We are starting school this week and I am having all the feelings, y’all! My oldest baby is off to kindergarten and I had no idea that I would be this emotional about it. While it is an emotional time, we are very excited for this new chapter and already love his school and the people there so much. So many of our close friends and some of our family go there, so I know we will feel right at home there. I asked you ladies on Instagram the other day what you liked to pack in your kid’s lunch because I am trying to branch out a little bit this year (at least for the first part until I totally resign and stick to PB&J every day). Some of your ideas were really great, so I thought I would share them to give you guys some ideas if you get stuck like I do.

Lunch Ideas:

The most common answer was a sandwich!
Chicken Salad and crackers
Salad with fruit
Hotdog
Waffles and Bacon (Breakfast Food)
Turkey Wraps
Pasta Salad
Spaghetti
Chicken Nuggets
Leftovers from the night before (I am PRO this idea)
Soup
Cheese and Crackers
Pizza

Lunch Sides and Snacks:

Grapes
Apple slices
Carrot sticks
Pretzels
Veggies and hummus (or ranch)
Almonds
Pumpkin seeds
Bananas
Chips
Yogurt
Apple Sauce
Cheese Stick
Popcorn
Teddy Grahams
Granola Bars

There are a couple of kids in Sophie’s class who are highly allergic to peanuts and dairy, so we are trying to get creative with the lunches she can take. It’s tough because she loves PB&J sandwiches and is not a big meat eater. We are going to try this peanut butter substitute and I will report back with how she likes it!

I hope this list was helpful. Please let me know if you have any other ideas that I can add to this list for everyone! If you have already started school, I hope it is off to a great start, and if you are starting back this week, I will be standing there holding tissues with you praying for our babies to spread their wings and fly. Okay, now that I am getting cheesy and cliche, I’m calling it a day.

Growing up, back to school shopping was always my favorite thing to do. I loved preparing for the year and picking out new shoes and clothes and backpacks, etc. It was like Christmas. This year, Hampton is starting Kindergarten, Sophie will be in K4 and Weston will be starting MMO for the first time. We have been shopping for all the back to school supplies, clothes, shoes and everything else they need this year, so I thought I would put a few of my favorite finds into a post for y’all! I even included a section for teachers or working moms! I am dying over these LV dupe lunch boxes and backpack!

I hope you all have a great start to your school year and that this post is helpful in your back to school shopping! Everything is Amazon prime and ships in 2 days if you are last minute shopping(like me ;))

It has been nothing but crickets around here and I honestly can’t believe I took so much time away from writing in this space, however, it was very needed. I cleaned out my entire house, spent a lot of time with my babies, went on a beach trip with Ryan and really just got caught up and organized in my personal life which has been neglected for a while and desperately needed to get done. So, while I was taking time away from the blog, I was most definitely working on our home. haha This week, my babies went back to school and I might have teared up a little bit. I’m sure the waterworks will come more next year, but for now, I have a preschooler! The time has flown! How did my baby get to be so big?

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We received products from Gap Kids in exchange for an honest review. #GapToSchool

My kid’s first day of school went better than expected. Don’t you love it when that happens? They both walked right in their classrooms like they owned the place! It was a magical feeling. Even Weston cooperated – thanks in a big part to his new carrier that he sat in like a champ! You know what they say… you have to dress the part… something like that? Well, that is just what we are doing this year thanks to Gap kids and Just for Me Too!

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Last year, I really over bought for Sophie. I think it can be so easy to do with little girls, especially. I found so many mommy and me pieces that I just “had to have” and I ended up buying way too much. This year, i am determined to save more money and have created a capsule wardrobe for Sophie. She has a few things that she can still wear from last year that will be bonuses, but other than that, this (or similar to this) is what I am buying her. Well, throw in a couple of holiday outfits in there, too. 😉

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It’s hard to believe that it is already time to talk about going back to school! I can’t believe how fast the summer has flown by. We are excited about the new school year, but the feelings are very bittersweet. My Sophie girl will be going to 2K two days a week and Camp will be heading into 3K. I am excited about the extra time that it will allow me to get some work done during the week, but I always miss them when they are away. It was dogwood for Hampton last year, and I am praying big blessing for both of them this year. I can’t wait to watch them learn, grow and get so excited to show me what they made or colored every day! Those moments were so fun for us last year, and I can’t wait for Sophie to experience school for the first time.

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This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #EggoBTSTarget #CollectiveBias

Hampton started “school” yesterday – well, technically, Mother’s Morning Out – and he loved it! While we are still trying to get used to a new morning routine, one thing is for sure – I have to make him a good and filling breakfast. My kids wake up so hungry and immediately ask for food every morning. Making them a satisfying breakfast is essential to how we will start our day. No one likes a grumpy toddler, so we try to avoid that. My latest favorite thing to fix them for breakfast is an Eggo® Breakfast Sandwich!

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This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #Healthy4School #CollectiveBias

In just one short week, we go to orientation for Hampton’s preschool program. I can’t believe he is about to start school. He will only be going a couple of days a week, but he is so excited and I can’t help but think back on my school days. As a mom, my biggest concern is keeping him healthy. He will be exposed to more germs than he is used to and, because of that, he will expose my other babies. Here are a few key strategies I am using to keep my kids healthy during the busy back-to-school season.

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This post contains affiliate links. 

Instax Camera

Faux Leather Backpack

Leggings

ASICS

Fitbit

Shirt Dress

Kate Spade Rain Boots

Stapler

kate spade new york Sticky Note Set

Apple iPad Mini

Ray Ban Aviator Sunglasses

Watch

T-shirt Dress

Planner
Jeans

I may try to get away with some of these styles, anyway. I mean T-shirt dress? That is a trend I can get behind!

What is on your back-to-school list?

Also, check out my Tips for Getting Organized: College Edition!

It wasn’t THAT long ago that I was in college. I remember it pretty well and I even miss it on occasion. I also remember how stressful it was when it was time to start a new semester. It can be a little overwhelming. You have so many things to buy, classes to prepare for, get your living situation figured out and many of you are moving right before classes start. It’s a lot. Lucky for you, I am a master organizer. Staying organized was the only way I made it through school, and many days it is the only way I make it through work/parenting.

Here are some back to school organization tips:

Buy your school supplies ahead of time. Don’t wait until classes start to go buy pencils/paper/backpack/books. You need to get these things NOW if you haven’t already. School supplies sell out quickly. You don’t want to be put in that situation. It is always better to be prepared.

Print out your syllabi. It’s nice to go ahead and have each syllabus for each class because a lot of times they will state the books you will need and any specific supplies you will need for the class. It may go ahead and tell you your upcoming assignments and reading so that you can get a jump start on that if you wish. Who am I kidding, right?

Label your notebooks ahead of time. If you have one large binder for all of your classes and separate them with dividers, great! Go ahead and do that. If you have a separate notebook for each class, have them labeled.

Clean out your laptop. Delete or remove anything on your desktop that you don’t need. Create new files for each class to help keep your assignments together.

Schedule your study time. If you want to allow 2 hours of study time every afternoon and then one night a week, go ahead and plan that out. It’s never too early to figure out your schedule.

Go shopping. You don’t want to get to school and not have anything to wear. Or at least feel like you don’t. Now is the time to go shopping for a couple of new things, because all of the stores are having sales!

Pack all of your summer/fall clothes and leave your winter coats behind. You will be going home for Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks, so leave your winter stuff behind. You can change out your wardrobe later on and taking your season appropriate attire will save you lots of space in that dorm room.

How do you stay organized? Do you have any tips to add?