Sunny Saturday

Back to school is everywhere...in the Target aisles, all over my Facebook feed, even at my house where no one is going back to school.  There is something about this time of year that has me giddy...maybe it's the cooler weather, maybe it's the deserted zoo we can finally frequent again, or maybe it's that everyone is going back to school and I don't have to.  I'm just being honest. #sorryallmyteacherfriends

But, we couldn't breeze through this time of year without doing a little back-to-schooling ourselves.  Luke and I are going to try out this homeschooling thing this year with three year old preschool.  My goal is to make it as fun and stress-free, easy-peezy as possible.  And with my personality, that is a lofty goal.  But with enough prayer and M&Ms, I'm sure it can be achieved.

Today I'm sharing some of my favorite back to school finds for this fall with my Luke.  These are some items we have discovered and picked up the last few weeks to make our homeschooling transition a bit more fun.

First up is this Melissa and Doug Alphabet Stamp Set.  Luke is learning his letters and sounds and loves to stamp.  I love that this set has both uppercase and lowercase letters.  In the past, Luke used my letter stamp set, but he is pretty stoked to have his own.

Have you tried these Nature Valley nut bars?  Kevin's mom had them at her place last week and I took one bite and fell hard.  The kids gobble them up and I don't blame them.  They can be a bit messy, but, let's be honest, everything with my kids is messy.  These are perfect for part of a lunch on the go at the zoo or an afternoon snack at home.

We are part of a Parents as Teachers program in our area, mainly because it's awesome, but also because a MOPS friend teaches it.  She comes to our home once or twice a month and brings an activity to complete with Luke and Lily.  Last time she was here she brought these colored pencils and the kids both loved them.  They are fatter, so easier to grasp and both kids liked the change from markers and crayons.  These will definitely be utilized this fall.

Kraft macaroni and cheese is what kept Kevin and I alive and fed in those early-20s-we-are-dirt-poor-stage.  I'm pretty sure we ate that and chicken breasts 'grilled' on one of those mini George Foreman grills our entire first year of marriage.  After having kids, we switched to Annie's brand because of the artificial flavors and colors in Kraft.  Even though Annie's is great, I have missed Kraft so so much these last few years. BUT, have you heard?  Kraft finally took their artificial stuff out. #bestdayever  Luke spotted these Star Wars boxes of macaroni and cheese at Target the other day and I couldn't help but stock up.  We might have eaten an entire box in about five minutes and I'm pretty sure Luke was confused when I kept asking him 'isn't it good?' like one hundred times as his mouth is stuffed.  Back to the good 'ole days.  

We are home this weekend and enjoying our local town festival...Donia' Days.  I hope you have a Sunny Saturday wherever you may be and get to enjoy this last weekend of August!