First Day of School 2015

 

 

Jack had a wonderful first day of school!  Hooray!!!

I was worried that he would cry, not sleep and not eat.  Two out of three ain't bad!  There weren't any tears, he napped...but didn't eat much.  I packed all of his faves so I'm just going to chalk it up to nerves and a new atmosphere. 

Jack walked right into the classroom, made himself at home and started doing puzzles with his friend from the playground right away.  He really seemed to have fun and even earned a special sticker for helping another kiddo on the playground.  Obvisouly Jason and I are super proud. 

I'm so happy I could have a light day at work and was able to drop him off and pick him up!  

The second day was just as good - he ate a little bit more, was happy the entire day and was even the example at Chapel on having a kind heart from being helpful on the first day.  He earned a special heart that they present each week at Chapel for his kindness. 

I'm a little bummed that we already have a homework assignment...I'm not creative and don't love arts and crafts assignments, but I know this is the first of MANY I will do with my kiddos so I'm going to suck it up, grab the glue and enjoy it!

Thoughts for Thursday :: Getting Ready for Preschool

I truly can't believe that my little baby is starting Preschool on Monday!  He will only go two days a week, but it's for a good chunk of time {9am-2pm} on those days.  I know he is going to love the social interaction and learning new things, but I just can't wrap my head around it.

Will he eat his lunch?  Will he nap when he's supposed to?  Will he play nice with others?  Will he miss home or not want to leave in the afternoon?

I'm trying to prepare myself mentally for a rough few weeks during the transition period.  We are in a different situation since our nanny will drop him and pick him up most days {except the first...that's all me} - which leads me with a whole other ball of guilt and frustration since I'll want to be the one doing these things.  

Being the overanxious mother I am, I've done a good bit of "prep" to get him ready for school.  I mean really he doesn't need half this stuff, but it makes me feel good and prepared to do it all...

Clothes & Shoes

Jack's school does not require uniforms so for clothing I like him to look nice, but be comfortable of course.  We are still in the triple digits in Houston so it must be cool too.  I watched all of the back to school sales and purchased some $4 pocket tees at Old Navy that I had monogrammed by Two Magnolia Lane.

I was able to score shorts from Carter's and Gap both on sale along with a couple of other cute tees from both places.  I don't like spending too much on his clothes since he grows so quickly and could ruin something in a matter of seconds with his messy eating and playground trips!

For shoes, he lives in Natives most of the time, but for school needs to wear something with socks.  We love the "Made 2 Play" Stride Rite sneakers which you can find at Stride Rite or Nordstrom.   I bought two pairs of these during a BOGO sale + tax free weekend!  Again, I hate paying full price for toddler shoes since his feet grow so fast!

Backpack and Lunchbox

Two Magnolia Lane came through again with the cutest matching backpack and lunchbox combo with his name monogrammed on both.  We opted for the larger size backpack to ensure his papers, extra clothing and lunch + snacks would all fit.  He looks precious with it on!

Food Storage

As silly as it sounds to experienced moms, I've never had to pack a lunch for my kiddo before so this brings me a ton of anxiety!  I want to make sure he gets full and likes what I give him, but also that it's healthy enough {I've read horror stories of parents being reprimanded if the lunch isn't healthy enough}.  We also have to pack two snacks a day...so all in all, that's a whole lot of packing each day.

Some items I purchased include:

Spencer Bento Box - Sandwiches Cutters - Ice Packs - OXO Tot Straw Cups, 11 oz.

Teacher Gifts

Image via Jolie Delights

If you live in the Houston area then you need to check out Jolie Delights who created these adorable Mason Jars with Pencil Cookies!  This is what Jack will be treating his teachers to on the first day this year.

Megan from Honey We're Home posted a great list of other cute Teacher Gift ideas - perfect for the first day or throughout the year!

What have you done to get ready for school?  

And what are your thoughts about first day teacher gifts - thoughtful or unnecessary?

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 I'm linking up today with Annie and Natalie today for Thoughts for Thursday.