Back to School 2010

I know in some parts of the country, it seems ludicrous that we are back in school, but today was the big day!  I'm thinking maybe they do it this way in Phoenix, because it is too hot to do much of anything else right now.  We get long Fall and Spring breaks, because it is feasible to step out of the air conditioning for a few minutes at a time, then.  (maybe.)

Look at these cute kids!  If only they'd look so enthusiastic and put together all year!

Since a lot of you still have some time to get ready for Back to School, I thought I would share a few things we've done to prepare this year.

Back to School Dates:

My mother-in-law had a great idea.  She volunteered to come and stay with us for a couple of days and watch children so I could take the kids on individual back-to-school shopping dates (well, baby Alec had to come along, too--but he doesn't talk much!).  In all honesty, my date with my 1st grade son wasn't earth-shattering.  It was hard to have a good conversation over the screaming kids playing at McDonald's, and he was much more interested in buying waterguns than school supplies.  But with my daughter, going into the 5th grade, this was some serious mother-daughter bonding time!

We ate at a cute sandwich shop (much more sophisticated than McDonald's), then got pedicures, artfully done by a friend with a home business for a killer price.  She was excited about notebooks and protractors, and maybe even more excited about the eye candy she found when I suggested a quick detour into Pier 1, and World Market.  (I am training her up right!).  We had lots of car time (since there isn't a lot of good shopping in our area), which meant lots of time to talk about grown-up things and give her the undivided attention she craves. Thanks, Grandma, for the great idea and all of the babysitting!  Don't have a grandma nearby?  Ask a friend if you can trade-off babysitting.

I was excited to find these fun FREE downloads from Amy @ Living Locurto

I'm hoping this makes up for not buying him a new character backpack, since we already had a couple of plain ones in good condition.

If the thought of school starting puts you in a celebratory kind of mood, you might want to check out this "Back to School" luncheon I put on for the big girls (a.k.a moms).  It might be fun to use some of these ideas with the kids and have a party to get them excited about school.  Read all about it here!

For a list of other great Back to School bashes around blogland, go here!