Back to School 2013

Somehow the summer flew by and it is already the first day of school again! This year, my oldest started college at Oklahoma State University. She started last Monday and was kind enough to send me a picture of her continuing the tradition of holding a 'First Day of School Sign.' I was so excited when Family eGuide posted a Back to School Tips post that linked to a post by Digital Mom Blog that had a First Day of School Sign for College students!!! It was part of a series from Pre-K up, so my First Grader had the same design too! 

I wish every morning went as smoothly as the first day of school. Madison was up at 6:30am on her own after her alarm went off and by the time I went to check on her, she was already dressed and her bed was made! In no time at all we were off!

She was super excited to have her own desk this year, as opposed to a shared table last year!

Last year my husband took her to school every morning because I am not anywhere close to being a morning person. I felt guilty this year, because I do stay at home, so I vowed to get up and take her every day. Since I am doing mornings now, I also have pre-planned lunches and outfits. I don't want to just pack her a sandwich everyday so I found a TON of great ideas on the 100 days of real food website.

Her lunch today was a whole wheat waffle sandwich with cream cheese, Agave sweetener, cinnamon, and raisins mixed inside, petite baby carrots and ranch dip, pears, strawberry milk and a fiber one brownie for desert. I would like to eventually fix lunches that do not include any pre-packaged or canned items at all. That is my goal.

In preparation of outfit planning, I made sure I sprayed all of her shoes, her backpack and lunch box with protector spray so it is much easier to keep clean during the year by wiping them down periodically.

 Then I made sure I had all of her outfits preplanned including socks, hair clips, and shoes. I made sure she was good with wearing each outfit, since she's becoming more independent and wants to pick out her own clothes.



I chose a dress for the first day of school, but I always have her wear a pair of comfy shorts under it, because she is 6. :) The teacher wanted them to always wear closed toe shoes, but the flip flops match the dress...so I just sent a pair of tennis shoes to school to stay in her locker and she can change shoes if she needs to.

On meet the teacher night, her teacher thought that P.E. might be on Tuesday, so we planned an athletic outfit.

Wednesday's outfit includes pigtails, because in First Grade they're still cool!

Thursday:

And Friday:

Now that Madison is back in school and Alyssa is away at college, I think I can clean the house and it will stay clean longer than 5 minutes! I can't wait to get to spend more time blogging, organizing, volunteering and doing household projects. Here's to an awesome school year! *Clinking coffee mug*

Last Day to Vote - Please Help!!!

Today is the last day to vote for the Best of Denton County 2013 Awards. I wanted to share some of the nominees that are dear to my heart and if you have a moment, it would mean a lot to me if you voted for them. You don't have to register and you don't even receive a confirmation email, so your email is not recorded or kept. It seriously only takes a couple of clicks to vote.

I am very excited that Family eGuide is nominated in three categories, because they ROCK. They provide so many resources for parents that I personally have relied on for years. They offer coupons (including Legoland and Sealife), kid friendly recipes, calendar activities, parenting tips and tricks, things to do for free, and so much more!

***Please vote for them for Best Publication, Best Publication Neighborhood, & Best Online Publication.

Jenny Froh donates her time to capture the best portraits of cats and dogs for several local rescue groups. Please take a moment to vote for her in the Best Pet Photography category!

Here are some of my other favorites. If you could please take a second to vote for them too:

AquaKids: Best Swimming Instruction
Art House Studio: Best Art Studio
Best Gymnastics:  Best Gymnastics

Each of these businesses has had an impact in my family's life. The winners of each of these categories receives free advertising and the honor of being voted the best! Thank you so much for taking a moment to help out local small businesses!