I have to say, this is the first year that I have never been more ready for ‘back to school‘. Truett (5) is making me crazy and his 16yr old brother isn’t helping. Plus, they pushed Summer break back an additional 2 weeks so it’s truly the longest break they’ve ever had.
As a mom of three boys; Kinder, a Junior, and College, I have learned through the years to better prepare our home for the school year. Here are some of my tips & ideas and if you have you’re own, please share them with me!
A HOMEWORK BOX
This is essential y’all! You get the discount prices on supplies from the beginning of the year and stay stocked throughout the rest of the year. We keep many supplies in bulk in the closet but put together a homework box as a quick way to grab something of need. Having both one in Kindergarten and High School, I try to keep what both would need. Some of the supplies found in our homework box include:
- Folders
- Dividers
- Spiral Notebooks
- Crayons
- Erasers
- Highlighters
- Pens & Pencils
- Sharpener
- Notebook Paper
- Calculator for my oldest taking PreCal *FUN*
- and yes, even dollar bills!
Clearly dollar bills don’t have anything to do with homework but because we keep our homework box on our kitchen bar for easy access, I know that I’ll be able to grab a buck when needed…and you WILL need them. You might need it for popcorn day, booster club, etc but there will be a time when you’ll need to have one to give to the younger kiddos. I got everything at Walmart of course, including the box, which is a Sterilite Latch Box. It’s easy for Truett to get in and out of, it’s transparent so I can see if I’m running low on something, and it’s within my price range.
KEEPING STOCKED UP ON MEDICINE
Unfortunately, one of the not so fun things that happens when school starts, is sickness. These kiddos are spending so much time with eachother in a room, coughing & sneezing all over one another, and probably only getting their hands washed two or three times a day at the most. I recommend that you stock up on medicine; bandaids, Tylenol, and my new favorite product – Halo Oral Antiseptic. This stuff is amazing! When I got home from NYC, my oldest son had just come home from work with flu like symptoms. I was terrified that he’d give it to everyone else in the house, including his 5yr old brother. I had him use the spray and two days later he was completely well. Then my youngest said his throat was feeling yucky so I sprayed him….nothing ever came of that yucky throat. I honestly believe that Halo prevented the symptoms from getting worse. You need to read up on that when you get a chance.
BUY AN EXTRA BACKPACK! You never when your child’s might tear or break or even get stolen. Take advantage of the sales now and get one for backup. We found tons of backpacks at Walmart for $10 bucks. And if for any reason you find that you still have it for next year, but don’t want to use it, donate it!
ADD ‘SCHOOL’ INTO YOUR BUDGET. I don’t know about you, but the amount of money I have invested into the Highland Hornets is enough to send our family on a nice vacation. Allowing yourself to budget for some of those expenses that you know are coming, is essential to saving your sanity (and wallet) later down the road.
So let me hear your tips & ideas! I’m always looking to simplify and just make things easier on our lives!
Disclosure: I am an official Walmart Mom. Follow me and my fellow Walmart Moms as we share our experiences and ideas! Walmart has provided me with compensation and gift card in return for my time & efforts to create this post. My participation in this program is voluntary and my opinions are my own, always have been, always will be.
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