Post sponsored by Wayfair. They came up with the back-to-school concept, but the content is all me.
I always considered back-to-school the best time of year, even when I was a kid, and later a teenager. Even in high school I’d itch for homework, buying standardized test books to keep me busy. I realize that sounds incredibly nerdy, but I had a job, and a boyfriend, and friends, I swear. I still get excited when continuing ed catalogs come in the mail, but alas, my school days are over.
I don’t really need to buy school supplies for the kids, since their schools provide pretty much everything they need, but that doesn’t stop me. When retailers break out the crayon and glue stick displays in August I get giddy. I’ve always had a well-stocked desk and still do. (And a back up supply closet.) I keep a designated bin of stuff for the boys, but that doesn’t stop them from raiding my shelves. My husband thinks I’m a little whacky with my inexplicable possessiveness over scissors; it’s one of my quirks.
Although I have a firm no paper rule (everything gets photographed and filed electronically, I still keep a paper calendar. I use the monthly At-A-Glance calendars which I fill in and color-code by activity. (Green for work deadlines, red for birthdays, turquoise for my appointments, purple for the kids, yellow for days off, etc.);I have a silly attachment to see through fluorescent highlighters and can’t pass up a good set of markers. I even use White-Out.
Last fall I started a consistent exercise program, Skyping with my frriend Sarah (search Sarah John Fitness on FB) for personal core training twice per week, and her friend Kristy another two times weekly for yoga. I’m currently on hiatus (we’re all moms, hip hopping around for the summer), but am eager to get back into a routine. It’s time to upgrade to an extra thick yoga mat (I have knobby knees). I love the tall glass water bottles with wooden lids too, even though my husband finds them annoyingly tippy in the fridge.
Finally, extra iPhone chargers. Although I try to keep mine put at my desk, it sometimes disappears after smaller people in the house “borrow” it, having bent their own into oblivion. You can suffer through back-to-school season at big box stores or you can order everything online fromfrom StyleCarrot partner Wayfair. Here are my 15 must-have for me back-to-school supplies.
S H O P P I N G
2 Pentel Fine Point Color Pens
3 Fiskars Recycled Titanium Softgrip Scissors
10 Areaware Alarm Docking Station for iPhone 5
12 Polka Dot Glass Water Bottle with Wood Lid