School Book-  Every year I read a “back to school” kind of book. Our tradition is to read “The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn”. This book is our personal favorite because it starts a great tradition with your kids when they feel sad at school. My kids are getting older but they still love this book and our tradition of reading it together the night before school. Of coarse there are many more you can find to start your own tradition. Some great ones are “The Night Before Kindergarten by Natasha Wing”, “The Teacher from Black Lagoon by Mike Thaler”, and “First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg”. 

• Lunch Note– I like to put a little note inside their lunch so when they open it maybe they will smile a little. I always put something sentimental such as “Have a great day, I love you so very much!!”, but recently I was told that I embarrassed him in front of his friends, so now I think I will be putting a little joke in his lunch box this year with “I LOVE YOU MY SON”.
• Hug and Kisses for my Babies- Lastly I give them many hugs and kisses as they walk out of the door into a new year of school.

The new school year can be very frightening for our little ones so anything we can do as parents to help ease their worry is worth it. I hope all of your kiddos have a great first day of school and I hope you moms have a BIG glass of wine.