Sweetest School Support

Can you believe "back-to-school" time is here already? Now that I am no longer a teacher, I can join the other moms and dads and be ecstatic for this wonderful time of year!!

 As a little back to school treat I am making these candy bars for my daughter. They are encouraging and so sweet (hehe excuse the pun!). I found them over at Sugar to Designs and the printable is free.

Go ahead,sweeten up your little scholar's day. :) 

 Love and lots more free time, Kerry, the Momster 

Kiddies off to Kindergarten

My oldest child started kindergarten today. A huge step... for mommy that is! She just came home from the hospital, and what's next? Driving a car?? Dating?? I'm not ready for this. Such sweet sorrow, watching your little daisy blossom.
She was completely fine and gave me a kiss and sent me on my way. I did not want to leave her classroom. Infact, I would still like to call her teacher and ask how much of her lunch she ate,does she miss me and has she made any friends? She is easily adaptable though and before we had even left the room had already made a friend at her table, and had located the bathroom, so I know she will be fine. Me? Not so much :(

Here she is in her uniform, cuddling one of her "friends" :

Here she is with her daddy and brother, in her new class, doing the robot, because apparently, this is what you do in school:

Cherish every day, because they fly by!
Love and growth,
Kerry, the Momster

Found: Marvelous Momster!!

Came across a lovely momster featured in parenting magazine and when I went to her blog, she had all these lovely downloads to make for your children's lunches and classes for free. Yes, GRATIS!! Such beautiful clean designs too. They appeal to my sense of order and appease my use complimentary color wheel usage. Go check her out. (itiswhatitis)

Love and ladies,
Kerry the Momster

Snack Packs

Weekend Project idea:

Here is me doing my part for the greenifying of the earth. Reusable snack packs, rather than countless ziploc bags daily for my daughter's lunch.
This is fully lined in washable plastic, and made with a velcro closure. It may be used for dry or wet snacks- although not at the same time or there might be a squishy, inedible disaster where you left food.

Here is a pattern if you would like to make your own, I just added a little fold over piece to mine.

 

Or if you aren't particuarly crafty, save money on ziplocs by buying your snack bags. These ones are pretty cute. 

$7.99 @Vitamin Shoppe

Love and reduction,

Kerry, the Momster

Bye to Bedtime Blues

Bring some color and fun to bed!

Whilst shopping for my daughter's 5th birthday, I came across a clever site that mixes favorite books, with printed pj's of the characters. My daughter loves Pinkilicious, and they have a hot pink pj set that comes hand in hand with the book. Unfortunately she already has the book, but luckily for me, they do have the option of buying the pajamas alone or in a gift box. There are also numerous other favorite stories to choose from, so I may just have to get her the Purplicious ones too!! The sets run between $40 and $50 and are available on Amazon, at Nieman Marcus and Saks.

No more begging your kiddo's to hit the hay, but entice them with their favorite pajamas and a cuddly storytime. Great gift idea!!

Love and cuddles,
Kerry the Momster

Back To The Grind

As we begin our mad dash to the stores for backpack's, lunchboxes and clothes, we sigh in relief knowing that in just a few days our little gems will be back at school, being educated and entertained by someone other than ourselves for a few hours a day. Can I get an Amen?

With this return to the trenches comes the dilemma's of rush hour traffic (the kind in your kitchen and bathrooms prior to 8am). Here are some of my tips to keep the morning's running somewhat smoothly.

Handmade totes from http://www.knotjustjigs.co.uk

1. Set up a morning routine for each child. I created little pictures of each morning job (brush teeth, put on clothes, put on shoes, make bed and brush hair) which can be customized for each child. Remember to keep the lists age appropriate and that you may still have to assist in some tasks (like belts and shoelaces). I have the pictures glued to magnets on the back of my daughter's bedroom door (where she has a white board). Right after breakfast she starts on her routine. She may choose the order in which to do the various tasks, but they must all be done. When they are she gets moved up on her behavior chart, but you can choose any reward such as stickers, pennies, etc.
2. Pick out a week's worth of outfits on Sunday night. My husband has the task of making sure our willful 4 yr old is dresses for school. I came up with this system when too many days I would hear the stories of fighting over skirts and shorts and shoes. On Sundays we put together 5 outfits complete with socks and hair accessories and put them on hangers in an easy-to-reach spot. Then my daughter gets to pick what she wants to wear each day from these five outfits. 
3. Have separate bags for each after-school activity. Avoid the "I-forgot-my-soccer-cleats-drama" by having a bag for each activity. I started this system after about the third time my daughter arrived at skating lessons without gloves. If your child does soccer, ice-skating, ballet, and gymnastics, have a bag for each sport for each child. Tote's work wonders and can be purchase from craft stores and decorated by your child with pictures of the activity and their names on them. After each lesson, make sure all items are washed and put directly back in the bag for the next week. Let the kids know that NOTHING is to be taken out of the bag for any other activity. (My daughter loves to wear her gloves around the house, so I bought a pair that was ONLY for skating) If you have a particularly busy child and thus a lot of totes, have hooks in a closet or on a hallway wall to hang the bags.

Hope you are able to use some of these strategies that have worked so well for me, to streamline your mornings.

Love and organization,
Kerry the Momster