Back To School ~ Friday Treats

Along the same lines of prepping freezer meals, 1 month at a time. I’m deciding now what Friday Treats we will have to help me watch for fun seasonal treats or ingredients on sale. 

Some of our Favorite Friday Treats for September 

 S’more Bark/Campfire Bars 

Apple Nachos 

Apple/zucchini/ banana bread 

Caramel Apple hand pies  

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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 - Freezer Meals

This isn’t the first thing I work on because it’s not cool enough to be cooking so much. But I’m bringing it up now because I will be watching for ingredients to be on sale.  

I just want to share what a LIFESAVER having prepped breakfasts, lunches and dinners is.  We all have those times we oversleep and grabbing a lunch from the freezer, instead of making one, will save us from being late. Or those times we forgot some crucial ingredient  for breakfast, or nights when life is pulling your family in 5 different directions at dinner time. These are the times we take advantage of the freezer instead of takeout. 

There is no shortage of blogs, YouTube, and Instagram accounts that have big lists of freezer meals to prep ahead. 

Don’t skip on basic proteins though.  Shredded plain chicken breast can be used with so many other things, same with browned hamburger. I try to have multiple meals worth ready to go. 

These are some of my go to meals. 

Sliders (easy for lunches) we do ham and cheese, Turkey and cheese, burgers 

Breakfast sandwiches

Spicy chicken roll ups (just bake from frozen)

Pulled pork roasts-I put a few on the smoker at once, then freeze them.  To reheat I just throw them in instant pot or slow cooker and with some liquid (water or stock) and BBQ sauce.

Grilled chicken breast-there is always a use for these.  Teriyaki chicken on rice, Alfredo, stir fry, tacos, chicken bacon ranch salad, Mac n cheese.  So many! We make 1-2 packages of chicken breast almost every week, the kids can fix them up easily too. 

I’ll be working on filling the freezer up with these this month. 

I've got a list of a lot of our regulars, I'm hoping to make some of each of these! 

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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! 

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Breakfast Prep Rotation Schedule

Breakfast Schedules/Rotation. I love/hate them. We don’t do this is in the summer because everyone gets up and eats at different times and does their own thing. But during school, it’s something that feels like it makes our mornings run a little smoother. We had a couple years where our kids ate breakfast in class so this hasn’t been a thing at our house for a while!  I like it because I don’t have to answer questions about breakfast, there’s plenty of days where it’s not on me to make breakfast because I can prep most of it ahead of time.  It still leaves weekends for more elaborate breakfasts and special treats. I feel like it helps the budget too! 

Pancakes/Pancake Muffins~ I Make ahead = very little dishes for Monday morning 

Yogurt Bowls~ I can use these and make ahead from the big containers or buy the small containers if I find a deal. We add fruit and granola

Oatmeal~Instant Pot Oatmeal the night before and it’s done, or if I am slacking, we have instant oatmeal and I am not going to feel bad about it 

Egg Bites/Burritos ~Both made ahead and both very little clean up. Win/win 🙌🏻 

On Friday we have other options too, waffles, bagels, sausage etc

Do you do something like this too? Maybe it’s just 1 or 2 days a week where you don’t have to think about it? 

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Quarantine Morning Routine for Mom

Well here we are, a month plus in to this craziness and I am finding a real need to address my current routine, you can find it HERE.  Guess what? It's not working. 

 It’s just not working while we are home all day, working and schooling here, and eating ALL day, right? I feel like every mom has said their kid is eating non stop. 

Starting with a list (I love lists 😍) of the things that need to be done before 8, 10, 12. I like to break mine down in chunks of time. Some people call it time blocking, I don’t really label it, I just do it because it’s logical to me. 

So my list before 8 

For me and *kids

Walk 

Coffee & Quiet Time 

Check planner (for the very very few things still on it) 

*Get ready for day.. to go no where 

Pack Lunch for hubby (if not done night before like I should have)

*Breakfast for Kids

Clean up Kitchen 

*School Prep/Check In

Before 10 

Check Meal Plan 

Daily Chores (find my schedule HERE) 

Check Bills (I have a problem, I know) 

Before 12 

*Finish school work for day

*Play Outside  

Read

Breakfast for me 

*Chores 

That’s it

 I know when I shrink it down it doesn’t seem like much. I’m happy to share more details, just ask. I just don't know how helpful it would be to all since we all have different situations/kids/chores etc. 

We leave at noon most days to grab lunch, drop stuff at my moms, errands (very rarely) or taking Ramsey to the golf course.  So thankful that’s still allowed right now. It’s a good safe outlet for him.  Afternoons are just pretty much a whatever ya want/free for all with some exceptions. From 2-3 most days is QUIET TIME FOR EVERYONE. We all need a break or nap.  No electronics from 12-3. They aren’t sitting on them much anyway but I like that there’s a definite break, and I hope we will be extending that time. They are on so much in the mornings for school.  

Evenings have been a disaster because I haven’t kept up on our usual and I haven’t even tried to work with what we had going on to adjust to new circumstances.  Working on that this week, especially since we know this is longer term than we first thought. 

Also, long time since I've been on, so HI!! Things have changed A LOT. Maybe this quarantine will get me back on here monthly, weekly? Something more than once a year? Come find me on Instagram www.Instagram.com/FolkHollow it's been pretty quiet there too though. I will say that the last few months I've felt more like blogging/Vlogging though so hopefully I can do something with those urges. 

Hope you are all well 

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Back to School Prep {Laundry}

When I asked on Instagram “What makes you stress about Back To School time?

The top answers were 

Laundry/Kids Clothes 

Dinner

Housekeeping 

Logistics 

Breakfast 

Lunch Prep

Getting Out The Door 

I’ve pretty much shared all I can right now on kids clothes, but I wanted to share how we do laundry when we are on the right track. 

I do 1-2 loads a day Monday-Thursday and sometimes a special load, or couch covers on Friday and NONE on the weekend. No one wants to put laundry away Sunday night! 

Obviously there is the occasional mishap when a uniform gets missed in the last dark load on Thursday and is needed on Monday, or someone is losing their mind over certain jeans. But typically our family of 6, with pretty small wardrobes ( I think anyway) can make this work and I feel less resentful about laundry if it’s not an issue on the weekend. 

I’m always down for hearing about new methods! Send em my way! 

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Easy Breakfast Plan

This has been helpful for us in the past, last year was kind of a wash. This year though, this year HAS to go smoother! I've done some prepping already and am printing this for my planner! 

This might not be perfect and it might not happen every week, I still want to have it so I have something to fall back on when things feel like they are getting out of control!

I've made these pancake poppers in bulk because they are easy to grab and go! Super easy to make too! Whatever you like for pancake batter, then spray a mini muffin tin well, bake 12-14 minutes at 350! I made a bunch to freeze and we will just pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds when it's time to eat them!

We've got bacon and cheese, blackberry, raspberry with protein boost, sausage & maple and apple spice poppers all ready for school in 2 weeks!

I keep yogurt cups and have the dry ingredients in our breakfast bucket! Granola, dried fruit and plastic spoons, just in case!

Summer has it looking slim! Need to restock the spoons and fruit! 

Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats! So many variations for flavors! Easy prep the night before, filling and not expensive! I picked Wednesday for this because we rarely use the IP for taco Tuesday'

Eggs, bacon and toast is a little more work for me but I feel like I should have my life together by Thursday of each week lol. I also have a stack of bacon egg and cheese English muffins in the freezer if that is not the case and I am still failing.

Friday is typically chaos for me. The day I play catch up and I don't really want to add extra dishes in the morning or worry about it. We have leftovers, yogurt, cereal sometimes and the kids can choose to make their own stuff too! 

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Back to School Organization~ Cleaning Cards

 I shared our updated Chore Packs last week, over the weekend I put together the cards for each room. These are not jobs that will take hours, just a checklist of a few items that each take a couple minutes max. Having some help do these few chores a couple times a week will sure help me, and help these kids learn how to keep the spaces they frequent tidy. 

I don't expect the bigger kids to need these for long, after a few weeks they will have the routine down, until then, they are laminated and have a spot easy to access. I also attached a dry erase marker because a certain 7 year old I know and love will want to check them off! It might add more time to the job than the actual job, but if it encourages him to helpful, I will take it!

I've got a card (just small, 4x6) for Kitchen, Bathroom, Bedroom, and Family Room.

Email me if you would like them too, free :)

FolkHollow@gmail.com

*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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Back to School Snack Mix

This is a fun, easy, not terrible snack for after school. The first day of school makes me think of apples and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches 🍎🍞

I don't usually measure but made some guesses this time! Add more of your favorites, you really can't go wrong!

3C Chex (or crispix or life, whatever is on sale!)

1C Freeze dried apples broken into little bites

1C Peanuts

3/4C PB chips 

3/4C Pretzels 

You can add dried strawberries too if you want to make it even more sweet. We didn't have any or I would have halved the PB chips and added some dried strawberries. Yogurt peanuts are a good alternative too. Might make it look a little less monotone hehe

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Updated Homework Setup

I have no idea if any of our older 3 will have homework. I am assuming the 6th grader will and probably the 1st grader, going to set up for that and change it if we need to. Oh how I miss the last time I shared our work set up. 2 tiny elementary students and a pre-preschooler :(

We already have a drawer for colored pencils, crayons, art supplies and that kind of stuff. It's just not very conducive to homework, too many fun distractions. I don't want to do anything TOO over the top or crazy. I'm just tidying the drawer that already has all their other stuff. Journals, devotionals and such, stuff we ideally use everyday. Added a little basket with plain pencils (no one comes looking for those) and a few crayons. I might add their workbooks, once we know who has homework and how much. 

This is also where we will keep their reading logs and folders, if it's like years past where they bring them home Monday and return Friday. 

I don't know if there is anything worse than a frantic type A kiddo who doesn't know where their homework folder is and it's time to go. I'd love to eliminate that whole dilemma with this! 

 It's not a huge drawer, but I am also hoping to have room for 1st grade library books. He is NOT of the type A variety and really has no desire to keep track of anything.

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*Updated* Breakfast Plan

Breakfast time can be a disaster, mornings are rough, having a plan makes it a little easier, not easy, but a teeny bit easier.

I don't love the idea of something super rigid, but mornings here need just a little bit of structure.
 I plan to make the same things each week.  Our kids are getting old enough that a lot of mornings they can do it themselves, I am usually up before them though and like to do it! I'm not talking some crazy elaborate breakfast every morning. I am just picking the 5 or 6 things I know the kids like, are not going to kill our budget, will keep them full enough to make it to snack time and not full of sugar or junk. 

Mondays 

Kodiak Cakes and Fruit
We LOVE Kodiak Cakes!

Tuesdays 

Yogurt and stuff

We add stuff like nuts, granola, seeds, fruit

Wednesdays 

Oatmeal and fluff, fruit and all that. Steel Cut Oats in the Instant Pot are AMAZING. Definitely my favorite!

Thursdays 
Waffles and fruit
Usually with PB for some protein

Fridays 

Bacon or Sausage and Eggs with toast.
Especially now that our chickens are finally laying!

**I also have stuff for protein smoothies pretty much all of the time, for busy days or if we are low on something**

We keep our breakfast fluff, like granola, cinnamon sugar, oatmeal they can do themselves etc. all together and easy to get out and put away.  

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Snack Prep to Save Time & Money

This has been my most pinned thing ever!

It's been 5 long, but fast, years and SO much has changed!
For 1, none of that would last a week anymore! These growing kids and growing appetites!
Also, the actual snacks have changed a bit as well as the containers.

Now I snag these and give myself a little time, usually on Monday's when I am working in the kitchen quite a bit anyway. 

I just fill while I can, between reading to the baby and coloring or Skip Bo with the big kids. It doesn't take a terribly long time, just repetitive. I have been doing a terrible job at it all Summer. Working on making the school year as smooth running as I can though, getting back in to the habit!

And we use a whole drawer in the fridge. This fridge is new, so I am not sure if this is how this set up will stay. We aren't used to it yet. Let me get a couple times of grocery shopping in and see what happens.

Normally I wouldn't buy individual apple sauce or yogurts, both were less than big containers at our outlet. 

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Weekly Outfits for Kids

Now that I have all their stuff organized, gonna straight ruin that and make a week + worth of outfits.

Last year I was too tired to care much about what they wore, wasn't worth the battles. 

This year I have had a bit more sleep. I don't want it to be a battle, but I'd also like some more of her clothes to see sunlight.

These fancy schmancy dollar tree hangers are perfect! 5 slots to hang outfits. I am planning on doing 2 weeks at a time and adding this task to my Sunday night routine until I either burn out or feel like she can do a little better job not wearing her 4 favorites. I haven't found the hangers lately, but amazon has some HERE

I also just clipped the matching hair bow or headband right onto the shirt or hanger! 

This will probably save me a few minutes each morning. Once the weather is more varied I might have a little bit of hard time getting her to choose the weather appropriate one.


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Back to School Goals!

Summer is fun and all but I love the routines of school time too! Last year was so OFF for us. New school, new morning routine with bus riding, having a baby that slept like a newborn, and a new house in shambles. Most of that is settled now.  I feel like we let so much slide and now I have August to get back on track after almost 2 years of being off our game.  School starts the end of August for us, exactly 1 month from today.. Yikes!
Just a few things I want to have ready before then, some routines in place, some work done.

Put Up Decorations

And be real about what I am keeping, not sure I will need all 6 banners we have in that bin.

Update our Breakfast Routine

Update our Homework Setup

Lunch & Snack Prep

Morning Routine for School 
Mine and the Kids

Meal Planning

Kids Chore Packs

Sports Area in Garage

Outfits picked out for middle 2 

While I still can 😭😭

Get a Command Center set up
This is unlikely but I would love for it to be wrapped up, or even started!

Not worrying about any of it this weekend, but hoping Monday is kind!



And I know our after schools are going to be so weird now that we have 1 kiddo who won't be home until a bit later. But figuring out afternoons is on the list to figure out after a month or so. 

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My top 3 Back to School Must Haves to Save Time and Money!

It's been busy around here, busy doing nothing. We still haven't closed on our new place but we have to be out of our rental. It's been an interesting ride and I am avoiding the stress of it for now.  Once we get settled I think it will be a mad rush for school. It's going by so fast!

The last 2 years have been so crazy for us. I hope we can get all settled and I can find everything before school starts!

1.

We have a set of these for each kid. Saves so much on school lunches and I love knowing what they are getting, and that they will eat it. There seem to be less to choose from the sooner it gets to school.

2.

These little plastic cups with lids! I know they are common for Jello shots. That is not what we use them for though ;) 

They are the perfect size for snacks. I can buy in bulk and save, then just package them into these and they are ready to go in our snack bucket!

3.

 Iron in Name Tags!
With 3 kids going to school the chances of someone losing a sweater, jacket, lunchbox every week is likely. These save me time from digging in the lost and found, and save us money because we aren't replacing items that go missing!

To go with these, I like these markers!

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4 Things I learned about selling a home (or not)

  We are quickly approaching what should have been our closing date, things fell through this go around and now we are going to be here until after the baby is born for sure. That changes a few things. Some things I have learned from this short experience won't be forgotten and will absolutely change how we do things here!

 1. WE HAVE TOO MUCH STUFF!

I don't think this is really news to anyone who has had to pack stuff. It's amazing the amount of stuff we can collect. Things like sandals, cake pans and clothes!

I think I packed a little more than half of our stuff. It's been in our garage for weeks now. There are very very few things I wish I had out of those boxes. I think that is a good sign that I can let a lot of it go! I am tempted to just take all of the clothes out there to donate. I might need to wait until I am not pregnant and we get over this heat. But having so much of it packed has really made me realize even more than I did before that having so many options is not beneficial. It's just cluttering and wasting time!

2. Nothing is official until things are official

Things were going SO smoothly, maybe too smoothly.

Thankfully, we hadn't found a rental or a house in the area we want to be, so the only thing it has really affected was packing.

3. Some things really just can't be packed away until the day you move! 

 I tried to limit our school supplies, homework stations etc. and now that things are changing and we will be here until after school starts, we neeeeed that space! I am scrambling to get the important stuff back together. I never want homework to be a problem. I want our kids to love school and learning and work and not dread it! Having the things they will likely need at hand, ready to use without a hassle just helps immensely.

4. As much as I thought we were as organized as we could get.
We weren't! Not even close. I think the main part of that is that we have too much stuff.
I know for sure we aren't as organized as I imagined because I still can't find a pair of jeans I know I bought for Finn. It's around here somewhere, probably in a box of clothes he could be using right now! I have just a few weeks until my c-section and I am making it my mission to do as much as I can and getting as much excess out!

  I am working on #4 by taking a Facebook break (I KNOW it's a time suck for me), and I will have some alone time, say WHAT? That rarely happens! But for a few hours a few days a week, for 2 weeks I will have some time alone, where I can sort and organize and hopefully bust through the rest of the stuff inside. Anything in the garage we don't go looking for might just have to go!

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#1 Way We Make Mornings Smooth!

Alright, even though I said we were just going to wing things, the anxiety of unknown is getting to me a teeny bit and I feel like our breakfast schedule is something that needs to stick around!

I shared last year (or a few years before) here, and it's not really that different now. Just want to share a little more details about how we start our mornings!

We still use our Good Morning Basket

It has the kids chore packs, granola, brown sugar, and now vitamins along with our devotionals. 

Here is our weekly breakfast schedule!

Monday~Pancakes, fruit and sausage/bacon

I prefer to make our own pancakes, and add some vanilla protein powder to them! We have picky kids who don't really like a whole lot of protein items.

Tuesday~Oatmeal and Toppings

We pretty much always have some fruit for on top, kids occasionally get some peanut butter or chocolate chips on top too!

Wednesday~Yogurt and Fluff
fruit and granola on top. Each of our kids like theirs a little different!

Thursday~Waffles with Nut Butter
Last I shared, we were using a different brand. We are all big fans of Wild Friends Nut Butters!

There are other flavors too! My favorite is the chocolate sunflower seed!

Friday~Cereal and Fruit
By Friday we need an easy breakfast! Sometimes we just have scrambled eggs and toast or a mini bagel and fruit but cereal is the standby. I don't love giving the kids cereal and when we do it's usually boring with no sugar, chocolate or marshmallows. Not hard to convince them to have something else!

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Back to School Shopping

Back to school SAVING

#1 way to save?!

Don't go OVERBOARD!

Believe me, I KNOW how hard it is! Back to school happens to be one of my favorite holidays! We can call it a holiday right? Set a budget and try to watch the sales!

2. Know what you have, what you need.
This chart is an awesome tool for that as far as clothes go. Print one for each kid.

Be realistic. Do they NEED 8 pairs of shoes? Probably not, is it hard to not buy the cute floral ones that match 2 shirts, yes! Make your lists and BRING THEM! It's so easy to get caught up in the cute and fresh to forget you already have 4 short sleeve shirts!
I am going to share how we decided what the kids actually needed next week. I made this list about this time last year

While I did try to stick to that, and I got rid of a lot, we still had a lot of clothes. Actually we still do! I haven't bought much for any of the kids other than a couple cotton dresses for our girly.
Our schools sends the supply list out at the end of the school year, that helps us watch for the deals!


3. Start Early
It's the beginning of July and stores like Target and Staples have been sending back to school stuff for a couple of weeks! If you have your LIST ready then you aren't paying full price when it comes to the end of the summer break. Our Target already has all of the patio stuff on clearance, it will only be a couple weeks before it is full of school supplies.



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Back to School Fairy '13

It's almost that time! Time for the Back to School Fairy to stop by and leave a little treat and note for kids who are off to school in a week and a half!

 

I have concentrated on reminding them to be good students and good friends at school. This year will be the same but I think the fairy might need to remind them to help their mama after school one of the days!

 

As much as I really wanted to could have blown our Back to School Budget for the Back to School Fairy, I didn't!  Kept things really pretty mild but things I know they either needed or wanted.

 

Carsyn got a dress, the only dress I bought her for Back to School, a shirt for Ramsey

 

A couple little Legos I already had on hand, some hair glitter, new toothbrushes
And they each got a box of granola bars, those are a real treat for our kids, they don't get them often.
And Finnley has a Starbucks gift card for his first day of Preschool!

 Couple other little things, nothing too major but they will like them!

 

I know this tradition isn't for everyone and some people would rather just give the kids something from them and not the Back to School Fairy, but we started with the Back to School Fairy and I love that our kids remember it and ask about it throughout the year.

 

Check out past years here!

Who else is doing this, or something similar?
 

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