babble » blogs » Strollerderby
Strollerderby
Photo Credit: Flickr, Evelyn Giggles
Tick Tock, Tick Tock…. do you hear that? THAT is the sound of your summer, of my summer, of my children’s summer winding down. It means school is on our horizon and that means all things BACK TO SCHOOL. I put it in caps because that is how it is bellowed in my home every day – especially when referencing BACK TO SCHOOL shopping and naturally, school supplies. The littlest set (where I have been until recently) are relegated to Crayola Central, but now, the fun begins. Sure, we have a list, but FINALLY, the small girl gets to assert her opinion, show off her style and truly? Boss me around for the duration of our School Supply adventure. Why do I allow it? It is in the name of learning, for Heaven’s sake…. It is just one of the ways I make this process painless. Another way? I get it over with early. Yes. It is July. My kids don’t start school for a month, but we are D-O-N-E.
How do you tackle this epic ritual in your kid-mom-school world?
Drop by Babble’s comprehensive Back to School Guide for 2011!
Stock up on supplies in the middle of the year
When I was little my mom used to dread shopping for school clothes. Now I understand why. It wasn’t the actual process of shopping, it was how much money would be spent keeping four elementary-children in clothes.
School clothes are just one of dozens of expenses parents are required to pay. Even if your kid is in public school, it all adds up.
But the Krech family put their noses to the grindstone and was able to save around $4,000 in just one year. Now, college student Rachel Krech is documenting how they did it: Continue reading »
As kids prepared to return to school this year, parents found themselves with back-to-school shopping lists like they’ve never seen before. In addition to the usual items like pencils, paper, crayons and glue, they were being asked to provide cleaning supplies, computer paper and other items usually provided by the schools themselves.
Of course, these expanded school supplies lists came courtesy of the budget cuts that have led public schools across the country to lay off teachers and eliminate programs.
But while parents may grumble about being asked to contribute more out of their own pockets, teachers are used to it. Every year, they shell out lots of their own hard-earned money to buy school supplies and instructional materials for their students. Continue reading »
If the the back-to-school supplies section of your local store looks a little weird this year, blame it on budget cuts. As schools struggle to make ends meet, they are turning to parents to fill in the gaps by asking them to purchase items not traditionally considered school supplies. Along with pencils, notebooks and glue, we are being asked to supply cleaning products, paper plates, baby wipes and much more. Continue reading »
Did you ever see the indie film “Safe?” It’s the 1995 film where Julianne Moore gets so freaked out by all of the chemicals in the environment that she seals herself up in an isolated igloo structure. I’m beginning to know how she felt.
A new analysis by the Environmental Working Group found that Americans are exposed to 1,200 times more dioxin than the Environmental Protection Agency considers safe. Even more scary, the amount of dioxin infants are exposed to is up to 77 times higher than the level EPA says is harmless.
Where is this dioxin coming from? Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC or vinyl), which is in everything from school supplies to some children’s backpacks. Continue reading »
My daughters and I wandered the mall last night, picking up packs of .25 cent glue sticks and $10 polo dresses. I’m not a fan of shopping back-to-school when summer is barely half over, but with the seasonal sales being pushed back into July, I can’t help but take advantage of the savings.
The National Retail Federation says that they’re cautiously optimistic that families are prepared to spend more on school shopping this year than they did last year. According to their 2010 Consumer Intentions and Actions Back to School survey, conducted by BIGresearch, the average family will spend $606.40 on school clothing and supplies, up from $548.72 last year and that consumers will spend $55.12 billion on back-to-school this year.
Schools are starting to look more like Blockbuster these days – they’re instituting late fees.
Only where a late drop-off is a problem at the video store, a late pick-up is raising the rates for parents at their local elementary schools. Continue reading »
Joslyn Gray 
Amber Doty 
Julianna Miner 
Monica Bielanko 
Sierra Black 
Meredith Carroll 
Carolyn Castiglia 
Sunny Chanel 
Madeline Holler 
Wendy Michaels 
Rebecca Odes 
Danielle Smith 
Danielle Sullivan 
Katherine Stone 
The Walt Disney Company supports Babble as a platform dedicated to honest, engaged, informed, intelligent and open conversation about parenting. However, the opinions expressed on this site are those of individual parents/writers and do not reflect the views of Disney. In addition, content provided on this site is for entertainment or informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or safety advice.
0