Back to School Things

Hello!

Y’all — before I get to today’s post, I have to apologize/share —if you get my blog posts via email, you might have seen a major typo yesterday. It took four years of blogging, but I finally had a whoops – I spelled “swimsuits” as “swims!$&s!” I corrected it as soon as I saw it on the email. You know on Fridays when I typically share a flashback photo and say “this popped up in my memories”…I always thought it would be “poop” that I type by accident but instead it worse. lol

Anyway, on to today’s post…

Well, with school officially starting tomorrow, I guess it’s time to get serious about back to school.

Today, I have a classroom work day, and I told Hayden and Hadley that they need to get their school supplies organized, their clothes picked out, and get ready for the first day of 8th grade tomorrow.

Here are a few things on my mind as we get back to school…

Clocks and Cozi:

As we get back in the swing of things, two things that we will heavily rely on are alarm clocks and the Cozi app.

I got the kids each this alarm clock/sound machine combo back in February, and ever since they have been in charge of getting themselves up. While Hadley hasn’t used it a ton this summer, Hayden has gotten up most mornings on his own to run. Both of them use the sound machine feature, and it’s been a good upgrade from the sound machine they each had when they were babies.

So, now it’s back on them to set the alarm, get up and get going in the morning.

We started using the Cozi app last year. It’s really handy because each of us has a color assigned to our name, and we even have a color for when all of us have somewhere to be.

Backpacks…

Hayden got the Under Armour backpack two years ago while Hadley got the North Face one last year. Both of them are still in really good condition. That being said, they both have a second backpack they carry for sports, but these have been great for school, and have held up nicely.

First day of school clothes:

While Hayden doesn’t care much about what he’s wearing on the first day of school, Hadley had a vision…haha

Travis ordered her new shoes which might not make it for the first day, but she chose On Clouds. I braved the mall twice with her over the weekend because she wanted to find a pair of jean shorts to wear. We went to Pac Sun because she had luck there last year, and she found two pairs she liked. We also wandered in to Aerie Offline, and she picked out a couple of waffle henleys.

Hadley has a real knack for dodging sale items…haha

Beverages:

I had the same coffee tumbler for years, and the lid cracked right at the end of the school year. I was going to order another one, but saw this small coffee tumbler at Target and couldn’t resist. To be honest, I probably drink too much coffee, so I figured if this smaller one worked, it would be better to take less coffee to school.

I’ve also been loving my new Stanley, but I knew it would probably be too heavy to take to school. I’ve heard great things about this tumbler, so I think I’m going to leave it at school (or bring it home every once in a while) to use to drink my water.

The kids have been using these water bottles from a local sporting goods store. Hadley has had hers for over a year, and Hayden got a new one this summer before running camp.

My school supplies:

I really didn’t need too many school supplies, but I picked up my Happy Planner at Michaels because they always have them 40% off this time of the year. The stickers were discounted as well, so I picked up a pack of those too.

Paper Mate Flair pens are my faves, so I picked up those and the pretty pencils at Kroger one day.

Y’all –yesterday, when I sat down at my desk to start writing in meeting dates in my planner, I realized it wasn’t the same layout at the one I had last year.

This one had the vertical layout, and I prefer the “classic layout,” so I found this one on Amazon that should be here tomorrow.

I sent a schoolwide email, and gave the planner with the vertical layout to the first one to claim it. I’m hoping what I ordered is just what I need.

Well, I had these pens saved on my Amazon list (you can never have too many pens, right?) along with this wireless keyboard and mouse that I want to use for my school computer. I’m excited to get it set up this week.

I get a new desk calendar every year…sometimes from Amazon or Walmart, but I saw this one at Target, and it will work for me!

My classroom:

Hadley helped me get my classroom set up on Friday, and yesterday I put the finishing touches on it. This will be my 22nd years in education, and I’ve never “cut it this close” on getting ready. That being said, I won’t really have students on the first few days as I’m still doing academic intervention, so I will help wherever needed.

I got rid of a couple of tables because the most I typically have would be 15 students. Most of the time, I have 3-5 at a time.

My room got a bit of a refresh with carpet (to replace the old tile) Also, we got these new Interactive Flat Panels at the end of the school year, so I’m excited to use it more this year.

For lunchbox moms:

I miss the days of putting one of these cute lunchbox notes in the kids’ lunches.

Now, they mostly buy school lunch.

Brinner:

I wanted to have our “Back to School” brinner Sunday night, but both kids ended up having plans with friends. So, we’ll do it tonight once they get home from practice.

Phones:

With getting back to school, we had the reminder conversation about phones and what they really should be used for before we get back to school. I’ve told both of them that phones are a responsibility and while I know they use them to text or watch videos/Netflix, I expect them to start taking more ownership in their learning. They did a pretty good job with this last year, but with this being the last year of middle school, I want them to be as responsible and engaged in their learning as possible.

They have the phones and can use them to check the Cozi app (and add to it when needed –like when the Stu Co meeting pops up that I didn’t know about), check their grades, email their their teachers and check assignments.

We’ve always had a rule of phones up by 10:00 (even earlier if they have been at home and not at an activity), and asleep by 10:30. Also, they plug them up in the kitchen; we’ll definitely continue that practice this year. Towards the end of last year, they were getting on them in the morning, and now I don’t want them getting them until they are ready for the day.

Obviously, kids having phones wasn’t something my parents worried about when I was a kid. I remember when we got a cordless phone when I was in the 6th grade…that was the best thing ever! We definitely don’t have all the answers, and we’ve relaxed a bit with rules over the summer, but it’s time to get back focusing on school and managing time wisely.

My goals:

I always surprise myself that I’m not more disciplined in the summer. I guess I thrive a bit more with a routine. So, while getting back in the school routine usually takes a few weeks, I always appreciate it once we get going.

My goals are:

• Workout 4-5 days a week. (I was decent with working out this summer, but like to have a plan). I honestly have the goal of getting up at 5:00 three days a week to knock my workout out before school…I’m going to give myself this week to just get up at my regular 6:00 time, but we’ll see starting next week if I can make the early mornings happen)
• I want to get 8-10k steps per day. My goal this summer was 7,000 steps, and I got that many most days. While I was pretty good about working out, that doesn’t always give me lots of steps. It’s easier for me to get steps during the school day, of course. Plus, I want to try to walk a bit if I’m short on steps to reach the 8,000 goal.
• Kroger pick up on Saturday. This really worked for me last year. Before that, I was usually picking up groceries on Sunday which felt like one more thing to do as the weekend was ending. Last year, I would meal plan and make my Kroger list on Thursday or Friday for pick up on Saturday. This summer, I haven’t been structured with groceries, and it’s time to get back at it!

A reminder for my kids:

Of course, we want Hayden and Hadley to be well-rounded individuals who are polite and respectful, but who will also stand up for what’s right.

Most of all, I care that my kids are inclusive and kind.

They certainly aren’t perfect, but I know at their core, they do their best to do the right thing, and I sure hope they are making good choices and being kind both when we are looking and when we aren’t looking as well.

I know middle school can be rough. High school can be difficult too. I’m hoping they continue to surround themselves with great friends, but I also hope they look out for those who need the friendly smile or a seat at the lunch table.

A person’s character is what matters most…not how fast they run, what classes they take, or how they score on a test. How they treat others is so important as well.

Because apparently I like to make myself cry leading up to the first day of school…here are a couple of fun flashbacks:

…the first day of kindergarten and the first day of 6th grade.

I probably won’t have a post tomorrow, but should have first day of school pics on Thursday.

I hope everyone has a great year…the kids, the parents, and the teachers!

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