Getting Ready for the School Year

Right now my mind is filled with all things back to school. We’re on the 10 day countdown for the little one and only about 5 more days left before I kick off the school year for pre-planning. At night, after the kids are in bed, my mind is going through the never ending lists of things I need to do to get ready. From uniforms to lunch box meal ideas to school supplies to balancing life with a little one in school full time. It’s overwhelming and I’m convinced the more I do to plan now, the more smooth the transition will be. Hopefully…

Over the last month, there are some things I’ve done to prepare for the school year that have been a great help. AND these things can even help our school, win win!

First, over the last two weeks I’ve gone through all of the kids clothes in our house. I bagged up all of the items the kids have outgrown and passed them down to friends. This way, when it’s time to get dressed in the morning I won’t run into the “this doesn’t fit anymore” problem…at least for the next few months. I also did this with all of the toys in our house, but that deserves another post. I can’t begin to tell you how many Hefty bags I went through in a one week time span.

Next, I made a list of crock pot meals for the next few months. Meals I thought my kids would enjoy and seemed easy enough. The week before school starts, I’m going to take a day to start making some of these meals. Clean up will be a breeze on these days thanks to Reynolds Kitchens Slow Cooker Liners!

Next up is school supplies. Even though I am a teacher, I was surprised when I saw the supply list for Kindergarten. Holy moly. Lots of things on there. I was a bit ahead of the game early on in the summer when it came to her backpack and lunchbox. They’re done and ready. Now I have to use the next week to get and label all of the supplies on the list. I’ve also been stalking the Target dollar spot for great deals on teacher items.

Doing just these three things can save you time and stress when the school year starts. Did you also know that by doing some of these things, you can earn money for your child’s school? Reynolds and Hefty are two supporters of Box Tops for Education. You can find the little boxes on the items, ready to be clipped to turn into your child’s school.

At our house, we make Box Tops fun by printing these little sheets to keep track of the Box Tops. Once I cut them out, I put them in a little jar on the counter. It’s the designated Box Top jar. Once a week, or longer depending on how many we’ve saved- AG glues them onto her Box Top tracking sheet. Once it’s full, it gets sent into school. Simple as that.

Think of everything you can use Hefty products for…. cleaning out the fridge, clothes, or toys. Hosting a summer sendoff party? Make sure to get Hefty products and start your Box Top stash. I know I always bake cookies for the teachers when I go back to work. All of my cooking baking is done with Reynolds parchment paper. It’s my little secret to perfectly chewy cookies. Grab some of the Reynolds Kitchen Bakeware with lids and they’re ready to send into school with your kids.

Ready for the exciting part? Right now, through August 29, 2017, you can enter here to be one of 50 daily winners and enter to win the grand prize of $1,000 worth of Box Tops for your school.

A total of five schools will be chosen for the grand prize. You can enter once a day until August 29th, 2017. Put a reminder in your phone and make sure you enter daily———-> BACK TO SCHOOL SWEEPSTAKES!