Back to school shopping is something I dread each year – so much so, that I don’t officially do it! With three kids – one very tall, skinny teenage boy and two very picky girls, not only does it cost a small fortune but it is also hard to find what everyone wants. I have learned the hard way that going out and doing back to school shopping all at once is a guaranteed fail – someone has a growth spurt, the kids at school are not wearing those fuzzy boots anymore, or someone changes their mind. So I pick up a few pieces here and there for the kids as I find a good deal and I don’t buy jeans until late September if I can help it.

When the Mom Central team invited me to be a part of the TJ Maxx/Marshall’s blog tour I immediately jumped at the opportunity. I know that TJ Maxx and Marshalls carry name brand and designer clothes for a fraction of the cost, but I needed a good way to convince my very picky, fashion conscious  teenage daughter of that. See, now that she is in 8th grade she is all about the brands and if it is not designer, she will stick her nose up at it – yeah, teenage girls are like that!

Our challenge was to take a $50 gift card to  TJ Maxx or Marshall’s and see what kind of good deals we could get on back to school clothes. Now if I would have spent this $50 on the 15 year old boy or the 9 year old girl, I probably would have easily been able to purchase 3 full outfits, but that would have been too easy. I decided to give the $50 gift card to my daughter who turned 13 today and see what she could come up with.

Here are the outfits:

Cute, huh? I thought so too. Three of the four pieces are from Marshalls. For $50 she got two tops from the designer brand Max Studio and a pair of basic black capri length leggings. The tops retail for $68 each – there is NO WAY I would spend that much for a top for a child, but at Marshalls the tops were $19.99 each and that was a price I was comfortable paying for shirts of that quality.

Even though she only got three items for her $50, all three items have washed up nicely and mix and match with other pieces in her current wardrobe so she will get a lot of wear from them.

The one thing she had really wanted to get while we were there was a pair of jeans, however, we struck out. She felt the jeans in the kids department were too kiddish and they did not have any size 00 in the junior jeans department. But, as she grows a little more, I think she will be able to find jeans there easily. We have since returned to Marshall’s and she found a few more tops by American Eagle and Hollister, and she has her eye on a super cute Juicy Couture bag that is a fraction of the retail price.

Now, if I could only find a few hours to head over there and shop for myself…

Disclosure – I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of T.J.Maxx and Marshalls and received a gift card to facilitate my review and thank me for taking the time to participate, however all opinions are my own.

During the school year mornings can get a little hectic around here – especially when you consider I have three kids to get up and going at three different times to go to three different schools. All three kids pack lunch thanks to the sub-standard lunch options we have in the public schools, and they all need a good breakfast too. Then in the afternoon it’s three different pickup times and three different sports schedules plus homework and dinner times to manage.  So, how do I save time, money and sanity during the week? A little planning and prep go a long way!

1. Have a plan

Each Sunday I take about 15 minutes or so to plan out the week, taking into consideration sports practices and other commitments. Then I plan our menu for the week. This year I am adding breakfast and lunch to the menu to help streamline things even more around here. You can check out all my weekly menu plans from weeks past or stop back in each Monday for a new one. Need more inspiration? Laura at OrgJunkie hosts Menu Plan Monday and there are literally hundreds of menus posted each week.

2. Create a lunch packing station

Lunches come together a lot quicker if you are not running from one end of the kitchen to the pantry and back every time you turn around. Set up one area of the kitchen or the pantry where you keep everything you need for packing lunches – from lunch boxes, lunch bags, ziploc baggies, plastic forks, napkins, little containers, to anything else you may need. Same goes with the refrigerator and freezer – dedicate a shelf for the things you need most often. This will also make it easier for the kids to assemble their own lunches when needs be. I’ll be working on getting my stations set up between now and Tuesday since the kids go back to school on Wednesday.

3. Make waffles, pancakes and/or muffins ahead of time and freeze

Buying pre-packaged breakfast items like frozen waffles, pancakes and the like can add up quickly plus they are usually highly processed. You can save a lot of money and offer your family better choices if you make these staples yourself, but who has time? You do. Make a whole batch on the weekend or during the week when you have time and freeze the rest. Karen showed us last week how to make your own muffin mix in bulk from scratch or visit GoodLife (eats) for more on making waffles, pancakes and such ahead of time. Did you know you can even make PB& J ahead of time and freeze it, too? My friend Amanda will show you how to make and freeze peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

4. Cut up fruit and veggies in advance for breakfasts, lunches and snacks

When you get back from the grocery store take a few minutes to cut up fresh veggies and fruits and store them in airtight containers in the fridge. Not only does it save money this way, but you and the kids are more likely to grab for that healthy snack if it is ready to go and looking pretty for you!

5. Carpool

How much sense does it make for you and two of your neighbors to all show up at the school for after sports pickups at the same time? None. Get to know the other families in your children’s activities and when possible set up carpools! It will save you time, money and wear and tear on your car, plus my kids are always more excited about going to practice when they know there is some social time involved.

So there you have it – my 5 go-to strategies for a smooth running week (plus a sense of humor when my best laid plans don’t work). What are your strategies for saving time, money and/or sanity once the school year schedule kicks in?

College students from around the country are getting ready to say goodbye to summer and hello to dorm rooms, classrooms, football games, parties and college life in general. One of my all time favorite places to find organizers and gadgets to make my own house more fun and functional, Organize.com, is sponsoring a Dream Dorm Sweepstakes, $2,500 in Prizes!.

The giveaway entry is super easy and you could win one of the following prizes:

• One Grand Prize Winner will get a $1,000 Organize.com e-gift certificate (retail value),
• One First Place Winner will get a $500 Organize.com e-gift certificate (retail value),
• Two Second Place Winners will get a $250 Organize.com e-gift certificate (retail value),
• Five Third Place Winners will get a $100 Organize.com e-gift certificate (retail value).

Organize.com has such a great variety of organizers for back to school whether you are a teacher, grade school student or college student!

While I was in school I always heard about how there were different ways that people learn. Some people are visual learners, some are auditory learners and others are kinesthetic learners. Most of us learn through a combination of styles with one being more predominant than the others.

Now, I am clearly a visual learner – let me see those words on paper and I will remember them. No studying here.  I also learn well when I have to just do it – get physically involved in the process. My auditory learning ability is void and null!!!  Tell me directions, I will forget. Make me listen to a lecture, I will fall asleep. Guaranteed.

I have three kids and it is amazing. They all have different learning styles. Child #1 is a carbon copy of me in many ways, and his learning style is an exact match.  He can not just sit there quietly and listen – he will fall asleep – this has been tested.  Get him involved and bang, it all comes together. He also is a voracious reader, and since he sees it all – it sticks – all of it!

Child #2 is a pretty well balanced learner. She is a strong combination of an auditory learner and a kinesthetic learner. Visual learning is not really her thing, but with repetition, she usually gets it. She is a persistent learner – it may take a few tries, but she is not rattled by that and keeps trying until she gets it.

Child #3 is an auditory learner if I have ever met one. Have you ever met someone that can watch a movie once and then can repeat full chunks of the dialog right back to you? This one could do it at age 4 – to a level that just blew mind. She learns songs instantly, taught herself Spanish in preschool by listening to Dora the Explorer and quizzing her siblings, and repeats books back to me all the time. In class she takes every last word in – and can repeat it all back to you.

Take this challenge. Observe your child and see if you can determine his/her learning style. Then, next time you go in for a teacher conference, ask the teacher if he/she has an opinion on your child’s learning style. Maybe, just identifying your child’s style to the teacher may inspire the teacher to be more creative or aware when dealing with your child. Remember, you are your child’s greatest advocate.

What do you think? What is your learning style? Let’s discuss – leave me a comment.

Photo: stock.xchng

We visited my daughter’s 2nd grade classroom yesterday – she is just so excited to start school on Monday. Her teacher had them do a scavenger hunt through the classroom as a way of getting all their supplies in the right place and getting them acquainted with their new environment. In the folder for parents she included a list of helpful tips for a successful school year. Most of them are pretty common sense, but still worth sharing. They are:

1. Get plenty of sleep and have a consistent bedtime.

2. Breakfast is an important meal – don’t skip it! Eat a healthy breakfast every morning.

3. Pack a healthy lunch and limit junk food.

4. Arrive to school on time every day. When you are late you miss important instructions for the day.

5. Set a regular, scheduled homework time. This should be a place that is free of distractions so you can concentrate on your work. As soon as you are done with your homework, put it in your bookbag so you won’t lose it or forget it. I like having a homework area with extra supplies in it too.

6. Don’t be a couch potato! Limit TV and video game time. Spend your free time playing outside or being creative inside.

7. When you don’t understand something – ask for help. This is such an important skill to give children.

8. Always try your best and keep a positive attitude.

Here’s to another fabulous school year!!

Part of the back to school fun for my kids is picking out a cool lunch box for the upcoming year. As my girls get older, they are wanting to move away from the traditional PBJ packed lunch and are more interested in having “real” food mid-day.  Last year I picked up a few cute bento style boxes and they were a hit, which has put me on a hunt for some new ones this year. (photo at right from Jennifer’s flickr stream)

So far, Asian Food Grocer has the best kids bento selection (just search Bento on their site), but I have also found a few on Amazon like the ones below.  Also, when shopping on Amazon you can find Amazon coupon codes that can get you free shipping or percentages off of your total price.

5″ long x 1″ deep x 2.75″ wide Hello Kitty lunch box

Snoopy 2-Tier Bento Box

Vivo Kids Bento Box, Orange and Pink

Kotobuki 2-Tiered Bento Box, Panda Face

So what do you pack in a bento lunch for kids? Easy to eat finger foods like mini-sandwiches, pre-cooked pasta, veggies, fruit, and other treats work really well. If you are looking for some inspiration, check out these resources:

• 21 Healthy Lunchbox and Snack Ideas
• Bento Lunches – Creative Lunch Box Love
• Search Flickr for a TON of photos of kids bento box lunches
• O’bento Lunch 4 Kidz has the most beautiful pictures and creative ideas
• Laptop Lunches has ideas, recipes and an online store
• 501 Bento Lunches: 501 Unique Recipes for Brilliant Bento
• Hawaii’s Bento Box Cookbook: Fun Lunches for Kids
• My Lunch Box: 50 Recipes for Kids to Take to School!

And I just found even more great eco-friendly, money saving, kid-friendly lunch containers and bento boxes (click on images for more information and where to buy):