I know there’s a month left til school really gets going, but the sales are already heating up, and duty-free weeks are taking place soon too.  Who doesn’t love the back-to-school supply rush?  Or at least have a weird love-hate relationship with it?  You have to drop a wad of cash, but at least the kids will soon be out of your hair for a good chunk of the day, and they may even learn something!

Some kids are content with a new box of pencils and a couple of clean folders, but there are SO many colorful, funky, personalized, designer, etcetera, objects for sale out there that it can be hard to get even one kid shopped for and organized, much less several.   (more…)

Remember the back-to-school shopping scramble?  Maybe you’re in the midst of it right now.  My family used to go to Kmart and buy every folder, package of looseleaf paper, and pencil case in sight.  Then my grandmother would take us to get new shoes.  Do you remember when you only owned two pairs of shoes?  When you only needed two pairs of shoes?  And picking your outfit for the first day of school was nearly as huge a drama as what to take for lunch?

I didn’t have a school uniform, but most people I know did.  They ranged from a simple black skirt and white shirt to some seriously hideous plaid pleated things.  It would have been nice not to have to worry about looking trendy, but I would have looked awful in most uniforms anyway, so I’m not sure if it would have been worth it to have one.

But for those of you who do have to wear the same thing every day – or whose kids do – here’s a list of ways to jazz up even the dreariest school uniform without being called to the principal’s office for infractions every other day.

• Socks and tights are pretty obvious, because they’re cheap and come in so many crazy colors and styles.  Did you know that legwarmers are back in style though?   (more…)