Monthly Musings-July 2022 Back to School Prep




Hey Besties! Welcome to Monthly Musings July 2022. This month Holly and I are sharing our thoughts with a host of other talented writers on Back to School Prep. We mentioned that this is not to rush summer away, we just thought this was a Good point in the summer to share all the Best back to school tips. We know that our readers go back to school between the beginning part of August through after Labor Day so we wanted to do this now to share the Best info.


I am going to lead with the fact that I am feeling slightly behind on any back to school paperwork, planning, book sales, and uniforms. I am going to try to do the bulk of the paperwork tomorrow night, hence you probably will not see me for Friday Favorites...but I digress.


Let's jump into Monthly Musings and talk Back to School Prep.


1. How do you get organized for the school year?


Right now I am trying to sell our sophomore year text books on our school Facebook page and then buy from our friends what we need for this school year. I need to get a spreadsheet going for the textbooks Hockey Guy needs and then add in what I have and what we still need. My brain just organizes Better when things are in a spreadsheet.


I also need Hockey Guy to try on his uniforms and see what still fits. The beauty of school uniforms is that we need fewer school clothes. They are changing the PE uniform so I need to order that too.


I am all about a to-do list and spreadsheets. Basically, color-coded lists are my love language.


I also try to get the important dates and days off at least through Christmas on the calendar in the beginning of the year.


2. Favorite places to shop for back to school clothes?


So I have a boy, who wears a uniform, I am basically of no help to you on this one!


3. Do you meal plan? Favorite back to school meals? Share a recipe or two.


I meal plan all year and always have. When we head back to school I am all about fast and easy. It takes a few weeks to get back in the grove and having easy dinners just makes things Better


Two of my Best easy meals are taco meatballs and baked chicken tacos . I have been making these forever and they are favorites in our house. I will hopefully have another easy and amazing recipe to share next week that you can get on the table in no time.


4. What are your kids favorite things about going back to school?


Honestly, just seeing his friends every day.


5. Best place for school supplies?


We typically don't need a lot of school supplies unless the teacher specifies certain things. Typically everything is provided through tuition.


6. Any first day of school traditions?


I typically just try to get a photo, which usually includes the dog. I also try to make an easy dinner so that we can spend time talking about the day and not making dinner.


7. Best lunch box tip?


I am out of the lunchbox stage, but the Best lunch box tip I have is related to the thermos. To keep food hot in a thermos all day, heat up water, pour it into the thermos and close the lid. Keep the lid on while you heat the food. Once the food is heated, dump out the water and then add the food. This way you are adding hot food into a warmed container. Try it, it works.


8. Buy lunch? Bring lunch? Both?


Now that Hockey Guy is in high school he buys every day. They have a lot of choices and very few days are a miss.


9. Does school start before or after Labor Day where you live?


We start the week before Labor Day and we have a staggered start depending on what grade you are in.


10. Best money saving tips for back to school?


If you have tax free weekends before school starts where you live, take advantage of them. Those weekends usually have Good sales and then you save the sales tax too. Take inventory of all the basics in your house like socks, pajamas, copier paper and toner and stock up on these weekends.


I hope these tips were helpful. Be sure to check in with Holly and the other writers that join us for Monthly Musings. Get your lists together and enjoy the balance of the summer.


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What's Up Wednesday-July 2022


Happy Wednesday Besties! It's time for What's Up Wednesday where I link up with Shaeffer and Shay and talk about all things July! Settle in and find out what we have been up to this month.


What We're Eating This Week

Monday-chicken stir fry

Tuesday-slider meatballs, salad

The rest of the week will depend on what day my Butcher Box arrives. We are still loving Butcher Box and it really has been helpful to have a month's worth of meat on hand and I love having different cuts of meat every month. If you want to give Butcher Box a try you can save $30 on your first box and get free bacon for life with this link

What I am Reminiscing About

We are a couple of weeks away from vacation and I have been thinking about all of the years past in Hilton Head. This will be our fourth time there and I cannot wait.

What I'm Loving

I have been using the Laura Mercier Caviar eye sticks lately and I am loving them. I think they last longer than other cream eye shadows and they do not irritate my very sensitive eyes.


***contains affiliate links

The other new beauty product I am loving is Flamingo Shave. I have been looking for a razor that I love. This is the women's line from Harry's. Running Daddy has been a fan of Harry's for many years now and they are the only razors he uses. I am really loving the Flamingo razors because they are sharp but easy on the razor burn at the same time. You can buy them in stores but you can also just have them dropped on your doorstep too. Yes, please!

I am also loving this Stella Chain Crystal Chain necklace. It is a shorter length so it is so Good for layering. I also love how highend it looks but I would not worry about traveling with it. This just launched and I think I am going to be wearing this a lot.


What We've Been Up To


We had a really lovely Fourth of July and spent some time with friends we have not seen in a while at our pool.

We also had a hockey tournament in the Philadelphia area. Hockey Guy played really well and I was able to work from the road.

We have also really been enjoying our summer weekends.

What I'm Dreading

I have a ton of school paperwork to do and I am dreading it. I have done a few things but there are also some things I cannot do until after physicals and we have all of those forms.


What I'm Working On

See above...this week I am working on a lot of school paperwork.

I also have a lot of work right now. The summer is usually my busy season, which is not ideal and I am going to be slammed until after the election.

On a fun note, I starting to work on packing lists and vacation grocery lists. I love a Good list and vacation lists are the Best.

What I'm Excited About

I am super excited about our trip to Hilton Head. It's one of my favorite places and I cannot wait to chill for a bit.

What I am Watching/Reading

I have a small stack of books and magazines ready to go for our trip. I just have to get through all my work and then I am looking forward to some coffee and books.

We are watching a few fun things. We decided to binge watch Southern Charm from the beginning. While we have watched every season, it is interesting to watch it all so close together.




The evolution of Craig is really the Best.




I am also watching Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. I going to say this, I have never been a Kyle fan and I think they are finally showing what a mean girl Kyle really is.




I also started watching The Summer I Became Pretty and I am really liking it. I am usually so behind on these things but I do get why people like this series. This is probably for high schoolers ad up.

What I'm Listening To

I am listening to all of my usual podcasts. If you are a Housewives fan I highly recommend The Bravo Dockett. They are two Housewives fans who are also lawyers. They are really Good at breaking down all of the Erika Jayne and Jen Shah legal drama. They explain all of the legalese for these types of cases and what it all means.

I also need to work on a Hilton Head playlist. 

What I'm Wearing

I haven't really bought anything new because I am saving money for our trip.  I am mostly accessorizing to keep things fresh.

I did buy these linen pants recently. They are total classics and can be dressed up or down.

 


What I'm Doing This Weekend

We have a family party and then I will also start getting things ready for our trip. I am also hoping to get a pedicure. 

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month

I am so looking forward to our trip to South Carolina and being in Hilton Head. We also have a hockey tournament at the end of August that will kick off the hockey season.

What Else is New

I think I covered basically everything. You will want to come by tomorrow as Holly and I are hosting Monthly Musings tomorrow. The topic this month is Back to School Prep. We are not trying to rush the summer away but we thought it would be a Good idea to share tips and tricks now because there is such a range of back to school dates from mid-August all the way past Labor Day.

The questions are below and we hope you will join us as a writer, reader or both.




That's my wrap up of July. I will see you back here tomorrow. 

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Hello Monday and Monthly Musings topics-July 2022

 Hello Monday and Monthly Musings topics-July 2022



Happy Monday Besties! Is anyone in a place where it is not blazing hot? Holy smokes! While I am cozying up to the AC unit, I am also linking up with Holly and Sarah for Hello Monday and sharing the topics for Monthly Musings.


Don't worry, Holly and I are not trying to rush the summer with the topic of Back to School prep. Our goal was to have everyone share their Best back to school tips now because the first day of school dates for our readers range from the first few weeks of August all the way until after Labor Day. That way when back to school rolls around you will have all the tips and tricks.



Join Holly and me back here on Thursday for Monthly Musings and don't forget to also stop by for What's Up Wednesday before that! 





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