Super Helpful Back to School Ideas #MomsCheckIn #BoogieB2S

August 14, 2015 by Jenni 1,531 Comments

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Dreft Home, Febreze In-Wash Odor Eliminator, Downy Wrinkle Releaser Plus and Boogie Wipes, however, all thoughts and opinions are our own.

Our Best Back to School Tips

We’ve been back to school now for 2 full weeks. We’re on our 3rd week now! Have you already started back? I totally understand and I get it. Transitioning from summer break to getting up at 6:30am isn’t easy.

Our Moms Check In moms are talking all about back to school tips this week and we’ve got some of our own tips to help make it a little easier on the whole family. We’d love to hear your tips too! Drop us a comment below or chat with us on social media using the hashtag #MomsCheckIn and #BoogieB2S!

Before we share our Moms Check In Moms’ tips, be sure to check out our Back to School Saving Guide! Also, we’ve got a couple of really great after school snacks or dinner ideas that are easy peasy! Here’s our kid approved Mini Pizza Snackers and a fun Cheesy BBQ Pigs in a Blanket recipe! Enjoy.

Back to School tips from our Moms…

“Back to school can be overwhelming! Josh just started Jr. High and it means lockers, changing classes and a whole lot of school supplies. We got our schedules on back to school night, but I could tell he was still anxious. I called the school just to see if we could stop in, practice his locker combination, drop off all of his supplies and do a walk through a couple of times finding each of his class. If you have a child who seems a little anxious – just ask! Being prepared made him (and myself!) feel so much more confident on the first day of school.“

– Amanda is the mom to Joshua and owns It’s a Fabulous Life. If you are looking for a one stop place for all things mom, It’s a Fabulous Life is it! Full of recipes, fashion, DIY projects, recipes and parenting articles it’s the place for all of Mom’s favorites to come together! Follow her on Twitter here!

“We are finishing our final days of summer, enjoying all the time we can together. Sam is definitely excited for school to begin. We’ve talked a lot about being back at school and getting back in our regular routine. I think talking a lot before back to school helps calm nerves. Talk about their apprehensions to help calm them down plus share positive ideas about what to look forward to. We’re also starting to get in our normal bedtime routine, which I know helps his body to adjust. Cheers to a great school year ahead!“

– Stephanie is the mom to Sam and the author of Spaceships and Laser Beams. If you ever need party ideas her site is the place to visit! Specializing in all things boy, it’s full of inspiration! Follow her on Twitter here!

“It’s back to school time for us too! We’ve been back for 2 weeks now and I think we’re settling in nicely. My back to school tips are starting 2 weeks before school starts to begin your routine. Bathtime, picking out clothes, going to bed early, etc. That way when school DOES start, it’s not a shock all at once. Another tip is start packing in plenty of Vitamin C before school starts because, believe me, kids are germy! We’re 2 weeks in and little man has already caught a cold bug. Pack some anti-bac wipes in their lunchbox or backpack to use before lunch too.“

– Jenni is the mom of one and the author of Sweet Pennies From Heaven. A hearth and home website, Sweet Pennies From Heaven focuses on recipes, crafts and creating a comfortable home. Follow her on Twitter here!

#BoogieB2S Twitter Party

We’re going to be talking about heading back to school and fun tips this week during a one-hour Twitter party on Thursday, August 20th from 1-2pm EST. You’re invited to attend. Make sure to RSVP here to be eligible to win! The prizes will include lots of Target gift cards, teacher supply kits, and a stocked backpack filled with all kinds of goodies!

Products to Include in Your Back to School Shopping List!

We have a few products that are MUST haves when the kids go back to school! So make sure to add these to your list!!

Have you heard of Dreft Home before? We’re all familiar with Dreft as laundry detergent for babies but now they make stain removers, odor removers and even all purpose household cleaners (including wipes!). Their products are gentle on skin, yet remain tough on stains! Perfect for our messy kiddos!

Football, Soccer, Hockey, Gym Class – back to school can also mean Back to STINK! Luckily Febreze In-Wash Odor Eliminator is there to help you expel the smell, undo the pee-yew and sink the stink to make back to school smell much better. Click here to download a $2 off coupon and learn more.

Forget ironing or even throwing clothes in the dryer to get rid of wrinkles in the mornings! Downy Wrinkle Releaser Plus can knock those wrinkles out with just a quick spray down!

Last but not least, you’ll want to keep some Boogie Wipes and Boogie Mist on hand! It never fails. The yucky noses start within a week or two of starting back to school. They’re super soft and come in fun scents that kids love. Take the Save the Sleeve Pledge and vow to use Boogie Wipes and not sleeves for boogie messes!

What is Moms Check In?

Who are the moms of Moms Check In? We’re 3 moms who are also professional bloggers. We chat about a new topic each week. We talk about things from dirty diapers to date night, and everything in between. Moms love to talk to other moms and let’s face it…MOMS know everything!!

Before you leave, let us know…

What are your favorite back to school tips?

Creative Back To School Lunch Ideas and the #WishIHadWetOnes Sweepstakes

July 2, 2015 by Jenni

Easy Back to School Lunch Ideas

Can you believe it’s almost time to head back to school? Seriously…where did the summer go? It’s still plenty warm out, but we’re already planning to head school shopping this week. Little man will be going all day this year, instead of half days and because he’s such a picky eater, we’ve decided to pack his lunch this year – so it’s time to come up with some easy back to school lunch ideas!

I have to get somewhat creative with his food, and I find that he always eats a little better if his plate is “fun”. One of his favorites are the peanut butter and jelly rollups. They’re SO easy to make too, so yay for mom!! He also thinks it’s fun when I make cheese shapes. The extra bonus there, is that mom gets the leftover cheese. HA!

To make the pb&j rollups, all you do is cut the crust off the bread. Then you roll the bread flat with a rolling pin. Add a smear of peanut butter on one side, jelly on the other…and then roll it up. Easy peasy. It’s fun because it’s different…and not your typical PB&J sandwich.

I try to make sure he gets a little bit of everything in his lunch. This fun lunch idea includes the peanut butter and jelly rollups and…

Pepperidge Farm® Goldfish Crackers
apple slices
carrots
cheese
…add juice or milk.

The boy loves his Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Crackers. We go through bags and bags of these. He loves all the flavors and the different kinds of crackers. I don’t think there’s a variety we haven’t tried.

Wish I Had a Wet Ones® Singles…

I won’t even lie. Kids are gross, and you know it! They wipe their noses, stick things in their mouths, and I know they have bathroom time/washing hands time at school – but bleck. I don’t trust that they get all the yucky grimy grime off their hands before lunchtime. Wet Ones® Singles are a parent’s dream. These fit perfectly inside their lunchboxes and they tear open super easy. They kill 99.9% of germs, so now every kiddo can clean up before they eat their awesome lunch!

Wish I Had a Wet Ones in My Lunchbox Sweepstakes…

Make sure that you visit www.wishihadwetones.com to get more information on this fun campaign and learn how you can participate in the sweepstakes! The sweepstakes runs from 7/5/15 – 9/7/15.

What’s your kids favorite lunch ideas?

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Wet Ones®. The opinions and text are all mine.

Back to School Tips from Rockstar Moms! #MomsCheckIn

August 15, 2014 by Jenni 1,657 Comments

Back to school time is here. Everywhere you turn it seems to be binders, pencils and backpacks. We want to know, what is your best tip for an organized school year. Do you have a super way to make those crazy mornings go off without a hitch? Or maybe you’ve mastered the art of sifting through and organizing all of those papers that come home. Whatever your expertise – we want to know!

Here are some of our top back to school tips from the
Moms in our #MomsCheckIn panel!

Since Sam is just going into kindergarten, I’m a novice at this back-to-school regimen so all I can tell you is what I’ve thought about. In the last couple of weeks we’ve been inching toward what his new schedule will be. That means Sam’s getting to bed a little earlier so he’s ready to get up earlier, too. The other thing I plan to do is make sure lunch is packed and clothes are chosen at the end of each day instead of having to hustle in the mornings.

– Stephanie

Stephanie is the mom to Sam and the author of Spaceships and Laser Beams. If you ever need party ideas her site is the place to visit! Specializing in all things boy, it’s full of inspiration! Follow her on Facebook here!

Gosh is it time to go back to school already? Can’t we just start summer over? We are not morning people. Ok, I am not a morning person. On the weekends, I make extra breakfast and we freeze the leftovers. Pancakes are perfect for popping into the toaster! After our Saturday grocery trip we separate the snacks into individual serving size baggies. We also make a LOT of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to put in the freezer. Come on Monday when we need to make Josh’s lunch we just have to grab a sandwich from the freezer and a few prepped snacks and we are good to go! It only takes about 30 seconds and we are off!

– Amanda

Amanda is the mom to Joshua and owns It’s a Fabulous Life. If you are looking for a one stop place for all things mom, It’s a Fabulous Life is it! Full of recipes, fashion, DIY projects, recipes and parenting articles it’s the place for all of Mom’s favorites to come together! Follow her on Facebook here!

“My top tip is to get done what you can the night before to prepare for the next day. The morning rush is no fun when you’re trying to hustle kids out the door. So we’ll lay out clothes, make sure backpacks are packed, and decide what we’re packing for lunch before we go to bed. My other big tip? Get labels with your kids’ names on everything. Losing a lunch bag or backpack can be a painful (and expensive) loss. I speak from experience!”

– Lindsay

Lindsay is the mom of 2 and author of See Mom Click. She shares great deals, Disney happenings and recipes. You can follow her on Facebook here!

The first thing to get us back into the swing of things is to get back in our routine of going to bed early. Just so I’m not running ragged in the mornings, I always lay his clothes out and make sure his backpack is ready to go too. Bath-time the night before also, that always saves a ton of time!

– Jenni

Jenni is the mom of one and the author of Sweet Pennies From Heaven. A hearth and home website, Sweet Pennies From Heaven focuses on recipes, crafts and creating a comfortable home. Follow her on Facebook here!

So now it’s your turn! Tell us! What is your best tip for an organized school year?

Make sure to follow all of the moms on social media and Moms Check In on Twitter! We will be tweeting your responses all week!

Keep Kiddos Stuff Safe with Master Lock #MasterBackToSchool

August 3, 2014 by Jenni 1,350 Comments

Man, have things changed since I was in school. Technology is ever changing and getting cooler and cooler. We start back to school this week and we’re gearing up and getting ready. Routines are getting set back into place and we’re ready for another successful year. Since kids are just as much apart of the technical age as we are, it’s normal for them to take their phones and iPads to school. The older kids also take money, keys and things that are hard and expensive to replace. As part of a compensated campaign, I’ve partnered with Master Lock and Global Influence. They sent me a couple of things for free to try as well.

Back when I was in school we had the old school combination locks. Now, they’re DIGITAL! Say whattt???? This is the coolest thing ever! It’s the dialspeed Digital Combination Lock. No more worries about forgotten combinations with this high tech gadget! It has an ultrafast entry and features an electronic light up keypad. Best part is it has a unique online Backup Master Code that you can retrieve from masterlockvault.com. It stores multiple resettable guest codes (perfect for sharing lockers). You can get these bad boys in black or white for apprx. $15.99!!!

We also got one of these SafeSpace™ Portable Safes that is perfect for keeping your cash, cellphones, keys, jewelry, credit cards and more safe while on the go! It has an integrated cable that can be securely anchored to a fixed object (like a steering wheel in the car), or used as a handle while carrying. Did you know that nearly half of North American parents admitted that their child has had an item stolen from them at school, with the most valuable being their cell phone? That’s why this SafeSpace is perfect! You can get these in white, grey and pink for apprx. $19.99!

Master Lock Photo Hunt Challenge

Check out the Master Lock Photo Hunt Challenge! The game offers players a chance to view several Master Lock products that offer to keep students’ belongings safe at school while getting the chance to win fun Master Lock products and other cool prizes.

You can visit www.MasterLockPhotoHunt.com now through Sept. 7th for a chance to win back to school security items and to even create a Master Lock shopping wish list.

The game features 2 similar back to school images and asks players to spot the differences before time runs out! When you find all the differences, it will unlock the next photo board with the potential to earn up to two sweepstakes entries. There are more than 65 chances to win, including daily instant win prizes, weekly prizes and then one grand prize winner which will receive a Samsung Smart Media Center Package that includes a 60” HD 1080p Smart LED HDTV!! Woot!!

Master Lock Twitter Party

If you’re on Twitter, then head over on August 5^th at 8 PM EST. The party is hosted by ResourcefulMom. Make sure to click here to visit for more information.

Back to School on a Budget with Dollar General

July 30, 2014 by 2,032 Comments

This post brought to you by Dollar General. All opinions are 100% mine.

I was recently given the challenge of shopping for back to school with Dollar General with just $35. I am not a frequent shopper at Dollar General but I do love a good challenge! Seriously, I love it. Since we homeschool, I am always on the lookout for great deals to help me stock up on supplies for the year. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by the school supply selection at our local Dollar General store. I knew this challenge would be a BREEZE! The first thing I did was head over to the Dollar General site to see what the latest sale ad contained. There were some AMAZING prices on things like pencils, notebooks, erasers and even Kleenex! I also spied, with my little eye, a coupon for $5 off a purchase of $25 or more. Yep. Easy peasy for this challenge. So, of course, I scoured the ad and made a list of all the items we needed. I kept a tally of the price (rounding up for tax) as I went. I was satisfied with my list and headed to the store! When I arrived, I was pleased to see that most of the items in the sale ad were readily available in the school supplies section of Dollar General. There were a few things that were a little different and some had slightly different prices than I had planned for. That’s ok though because I still had that nice $5 off coupon. I did some quick figuring in my head and went to loading my cart with everything that was on my list! Here’s my list:

4 boxes of Kleenex (75 Count)
6 packs of filler paper (125 sheets each)
9 One subject spiral notebooks
2 Three subject spiral notebooks
1 pack of 4 mechanical pencils (I threw these in extra. They weren’t on my original list.)
2 packs of fashion pencils (8 per pack)
2 packs of fashion erasers (rectangular 2 per pack)
4 Three ring binders with clear view covers
8 Capri Sun big pouch drinks
1 Fashion journal (I threw this in extra. It wasn’t on my original list.)

That is a total of 39 items!! Do you think I met the challenge? Here’s my receipt: So I was over by $6.34! That was pretty much the cost + tax for the 2 extras that I added at the last minute. Had I not bought the journal and mechanical pencils, I would have come in right at my budget! Not too shabby considering I am not a regular shopper at Dollar General and the few price differences I was met with. I am pretty proud of how it turned out! Now…what will you be stocking up on for back to school? Whatever it is, I recommend visiting your local Dollar General to stock up on savings!

Like Dollar General on Facebook and follow @dollarGeneral on Twitter to keep up with updates from Dollar General!

ABC What I Can Be Kids Personalized Books 15% Off from I See Me + Cute Lunchboxes

August 11, 2013 by Jenni 470 Comments

During the month of August, you can get 15% off on the I See Me! Kids Personalized – ABC What I Can Be books! These books are so cute!! We have a personalized book from I See Me! for our little guy and he still reads it several times a week. Loves it!! To get 15% off of the ABC What Can I Be title, just use code ABC at checkout through the month of August!

I See Me! also has several cute lunchboxes! With it being back to school season, I thought I’d share that information with you! These can be personalized with your child’s name on multiple sides. On the inside lid, there’s a cute chalkboard where you can write a message to your child each morning! These start at $29.95. Some of the themes include:

Outerspace Personalized Lunch Box
Prima Ballerinas Personalized Lunch Box
Dino-Mite Personalized Lunch Box
Kick, Score, Run! Personalized Lunch Box
Dreamy Day Personalized Lunch Box
Cars & Vehicles Personalized Lunch Box
All-A-Flutter-Butterflies Personalized Lunch Box
In The Garden Personalized Lunch Box

Are you a Super Mom?! Tackle that Back to School Shopping List and Save with White Cloud

July 23, 2013 by Jenni 492 Comments

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of White Cloud. All opinions are 100% mine.

I can’t believe it. Back to School season is in and I feel like we just went on vacation! Sending kids back to school gets really expensive, especially if you have more than 1 child in school. Do you get overwhelmed when you start thinking about shopping? So, with the help of White Cloud, we can tell those never-ending and daunting back to school lists to surrender to Super Moms everywhere!

Did you know that the National Retail Federation’s statistics show that parents spent almost $700 on back to school shopping last year? Talk about a dent in the wallet!

Here are just a few recommendations that I have for shopping back to school. First off, set a budget and STICK to it! Get what you have to have first and then let the rest of your budget cover the things that are “wants” vs. “needs”. As far as supplies go, you can find lots of deals in retail stores like Walmart. Also consider shopping online at discount supply stores. Bulk packages of supplies can be used throughout the year. Bigger out of pocket up front, but savings prevail in the end!

For saving on clothes, shoes and accessories – I always look for deals online, especially if I can get free shipping! Walmart has lots of great clothes online and instore. Plus…when shopping online you get GREAT shipping rates. For supplies and clothes, shop year round. Just whenever you find a great deal – snatch it up and don’t wait until you have to pay full price later when you actually need the item!

Most schools hand out a list of supplies/items needed to bring in. Most often, facial tissue is on the list and that’s a good thing. Fall and beginning of school season brings lots of buggies around so they’re great to have on hand, even in the classroom! Bet you didn’t know – you can support Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals just by purchasing the limited edition White Cloud CMN Facial Tissue boxes!! I love when purchases like that benefit an awesome organization!

White Cloud products are sold exclusively at Walmart. Check the White Cloud Store Locator to see if it’s sold in your area. You can find 3 or 6 boxes in one package which is perfect if you have multiple kids going back to school! They’re super duper soft and soothing on those dry noses…they’re the epitome of Pure Comfort™. Before you go to grab your package of White Cloud Tissues, visit the White Cloud Facial Tissue page to get a $0.75 off coupon!! You’ll also find the coupon in the July 28th newspaper FSI and the following magazines!

o Better Homes & Gardens

o Good Housekeeping

o First for Women

o Cosmopolitan

o Woman’s Day

o O, The Oprah Magazine

o Family Circle

o EveryDay with Rachael Ray

o Country Living

o Fitness

o House Beautiful

o Redbook

o Ladies’ Home Journal

Stay more up to date with promotions and news on the White Cloud Facebook Page or White Cloud Twitter Page. You can also check out their White Cloud Pinterest Page for fun ideas and things to pin!

How To Save the Most When Shopping Back to School Sales

July 17, 2013 by Jenni 1,210 Comments

How to Save for Back to School

Yep. It’s that time of year again! Back to School time can cost a fortune, especially if you have more than 1 child. Between pencils and paper, shoes and clothes it can cost hundreds of dollars per kid! There are many very simple things that you can do to save a lot of money! It just takes thinking outside the box and a little elbow grease. Okay – maybe not elbow grease, but you get my drift. 😉

Set a Budget for Back to School and stick to it:

Creating a Back to School budget is a really important factor in saving the most money. You don’t want to overspend, but you still want to be able to get everything needed. With each child being in different levels of school, their needs will be different. Don’t forget to budget for the teenager’s track shoes or calculator! Keep those kinds of things in mind.

How to Save on School Supplies:

School supplies vary upon the age of your kids, but they all need them. The best ways that I’ve found to save on school supplies are to watch sale fliers for sales and use coupons at places like Staples or Office Max. Buy bigger bulk packs of some supplies that get used a lot. Yes, you may be spending more up front but it proves to save quite a bit overall. This works great, especially if you have 3 or 4 kids in school at the same time.

Use printable coupons on supplies at stores like Walmart too or other big retail stores. If you’re shopping online for supplies, I highly recommend Amazon or Discount School Supply for your items. Both are great places to find great deals. If you have Amazon Prime, you’ll get fast FREE 2 day shipping. If you don’t have it, you can get a FREE Trial of Amazon Prime now!!

Stick to practical and not CUTE. Cute can cost a fortune when it comes to pens, folders, notebooks, backpacks, and the like. Give the kids a limit on the cutesie things they are allowed to buy and then the rest…stick to practical. Check this blog post out too for lots of other great ideas for saving on school supplies!

How to Save on Back to School Clothes, Shoes, and Accessories:

Clothing and shoes are your biggest chunk for back to school spending! Especially if you have teenagers! They want what their friends have so it’s always a battle. I know…I used to be a teen.

Rule # 1 is to never pay full price and always watch for sales! Keep an eye out for coupon mailers to help save a few extra dollars here and there.

Thrift Shop. Most of the time you can find really nice namebrand clothing in thrift shops that even still have the tags on them. You’ll get those goodies at huge discounted prices than you will off the retail store rack!

Shop Year Round. Every couple of months, head out and grab a few sales. Scope online deals out throughout the year and when you find a nice deal, snag it. It’s smarter than paying full price WHEN you need the actual item!

Shop clearance. That’s a no-brainer, I know….but sometimes people just need to be reminded. Most of the time you can still even use coupons or coupon codes on clearanced items. Think outside the box too. Don’t just look for clothes that are on clearance. Look for shoes, jewelry, accessories and other things that are generally clearanced too.

Think outside of the season. While you’re doing back to school shopping now, you’re looking for fall outfits. Hit the sale racks for the summer things that are on sale or clearance and buy the next size up. The kiddos can wear those things NEXT year and you won’t be paying full price next year for summer clothes.

Shop Online. I get my biggest discounts most of the time from shopping online, especially when I can score free shipping. I do the majority of my shopping at these spots, and often through Ebates for Cashback!

Amazon

Payless Shoes

Crocs.com

Walmart

What are your best tips for saving on back to school supplies and clothes? We all love to learn from others, so leave your best tips below in a comment! Can’t wait to hear them.