Tag Archives: back to school

Health at School: Lunch Time!

Ah, the school lunch. The cafeteria has come a long way since I was in grammar school, where you had one meal option and one “alternate” Sandwich choice. Even by the time I was in high school, the cafeteria had stepped up to compete with the local eateries in town, offering multiple hot and cold meal choices. Still, your kids might not want to chow down on cafeteria food every day — or you might want to save money and send lunch from home. Here are some tips to help ease the lunchtime battle. Set a lunch allowance. My parents … Continue reading →

What Annoys You the Most About Back-to-School?

Forget about the Dyson, I should have asked Santa for a label maker for Christmas. Not that the big guy delivered on my uber vacuum Christmas wish (cue Barbie Dream House flashback). Still, I might have had a better chance of scoring the less expensive “mom tool.” It sure would have come in handy a few days ago when I was forced to label nearly 100 individual school supplies. Did I mention I only have one kid… and she’s in kindergarten. HALF-DAY KINDEGARTEN! I’m not here to kvetch about the inordinate amount of items (in my opinion) needed to educate … Continue reading →

Health at School: Dreading Gym Class

Call it gym class or P.E. or phys ed — the words usually bring up a lot of memories for adults. You may recall moments of triumph or moments of embarrassment or moments of pain. Physical education is often an unpleasant part of the school day — especially for kids who aren’t athletic. So how do you help your kids get through the physical side of education? Remember that the most important part of gym class is the physical part — an opportunity to get up and get moving on a regular basis. Helping kids find the sports they love … Continue reading →

Save on Back to School Clothes

We have already talked about saving money on back to school supplies, but now let us talk about saving money on back to school clothes. Here are my best tips for outfitting your kids without spending a lot of money. First, go through the closets. This is an essential first step so you know what you have available to you. Kids grow at different rates, and you might be surprised to find that you already have most of what you will need. There is nothing worse than buying five new pairs of pants only to find out that you already … Continue reading →

Back-to-School Reminders

It may well be the most twisted example of irony parents experience each year: Interrupting a perfectly gorgeous summer day to go back-to-school shopping. And while the chore could be completed in September, waiting to the last minute typically results in nervous breakdowns that could have been avoided had you just gotten out of the pool and into Target in August. In addition to purchasing school supplies, it’s a good idea to check off some other back-to-class tasks, such as reviewing safety rules with your kids. Here are some reminders to get you started: TRAVELING TO AND FROM SCHOOL Walking: … Continue reading →

Green Back to School

The mad rush for back to school usually involves buying a lot of supplies. All of these things can add up and one day wind up in a landfill. And just imagine all of that paper that is generated by your school. Here are some ideas on how to make back to school time a back to green time. Check to see if your school is signed up with a program that pays for recycling. Ours is, and there is a big bin outside to collect paper. The school earns money for every pound of paper that is recycled. If … Continue reading →

Save Money and “Off to College”

Ah college memories. The years of eating ramen noodles heated up in a hot pot and an entire floor trying to scrape up enough money for pizza. I had to laugh when I saw one of those “off to college” commercial ads for one of the big box stores. It was a list of all of the college essentials that parents needed to purchase for their new college student. I couldn’t believe it. There were practically all of the comforts of home. Actually, there were more comforts in that dorm room than are probably in my own home right now! … Continue reading →

Unique Back-to-School Buys

Bulletproof backpacks and “Slow Down” signs may not be on your child’s school supply list, but you might consider investing in them anyway once you read the rest of this blog. BULLETPROOF BACKPACK Forget about having your child make a fashion statement with his backpack. If you really want to keep your student safe at school, then get him a bulletproof bag. My Child’s PackIt is one of the most popular bulletproof backpacks on the market. The non-descript bag can stop an assortment of bullets, including 9-millimeter hollow point bullets. The backpack’s creator says the bag is multi-purpose. For example, … Continue reading →

Back-to-School Supplies: It’s All About the Bag

If you don’t know that back-to-school supplies are on sale right now, then you either don’t have kids or you haven’t been shopping in a while (or you haven’t been reading my blog). Personally, even if I didn’t have kids I would still hightail it to Wal-Mart (Kmart, Target, etc.) to scoop up 10-cent packs of pens, pencils, glue sticks, notepads, and scissors. Some deals are too good to pass up. What’s more, what home couldn’t use a fresh supply of office provisions? Still, despite the rows of hot-colored highlighters, the fancy detailed pencil boxes and the endless amount of … Continue reading →

Back-to-School Shopping Tips

So much for summer! Wal-Mart, Target, Toys R Us, heck, even my favorite supermarket have ditched their displays of sun chairs, sunscreen, sunglasses and sand toys to make way for back-to-school supplies. Now, instead of deciding on the type of cooler to take to summer sports camp, your son will be faced with the dilemma of picking between a new Transformers backpack and one that features SpongeBob SquarePants in all his electric yellow glory. However, before you allow your child free rein in the backpack aisle you might want to consider these helpful safety tips: Make sure you choose a … Continue reading →