back to school shopping

for us here in texas, tax-free back to school shopping is this weekend and it actually starts this friday! i've got my list ready and our big guy is anxious to pick out his school stuff especially his backpack and lunchbox for the new school year. 

i've got his school supplies covered through the school's PTA but all his other basic necessities, we need to stock up. that means shopping for socks, raincoat, jacket, hoodies, pants and basic shirts. it will be a pretty busy weekend for sure. 

SHOP SCHOOL BASICS HERE :

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the night before 2nd grade

thought i'd share the sweetest thing we did the night before the first day of second grade. aston's  second grade teacher handed us a booklet the night of the school's teacher and parents meet and greet last week. it was something we'd read with him the night before the first day of school. 

here's what the cover page says : 

SWEET DREAMS

open and read this together at bedtime on sunday. no peeking! 

inside is a packet of sequins confetti

here's what's written inside : 

i just thought that was the neatest thing. honestly, it was tough getting him to bed early last night. we've spent late summer nights and he's struggled going back to the old early routine. but as soon as he read that, he got really excited. he did refuse to sprinkle "girly" sequins under his pillow as the book instructed but he did hold on to that booklet till he fell asleep! 

happy first day of school to most kiddos and happy monday to all! 

get the look : back to school edition

tshirt // blazer // eyeglasses // scarf // sneakers // jeans // watch // tote 

~ source 1, 2,

back to school gear

summer days are dwindling down and we are doing a countdown for the first day of school. this past weekend was tax-free back to school shopping weekend and we surely took advantage of it. our school officially opens end of the month and we can't wait to get back to everyone's normal routine. if you haven't done shopping just yet and if you're like me, still checking off items on our list - here are a few cute back to school gear for the boys and girls! 

shop for boys' gear here :

shop for girls back to school gear here :

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poppin my desk

it's no secret i love my stationery, markers and notebooks in my life. my endless supply of colorful pens and notecards of all shapes and sizes signify my love affair with cute-sy desk supplies. 

when back-to-school season rolls around, i tend to shop for my own supplies even if the closest i get to the classroom is the carpool! 

i can spend hours and hours being drowned in poppin's site and today i've got some of my awesome desk supply picks for you to check out! 

back to school sale

it's the end of july next week and summer will soon be over. i'm reluctant to let of go of summer but it's almost gone and time to shift gears - refocus and stock up on back to school gear essentials. 

checking out the nordstrom's anniversary sale for your child's back to school wardrobe needs may find you some of the best deals in shoes, jackets, shirts and pants. hurry and don't forget, prices go back up august 4th! 

shop for my picks here : 

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our first grader

 today is a classic first day of school, rainy and gloomy (just as I always remembered as a kid). we just got back from california yesterday but we are all ready up and bright this morning for first day of school. 

 aston  will be in first grade and we are excited for him. we met his new teacher (who's wonderful!) and classmates last week and it was nice meeting parents as well! 

we were the first one there today in the classroom and we get to snap a pic of him and his teacher!  

never fails. i cry every year when I drop him off on the first day of school (notice how small my eyes are?). i was a total mess while he's all embarassed. year after year you get to realize that he's all grown up. a bit more responsible. slightly reliable. is that really our baby boy? 

do you moms feel the same way? 

back to school party

for most of you, school must have started this week if not next week. if you have time to squeeze a last minute back-to-school party for the kids and their friends, find inspiration in these images for some cute party details! 

here's what you need to recreate a fun back-to-school soiree : 

shop for them here

~ images : 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

back to school

texas peeps, this friday starts the annual tax-free weekend for items under $100 - go shop and avail of tax savings! 

shop back to school supplies here :

back to school ~ pencil shavings studio

still on our back-to-school series, today we have the talented and simply amazing Rachel of pencil shavings studio dishing on more back-to-school essentials ~ this time, the grownup's edition. i am obsessed with Rachel's shop and every single thing she has for sale there. so, it's no surprise that i'd be in love with all her great finds showcased today and i know you will be too! thanks so much Rachel for being with us today!

I don't know about you, but I've always had a secret thrill at shopping for school supplies. There's nothing better than getting organized with a fresh arsenal of pens, pencils, and notebooks. Here's my top 6 picks for back-to-school, adult edition.

  Wall Pops Frame dry erase board / Jonathan Adler Woven Strings Duchess Tote 

  Eiffel Tower bookends / Russell & Hazel binder / Network Pencil Cup / Storage boxes

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back to school ~ a blissful nest

this week was a busy week for us as our little man started kindergarten last tuesday. i wished we had a little party to celebrate back-to-school with his best buds but i think it's not too late to have a little gathering and party in style using my talented friend Rebekah's (of A Blissful Nest) back to school party printables. she debuted the adorable new line this week and we're lucky to have her today to feature them along with the a lovely fun party display (and the most gorgeous daughter model!) she styled and photographed. you can check out the back to school party printables here. thanks Rebekah for joining us today!



I always seem to find a good reason to throw a party and what a better theme than Back To School! I love celebrating those milestones in my child's life and there are a few simple things to do so.
   

 First pick a theme. Ours was a "Smart Kids" back to school party. We were pre-celebrating how smart our little one's were going to be this year.

  Next select your menu. For small parties like this one, a few simple baked goods and drinks is all you need. I am on a caramel kick this year so my goodies all had a caramel ingredient.

 

I selected 3 "smart" drinks - smart water, smart juice and some smart milk.

   

 Lastly, have fun with some personalized decorations. As we have seen over the last few years, party decorations have really evolved that now they do not have to have that commercialized store bought look anymore. With so many online party shops popping up you really can create a custom party different from your friends.    

 

  I absolutely love the personal touch printables can give a party and find so much joy in creating these custom pieces. Back to school can be so much fun celebrated in style! 

 Vendor Credits Party Printable Decor/ Styling/ Photography: by A Blissful Nest Paper Medallions: Party City Paper Straws: Target School Desk: Thrift Store Baskets: Thrift Store Green Table: Marshalls

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back to school ~ a thoughtful place

we're in for another treat today as Courtney of a thoughtful place stops by and shares her back-to-school preparations with her family. she needs no introduction ~ a mom with mad DIY, organizational and interior design skills ~ i've followed her blog for like forever. i am so excited for this post, i am stealing her schoolwork organization ideas. thanks Courtney for being a part of this back to school series!  

Hi! I'm Courtney from A Thoughtful Place and I am so honored to be hanging out here today! We are gearing up for back to school around here. I have one entering first grade and one that will be starting his second year of preschool. To be honest, it's all about having many systems in place over here. That is the only way I function. I may or may not be obsessed with organization! The one thing I do know is that I just really like things to run smoothly so there is more fun time with my family. So here is a collection of things we do to get ready for back to school!



Organized Artwork

The crazy thing about starting school up again, is preparing for the onslaught of artwork and papers. We have a system in place that makes it much easier to get a handle on that. 

Organized Medicines and Important Phone Numbers

I also take the back to school time to clear out our family medicines and first aid supplies. This year I created a board with all of the kiddos' school numbers and other important information. 

http://www.athoughtfulplaceblog.com/2012/08/organized-kitchen-cabinet-under-500.html

The Homework Box

The homework box is one spot where we put all of my daughter's homework for the week. It also has pencils, crayons, and a sharpener. She pulls out this homework box while I work on dinner and I am available to help her if she needs it. 

The Rainbow Cake

Last but not least, our favorite part of back to school! We make up a giant rainbow cake {in honor of fresh crayons!} to dive into after the kids have had their first day. 

Wishing you all an amazing back to school season! Here's to loving school and staying organized!

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back to school ~ your style scout

good morning everyone! i'm glad to be back blogging from a weekend of end-of-summer vacation with the family. i am thrilled that Melanie of blog, scout ~ a mom's guide to stylish living and personal shopper/stylist with style spies shares her favorite fall pieces here today. mel is one of my favorite stylish moms out there and i always read her blog for the latest baby gear, new makeup finds and latest fashion trends. with a handsome boy getting ready for school, a new beautiful baby girl, tv appearances and  styling gigs ~ she is one busy mama and a no-fuss daily uniform is a must! let's read on......

Thanks Lili for having me guest post this week! My favorite part about back to school is getting to wear my favorite fall clothes again! Here are just a few key pieces that are part of my daily "uniform"

Back to school: Mom Style by stylescout1 featuring leopard flats



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thank you Mel for visiting!  

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