Mom's Date Night: Back To School Shopping
POSTED BY Amy at 7:00 AM
My little supermodel wanted to show off
his cool new t-shirt. We wore this out last week to go pick up Ethan's school supplies and got stopped by tons of people in the store who wanted to pump Ethan up about how great kindergarten was going to be.
I took him for a special date night and we went to go get everything from his list of school supplies, a new backpack, and picked up some of his uniforms. I wish we could have taken advantage of end-of-year clearance on the uniforms, but we weren't sure if he was going to get in this school or not. The real dilemma was finding enough clothes in his size and that would fit his narrow frame. We had virtually no luck at Wal-Mart and very little luck at Target. It is difficult to find a boy's size 4 in the appropriate color scheme so I will have to do some additional hunting online for his fall/winter clothes.
$150 in supplies later and we headed over to Wendy's for a special dinner complete with a Vanilla Frosty.
We couldn't end our date there though because we had to head to a very special place to get something very special. Yes, Ethan is now a card-carrying adult because he got his very own library card. It was quite exciting to sign his own name, in his very careful script, and then pick out books and check them out in self-check ALL BY HIMSELF! He kept telling the librarian, "Excuse me, ma'am. Excuse me. I am down here." The librarian laughed and told him that she could see him perfectly, but he kept saying, "Um, ma'am. I'm down here! I need a library card"
The joy in his eyes as we headed out with that little piece of plastic... May that feeling of joy only be replicated with free cards and not a credit card! Isn't that every parent's prayer?
What are you doing to get ready for school and when do your kids start? Where have you found the best deals on school supplies?
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Labels: Family, Parenting
17Comments:
"Good Morning, Amy;
We have been getting our school supplies from Staples. Every week they have different items on sale. Yesterday, after church we went there and got pencil boxes for 1 penney each. They also had staplers on sale for 25 cents each. We start school on August 15th for half day.
Where did you find Ethan's T-shirt? It is adorable.
Jodi"
"Sounds like a fun outing and I love the shirt! Just curious, when does school start there? Here in PA, we don't start until after Labor Day, so we aren't in the back to school frame of mind yet."
Amy
"Jodi- That link to Veri Meri t-shirts is who carries them. They have ones that say first grade rocks & preschool rocks along with some other cute sayings!
Anonymous- Our son will start school on August 12th!! I can't believe it!"
Michelle
"Hi, Amy -
I know Land's End carries lots of uniform pants and things - not sure on pricing, but if he is hard to fit...
We have been scoring big with $.01 sales at Office Depot & Office Max - glue, rulers, eraser packs, highlighter, folders and more! It is awesome to check out a bunch of school supplies and pay $1.02!"
Niki
"Well our son is starting preschool this year and we have been shopping at the Goodwill for back to school clothes, as well as Target and Walmart's clearance section. I noticed TONS of uniforms donated to our local Goodwill in a vairety of sizes and colors. Maybe yours has them too?
We bought the backpack from Toys R Us since they were on sale, AND when you bought any backpack you could pick out a lunch box FREE. How great is that?
However, if you have a huge Batman fan, when you buy $25 in Batman themed stuff at TRU (toys, dressup, etc) you get a FREE Batman backpack."
Shopping Queen
"Amy, Trying to keep up with all the school supply deals can be tough, so I list them all conveniently every week on my blog at www.TheShoppingQueen.com/blog"
Dawn
"What a great date night! My daughter is 4 1/2 and is waiting anxiously for both school AND a library card! I mentioned to the children's librarian last week that DD can't understand why she can't have a card. The sweet librarian responded, "Well, seems like since she can read, she should be able to get a card", but the librarians at the front desk are tough! :) Congratulations to your sone and best wishes for a GREAT school year!"
Barb, sfo
"I HIGHLY recommend the "elastic belts with the magnetic buckle" for little ones this age, especially the slim little guys. My younger boy was in kindergarten this year and had to wear a belt, and regular buckles were just beyond his ability to manage "in a hurry."
Found them on ebay from skool outfitters. These belts are wonderful things."
Steph at Problem Solvin' Mom
"Your adorable son is full of great sayings, I'm sure your mommy heart is just bursting with pride! What a cute shirt on an even cuter young man!"
Amy
"Barb- That is such a great tip. I need to look at his pants and see if he could do the belts. Those adjustable things on the sides really aggravate him.
Steph- Thank you so much- you are too sweet! Ethan is a quotable kind of kid and I don't ever want to forget the cute stuff he says."
Heather
"Oh my goodness Amy, my son and I! He is starting kindergarten as well. We went out for lunch and then shared an ice cream sundae, then headed for Target for all of the supplies on his list, new backpack, clothes, etc. Oddly enough, I also spent $150! We had the best day and had so much fun together. I love the tshirt idea!"
Amy
"I actually just got some really good deals on school supplies at Target. I didn't pay more than 20 cents for any one item and I got pencils, folders, glue, rulers, highlighters, crayons, etc.
I know that Staples was doing some 5 cent deals too.
And we don't start back to school until August 25th! I don't know if its ever going to get here!"
Kate
"How sweet! What a special time. Wearing the t-shirt was a great idea. My daughter is starting kindergarden this year, and she inherited her parents' love for office supplies, so shopping was a LOT of fun. =)
~Kate
Which Proverbs 14:1 Woman?
http://www.proverbs14-1.blogspot.com"
Domestic Chicky
"Wah!! My son starts on the 18th. He must be a moose tho - he wears a size 7! He will be 6 in Nov tho...it goes by too stinking fast! I think I may have to plan a date with my little guy as well."
Laurieann
"My youngest and oldest son (okay, okay, he's my only child) starts kindergarten on August 4th. Not sure I'm ready. He's stoked. Going to have to search for that T!"
LaMaman
"Just a word to the wise as they get older then wait to buy lots of the clothes. Their styles change once they get to school & see what everybody has. Do you have a Value City near you? this is great place to buy shoes. They also send a coupon out in the beginning of August for shoe sales - watch for it! They have great name-brand tennis shoes at lower prices. keep an eye for the sales at Kohl's, Children's Place, Old Navy & Gap - their clearance usually ends up being a good deal.
Also buy a year ahead (even school supplies) watch in the fall for clearance on things like folders, etc. & buy a size up. Then put it in the closet for next year.
Finally make sure you get a good/solid backpack. There is nothing more frustrating than mid-year having to buy a new one because the first one ripped then around April or May having to buy one more!!! Lands End makes a great backpack & they monogram it!
Have fun & take lots of photos. We have our kids next to the same tree on the first day of school every year. It is surprising how much they have grown including the tree!"
*carrie*
"That's so great. I love that he was so excited to get a library card!"
My little supermodel wanted to show off his cool new t-shirt. We wore this out last week to go pick up Ethan's school supplies and got stopped by tons of people in the store who wanted to pump Ethan up about how great kindergarten was going to be.
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We have been getting our school supplies from Staples. Every week they have different items on sale. Yesterday, after church we went there and got pencil boxes for 1 penney each. They also had staplers on sale for 25 cents each. We start school on August 15th for half day.
Where did you find Ethan's T-shirt? It is adorable.
Jodi"