Back to school means fresh starts- and chalkboards!

Well, it's that time of year again- back to school. All summer we dread it, but without fail, it always arrives. However, as much as we hate it, I have to admit that all these colorful new school supplies and fall clothes make ME want to go back to school! I was talking with Dave the other day, and realized that this will be the first September since I was in kindergarten that I will NOT be starting the school year. This is crazy to me. More than two decades of back-to-school clothes, fresh pencils, new backpacks, lesson plans, bulletin boards and now? Nothin. Zip. It's just another day in September. And...I kinda LOVE it! Yes, this also meant that I worked all summer rather than shutting down my brain and spending my days laying on the beach, but again, I kinda loved it. Guess I found the job for me!

While I'm NOT heading back to school this year, someone very important to me is just starting on her journey through precious school days. My daughter, Riley, will be starting preschool this year! Only two days a week for a few hours a day, but hey, this is monumental! Of course we will be taking a front porch picture on her first day, just like my mother did when I was a little girl. Last year I started making these First Day of School chalkboards for a few friends and friends of friends, and this year, I made one for my own kid. Dang, time flies.

They're cute and relatively easy. They're also great for someone like me who isn't the best "documenter." It will be fun to see the board change as she gets older and her likes and dislikes develop. You can make these yourself or if you would like me to make one for you, they go for about $30 each. If you're interested in one for your little student, comment on this post and I'll get it to you a.s.a.p.!

With the beginning of school also comes this feeling of fresh starts- and I love that. I love getting into routines, setting goals and trying to make my days as efficient as possible. Dave and I have started waking up an hour before Riley and working out- which is a big deal because we are SO not morning people. I can already see the impact it has made on our productivity. Especially with working from home, it's important to get a jump on the day when I could just as easily stay in my pajamas until noon. Another tool that has made our house run better is this menu board I made last year.

Each Saturday, I write out our menu for the week ahead and then I go food shopping ONCE for the week. It has saved us so much money and time. And if one of us gets caught up with something late in the afternoon, the other one can get a start on dinner. I honestly didn't know how much I would stick to it but I have used it EVERY. SINGLE. WEEK. for a year! Lifesaver.

My final note for this post is just a little message to all those students heading back to school, or teachers getting their classrooms ready and lesson plans in order: know that I will be thinking about you this September. It is a wonderful profession to teach our children. I could go on about this for pages but I'll just say this: thank you for loving our kids. Thank you for your patience, your kindness, and your encouragement. While they may not thank you, heck, your boss may not even thank you, I appreciate you. It's not easy being a teacher these days. But I have so many wonderful friends who tough it out and do it anyway not for any other reason than they stinking love your kids! They want what is best for them, sometimes more than even their parents do. You are all my heroes. I will be sending you positive thoughts and praying for you this September, and throughout the year. Here's to a great year!!

#backtoschool #chalkboards #freshstart #students #teachers