Kids Clothes- Managed -Back To School

This is such a struggle for me. Every year it gets a little easier as the kids get pickier and have specific things they want.  The clothes! So much clothes! 

I grew up getting pretty much a whole wardrobe before school started and we kind of continued that.  As the kids have gotten older and I have become a fan of minimalism, that’s faded.  Don’t get me wrong, they still get a few things because it’s fun and there is usually some need between growth and damage.  

Before I even consider looking for clothes, I try and go through everything they have. Stuff they don’t love and I don’t love, goes. Stained, ripped or too small? It allll goes!  I don’t want to keep stuff in their drawers they are just going to skip over every day. 

Then I grab the bin of hand me downs/sale finds for the next size, whatever size they are growing into. Grab things from it that are weather appropriate and put things back in their drawers. 

We keep stuff that is more than 1 year out in the Laundry Room, and stuff likely to be needed soon is in the closet top shelf. I need to label these someway that isn't permanent. I'll add that to my Fall Deep Cleaning/Organizing. 

I like making a note of things they need, socks and underwear are almost always a guarantee, in my checklist app. I also add sizes for tops and bottoms because it can be easy to mix up with 4. It’s broken down by kiddo. I do this because sometimes I’ll find an unexpected deal while I am out and don’t want to grab the wrong size or socks for the wrong kid. 

And because our younger 2 are especially rough on clothes, I keep the new stuff in their backpack put up until the day before school. 

I don’t try to manage the teens clothes anymore, outside of making sure they aren’t keeping things they won’t be able to wear in public 🤪

For the younger 2, I have a rough list of what I like to keep for them. It looks about like this

7 underwear

7 socks 

3 pair jeans 

3 pair of other pants (joggers etc) 

7 T shirts

3-5 hoodies

3-6 pair of athletic shorts (older one needs a pair everyday for sports) 

1-2 pair casual shorts 

Church clothes 

3 pair pajamas 

1 jacket

1 heavier coat 

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Back To School Prep & Baked Oatmeal Bars

August is a little bittersweet. I’m torn between spending everyday soaking up summer and knowing that I really should carve a few minutes  here and there to make September less chaotic, assuming our ridiculous (Oregon) government let’s us live again. 

I’ve got a whole lot of random things to share to prep for Back to School. Some of them are my most popular posts, re-imagined and others are new as our kids are older and teens are a whole new adventure. I’m going to proceed as if we are actually going to have a real school year, because I need that for my sanity. 

Today I am sharing one of my Go-to, Budget Friendly, Make Ahead, Delicious breakfasts you can grab and go!  It’s also perfect for Sunday, heading to the ball field or church, these are easy! 

These Baked Oatmeal bars are easy to mix up and try some different add-ins to. I have a big list of combinations I want to try.  

I grabbed a few different baking chips that were on clearance at Target to make some variety.  Made a batch of just peanut butter and chocolate chips.  And a double batch of Apple, cranberry and walnut. 

For those I swapped the peanut butter for applesauce, added some dried cranberries and a few white chocolate chips and walnuts. I should have added some cinnamon but forgot. 

All you do is dump it all in a bowl and mix it up. Then pour into a greased 8x8 pan. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Alternatively you can fill about 15 cupcake liners 1/2-3/4 full and bake for the same time. I prefer the cupcake liner method. 

1 1/2 C Quick Oats 

3/4 C Milk (of your choice) 

1/2 C Brown Sugar 

1 Egg

1/4 C Butter Melted 

1/2 Cup Nut Butter melted ish. Enough that you can stir it in. 

1 1/2 tsp Vanilla 

1/2 tsp Salt 

1 tsp Baking Powder

That’s it! Let them cool a little bit and eat right away or completely cool and they are simple to cut, and easy to grab and go.  They also thaw from frozen pretty quick! 

*May contain affiliated links* I participate in Amazon Associates Program occasionally. I won't recommend a product I wasn't myself interested in trying or have tried. I may receive monetary compensation for participating. This does not change the price for you.

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