As if one backpack wasn’t crazy enough, the Backpack bloggers now have a second backpack to give away on Just Precious! This time, we’re going to make the contest a bit lighter and brighter, just like Just Precious!
Have you heard about the contents of the Back to School Backpack? Its seriously overflowing. I mean, there’s just no way that the pack could fit all of the items we’re giving away.
So, what’s inside?
Fill the Backpack Contents
(note that the winner will receive just one of each of the items pictured, and either the Leap Frog Tag system OR the Leap Frog Explorer system.)
As a parent and former teacher, I was shocked this year by how anxious I was about Big entering first grade at a new school. Between meeting new friends (both him and me), a new teacher, and new expectations where no one knew him, it was scary!
Fortunately, this is Big’s 3rd day of school and he’s happy. His 1st grade teacher is wonderful and he’s making friends all the time. I loved how happy he was yesterday afternoon when he got off the bus. Its an amazing lift, seeing your child smile like that.
Middle started school yesterday and he was a bit more apprehensive. But once we were inside the classroom today, he was so excited to show me all the parts of the room that he learned the day before. Plus, there’s a Hamster in his Pre-K class, which will, hopefully, always be a draw for him.
And, amazingly, Little begins “school” tomorrow. We signed up for a Mommy and Me at our preschool and I’m so excited for her to interact with the other one-year-olds.
Having three kids in school is a big deal, you know? There is so much to do and so much to organize and keep straight. I’m finding that switching to my phone calendar app hasn’t worked well for me because I really need to have it all mapped out in front of me. So, I’m switching back to a datebook calendar. Have you checked out the planner by Orange Circle Studio? There’s one in the backpack! Its ideal because it has a spot for 4 family members so you can keep everything separate.
This year, our preschool is hosting a learning series for parents. We’ll start with a wine and cheese and then one (or a few) of our parents will lead a workshop to introduce a hobby or skill that parents want to learn. Its a community building/fundraising project and I just can’t wait for our first evening. Our topic will be Back-to-School Organization, led by a parent who is a Professional Organizer. For all of my ideas that I’ve had and shared about getting organized in the past, I really need a workshop on this right now.
Since I have to wait 3 weeks until the workshop, I need to hear your tips and ideas right now. Do you have good products to suggest? Secrets that really need to be shared? What do you do to help your family stay organized? Share your ideas and you could win a Back to School Backpack!
Enter to win this fabulous backpack which has now been over-filled with goodies! To enter:
- Comment to this post, telling a back-to-school organization tip
- on twitter? retweet this post using the green retweet button below. I’ll receive notice that you retweeted, please do not reply about it here.
Want another chance to win? You can enter on the blogs of other Backpack Bloggers, too.
The winning entry will be selected via the contest commenter plugin for wordpress. Winners must be residents of the United States to win and will be contacted at the close of this contest, on September 9 at midnight EST. Winner will have 24 hours to reply to the e-mail announcing her win. If she does not respond within 24 hours, an alternate winner will be chosen.
by Just Precious on September 1, 2010 · 2 comments
I have to tell you, when I asked everyone to share their wimpy kid stories, I had no idea how depressing it would be. I thought, hey, the movie was cute, so this will be a very fun way to look back and laugh at ourselves and our youth. I hope that many of us were able.
But I can’t tell you the number of times that rocks in my stomach crashed and jerked. All the comments come through on e-mail for me so that I can approve them before posting them to my site. So for the past week I’ve been receiving e-mail after e-mail about people getting beaten up in bathrooms and after lunches, about moms forcing hair dos that embarrass kids, about teachers (albeit innocently) making comments that get kids laughed at, about nicknames and being singled out and being different. I read a comment from an 83 year old woman. 83 years old, and my giveaway made her dig up bad memories.
It hurts. I cried reading your comments. My eyes welled up several times and I found myself shaking my head time and again. Kids hurt. Kids are mean. And kids are sensitive, too.
And we’re sensitive. And we can’t forget that.
Bullying exists. It always will. As much as parents and schools and communities try to run programs to advise against it, you know what? Its still going to exist. I’m not condoning it. But I certainly understand its out there and that, as a parent, its my responsibility to teach my kids how to handle it. How to politely excuse themselves from tough situations. And I want them to know that they should come to my husband and me to tell me about problems. I need them to feel comfortable enough. For them to know that, no matter what, I’ll listen and not judge. I’ll offer advice if they want it and I’ll help when they need it.
Parents, we should know that there are organizations available to help in cases of bullying. There are several bullying websites such as National Center for Bullying Prevention and Stop Bullying World Home. This article, Bullying throughout the Life Cycle, is a fantastic read for someone wanting to know the how’s, why’s and responses in the most basic of terms.
This weekend I was sharing my feelings about the comments I was reading with some friends. Melissa reminded me that her daughter was bullied last year on the bus. Bad. An older girl was really, really mean to Ellie, and Ellie was only in 1st grade. Melissa acted on it, contacted the principal and teacher and the principal was on top of it immediately. As she should be.
Beautifully, Ellie found the good in the girl.
I’m sorry. I’m sorry to all of you who dug down to enter a giveaway contest and brought back unwanted emotions. I feel absolutely terrible for that. I do hope that some of you were able to laugh. And that others took those emotions and grew from them.
Most important, I hope that you were able to look at your own children, or grandchildren, and tell them the story. Not to embarrass yourself. But to let them know that you’ve been there. And should they need it, you want to help them.
Its the first day of school, and I was reminded today of a conversation I overheard a year ago. A mom, met her child’s teacher before her child did.
“Oh! You have my son in your class this fall? Oh. We’ll talk. There’s a lot you need to know.”
Why? Why why why must parents do this? To their children and to their teachers? Do they not trust the teachers enough to bring their own experience to the classroom and to let it lead them in how they’ll approach their teaching?
Parents. Please. Let your child go to school as innocently. Your child may be totally different in school than he is at home. Or his chemistry with this year’s teacher and class will be different. Or maybe he just grew up this summer. No matter what. Whether he has the same mannerisms as you know or different ones, the teacher will let you know if there’s a concern. That’s a part of her job.
Parents, give your child a hug and let your child go today. Let him or her be himself and let the teacher and the classmates meet your child as he wants to be met. Please don’t taint your teachers with warnings and expectations.
Teachers are good people. They nurture. They know. They expect to learn about all the children in their class in the next few weeks. I promise, they’ll call or write if they have questions.
Note: this is not to say that parents of children with special needs should not address any outstanding issues with their teacher ahead of time. Its the little things like “Joey talks out of turn” or “Samantha and Riley really don’t like each other. They shouldn’t sit next to each other” that don’t need to be said to the teacher. Believe me. She knows.
