Back to School Prep

In the last week or so we have been making lists and checking them twice. I love the excitement back-to-school time generates. New shoes, backpacks, a few fresh pieces of clothing, and the school supply displays popping up all over town cause a sense of giddiness among parents and students. It's kinda like Christmas.

When the boys got their classroom placements we also got... dun-dun-dun ...The LIST! Each year we get all hyped-up and rush out and battle the Black Friday-like crowds to get all the specifics. Some of the teacher requests crack me up. They ask for certain brands, colors, styles, etc. I can remember my mom taking me to pick out my new Trapper Keeper and getting a pack of pencils or Erasermate pens (remember those??) and loose-leaf paper. That was it! I think it has kinda gotten out of hand. And I really don't know how, when, or why. Whatcha gonna do? They need their stuff.

But I happen to be a bit of a school/office supply junkie and the drawers of my craft room look like the early stages of hoarding. Sooo shopping for school supplies is right up my alley. I actually get a little jeally that I don't get to use all of it. Pencils...I love the smell of new pencils. And there are few things more awesome than a brand new pack of Crayola markers!!!!

Any who...

 

 So what's in The Pig bags?

Let's see...

1 clipboard

14 (yes, fourteen) composition notebooks

2 spiral notebooks

2 1" binders

1 1/2" binder

1 small sketch pad

1 pair of scissors

1 set of watercolor paints

1 box of colored pencils

1 zipper pouch

4 boxes of #2 Ticonderoga pencils

2 packs of wide-ruled notebook paper

2 boxes of washable markers

3 boxes of tissues

24 glue sticks

1 red pocket folder

1 pack of TWISTABLE colored pencils

Antibacterial wipes

PHEW!!!!
That would be the teacher-requested school supplies for S & F We're not quite there with O yet.

And along with buying all those very particular supplies, I like to buy a few surcies for our teachers and make them a Teacher's Tackle Box. I remember being a school-based speech therapist and #1 loving little surcies from parents and students and #2 being so thankful when they were useful. It's nice to feel loved and appreciated!

These pics are actually from last year but I'm putting together the same thing for them this year. My friend Misty did a similar one last year too.

I will be happy to share my PDF files for you to print your own labels. Just contact me by leaving a comment below or on Facebook.

So the last couple of days have been spent doing all the back-to-school prep work...cleaning out and organizing their clothes, locating lunchboxes and backpacks, and packing up the school supplies. The boys are super excited about their Back-to-School Rally tonight. They'll get to drop off their goodies and meet their teachers. Good times for the Baker boys!

What do y'all do to get ready for the new school year?

Stay tuned for highlights from our last minute vacay and "Summah 2012"!

XO,

The trouble with boys...

The trouble with boys is that they often get the raw end of the deal when you're trying to shop for age-appropriate "cute" stuff. I run into this when trying to buy outfits for special occasions, fabrics for clothing and decor, party ware, favors, etc. There is always an abundance of girly things available, but not so much for boys. I usually end up making something for them. Maybe I'm too picky, but I just don't want to do movie and cartoon characters for themes all the time. It seems that once they're out of baby/toddler stuff your choices become very limited.
What happened to cute and fun?

Ya know? Is anyone else with me?

My current holiday dilemma is Valentine's Day.

A lot of the things I've seen on the market for Valentine's Day are a tad too cheesy, especially for a 9 year-old. Unless you go the licensed character route, everything you see is plastered in hearts, pink and red, and frilly. As with any holiday, I like homemade better so I made the boys something to hand out and wanted to share it with you.

Here is a free Valentine's Printable for all you boy moms out there.

 

Go here to download. Print on card stock and cut. These cards will fit size A2 envelopes or you can punch holes and tie them to a favor.

{If you have trouble downloading, just email me and I'll send you a copy!}

Enjoy!

Let me know if you have a custom design in mind for Valentine's Day. There's still time for me to whip it up!