It’s nearly ‘back to school’ time.
I’m not looking forward to the school traffic or monotonous packing of school lunches but I’m definitely going to miss the sleep-ins and lazy days.
This year my baby is going to school, my last baby … most definitely my last baby, the baby shop is closed. Where on earth did those last five years go? I swear he was just a baby a few weeks ago, I don’t care how old he is, he’ll always be my baby!
But I am secretly looking forward to a little more freedom, shhhh don’t tell Orly!
My girls are going into grades 9 and 10, so I think I have this back to school stuff under control now. I’ve learnt a few things along the way and I thought some of you first time school mums might need a few tips.
Firstly, don’t even bother trying to cover your own books with those horrible rolls of contact that leave you frustrated and aggravated, especially if you are a bit of a perfectionist like me, the little air bubbles will make you lose your mind, trust me!
If you have any teenage daughters bribe them to do it for you, I find the promise of a trip to get frozen yogurt works nicely and is worth every cent.
Otherwise pop down to your local newsagent or office supplier and buy some ready-made plastic book covers, they come in various sizes and just slip over the front and back cover of the book, easy peasy and they are reusable.
Label everything, and I mean EVERYTHING!
You will be blown away by how many things grow legs of their own and wander off, never to be found again. I find labelling everything in a bright, clear label that is easy to recognise is easier for the little kids as they sometimes don’t instantly recognise their own name, or there might be 2 or 3 ‘Orlando’s’ in the class, so something that is unique to them can be a great idea.
This year I discovered Avery printable labels to personalise and print my own labels at home.
Y’all know how much I love personalising anything and this was so much fun for both Orly and myself.
You can purchase your packs of labels at Officeworks or most good office supplies places, check here to find your closest stockist.
Then pop online to the Avery Create your own school labels website here and follow the easy instructions.
Orly chose monsters which was quite fitting I thought!
The whole process only took 10 minutes, from choosing to printing our designs. This is what ours look like …
Then we were labelling everything in sight!
Arabella saw Orly’s labels and wanted to make some too.
She made these all by herself, I think they look rather pretty!
Don’t forget to label all your lunch boxes too.
This is not only so they don’t lose them at school but it makes it much easier in the mornings when the older kids are grabbing their lunches and packing their own bags. What could be worse than accidentally taking your 5 year old brothers peanut butter sandwich to school when you clearly requested turkey and salad on rye, ahem … Sorry!
I hope this helped some of you first timers get ready for the big day.
OH! And take tissues, even the strongest Mummy’s cry on the first day!
Here’s the all important shopping details for y’all,
Happy shopping!
Find Avery labels from your nearest stockist here.
Go To the Avery Create Your Own School Labels here.
Arabella’s drink bottle and lunchbox are from Kitchen Warehouse and can be found here and here.
Orlando’s book covers are from Officeworks here.
Orlando’s lunch boxes are from Kitchen Warehouse, here.
Hayley x
