Hey Besties! Welcome to Monthly Musings July 2022. This month Holly and I are sharing our thoughts with a host of other talented writers on Back to School Prep. We mentioned that this is not to rush summer away, we just thought this was a Good point in the summer to share all the Best back to school tips. We know that our readers go back to school between the beginning part of August through after Labor Day so we wanted to do this now to share the Best info.
I am going to lead with the fact that I am feeling slightly behind on any back to school paperwork, planning, book sales, and uniforms. I am going to try to do the bulk of the paperwork tomorrow night, hence you probably will not see me for Friday Favorites...but I digress.
Let's jump into Monthly Musings and talk Back to School Prep.
1. How do you get organized for the school year?
Right now I am trying to sell our sophomore year text books on our school Facebook page and then buy from our friends what we need for this school year. I need to get a spreadsheet going for the textbooks Hockey Guy needs and then add in what I have and what we still need. My brain just organizes Better when things are in a spreadsheet.
I also need Hockey Guy to try on his uniforms and see what still fits. The beauty of school uniforms is that we need fewer school clothes. They are changing the PE uniform so I need to order that too.
I am all about a to-do list and spreadsheets. Basically, color-coded lists are my love language.
I also try to get the important dates and days off at least through Christmas on the calendar in the beginning of the year.
2. Favorite places to shop for back to school clothes?
So I have a boy, who wears a uniform, I am basically of no help to you on this one!
3. Do you meal plan? Favorite back to school meals? Share a recipe or two.
I meal plan all year and always have. When we head back to school I am all about fast and easy. It takes a few weeks to get back in the grove and having easy dinners just makes things Better.
Two of my Best easy meals are taco meatballs and baked chicken tacos . I have been making these forever and they are favorites in our house. I will hopefully have another easy and amazing recipe to share next week that you can get on the table in no time.
4. What are your kids favorite things about going back to school?
Honestly, just seeing his friends every day.
5. Best place for school supplies?
We typically don't need a lot of school supplies unless the teacher specifies certain things. Typically everything is provided through tuition.
6. Any first day of school traditions?
I typically just try to get a photo, which usually includes the dog. I also try to make an easy dinner so that we can spend time talking about the day and not making dinner.
7. Best lunch box tip?
I am out of the lunchbox stage, but the Best lunch box tip I have is related to the thermos. To keep food hot in a thermos all day, heat up water, pour it into the thermos and close the lid. Keep the lid on while you heat the food. Once the food is heated, dump out the water and then add the food. This way you are adding hot food into a warmed container. Try it, it works.
8. Buy lunch? Bring lunch? Both?
Now that Hockey Guy is in high school he buys every day. They have a lot of choices and very few days are a miss.
9. Does school start before or after Labor Day where you live?
We start the week before Labor Day and we have a staggered start depending on what grade you are in.
10. Best money saving tips for back to school?
If you have tax free weekends before school starts where you live, take advantage of them. Those weekends usually have Good sales and then you save the sales tax too. Take inventory of all the basics in your house like socks, pajamas, copier paper and toner and stock up on these weekends.
I hope these tips were helpful. Be sure to check in with Holly and the other writers that join us for Monthly Musings. Get your lists together and enjoy the balance of the summer.
