back to school

How does summer always go by so quickly? Back to school is always a little bittersweet for me. I want my girls to continue growing and learning, but I also do not want them to get any bigger. We have had such an amazing summer filled with dirty feet, late nights, park dates, back yard fires and endless time as a family. I will absolutely cherish the memories we have made this summer.

This year I have a first grader and a last-year preschooler. I cannot believe that my middle daughter is going into her last year of preschool. I am just amazed at how quickly that time has passed by. Since my older daughter started Kindergarten, I learned a thing or two about the back-to-school items that I needed. Last year I totally missed the bus on having two sets sneakers: one for inside and one for outside. I sent her with mostly all of the wrong school supplies and most of it got sent home. I found out quickly that teachers do not want you to go off “the list.” So, here are my tips and tricks for mastering the back to school season.

I recommend investing in a good pair of jeans for your kids. They can wear jeans day after day and they wash up well. Jeans are also very durable if you can get your kids to wear them. I know not all kids like jeans, but the fabric is just made for lots of uses. I cannot tell you how many pairs of leggings we burn through in our house with three girls. I find leggings to be a great substitute for tights but not something to invest in. For boys, athletic pants seem to hold up relatively well, but even still, it is hard to beat jeans.

Our girls like to show some personality in their footwear, but make sure to invest in a good pair of sneakers they can wear day in and out. I always seem to gravitate to darker colors. They stay cleaner and wash up better. My older daughter plays so hard at recess that if I send her in anything light it will come home destroyed. This year I bought her black sneakers with some pink accents.

My daughters would wear dresses everyday if I would let them. I think it is so sweet to see how independent they are becoming. Some of their outfit choices can be very interesting. I find myself gravitating to more solid color pieces that they can mix and match a little more. If I find a dress that they can wear to church and to school that is gold! I really love having them match all the time too since I know those days are numbered.

The other thing I learned very quickly was to head to the store right away when the back-to-school supplies list is released. I cannot believe how quickly the supplies sell out, plus, stores generally have the supplies on sale when they are first set out. My daughter always wants to buy anything with unicorns and those are hot ticket items these days. I bought her a couple extras of her favorite items last year, such as her unicorn folder, so that when it got worn out mid-year, I had another one to fall back on.

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