I'm just another working mom seeking a few moments of Zen and zinfandel between soccer practice and supper. My former beach bartender husband founded 
Miss C, August 2007, first week of kindergarten.
We have a winner! Daleen from Smiling Mama of Two, who commented “We go through all of last years school supplies. just to make sure that I can be more frugal by not “doubling” up on things. My son is going to “Middle School” this year. We are all really excited. Lots of pictures to be taken that 1st day!” is the winner of the $100 Visa Gift Card.
”I find it incredibly hard to believe Miss C starts second grade next month. One day she was a chubby cheeked, wispy headed toddler learning her colors at daycare and the next day she was telling me she wanted a leopard print backpack and lunchbox and pierced ears.
I must admit I get excited about the notion of shopping for school supplies. It takes me back to the days when my mom would take me to Eckles just off the square in my small hometown. This was before WalMart and Target became prevalent and when Grease, not High School Musical, was all the rage. We’d stroll through aisles of neatly stacked workbooks and the whole place smelled of paper and pencil shavings and pristine erasers and held the promise of new beginnings, new friends to make, new things to learn, and new ways to avoid eating cafeteria green beans.
Back to school shopping is just not that simple any more. Last year we hit every super store and office supply chain in two counties to track down the supplies on Miss C’s first grade list. By the time we made it to the checkout line at each store I was bedraggled and cursing the shortage of Fiskars scissors in girl friendly colors and solid-colored pronged folders. We won’t talk about the run on 10 cent glue sticks at WalMart that nearly caused a stampede. Catfights are already a given there, especially in the heat of August.
After getting completely burned out on shopping for school supplies last year, somehow I managed to miss the end-of-the year sign up for pre-packaged school supply packs. Seriously, is there a worse time to send out announcements than May when you’ve already OD’d on field trip forms, permission slips, and other announcements related to end of school year festivities?
Take it from me all you elementary school newbies. Shopping for school supplies is not as romantic as you recall from your own childhood. It’s best to leave that memory unmarred, like a shiny new Trapper Keeper notebook, and fork over the extra bucks so someone else can shop for you.
p.s. I have a tradition of taking Miss C’s picture on the first day of school out on the front walk by our house. It’s a great way to gauge how much she’s changed from year to year and something I hope she’ll enjoy looking back on some day.
Lots of us are gearing up for school – an exciting, fun and sometimes, hectic time. Hallmark has put together this great resource to help you calm the butterflies and build your kids’ confidence. Just for joining the conversation you’ll be entered to win $500. Check it out.
One lucky BlondeMomBlog reader will also win a $100 Visa gift card to help out with their back-to-school shopping! Simply leave a comment on this post by midnight August 8 about your family’s back-to-school tradition or any advice you have for parents sending their child to school for the first time this fall. A random winner will be chosen from all eligible comments.
Disclosure: This post and giveaway sponsored by Hallmark.
The whole family go to bed early so you can get up early, while kids getting dressed, cook a full breakfast. Shop early for school supplies (get a list of what your child need from the school). Happy first day of school to all the kiddies.
make sure to start it with a great breakfast!!
I lay my kids clothes out the night before. I make them a nice breakfast, and I send them off to school.
Thanks for the contest!
nice giveaway
Great contest! Who doesn’t need the extra cash for all that back to school shopping?
Great contest I love Visa cards
.-= Kara Pearson´s last blog ..Winners!! =-.
Taking some back to school photos is always great fun. I used to stand the kids by the front door every year in basically the same position. It’s marvelous to look at those photos and see how much they changed year-to-year.
Ahhh…back to school shopping! I’m also a teacher so I can understand the stress of this time. However, to make it easy on myself and other parents, I always recommend Wal-Mart. They always have the lowest prices on supplies and if they don’t, just bring in the ad from another store and they’ll match it! This is especially handy when Office Depot and Staples put limits on bargain items! Hope this helps!
can use the money for school
thanks for cash for school supplies.
Would love to use this to buy school supplies for my 4 kids! Wow what a realization when you need 22 glue sticks to start the list!!
Love gift cards
Take a picture every year as they’re ready to leave for school, it’ll be nice memories later.
thanx for the giveaway
My “baby” is going to Kindnergarden this Fall! So hard to believe! I’m sending him to the same Catholic School I attended when I was younger! A Visa card is a great gift~ thanks for offering that great gift! I’m sure it’ll be used well!
When my daughter was younger I would volunteer at her school. Now that she is a teen I have changed the tradition to taking her out to dinner. after school the first day.
We usually go out shopping to the outlet mall.They have very good specials
and it saves on gas.They have a nice Sears store there too.Then off to Walmart
for school supplies,they seem to have the best prices.You get the best deals
when you go early and also find what you need.
Start shopping for the basic back to school supplies early on so by the time you get the “list” from school you already will have a head start on the items needed.
Our only tradition is back to school shopping for clothes and school supplies.
We had Pre-K last year so we don’t have Traditions YET… but so far we have let Wee Man pick one special thing for school that is not on the list… He was super excited about Kinder and school shopping…
.-= brooke´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday – Wee Face =-.
Always utilize the school’s supply checklist. Most major stores such as Target or Walmart have your local school’s supply check list on hand. To avoid any “I didn’t want that color!” or “Where’s the pink one?” comments from your elementary aged student, bring them along and offer choices. They will feel more involved and may help make some of the first time transitions easier at school
Its amazing what the kids have on their school list nowadays. When I was in school all we needed was a pencil and a notebook. Thanks for the giveaway it will come in handy.
We buy new clothes & supplies – including a new backpack, lunchbox, etc… Then we take pictures the first day of school.
We buy a themed gift for the new teacher… “An apple a day” note pad, apple hand sanitizer, apple chapstick, complete with an apple bran muffin.
My advice is to tell the child how much fun it was when you went to school and how much you’d like to be there right with him/her. And then when the child comes home ask all kinds of questions and be very upbeat and supportive. Hey, it can’t hurt.
Thanks for the giveaway… For parents of children just starting school I have two “no-brainer’s” : Turn off the TV, Video Game Console, etc., AND, Get your kids reading as soon as possible, every day
I would advise parents to relax and have fun sending their child off to school for the first time.
You don’t have to wear heavy sweaters and other warm clothing just because they are your new school clothes. The weather is still warm!
Ensure that your kid’s sleeping schedule is changed a couple weeks in advance to what it will need to be for school.
Thanks for the giveaway!
My advice is to act excited for your kids to start school, even if you’re nervous for them, or sad to see them go. Chances are, if you seem excited, then they’ll feel that way!
WeWe traditionally lay-out the new clothes and shoes the night before school. All the writing material and packs are neatly placed by the front door table.
That’s a good idea to take a picture every year the kids are ready to go back to school.
My advice would be plan for shopping AFTER school starts as well as before because some teachers have certain supplies they want their students to have and theyll give them lists on the first day.
Give your child a bag of Skittles to share with the other kids on the first day of school.
I love back to school.
My family always has a breakfast with all the neighborhood kids who are going to school. We invite all the neighborhood kids and meet 30 minutes before the bus come. We provide muffins, milk and OJ. The other parents usually bring something to share. All the kids are get excited when they get together
We always take a “first day of the new school year photo” to put in my daughter’s school years album. It is always so cute and we love looking at each year and how she’s grown.
It’s quite surprising how stressful a once relaxing tradition become over time. How do you plan on managing all the complications for the next years of school supply shopping? What subjects are Miss C looking forward to? Any interesting cat fights that happened then?
In Germany first graders receive a large paper cone filled with treats and school supplies and special gifts from their parents to mark and celebrate the beginning of “real” school. It makes the first day extra special and fun and my wife is trying to bring the tradition to the U.S. In Germany the cones are known as Schult
I have been looking for great deals on things like back packs online and ran into some great prices on kid’s backpacks here
http://www.overstock.com/Luggage-Bags/Kids-Backpacks/3098/cat.html
They have great prices on many things and the best shipping rates!
Wow. Who has time or energy in the morning to cook a big breakfast? A lot of Supermoms, I guess that’s who. I can barely find the moment to pour cereal. But they do eat and then we make the wild dash to school. Thank God I only have one to actually drive to school this year! Well….actually I have to walk with or watch the middle schooler walk to the bus stop only because she is the absent-minded professor type; very intelligent, book-smart, not a lick of common sense. She will get distracted by a butterfly and walk herself to the other end of the neighborhood and miss the bus! So….there’s that. And on Monday mornings, I have one high schooler to take to the city. He is my biological son from a previous marriage and although he spends a lot of time with us, he does attend school near his dad’s home for football and sports. My oldest is FINALLY (!!) in college, and has his own car, although he is famous for sleeping in and missing whatever it is he has to do, unless, of course, it’s sports also. And I am NOT a morning person…at all. It takes me tons of coffee to get going.
I am a Grammy, so I do not know if that counts are not, but I will post my comments.
It is such a nostalgic emotion as I express my thoughts on going back to school, as I remember the many precious moments with my own children. I have five grandchildren, My daughter has two teenage girls Heather, 17, Mikaela, 18, and Morgan, 5. Morgan will be entering Kindergarten this year. My son and his wife, have Kilee, 8, and then there is Logan,4. Logan is the only baby boy, and will be entering pre-k, this year. I begged my son and his wife to have more children, because I want more babies…babies that I can send home when I am through spoiling them, but regardless of my wants and needs, they refuse to birth anymore children. Just look at the ages of the teenagers, so maybe it want be a real long time before I have Great-Grandchildren, but trust me, those girls are not nearly ready for such an endeavor. I remember leaving my first-born, Liza, at school, her very first day, I cried, I was depressed all day, and she cried as she was scared to death. Then Adam, my second and last born, he was very shy, but went to school willingly. I just wish to say that as a young Grandmother of 56 years experience on this earth, you need to cherish the moments because when you turn around it is snatched from you, times does fly, whether you are having fun or not. It is with excitement and remorse I am sending the last two babies of my babies to school, and the love I have for my family is priceless.
And I meant to tell you about my little social butterfly 2nd grader; she will eat, get dressed by herself, and be ready on time everyday, but every once in a while, will have a “I don’t want to go to school” meltdown. Those are fun….NOT!