Here are my favourite back to school items...
1. Stick on name labels - easy to apply and can be applied to everything from uniforms to lunchboxes! They arrived quickly and do the job well. I purchased these from Woven labels UK from Amazon. Amazon have an amazing range and you can personalise the colours/logos etc. I like this because its easy to order and easy to do.
2. Sistema 2L lunch cube - they can go in the dishwasher so therefore easy to clean, they can fit in an apple and a yogurt pot and they also have a separate section for sandwiches, so you don't need to worry about wrapping them up or using cling film etc. I've used smaller versions in the past and they've been small for these standard items. They come in different colours and fit into the school bags. I picked these up quite reasonable - under £5 from Asda. I love that they're easy to keep clean!
3. Family Life Book Planner - this really helps me to keep organised. I love it. A well presented A5 18 month planner, week to view with blocked sections. I divide mine into:
Info - this contains birthdays/mufti information
AM - i keep all morning appointments here
PM - all afternoon appointments here
Eve - all evening appointments here
Clean - I keep cleaning/adhoc house errands to do section here
Meal - this is where I write out what we are eating for the week
There are also sections for each week to view on:
To do - is where I write anything I need to do thats adhoc ie post birthday cards
Next week - is where I'll add info for reminding for next week
It also comes with calendar, monthly calendars, budget planning, summer holidays and Christmas holiday planners. It has perforated shopping lists too. It has stickers, an address book, colourful tabs and sections. It is well worth the £14.99 for a well presented quality planner. It makes me happy to see it! I couldn't be without it.
4. Stationery - I love a good sparkly gem encrusted pen and a pretty pencil. I don't know why but these are my must haves and make me feel good when i'm writing in my planner. Being the only female in the house means I'm more likely to keep a pretty pen by my diary than a standard one. My current pencil I picked up last year from Warrick Castle and its navy with a gem encrusted crown on the top. My pen is purple covered in small gems with a large one on the top from Holy Hope stand at New Wine. It's a little thing that just make me feels good. I do actually really like stationery so maybe I don't want to feel I miss out when the children get there bits!
5. A 'we made it back to school treat' At the end of the first week, we bought the new avengers film 'End Game' lots of popcorn and had a family movie night. It's good to celebrate all things and this is how we celebrated getting back to routine/having something fun to look forward to after a busy first week back.
So what are your favourite back to school items?