Back To School Favorites

Happy Friday ladies!! I don't know about y'all, but I am READY for the weekend. I just survived my first week of having a kid in REAL school. What in the world. How is this happening?! All the praise hands for hopefully/possibly/please-dear-Jesus getting to sleep in at least one day this weekend.

Summer is coming to a close for a lot of us. Like I said, my oldest started elementary school this week, and preschool is starting in just a few short weeks (again with the praise hands). So today I wanted to share some of my back to school favorites! I have had a few people ask about "greener" or "safer" products for their kids, so I tried to include a little of that as well.

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YumBox

Packing lunches for kids is a great idea in theory, but sometimes physically packing it can be a huge pain in the butt. The YumBox has made it SO much easier for me. Not only is it just a convenient and functional container, but the pre-portioned and labeled sizes make it super easy to pack a well balanced and healthy meal. And it helps your kids learn about proper portions (not that they wouldn't probably prefer if we just filled each container with goldfish, right?). It's BPA-free and phthalates-free, and it's leak-proof! Which means you can pack things like yogurt or other dips and they won't get all over everything. It's also super easy for younger kids to use without having to worry about opening a lot of different containers.

Skypies Stickers

As I've mentioned before, I love supporting other mom-owned businesses, and Skypies Stickers is my choice for all of the labels I need for our kids' school things. They offer a variety of waterproof labels that are perfect for lunchboxes, water bottles, folders, pretty much anything that would need a label on it. They also have iron on labels for clothing which is perfect for the colder months when you're sending them in layers, and they're also great for blankets and nap mats as well. They have a quick turnaround time and fast shipping, and they've got a back to school special going on until September, so go check them out. edited to add: Ali saw this post and is graciously offering our readers 15% off with the code COLDCOFFEEHOTMESS.

Thermos Funtainer

Our preschool requires a leak-proof, straw water bottle. If you're a mom, you know how difficult it is to find A) a cup that doesn't leak and B) one that is actually functional enough that your kid can drink out of them. The Thermos Funtainer is, by far, one of the best on the market. It leaks the LEAST out of most of the water bottles made for kids and it can keep liquids cold for twelve hours! If you're in the market for a budget friendly water bottle for your kiddo, give this one a try!

Cat & Jack Backpack

(book sack? book bag? back sack? How do you say it?!) So for the first time ever I had to buy a real backpack for Evan. Our preschool used tote bags, and it was diaper bags before that. I wanted to let him pick out his own bag, but I really didn't want him to pick out some obnoxious character bag. I mean, I know he's little but I just wasn't ready for that level of superhero commitment. I love all things Cat & Jack, so I knew they would come through in the backpack department. Evan picked out a super cute, non-obnoxious backpack. It's got a subtle pattern on the outside, but on the back of it there's a cute little superhero slogan. He thinks it's pretty cool. I also know it will hold up well because of the Cat & Jack brand name. So if you want your kids to have a backpack they'll love that won't make you cringe, I'd recommend it. I secretly want one of the girl ones for myself!!

That's it for this week, y'all! Do you have any school supplies that will make my life easier? Please share in the comments. And good luck getting those babies off to school.

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