Back to School with Staples

It's Back to School time!

The first day of school last year

This year, back to school at our house was filled with change. I have three kids, and only my middle daughter, Kay, who is going into fourth grade would be back to her same school as last year.

My youngest, Ziggy, was starting kindergarten, and also his first year at our local elementary school. My oldest, Magpie, was headed to middle school.

It was a lot of change in a short amount of time, but we are now a little over a week into the school year, and I'm happy to say everyone is almost settled into the new places and new routines.

The first day of school this year

Every year our family shops at Staples for the usual back to school items like pencils and notebooks, so I was thrilled when I had the opportunity to work with Staples to also take a look at their other products for back to school, as I didn't realize Staples is a great source not only for typical school supplies but for backpacks, lunchboxes and much more, too.

For Ziggy who would be going to school for a full day for the first time and having lunch at school, I wanted to get him a lunchbox that would be easy for him to handle carrying and opening and closing by himself. I found the perfect one at Staples.com, the Kids Cooper Lunch Bag ($17.99). 

It's not too big for him to carry, it keeps food cool for up to six hours, and best of all, he really loves the shark pattern.

I also got reusable storage bags for his lunch items. Partially, because I am a big fan of making a "zero-waste" lunch, but also because I knew it would be easy for Ziggy to open and close these (Re)Zip bags ($12.99 for two that are sandwich size, or $14.99 for three that are a smaller, snack size).

I also got this turquoise backpack for my middle schooler ($35.72), and given it's hard to figure out what a tween is going to like, I was really glad to see her genuine excitement to use this backpack. In addition to having a lot of room for books, folders, her lunch bag, and other random stuff, it also has a small pocket perfect for emergency money, a water bottle holder, and a place for her cell phone.

I can't wait to see what awaits all of three kids in the school year ahead. Whatever happens, I know for sure we'll have a lot of stories to tell by the time it's June and the last day of school, and that with the exception of a few long days, that it will all go by so very quickly.

Magpie and Kay on their first,
last day of school, June 2008

Thank you Staples for helping us getting ready for the new school year!

I received the items mentioned here, as well as some other ones as well. There was no additional compensation and all opinions are my own.

The last night of summer vacation

It seems like just yesterday it was the last day of school.

And yet, already, another summer is now in the family history books.

 

 

 

 

The kids go back to school tomorrow.

 

 

 

And as it does every year, the summer just went by much too fast.

An Open Letter to Myself: Just Say No to the PTA

Dear Self,

The kids go back to school next week, and let's face it, that means you do, too.

But it doesn't have to mean that. It could mean freedom and relaxation this year instead of endless PTA projects and class mom responsibilities that never seem to end.

Self - let's do things differently this year.
 

Let's not do what you do every year. Self, do you remember last year? You attended that first day of school meeting for all of the parents, and when the representatives from the PTA stood-up in front of the crowd and explained how imperative parent involvement was... you said yes to everything. And when you over-commit, I over-commit.

And this year I'm not doing it.

 

I'm reminding you what you promised you would remember to do this year:

 

Just Say No to the PTA.

 

We can't take another year of school-wide volunteer coordinating, party planning, fundraising over-drive and over-kill.

 

I will not sit by while you willingly sign-up for another year of agonizing over how to get the remaining three families to contribute their class dues.

Or watch you worry about how to most effectively balance the dietary needs of the lactose-intolerant classmates with those suffering from acute tree nut allergies. And don't forget the needs of the mom who called you before each-and-every party to remind you which foods or child particularly liked, or even more importantly, disliked.

 

I will not suffer through another poorly planned class party that resulted in the misstep of giving twenty-four 3-year-olds noise makers as part of a pretend New Year's Eve party celebration. Nor will I endure the phone calls from other parents who wanted to know what the hell we (you, really) were thinking serving preschoolers mocktails at 10am.

 

And most of all, I will not be here to whisper encouragingly 'You can do it!" as you wonder if you can muster the strength to pick up the phone and beg yet another parent to chaperone the class camping trip.

 

This year, I'll be relaxing on the couch watching Dexter and Modern Family. I'll be taking leisurely baths while reading the latest issue of Us Weekly The New Yorker.

 

This year, I hope you'll join me - and not the PTA.

 

Love,

Self

This post is a republish from last year. I still need the pep talk. Do you also need to be restrained when it comes to volunteering?
 

Ten Reasons Why I Love the New Acer Chromebook from Staples

A few days ago I received an Acer Chromebook from Staples for review.

In short: It's Awesome.

Here are Ten Reasons Why I Love the New Acer Chromebook from Staples:

1. Sleek design. I have it on my kitchen counter, and it looks great and doesn't take-up much room.

2. Lightweight. I can easily move it from room to room with no problem - it weighs just about 3 pounds.

3. Goes from "power off" to "on" in just a few seconds.  If you're inpatient like me, it's great not to wait for-evah for the computer to boot-up.

4. Completely 100% hassle-free to set-up. Seriously. The whole process was so easy. I turned on the computer and within five minutes I was surfing the web and enjoying my awesome new computer.

5. Excellent computer for travel. For all the reasons above, the compact size and light weight makes the Chromebook ideal for business trips and vacations.

6. Great first computer for kids. I don't really like to share my work laptop with the family, and the Chromebook is a perfect "family computer." There's even an option to use the computer as a guest, which means your log-in names, passwords and search history aren't saved.

7. Google Docs is already installed. It may not seem like a big deal, but it was fantastic to find Google Docs fully installed and ready to use instantly.

8. Google Keep/Scratchpad. I'm obsessed with this feature, which makes it possible to indulge my to-do list mania digitally all day long.

9. Security. Chrome Browser is pre-installed, and not only is it incredibly simple to use but it has fantastic security features, too. And, the Chromebook has additional pre-installed security features and build-in virus protection as well.

10. The Price: $229. Yep, all this awesome is priced under $250.

So yeah, I like my new Acer Chromebook. A lot.

To learn more, or to order one for yourself, click here.

Disclosure: I received an Acer Chromebook from Staples to facilitate review. All opinions are my own.

Name Bubbles: Great Labels for Kids Stuff for Camp and School

 

I recently sent my oldest off to sleepaway camp, and in addition to finding just the right hiking boots, duffel bag and shower caddy, I wanted to find the best way to label it all.  A good friend pointed me in the direction of Name Bubbles, which are sticky labels that once applied stay stuck on clothes, shoes and toiletries through just about anything - they're laundry and dishwasher safe as well as bug repellent and sunblock proof. They're also freezer friendly, and will stick through -60 F.

Name Bubble has labels for all needs, including a Camp Labels Pack ($38.88) which has over 100 labels in a variety of sizes and styles. I received a pack of these labels, which were more than we needed to label every last item my daughter brought to camp - with a few leftover, too.

 

Name Bubbles not only make labels for camp, and also for school, as well as allergy alert labels

 





medical labels, and more. My daughter is back from her sleepaway camp adventure, and so is her stuff... and all the Name Bubbles labels are perfectly intact, too.



 

Thanks to Name Bubbles for providing a Camp Labels Pack for me to review.

 

 

Other Stuff I Wrote Last Week: Back to School Shoes, Books and a Last Hurrah of Summer

This week I'm shifting from summer to fall. The kids are back to school on Thursday, and while I'll miss the sun and the fun, I feel like it's time.

I wrote about our trip to Six Flags Hurricane Harbor for BaristaKids.com, and while it wasn't the best day out ever, it was pretty fun.

For back to school, I covered See Kai Run, maker of great kids shoes. Here's my son modeling his pair from (gasp!) last season:

And here are some of the hipster styles from See Kai Run for this fall:

I also shared three of my favorite books about the first day of school. 

Marco Goes to School, by the hilarious Roz Chas, has particularly grown on me over the last 1,816 times I've read it to my enthralled son:

Next up, getting my own three kids back to school.

What are you doing this week?

Just Say No to the PTA - An Open Letter to Myself

Dear Self,

 

The kids go back to school next week, and let's face it, that means you do, too.

But it doesn't have to mean that. It could mean freedom and relaxation this year instead of endless PTA projects and class mom responsibilities that never seem to end.

Self - let's do things differently this year.
 

Let's not do what you do every year. Self, do you remember last year? You attended that first day of school meeting for all of the parents, and when the representatives from the PTA stood-up in front of the crowd and explained how imperative parent involvement was... you said yes to everything. And when you over-commit, I over-commit.

And this year I'm not doing it.

 

I'm reminding you what you promised you would remember to do this year:

 

Just Say No to the PTA.

 

We can't take another year of school-wide volunteer coordinating, party planning, fundraising over-drive and over-kill.

 

I will not sit by while you willingly sign-up for another year of agonizing over how to get the remaining three families to contribute their class dues.

Or watch you worry about how to most effectively balance the dietary needs of the lactose-intolerant classmates with those suffering from acute tree nut allergies. And don't forget the needs of the mom who called you before each-and-every party to remind you which foods or child particularly liked, or even more importantly, disliked.

 

I will not suffer through another poorly planned classed party that resulted in the misstep of giving twenty-four 3-year-olds noise makers as part of a pretend New Year's Eve party celebration. Nor will I endure the phone calls from other parents who wanted to know what the hell we (you, really) were thinking serving preschoolers mocktails at 10am.

 

And most of all, I will not be here to whisper encouragingly 'You can do it!" as you wonder if you can muster the strength to pick up the phone and beg yet another parent to chaperone the class camping trip.

 

This year, I'll be relaxing on the couch watching Dexter and Modern Family. I'll be taking leisurely baths while reading the latest issue of Us Weekly The New Yorker.

 

This year, I hope you'll join me - and not the PTA.

 

Love,

Self

I'm linking-up this post to Yeah Write and to Finding the Funny (which is co-hosted by Kelley's Break Room and My Life and Kids, two of my favorite communities online. Join them - and not the PTA.
 

Great Back to School Looks with Cookie's Kids

My daughters go back to school in a few weeks - I can hardly believe that summer is almost over, not to mention that come fall there will be a full-fledged 2nd-grader and 4th-grader in my house.

Time flies.

With school around the corner, we've started looking at what clothes still fit from last year, and what new things they'll need for the year ahead.

I was thrilled to join a program with Collective Bias to do some back to school shopping at CookiesKids.com to find some great pieces for my daughters.

The Cookie's Kids website has lots of options both for "regular" school clothes - what my kids wear to school - and school uniforms if that's what your kids need for the school year.

I went straight to the section labeled "Girl's Dept." which is easy to navigate by choices like tops, bottoms and shoes. Each item has easy drop-down boxes to see size and color availability.

For my daughter, Magpie - age 8 and soon-to-be fourth grader I picked out an orange and gray striped tee shirt (orange is her favorite color) for $8.99 and comfy gray leggings ($5.99) that will be perfect for days she has gym class.

For my almost-second grader, Kay, who likes fancier garb, I found a ruffly shirt that suited her fashion sensibilities while still being practical enough for school. The layer top ($7.99) came in a choice of black, purple or fuchsia, and after some deliberation I went for her favorite shade, fuchsia.

When the Cookie's Kids package arrived, I showed my kids their new clothes and both girls were delighted. (Phew.)

I wonder how many more years I'll have the fun of picking out clothes for my girls as a surprise, and having them love there new things.

I'm guessing not too many, but hopefully a few more before the real teen years are here.

On Polyvore (my new addiction) I had a lot of fun putting together their new kids clothes from Cookie's Kids in a kids fashion collection - I can see creating a lot more of these in the future!

Happy Back to School everyone, here's to a great year!

Where do you like to shop for back to school clothes? What is your kid's style?

You can see more photos from my shopping experience at CookiesKids.com in my Google+ album here. You can also like Cookie's Kids on Facebook, follow them on Twitter @CookieKids or via the hashtag #CookiesKids.

A little background about Cookie's Kids - now in its 40th year!

In 1972, a young man named Cookie and his brother Marvin went into business together. They rented a 1600 square foot store in Jamaica, Queens, fixed it up, bought inventory and Summer and Fall, and opened a day after Thanksgiving with a full stock of holiday toys. The toys were a success and they put the extra money toward buying children's clothing for the next season. When that did well, they bought more clothing. The business was on it's way.

As the brothers Cookie, Marvin and Sonny, who had come in as a third partner in the business, began to open new stores in new locations, inventory expanded. Besides the latest fashions, our customers wanted shoes, toys, backpacks and accessories and we were prepared to deliver.

By the late 1990's there were six superstores throughout the NYC area, and though they previously had different names, by that time they were all named Cookie's Kids. Also in the late '90s came an important addition to Cookie's Kids' inventory: school uniforms. It was the steady success in uniform sales that paved the way for founding CookiesKids.com in 2007, which originally sold uniforms and soon after the entire Cookie's Kids Inventory.

Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and CookiesKids.com. #CBias #SocialFabric



Rookie USA: Great Clothing from Head to Toe for My Little Rookie

There's a new kids clothing store Rookie USA, and it's coming soon to New York City.

I'm thrilled to be working with Collective Bias to spread the word about Rookie USA, which will feature "kids' favorite brands, head to toe."

As part of the #RookieUSA campaign, my daughter Kay received a package of clothes from Rookie USA, which included incredible brands like Levi's, Converse and Nike.

Kay loves sports, and gym is her favorite thing about school.While she has always participated in a lot of sports from tennis to ice skating, it wasn't until this spring that she played her first team sport, softball.

Here she is on the last day of the softball season, wearing her participation medal with pride and enjoying her little brother's admiration of it.

However, even though Kay is very active, she also cares a lot about what she wears so I was interested to see what she would think of clothes that she didn't pick out herself, since she has been choosing her clothes and getting dressed by herself since she was a toddler.

I'm happy to be able to say that Kay was a big fan of all the clothing, but she especially loved this outfit - a Nike 6.0 tank top and Levi's Skimmer Shorts. It's a great summer outfit, but I think it's also perfect for back-to-school for those still-warm fall days.

These sports shorts from Nike 6.0 were also a hit with Kay, as was the pink tee from Converse.

These Levi's jeans and tee were another fantastic outfit, and will be ideal for school and the fall weather.

Makes you want to get some clothes for your Rookie, doesn't it?

The bad news is that Rookie USA isn't open yet.

But... the good news is you can go to the Rookie USA homepage at RookieUSA.com, and sign up to receive a free $20 gift card that is good for your first in-store purchase. Just enter your email address and choose a password of at least eight characters, click "join" and you're done.

Welcome to the neighborhood, Rookie USA. My little Rookie and I can't wait to go shopping.

For more photos of the clothes from Rookie USA, please visit my Google+ photo album.

To learn more about Rookie USA, follow them on Twitter @RookieUSA and via the hashtag #RookieUSA. You can also like them on Facebook.

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Rookie USA. #CBias #SocialFabric

As always, all opinions are my own.

Looks like the tween is here to stay.

My last post compared my kids on the last day of school last year, and the last day of school this year.

I thought they looked pretty much the same, though Kay is wearing the shorts in this year's photo that her big sister Magpie was wearing last year, so clearly they've grown.

And the year-to-year comparison also revealed their little brother has traded pajamas for regular clothes, but evidently in the transformation forgotten his pants.

But what is most striking is that this is the year my 8-year-old daughter Magpie has decided she is over my photographing ways.

While six-year-old Kay is still clearly happy to pose, Magpie looks like this on the last day of school:

I thought maybe the grumpy barely-tolerating-this-whole-photo-taking-thing was just a reflection of her mood on that particular day and at that particular time.

But a quick look back to the first day of school picture reveals that yeah, that's just her new tween expression, all days, all times.

Thankfully, I've well-documented her pre-tween youth so I'll still have these school photos to enjoy.

And maybe next year, my beloved, dear child, you can crack a tiny smile for the camera?

Or, lemme know tween parents, maybe not?

I'm linking up to Finding the Funny at Kelley's Break Room and My Life and Kids, because semi-surly tweens are funny, right?

{Wordless Wednesday} First Day of First Grade (and Third Grade, too)

Today my kids started school. Here's Kay all first-graded out.

And here they are together, the first-grader and the already jaded third-grader:



It seems like just yesterday I was sending Mapgie off to first grade, and Kay to pre-k.

Tomorrow the little guy starts Nursery School. And I guess in four years, I'll add his first grade photo here, too.

For now, I'm working on explaining to him the baffling concept that an ice cream cone and a shoe cone are not the same thing.

Happy Back to School! How did everyone's first day of school go?

{Erev} Back to School

Tomorrow my kids go back to school. The oldest to third grade, the middle one to first grade, and the baby (who's two) to nursery school.

I will officially have an empty nest (Sort-of. Does school from 9am to noon twice-a-week count as an empty nest?)

We had a great summer. It might have been impossible to extract any more fun (from a kid's point of view) out of it then we did - trips to the beach, overnights at grandma's in New York City, amusement parks and water parks, mini-golf, sleepovers with friends, visits from older cousins, airplane trips to Florida... I'm tired just thinking about it all.

And there was ice cream. We ate lots and lots of ice cream this summer. Sometimes with two spoons.

Not to mention a trip to the ER. Oh yeah, and a major hurricane - which will perhaps be their most memorable experience.

And in case it's not, they'll at least always remember these boardwalk thrill rides:

Ocean City, MD

 

Ocean City, MD

But that is all in the past now. Summer's over, and another school year will begin tomorrow. And right now? As I'm writing this at 9:16pm.... I wish they would all just go the f*ck to sleep.

Here's to high hopes for a great school year ahead, though I know some things like endless pick-up lines and never-ending lunches to pack will never change.

And it's hard to believe we could top last year.

Last day of school, June 2011.





Back to School with Crocs

Thank you to Crocs for sponsoring this blog post. Please click here to learn more about Crocs' new Back to School line. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.

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My kids are going back to school next week, and I am in full this-year-will-be-different mode. I'm determined to have a more organized and stress-free life this year, and I'm hoping a little advanced planning is all I need to make this (annual) dream a reality.

I started by going shopping for school supplies early this year - no being faced with emptied shelves for me! I got everything on the Kindergarten and second-grade lists. Feeling proud of me? Don't. 'Cause my kids are actually going into First grade and Third grade. Doh.

After the mom fail on the school supplies, I'm determined to get it right with back to school shoes for my daughters. Luckily, there are so many (thirteen!) cute styles out from Crocs, I know my girls will like them. From the mom-angle, I'm glad they're all school-approved, as the Crocs Back-to-School line features all closed-toed and closed-heeled shoes, along with signature Crocs comfort, of course. 

I'm pretty sure my kindergartner first-grader, and adorer of all things pink, will love the Kids' Dawson Sneaker:

And my second-grader third-grader will love these sparkly purple sneakers, the Kids' Hover Sneak Metallic:

And me? I'll love not being asked every day but my older daughter Magpie if she can wear the heels that I let her buy for her uncle's wedding to school.

Here's wishing everyone a great school year! What tips do you have for starting the year right? We need some at our house based on last year's school journal.

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To view all the colors and styles available in the back-to-school line visit Crocs online, where you can also enter to win a family vacation to San Diego (no purchase necessary).

View this fun interactive video,"They've Got Summer Inside" - click on the shoes and go directly to that style on the Croc's website. You can also look for the hidden Easter egg, click on it and see what happens.



If you need a hint, here's what the Easter Egg looks like: