Our Week - The One with the First Week of School

The kids’ first week back at school was a tough one this year.  I’m struggling to find the words for this intro, so instead I’m just going to go ahead and jump into the recap.  I write the entries day-by-day, journal style, so most of this was written before Jacob’s classmate passed away this weekend.  When something tragic like that happens, it really puts into perspective just how trivial some of our “problems” are in everyday life (like a slow school pickup line).  Here’s the recap.

Monday, August 9

Monday was the kids’ first day of school, so we were up at the crack of dawn AKA 6 AM.  I have to say, I sure didn’t miss waking up that early during the summer.  Both kids got ready quickly and we were out the door on time even though we took a few minutes to take back-to-school pictures by the front door like we always do.

Jacob had mostly recovered from his Sunday evening back-to-school jitters, but he was still a bit nervous on the way to school.  I kept the conversation rolling to distract him from his nerves, and I even let him read some facts about roaches to me out of his new 5,000 Awesome Facts book.  Friends, I’m telling you, that is true love.  I DESPISE roaches, and the last way I wanted to start my Monday was learning that albino roaches exist.  Oh my word.  Haha.

Drop off went perfectly smoothly, and after I kissed the kids goodbye, I headed straight to the dentist for my semi-annual bite guard checkup.  The next stop was Publix, and then I headed home and put away all of the groceries. 

The rest of the morning was spent starting laundry and implementing my new Instagram stories routine.  Since the kids are back at school, I’m going to be posting my daily to do lists in stories again, and I’m also going to start promoting blog posts in my stories as well.  I used to do a static post for a lot of my blog posts, but I fell off that wagon a long time ago. 

B worked from home on Monday, so he and I decided to go to a local appliance store on Monday morning to order a new washer and dryer.  Our set is 12 years old, and we’ve been having some issues with the washer as well as the dryer.  The buttons on the washer stopped working properly so when I do a load of clothes, I never know if I’m actually getting cold water or hot water or low spin or high spin, and the dryer has started (literally) eating our clothes. 

Yep, there’s something BAD wrong with the dryer – every time it’s running, clothes get stuck in some spot, and when you pull them out, the items are getting stained with some kind of black grease and many of them are getting badly stretched and even ripped.  I’ve had to toss so many different items that were beyond repair these past two months and it’s killing me.  Definitely time for something new!

I asked for washer and dryer recommendations from the Instagram community Sunday, and the overwhelming majority said Speed Queen is, hands down, the best on the market.  I did some research, and apparently the internet agrees with that statement.  Sure enough, we asked the salesperson at the appliance store, and she said Speed Queen without hesitation. 

They had three different models of Speed Queens, and we got the middle set.  The low-end set didn’t have a “delicates” option on the washer, and the high-end set had way too many fancy things that we’d never use, but the middle set was just right.  And it came with two extra years on the warranty.  Unfortunately, the saleslady told us that they’re all backordered right now, and they don’t even have an ETA, so there’s no telling how long it will be before we receive them.  I’m likely going to be air-drying most of our clothes from this point going forward, so hopefully they’ll be worth the wait!

After making our purchase, we decided to swing by Aldi because it was right next door and we’d never been.  I know a lot of people rave about it, but other than the good prices for produce, I wasn’t the least bit impressed.  It’s no Trader Joe’s, that’s for sure!

On the way home, B and I swung by Chipotle to pick up lunch, and then we took it home to eat.  The rest of the afternoon was spent working in my office and counting down the minutes until I could pick up the kids.  I’m always so eager to get them on their first day.  I did get this picture from someone at the school to hold me over, though.  ;o)

Our school has started using a new electronic system for car line pickup, and Monday was the first day they used it.  Apparently, there were some major glitches the first day, because I arrived at the school at 2:50 like I always do, and the traffic was backed up all the way down the main road one block over from the school.  I ended up sitting for nearly 30 minutes without moving (and the kids were supposed to start dismissing at 2:50 and then 3 as it’s staggered), and I had no clue what was going on.  By the time I got to the actual school sidewalk, it was nearly 4 PM, and that was when one of the teachers told me that they’d had technical difficulties with the new system.

Anyway, both kids burst into the car all a chatter about their days, and the whole way home they both talked my ear off.  Both of them LOVED their first day.  Jacob is in class with one of his best friends and Olivia has her two closest friends in her class, too.  Both of them love their new teachers, and they did so many fun things, and my heart was just bursting at listening to the two of them talk about how good their days were.  I was especially relieved for Jacob since he’d been so nervous.

We headed straight home, and we arrived almost an hour later than we normally do since the car line had taken so long.  Thankfully, Olivia’s dance class didn’t start the first week of school like it normally does, because if it had, we would have been so late!

Neither of the kids had homework, so the afternoon was laid-back.  I started dinner, and we got prepped for the next day, and then after dinner, the kids got showered and we let them watch an episode of Walk the Prank.  We don’t typically watch TV during the week, but since there wasn’t anything going on, we decided to let them wind down with a show.

Jacob broke out in full-on hives Monday evening – all over his torso, his face, and the tops of his feet – AGAIN, and we thought at the time that we may had found the culprit – one of the dyes in Ring Pops.  My momma said that my brother was allergic to purple dye when he was little and he used to break out in hives when he had it, too.  We gave Jacob some more Benadryl and it kicked in and cleared the hives by bedtime. 

We got them both in the bed at 8 on the dot because we were all so exhausted and then B and I finished the worst season of The Bachelorette ever.  I literally didn’t care who she picked because I barely paid attention all season long anyway.  Haha.

Tuesday, August 10

Tuesday morning, I got the kids to school and then swung by UPS Store, Target (where I saw signs of fall!!), and Fresh Market before heading home.  B was working in the office Tuesday, so I was home alone, and it was just really odd having the whole house to myself all day. 

I spent the afternoon working on blog stuff and catching up on blog reading, and right as I was walking out the door to pick up the kids, it started pouring.  My drive to the school ended up being one of the scariest drives ever.  My route is pretty much all highway, so the speed limit is 70, but it was pouring so hard that everyone was going 35 the whole way because it was impossible to see. 

There ended up being a horrible wreck about halfway there, so all four lanes of highway came to a complete standstill for quite some time, and the whole time it continued to pour and lightning like crazy.  The storm was close, too – the lightning was right on top of us the whole time because the lightning and thunder were happening simultaneously.  Traffic eventually funneled down to one lane, and the one lane started moving, and then when I came out on the other side, I ended up hydroplaning because there was so much water on the highway.  It only lasted a couple of seconds, but man, it was terrifying. 

I passed two more wrecks on the other side of the highway before I finally reached the main road that’s one block away from the kids’ school.  The school had already sent a text saying that they were delaying the car line for safety reasons, so the car line was a whole block away and down the main street.  Lots of lanes were being blocked and there were people honking and people driving up on the sidewalks, and all kinds of other craziness and it was super stressful since it was all happening in this crazy storm.

The car line finally started moving 30 minutes after it was supposed to, and we finally got out of there at 4 PM… a whole hour after we normally do.  The whole highway was still at a standstill on our route home, so we had to take the backroads, which meant the drive took twice as long.  Since we had to go the long way, we stopped by Olivia’s dance school to pick up her new leotard, and then we finally made it home at 4:30.  Whew. 

I was a hot mess of anxiety by the time we got home, so I poured a glass of wine before starting dinner.  The rest of the evening went fairly smoothly, and I even squeezed in a stair stepper workout.  We watched a Walk the Prank with the kids and then got them in bed.  B watched an episode of Sweet Tooth while I caught up on social media stuff, and then we called it a day.

Wednesday, August 11

Wednesday morning, Jacob woke up with hugely swollen bags under eyes… another allergic reaction!  What on earth?!  Tuesday, he didn’t have a Ring Pop or either of the other things we’d thought might be the culprit, so I knew then that it must’ve been related to his back-to-school jitters.  He was just way more nervous this year than ever for some reason, and I think it sent his body into a tailspin.    

We gave him some Claritin and then I got them to school.  I didn’t have anything on the calendar Wednesday, so I spent the whole day working, paying some bills, and catching up on emails.  I tend to stay on top of my emails, but every now and then I let them slip, and this was one of those times where they were out of control! 

Wednesday, I left even earlier for the car line, and traffic was still backed up out to the main road a block away from the school.  Goodness gracious!  Thankfully, the line started on time and moved much more quickly that Monday and Tuesday, so we were outta there by 3:25.  Still later than usual, but definitely some progress in the right direction. 

I surprised the kids with Blizzards from Dairy Queen after we got out of the car line, and we picked one up for B and brought it back home to him, too.  The rest of the afternoon and evening were spent prepping for the next day, cooking, and then watching Lego Masters that we’d DVRed from the previous day.   

Thursday, August 12

Thursday morning, I got some work done, returned some stuff at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and met with my therapist… in-person again, but I think those days are numbered with these Covid cases rising so drastically.  Sigh.  The last few times we met, she and I both felt comfortable not wearing masks since we’re both vaccinated, but this time we both stayed masked up.

The rest of the day was spent working in my office, and then I grabbed the kids from school.  We had a quick, early dinner when B got home from work, and then they all headed outside to play while I went to the kids’ school for Parent Information Night. 

The school had two 30-minute segments, so I sat in Jacob’s class for the first one, and then sat in Olivia’s class for the second.  Both of their teachers seem really great this year, and I’m praying that both kids have an amazing year. 

I got back home just before 8, and we let the kids watch a few minutes of America’s Got Talent that we’d recorded from earlier in the week.  After that, the kiddos got into bed, and then B and I started watching Girls5Eva on Peacock.  One of my friends has been talking about how funny it is, so we decided to give it a try.  It’s about a girl group (similar to Spice Girls) from the 90’s that are now washed-up has-beens, and they decided to try to make a comeback in present day.  The premise sounds kind of cheezy like it wouldn’t be that great, but Tina Fey and Stephen Colbert are directing, and there are some cameos by Saturday Night Live alumni, so it’s supposed to be really funny.  Brian and I laughed out loud several times during the first episode, so I think we’re going to like it!  

Friday, August 13

Friday morning, I dropped the kids and then headed home to work all morning.  I chugged tons of water because I had an appointment to donate blood Friday afternoon.  The appointment was painless and easy, and since I hydrated better than ever this time, it was the fastest appointment I’ve ever had.  The needle was only in my arm for five minutes and that was it!  In the past it’s taken 10-20 minutes each time, but the nurse told me that the more hydrated you are, the faster the blood flows, and also, the easier you recover.  So, if you ever do plan to donate blood, be sure to hydrate!  I had about 70 oz of water before my appointment and everything went smoothly.  There is currently a severe shortage of blood, so if you’ve ever wanted to donate, now is the perfect time to start!

After donating blood, I headed back home and treated myself to some dark chocolate peanut M&Ms before heading to school to pick up the kiddos in the car line.  I left the house even earlier on Friday, and we ended up getting home just before 3:30.  More progress!  And both kids had another great day to finish off their first week back.

When we got home, I was beat.  Between back-to-school/waking up early and donating blood, I was exhausted, so I spent the rest of the afternoon laying on the couch reading.  I also indulged in a little cat nap, too.

My father-in-law’s birthday was Wednesday, and even though we’d already celebrated a couple of weeks prior, we invited him over for another birthday dinner at our house Friday evening.  He requested takeout from our favorite little pub down the street from our church and school, and the kids filled him in on their first week back at school.  They also played Twister.  :o)

After he left, we caught up on the first night of America’s Got Talent that we’d missed, and then the kids got into bed.  B and I watched a couple more episodes of Girls 5Eva, and after the third episode, Peacock told us that we’d have to start paying for it!!!!  We were so mad!!  So, I guess we won’t be watching the rest of that as we are now boycotting Peacock for doing such shady business.  They should tell you up front that you only have limited access.  I mean, maybe they did, and we somehow missed it, but we’ve used all kinds of streaming services and this hasn’t ever happened with any of the others.

Saturday, August 14

Saturday morning, we woke up to the news that a little girl in Jacob’s class had been in an accident at home Friday night, and that she’d been flown to Atlanta where she has remained on a ventilator in ICU.  Her parents were asking for as many prayers as they could get, so our church and school family prayed and prayed and prayed.

We broke the news to Jacob at breakfast, and he asked a lot of questions about her throughout the day.  We gave him new information as it was released (although there wasn’t much) and he seemed to handle it okay.  This is something we’ve never had to navigate before (thank goodness), and as a parent, it’s always so hard to know exactly what to say and how to handle things like this. 

We had no plans Saturday, so we took the kids swimming at my parents’ pool.  We stayed from mid-morning until early afternoon, and then swung by my parents’ house on the way home to drop the pool key back off.

We decided to grab Zaxby’s on the way home for lunch, and while we were eating (at home, of course), Olivia casually mentioned that she couldn’t taste her food.  My heart sank since that’s one of the Covid indicators, and then I asked Olivia a few questions afterward to get some more information.  She said she’d been able to taste her waffles at breakfast, so whatever was happening had settled in sometime between breakfast and lunch.

After lunch, I waved some lavender oil straight from the bottle under her nose, which she couldn’t smell either.  I asked her how she was feeling, and she said that her nose was stuffy, but that was the first we’d heard of that as she seemed to have zero symptoms.  If we’d known she had a stuffy nose, we surely wouldn’t have taken her to my parents’ house.

Positive cases are through the roof here in our area, and hundreds of students in our area are already quarantining after one week of school (although, none from our school that we know of), so we thought it would be best to go get her tested as we didn’t feel comfortable sending her to school Monday knowing that she had something going on.  Obviously, if she wasn’t in school right now, we wouldn’t have been nearly as concerned.  She gets these little colds several times per year and they’re always so mild, we’ve never even given them second thought.  Everything is different during these Covid times, though.

B and I spent the next 45 minutes googling places, calling around town, trying to make appointments online with no luck whatsoever.  There are so many people needing to get tested in our area right now that it’s impossible to get in anywhere.  Most places wouldn’t even answer the phone because they were so swamped, and places like Walgreens and CVS were booked out at least 2-3 full days just to get tested.  It is an absolute nightmare, y’all.

Brian ended up driving Olivia all over town trying to find a place, and they got turned away from four different places because all of them were booked solid for the rest of the day.  All the while, I was at home googling and calling around trying to find any place at all, and just when we were about to give up for the day, I found a pediatric acute care place that was still accepting walk-ins.  She told us that the wait was three hours and the test was going to cost $100, but we decided to go for it anyway because there was literally no other choice.

We were hoping that the girl who told us it was a three-hour wait was just exaggerating to dissuade people from staying, but Brian and Olivia did, indeed, end up having to wait three hours.  Fortunately, they were able to wait in the car, so they weren’t exposed to other potentially sick people, and thankfully, Olivia’s test came back NEGATIVE.  Thank you, Lord.

While they were at acute care, Jacob and I watched 5:30 mass live virtually.  An email had been sent earlier in the day encouraging all of the fifth grade students and their families to attend Mass at 5:30 in support of Jacob’s classmate, but since we had a stuffy-nosed child, we didn’t want to risk exposing others at church since we hadn’t yet gotten her test results. 

Mass was very heavy, and our pastor called all of the fifth graders to sit up front and have a special prayer service for their classmate.  It was heartbreaking to watch and I’m just so sad for her family.

Just as Mass was ending, we got the call from Brian that Olivia was negative, and he asked us to order some Mexican food that he and Olivia could pick up on the way home.  They brought home tacos and we made margs in hopes to have a bright spot in an otherwise heavy and chaotic day, but things just continued to go downhill.

I think Olivia must’ve felt overwhelmed from everything that had transpired throughout the day because she was very weepy and clingy all through dinner.  She ended up sitting in my lap for most of dinner and she was just so sad.  It is always so tough seeing her that way because she’s always, always so joyful.

After dinner, we let the kids play video games for a bit to try to get their mind off of the heavy stuff for a while, and then we got them ready for bed.  At bedtime, Olivia had some pool water trapped in one of her ears and putting in the Swim Ear drops ended up being a nightmare and she got upset all over again.  Jacob then got upset seeing her so upset and it was just a big ol’ mess.  Brian and I went back-and-forth between the kids’ rooms until they were both asleep, and then he and I crashed on the couch and started Ted Lasso in an attempt to cheer ourselves up.    

Sunday, August 15

Sunday morning, both kids woke up chipper and ready to tackle the day.  Olivia was as good as new – no more stuffy nose, still no other symptoms, and she could taste and smell!  Between the fact that she had a negative Covid test and the fact that her taste and smell were already back and that she never took on more symptoms, that gave us peace in knowing that it was just a little cold like we thought.  She gets these little colds pretty often and they always take this same pattern.  It’s never been a big deal before, but now with Covid, every little sniffle makes you go hmmmm…   

Unfortunately, just before lunch, we got the news that Jacob’s classmate had passed away.  Brian and I sat down with Jacob and Olivia to talk it all out and answer their questions, and they asked a lot of them.  Telling your child that one of their classmates has passed away is not something that you ever think you’d have to do as a parent, especially when they are only 10 years old, and it was tough trying to keep my composure and choose the right words.   

Sunday evening, our church and school had already planned to hold a prayer vigil for her healing, but after she passed, it ended up being a memorial instead.  We stopped attending church in person a few weeks ago when the Covid cases started spiking again, but this was something that we just couldn’t miss.  They asked everyone to wear pink, which was her favorite color, and our church was full of pink.  It was a beautiful thing.  <3 

All of us with fifth grade students sat together with her extended family in the front, and it was just heartbreaking to see so many of those sweet kiddos so distraught.  Towards the end of the service, our pastor called all of the kids in the class to sit on the floor in front so he could speak to them directly, and there were just so many tears, but also so many uplifting words and reassurances.  It’s times like these when I’m extra thankful for this precious, God-centered school family of ours… having that extra layer of worship together means everything.

After the service, we picked up pizza on the way home, and by the time we had finished eating, it was time to get the kids in bed. 

Please continue to keep Jacob’s classmate, her family, her friends, and her school family in your prayers.  And hug your babies tight.  Everything can change in the blink of an eye.

Prayers

I had another blog post ready to go for today, but it didn’t feel right talking about trivial things when our school family is grieving a loss. 

This weekend, we received the tragic news that one of Jacob’s classmates had been in an accident at home and that she was in the ICU in need of a miracle. 

She went to heaven on Sunday morning.

Please pray for her family and friends as well as her teachers and classmates as they navigate this second week of school while grieving the loss of this precious girl. 

Five on Friday - Paper Bag Skirt, Best Running Shoes, New Instagram Story Templates, and Speed Queens

*This post contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Despite a couple of rough dismissals at the beginning of the week, our kiddos had a great first week of school and I’m counting down the minutes until I can pick them up, grab some takeout, pour a cocktail, crash on the couch, and then sleep in on Saturday morning.  Pure heaven.  Anybody else just plain exhausted after this week?!

Anyway, we’re going to end this long week with some favorites to kick off the weekend!

O N E – Paper Bag Skirt

I came across this paper bag skirt recently and I think it would be such a versatile piece for any closet!  It could be worn with tanks and sandals during the summer, with long sleeve tops and close-toe flats when transitioning to fall, and with sweaters and booties in the winter.  I absolutely love the chambray, and the bow just makes the entire skirt!  So, so cute!  Right now, it’s on super sale at $29.50 marked down from $79.50!  It also comes in black and white pinstripes and army green.

 

T W O – New Running Shoes

I started running again during the height of quarantine last year, so I bought some new running shoes.  I bought a pair of trusty rusty Nikes as I always do, but instead of grabbing a high-end pair, I opted for a middle-of-the-road pair to save money.  That was a big mistake, and the shoes ended up being one of my least favorite pairs I’ve ever owned.  I ended up using them for a whole year anyway and I walked/ran hundreds of miles, but recently I injured one of my big toes and a couple of my little toes during a fast-walk because I didn’t retire them as soon as I should have.

After that, I had to take a break to let my toes heal, and while they were healing, I bought this new pair of Nike Air Pegasus running shoes.  They are very pricey, but I wanted to get something better this time since I’m running regularly now.  If you’re gonna be a runner, the best thing your can do for yourself is to splurge on good running shoes.  Trust me when I say that you get what you pay for when it comes to running shoes. 

These new shoes are THE BEST running shoes I’ve ever had.  After having those terrible shoes before, I feel like I’m running on a cloud.  The new shoes are bouncy, so they push you along as you run, and it just makes it so much easier!  My previous shoes had hard insoles and I felt like I had to put forth way more effort to run than I do with the new ones. 

In addition to that, they’re also comfortable, they look great, and they come in several different color combos.  If you’re looking for a great pair of running shoes, I cannot recommend these enough.  They are absolutely fantastic! 

 

T H R E E – New Instagram Story Templates

My Instagram stories game was weak this summer, and if I’m being honest, I’ve always struggled to be consistent on there anyway.  I go through spurts where I post multiple times per day for weeks at a time, and then I’ll go without posting at all for three days in a row.  Haha. 

I decided this summer to create a few different story templates and come up with a loose daily posting schedule to help me be more consistent.  Now that the kids are back in school, I’ll be posting my daily to-do lists again, and I’m also going to start promoting all of my blog posts in my stories as well… something else I stopped doing but want to do consistently.

Below are two of the templates I created and used earlier this week, and I love how they turned out.  If you’re not already following me on Instagram, you can do so here, and going forward, you can at least expect to see a daily to-do list first thing each morning Monday – Friday, followed by blog a post promo so you’ll never miss a post.  I also post a whole bunch of other randomness and behind-the-scenes kind of stuff that I don’t share anywhere else, and I love to conduct a good poll every now and then, too.  Oh, and let’s not forget the funny memes… I’ll always share the funny memes.  ;o) 

F O U R – New Washer and Dryer

Speaking of Instagram story polls, thank you to all of you who submitted your favorite washer and dryer sets in my question box the other day!  The overwhelming majority of you told us to purchase a set of Speed Queens and we did just that! 

They are pricey, but according to everything we heard from you guys + internet research + the appliance store saleslady, we think they’re the best option for our family.  Here are a few reasons why we decided to choose this brand over the other less expensive brands:

1. They are commercial grade washers and dryers, so they’re designed to run all day, every day and hold up well.  (Our saleslady told us that they’re used in most laundromats.)
2. They have all of the things we need and none of the stuff that we don’t need.
3. You can ask any repair person which brand they recommend, and they’ll all tell you Speed Queen because they service them the very least.  AKA they are durable, reliable, and they hold up well over time.
4. They’re made from all metal and do not contain plastic parts like other brands, so they’re less likely to break.
5. The wash and dry loads are crazy fast, so it takes less time to do laundry.
6. They came with a five-year warranty.
7. They’re made right here in the United States.

Ours won’t arrive for quite some time as they’re backordered, but I’m super SUPER excited about them.  As a matter of fact, I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited about any appliance ever, so hopefully they’ll be worth the wait.  We ordered the TC5 and DC5 models, BTW.

 

F I V E – Timehop Memory of the Week

This picture of Olivia showed up in my Timehop from seven years ago and it made me smile so big.  That face!  Those sweet little PJs!  That mass of dark, unruly hair!  We used to call it her mohawk because it was so thick in the middle and thin on the sides.  My goodness, time just flies and these daily Timehop reminders make me realize just how fast.

 

Friday Funnies

 

On the Blog This Week

 What I Wore – July 2021

Our Week - The One with Summertime, Week 11 (Girls Night Out and Back to School Prep)

Back to School Favorites

Happy Friday, y’all!

*Linking up with A Little Bit of Everything for Friday Favorites.

Back to School Favorites

*This post contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Our kids started school on Monday, so I thought I’d share all of our back-to-school favorites!    

1 – Thermos Funtainer

We use these Thermos containers to send hot foods in the kids’ lunchboxes.  They both love macaroni and cheese and buttered noodles, and Jacob also likes several of my pasta dishes for leftovers.  These containers keep food cold for seven hours or hot for five hours and the exteriors stays cool.  In the morning, before I pack their lunches, I pour hot water in them to warm them up, and then I just pour the water out, add the hot food, and the food is still warm for the kids at lunchtime.  Thermos also has this version that comes with a folding spoon!

 

2 – Hand Sanitizer Backpack Holder

These hand sanitizer holders clip to backpacks for easy access, and the best part is that they come with empty bottles that you can fill and refill with the hand sanitizer of your preference. 

 

3 – Lunchbox Notes

These lunchbox notes are precious, and they’re the perfect way to let your kids know you’re thinking about them when you can’t be with them during the day.  This version has 101 unique love notes, and there is also a Facts and Funnies version, where each sheet contains one random fun fact and a joke or riddle!  Our kiddos are loving those!  Jacob especially loves the random facts.

 

4 – Avery Kids No Iron Fabric Labels

I’ve raved about these labels time and time again, and they are a necessity for when the kids go back to school.  These labels can be added to the insides of shirts, shorts, pants, jackets, face masks, backpacks – you name it!  And the best part is that no ironing is needed.  Just write your child’s name or initials on the label with a permanent marker, peel, and stick.  The labels are washer and dryer safe and the adhesive stays put, so the labels don’t fall off.   

 

5 – Pottery Barn Lunchboxes

Pottery Barn backpacks and lunchboxes are the only ones we ever use because they last forever!  Jacob is starting his seventh year of school, and he’s only on his second Pottery Barn backpack and lunchbox.  And the only reason we got him a new set a few years ago was because he needed a larger backpack.  These things hold up beautifully, and we love that they can be personalized so there’s no worry of mixing up bags with another student.  These lunchboxes perfectly hold any plastic food containers like Yumboxes and other Bento Boxes.  They also have an inside pocket to hold a cold pack, and they have an outside pocket as well as a side pocket to hold your child’s thermos. 

 

6 – Pottery Barn Backpacks

Again – Pottery Barn everything!  Their backpacks are so durable!  Olivia is starting year four of school and she’s still using the same backpack and lunchbox set that she’s had since the very beginning.  I kid you not, both of them still look BRAND NEW after three years of use, and she is very rough on everything.  Their backpacks and lunchboxes are also machine washable, so you can just pop them in the washing machine on cold and then let them air dry.  They come in three different sizes and they also come in all kinds of fun colors and patterns, including licensed character sets.  Frozen anyone?  Star Wars? 

 

7 – Yeti Thermos

These Yeti thermoses are wonderful!!  They hold 12 oz. and keep hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold for hours.  They’re made of stainless steel, so they withstand all dents and drops, but they’re also BPA free for your child’s safety.  They don’t sweat in the humidity and they’re ultra-leak-proof, so they’re perfect for tiny hands.  The best part, though?  Every part is dishwasher safe!  No handwashing required!! 

 

8 – Bento Lunchbox Containers

These containers fit perfectly inside the Pottery Barn lunchboxes and they hold just the right amount of food – a sandwich, fruit/veggies, chips/crackers, and a little treat.  They’re dishwasher safe and they’re so durable.

 

9 – Face Mask Lanyard

These lanyards are a great tool to help your little ones keep track of their face masks.  Our kids are allowed to take their masks off while eating their snacks, while eating lunch, and when they’re outside, and these lanyards guarantee that their masks stay with them at all times.  Now I don’t have to worry about either kid losing theirs, dropping theirs on the floor, or mixing them up with masks that belong to other kids.  Yuck.  And these lanyards have the safety “breakaway” feature, so they’re not a choking hazard.  Olivia wore one all last year and it worked out so well!

 

10 – Face Masks

We’ve tried several different brands of masks over the last 17 months, and both of our kids love Old Navy’s masks the most by far. We bought them each a five-pack last year before the start of school and they wore them every single day.  All five of Jacob’s are still in excellent condition after an entire year of use, and four of Olivia’s five are, too.  These have held up so well that we didn’t even purchase new ones for this new school year.  The kids both say that they’re the most comfortable ones they’ve ever had, they don’t slide down under their noses, they’re machine-washable, and they fit very close to their faces so we don’t have to worry about too many germs getting in from an overly loose fit.  Highly, highly recommend!

 

11 – Yumbox

In addition to the plastic Bento boxes above, each of our kids also has one Yumbox for the days where they want to eat a little bit of everything.  These work well for serving school lunches “charcuterie style.”  Each container has six different sections so you can send lots of different things and everything stays separate.  You can even include yogurt or other thick sauces and the box won’t leak.  These are dishwasher safe (top rack only) which is always a win in my book!  They are pricey, but they last for years!

 

And those are our favorite back-to-school items!  Do you have any favorite items that I missed?

Happy Wednesday!

Our Week - The One with Summertime, Week 11 (Girls Night Out and Back to School Prep)

Well, the last week of summer is over and the kids are officially back at school.  This summer went by in the blink of an eye despite the fact that the first half dragged on while Olivia was in a cast.  Isn’t it funny how time works like that? 

Anyway, enough of the chit chat… let’s get into the recap!

Monday, August 2

After the busy week we’d had prior to this one, we were pretty tired, so Monday was a lazy day.  I did a cardio workout first thing, the kids nearly wrapped up their summer homework, we had a light lunch and went for a short walk around the neighborhood afterward, and then the afternoon was spent working and playing. 

We had a stormy evening, so I tried a new recipe, we played a couple of card games with the kids, we watched some of the Olympics, and then I made a fort in Olivia’s room that the kids could sleep in.  They’d asked several times in recent weeks, so they were absolutely thrilled!

Tuesday, August 3

Tuesday morning, I had a meeting at the kids’ school bright and early, so I dropped the kids with my dad and headed that way.  I was asked to be on the steering committee for a new project, and this was our meeting to kick off that project. 

We wrapped up around 9:30, and I picked the kids up from my dad’s and headed back home.  We had lunch, and then headed out to run some errands.  We had several library books that needed to be returned, we went to the shoe store to grab new tennis shoes for the kids for back-to-school, we dropped some happy mail at the post office, and then we went to the new bakery that opened in town.

The bakery was opened by the kids’ old art teacher at school… she has been their art teacher the whole time they’ve gone to school, but she’s always had a cake-making side hustle, and this year, she decided to open her own brick-and-mortar store!  That means she’ll no longer teach at the kids’ school, but we’re so excited for her to set out on this new business venture.    

The bakery is in the quaintest little area of town and it is positively darling… by far the cutest bakery in town!  The kids both picked out cake cones as their special treat – waffle cones filled with lemon cake, lemon frosting, and a gumball on the top – and I grabbed a key lime cake cup to take home and share with B Tuesday evening.  The kids ate the cake cones outside since there was a cute little outdoor dining area right outside the bakery, and then we headed home. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent hanging at home, and then after dinner, we went for a nice long walk on our neighborhood trail because the weather was ah-mazing for early August!  We had a cool front come in and it was in the low eighties, which basically felt like fall after a couple of weeks of temps near 100. 

We ended the day with the Olympics, an episode of Walk the Prank, and then the kids read and slept in their fort yet again.

Wednesday, August 4

Wednesday morning, I went for an early morning run, and the rest of the morning was spent getting ready, having breakfast, and reading while the kids finally finished summer homework!!  Nothing like finishing at the last minute.  Ugh, I hate that.

After lunch, I lay down on the couch to read some more, and before I knew it, an hour had passed.  I hadn’t taken the time to read in so long, and my new book is so good that I couldn’t put it down!  I’ve had a couple of duds recently and was losing my urge to read, so it’s nice to finally have one that’s holding my attention.  (It’s Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren, BTW.)

I spent the afternoon working while the kids played in the fort I’d made in Olivia’s room, and then Wednesday evening, I left B and the kids on their own for dinner so I could go to dinner with three of my old girlfriends from grade school and high school.  I’ve been friends with Jen since 4th grade (29 years), and I’ve been friends with Jeannine and Becky since 9th grade (25 years).  The four of us were inseparable in high school, and every single good memory I have from those high school years has at least one of them in it.  Most good memories involve all three of them!

Jeannine and I still hang out a good bit… she’s always been a part of my Wednesday margarita night group and we also try to get our kiddos together as much as we can.  Becky and I also see each other a good bit since we volunteer at the kids’ school together a lot.  But we rarely get to see Jen as often, and it was so freaking good to have our whole OG group back together again. 

We met at our favorite local Italian place (who is doing a phenomenal job of masking and social distancing so it was nice to feel safe), we had a round of drinks and a delicious dinner, and we spent three full hours catching up, discussing everything going on in the world today, reminiscing, and cracking ourselves up.  We were enjoying ourselves so much, that we ended up calling the waitress back over after we’d already paid our tabs so we could grab a second round of drinks!

The evening went by in the blink of an eye and my heart was so dang full by the end.  We all had the very best evening, and we enjoyed ourselves so much that we’re going to try to start getting together once a month!  I was so caught up in the evening that I took zero pictures, and while I’m sad that I didn’t think to have someone snap one of the four of us, it was nice to be so caught up in the moment that I didn’t even think about that.

By the time I got home, it was after nine and B had just gotten the kids in their fort/sleeping bags.  I kissed them goodnight and then B and I watched another episode of Outer Banks.  The kids came downstairs at 10 saying they couldn’t sleep, so we got them into their own beds, and they were both out like lights.  I think the novelty of sleeping in their sleeping bags had finally worn off, and both of them had been struggling to fall asleep in recent nights.

Thursday, August 5

Thursday morning, we did our usual morning routine, and then just after 10 AM, we headed outside.  The weather was much cooler last week than the previous week, so it was actually bearable.  Olivia played in the blowup pool and Jacob cleaned out the toy cabinet while I swept and cleaned off the porch.  We hadn’t used it in quite sometime because it’s been so hot, so it needed some attention. 

We all came inside for lunch around 12:30, and then afterward, we spent a couple of hours tidying the entire house from top-to-bottom.  I wanted everything in its place before the start of school, so Jacob finally got all of his birthday Legos put away, we cleaned up the fort, we washed the kids’ sleeping bags and put them away (no more sleepovers… womp womp), and we got the entire playroom all cleaned up. 

After we were done cleaning, the kids played video games while I caught up on life stuff – responded to some school emails, signed Jacob up for baseball, printed off my goals for August, started working on back-to-school stuff, made some to do lists for the kids’ first week back, added a few things to our calendar, booked my blood donation appointment, and I also edited a few photos for an upcoming blog post.  It was a super productive afternoon!!

Thursday evening, I made some pasta for dinner, and then we got some more random things done around the house – we deflated and put away the blow-up pool since the kids won’t be using it anymore, we put all of the pool toys away, B got a couple of things done outside that I couldn’t do while he was at work, we broke down our 2,000-piece puzzle and put it away, and we got the kids’ fingernails and toenails trimmed and ready to go for school.  Anybody else terrible at remembering to do this?!  CRINGE.

After all that, I got in a stair stepper workout while we watched some more of the Olympics.  Jacob’s upper lip randomly swelled up huge Thursday evening, and we have no idea why.  He wasn’t outside so he couldn’t have gotten stung or bitten, he didn’t eat anything unusual, and he didn’t bump it on anything… it was just the weirdest thing!  We gave him some Benadryl, put in a call to have the on-call pediatrician call us back, and she assured us that as long as he was breathing normally then there was nothing to worry about.  He never had any breathing problems whatsoever, so we put him and Olivia to bed around 9, and they both went straight into their own beds Thursday night… we had to get them back in the swing of things before school!

Friday, August 6

Friday morning, Jacob’s lip was totally fine, and we were out the door early for Meet the Teacher day at school!  This year, parents were allowed in the building with masks, so I was excited to be able to see the kids’ classrooms.  I wasn’t able to go in with them last year, and that was just the saddest thing!

We headed to Olivia’s classroom first, where we were able to meet her teacher.  Her teacher taught for 30 years in the public school system and then retired, and now she’s coming back to our school just because she loves teaching so much.  We ended up hanging out with her for a good 10-15 minutes and she is just the sweetest, so I think it’s going to be a great year for Olivia! 

Jacob’s classroom for the upcoming year just so happens to be my old sixth grade classroom, so I was hit with a wave of nostalgia upon entering the room.  It’s obviously been updated since then, but it still looked mostly the same… and the hallway and classrooms still smell exactly the same as they did when I was there, too.  Just so crazy!

Jacob’s teacher this year is one of the moms of one of his classmates, but this is only her second year teaching at our school, so I don’t know her well.  We were able to hang out in there with her for 10-15 minutes as well, and she seems like she’s going to be great, too!  She had a scavenger hunt for the kids to do when they arrived, and Jacob checked all of the things off – he found his desk, found his locker, found a book that looks interesting in the classroom library, he got his laptop (his first year having his own!), and he learned about safety patrol and decided whether or not he wanted to join.  Spoiler alert – he wasn’t interested in the least.  Haha.  I figured he wouldn’t be, and that’s okay by me, because I don’t want to have to wake up even earlier than we already do to get him to school extra early.  Haha.

After meeting both teachers, we swung by Publix to grab a few necessities, and then we headed home to have lunch with B.  The rest of the afternoon was spent hanging out at home, working, and playing, and then B and Jacob went for haircuts when B got off of work.  They picked up Five Guys for dinner and brought it home, and then we spent the evening watching another episode of The Mysterious Benedict Society and some more of the Olympics.

After the kids went to bed, B and I watched the last three episodes of Outer Banks season 2.  We almost got through the finale, but we ended up pausing halfway through and heading to bed because it was so late.

Saturday, August 7

Saturday morning, B grabbed some Krispy Kreme donuts for us for breakfast, and then I spent the morning doing a cardio workout and cleaning the whole house top to bottom – vacuuming, mopping, scrubbing countertops and toilets, and dusting.  B mowed while I worked on all that, and by the time lunchtime rolled around, the whole house was spotless and tidy, and the yard was immaculate.  Rolling into the new school year all kinds of prepared!!!!  Praise hands!!!!

After lunch, B took the kids to play golf with one of his friends from work and his kid, so I had the whole house to myself.  Yas!  I spent the afternoon meal planning and making my grocery list for the next two weeks, sorting clothes, doing laundry, prepping all the things for back-to-school, working, and tying up some other loose ends like wrapping my dad’s birthday gift, filing some paperwork, etc.  This was probably the most productive week I’ve had all summer and it felt great to have everything ready to roll Monday morning for the kids to start school!

The kids had a blast playing golf, as always, and B said they both did really well.  By the time they got home, it was getting close to dinnertime, but I let them play a few minutes of video games while B went out to grab dinner from our favorite local pizza place.

We had pizza and beers for dinner, and then we watched Jungle Cruise on Disney+.  I have to say, I was a bit disappointed with it.  We’d heard so many good things about it, and a couple of people said it was hilarious, but B and I weren’t too impressed.  Olivia also mentioned a few times during the movie that she was bored, so I think Jacob was the only one of us who truly enjoyed it.  I would say if you have kids, it’s definitely worth a watch, but I would wait until you don’t have to pay $29.99 for it.  It definitely wasn’t worth it for that.

Right at the beginning of the movie, Jacob’s fingers and the tops of his feet swelled up and started itching… just like his lip did Thursday night.  What?!  We were so perplexed and I spent half of the movie racking my brain and making a list of all of the things he ate and did on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.  The allergic reactions only happened on Thursday and Saturday, with nothing occurring on Friday between them, and there were only two things in common with Thursday and Saturday that didn’t happen on Friday – watermelon and sunscreen. 

He’s always eaten watermelon, but the ped on call Thursday evening told us that anybody can all-of-a-sudden just become allergic to something – especially fruits.  The only two things he had in common on Thursday and Saturday was that he ate watermelon, and that I had applied some sunscreen.  All summer I’ve been using the sunscreen in our beach bag (it’s new!) but on Thursday and Saturday, I grabbed the sunscreen from the kitchen drawer, and we think it was old. 

My mom had told me that she had an allergic reaction to some old sunscreen recently, and according to the interwebs, allergic reactions are common to old sunscreen.  So, we’re thinking it was most likely the sunscreen that did it, but we’ll probably never know for sure because we threw it straight in the trash!  We are going to give him some watermelon again sometime so we can test out that theory, too.  Fortunately, Benadryl came to his recue again, and by Sunday morning, he was perfectly fine.

After the movie, we got the kids in the bed, and then B and I finished the last episode of Outer Banks, season two.  Y’ALL!!  That show, while sometimes predictable, is also sometimes very unpredictable.  Now I’m all over here wondering where the heck things are going to go in season three!

Before B and I went to bed, I went to close Olivia's bedroom door, and I just had to snap a picture of her because she sleeps with so. much. stuff.  Lol.

Sunday, August 8

Sunday morning was church and the leftovers from our dozen donuts from Saturday, and then I got in a cardio workout before getting ready for the day.  We headed to my MIL and step-FIL’s for lunch and they made a delicious spread of meatballs, cheesy potatoes, pineapple casserole, fried green tomatoes, and lots of fresh veggies.  We hung out there a lot of the afternoon, and then we headed home.

I got lunchboxes and thermoses and snacks and masks prepped for Monday morning, and then squeezed in an hour of work while the kids played video games one last time.  During the school year, they only get video games on weekends, so they’re about to be in for a rude awakening.  Haha. 

We headed to my momma and daddy’s house for Sunday dinner as we always do, but Sunday evening we had something to celebrate – my daddy’s birthday!  My momma made pork chops and rice and fresh field peas and black-eyed peas, and oh my word, it was good.  My littlest bro and his BFF came for dinner, too, and it was a great evening celebrating my Daddy!

When we got home, the kiddos got straight into bed.  Olivia was out like a light almost immediately, but Jacob had some first day of school jitters, and we ended up spending some time with him until we headed to bed.

Happy Tuesday, y’all!