Hello January….. where exactly did you come from? Yes, it’s a new year and I’m truly only just getting used to it being 2012. Oh well, luckily for me I love January almost as much as I love Christmas. All that planning, reflecting and preparing for newness is good for the soul. So to celebrate I’m holding a January 2013 review and giveaway party – and you’re invited! (Well if you’re reading this you’re actually here already 
) So read on my friends and check out the best of what I’ve been sent to review recently. Feel free to check out the promoters sites and then pop back and head down to the bottom of the post to enter and hopefully win yourself a little something special to start the of the New Year.
In 2013 I’ll be sending off to school a big old grade three girl, a middle-sized grade one and beautiful little four-year old kinder girl. (And to think when I started writing this blog non of them had started school. Yikes where does the time go?) One thing all of this experience on the school front has shown me is that when you mix little people with long stretches of time away from home things inexplicably get lost. Jumpers, lunch boxes, drink bottles, toys – you just have to get used to the fact that if it goes with them out the door in the morning there is a good chance it won’t come home in the afternoon. Being able to easily and effectively label school stuff has become a way of life around here. Thanks to Stuck on you I have a Value Pack for each little person. I keep the clothing labels in the laundry near the ironing board and the sticky labels in my desk draw. At a moments notice I can have a label on anything!
Little pink also got an extra surprise under the Christmas Tree this year. An adorable Stuck on You Lunch Pack and a Personalised Backpack. These are the total height of cuteness as well as being beautifully made. Right now she carries it around everywhere she goes stuffed full with her special toys – but in a few short weeks it’s going to make the trip to kinder with her three days a week. Do you need to do some labelling? Stuck on you have come up with the goods by way of a Value Labelling Pack of your choice valued at $49.95 to giveaway. (By the way Stuck on You is on facebook.)
Oh I do love a clever idea - especially when it helps bring a sparkle to life with kids in a healthy way. Have you heard of Sipahh straws? They turn plain milk into flavoured milk as it’s sipped through a specially designed recyclable straws filled with flavoured beads. What I REALLY love about them is that each straw contains less than half a teaspoon of sugar. The level of sugar kids consume these days, without even trying, has been on my mind over the past few months and I’ve been brainstorming ways to reduce levels at our house. (Hope to bombard you with some of my ideas soon.) I’m not anti-sugar by any means , but I am very pro-balance and I’m beginning to realise just how much out of whack the sugar balance really is!
The big test though is always in how the kids react – because what’s the point if they turn up their noses – right? I’m happy to report that these babies have been a huge hit with all three of my girls. They come in a great range of flavours including chocolate, banana, strawberry, vanilla, cookies & cream, honeycomb and choc-mint and are available at major supermarkets for $3.49 for a 10 pack. They are also an Australian Invention that is now sold all over the world – I even read that in some countries McDonald’s offer them for sale a healthy alternative – now that’s a brilliant idea! Would you like to try them out at your place? Sipahh have provided two prizes of five multi-packs to giveaway. That a total value of $86.00 and will give you a chance to test out all of the flavours.
If you were hanging around here towards the end of last year you’ll know I was all geared up and excited to review SureSlim . But alas, you know what they say about the best made plans of mince and men? I will however be eternally grateful to SureSlim as their pre-program blood test picked up that I have hypothyroidism – the reason why the review didn’t go ahead. But in their kindness SureSlim have asked if I’d like to go ahead with a stand alone giveaway of a six-week QuickLoss Express Program valued at $497.
Generally speaking I fall into the camp of the non-dieters. I don’t believe they work and I do believe they play nasty little tricks on people, particularly women’s, minds. For that reason I did a lot of research before I agreed to undertake the program – and I was fairy impressed with what I found. I’m hoping this might be the kick-start someone on the path to finding a healthy and more energetic life needs If you think that could be you let me know when you answer the question to enter the giveaway. (Please remember to check with your medical professional before starting any diet to make sure they’re happy with how it will effect your health.)
Oh stationery. One of my very favourite things in the whole wide world! Budons is a funky range of stationery especially designed for kids. It’s clever, cute and right up there with my equally stationery obsessed eight year old daughter. Budons design their stationery with click on characters so kids can individualise it themselves. Notebooks, backpacks, drink bottles and heaps more. The characters click onto the specially designed surface of the stationery and can be swapped, collected or just changed to suit your mood. Basically it’s just stationery – but even more fun! One thing that really brought back some memories for me was the Scratch and Sniff notepad – having lived through the scratch and sniff sticker epidemic of the late eighties.
You can view the entire Budons range at Target or on the Budons website. Very cool for the back to school shopping list! But if you’d prefer to simple win yourself a $40 pack of Budon goodies – head on down to the bottom of the post for the giveaway.
Pistachios – what can I say but yum. The ugliest nut in the family but truly the tastiest too. Wonderful Pistachios have only recently been released in Australian. Grown in California they come in three Wonderful Pistachios flavours: Roasted & Salted, Salt & Pepper and Sweet Chilli.
If you enjoy getting a bit nutty from time to time then you’ll be glad to hear I have two gift bags of Wonderful Pistachios to giveaway. Each bag contains one of each of the three flavours. Or if you prefer you can tootle of to Coles or Woolies to buy a pack for $7.49 for 250 grams. They really are delicious! Check out the Wonderful Pistachios Facebook page.
The final entrant into the January giveaway Party is especially designed for those of you who have working from home on your list of things you’d like to achieve this year. Brought to you by Angel Foods is the e:book Cupcake Business in a Box. It’s a compete and very well thought out guide to starting your own work from home Cupcake Business. It retails for $97 and is available from here. This is how the creator Rebekah Allen describes her guide:
The Cupcake Business in a Box is a step-by-step guide on how to have a successful cupcake business. It covers everything for Food Licensing, Registering a Business Name, Insurance, Decorating tips and Video Tutorial Library. It comes with a Bonus Pricing Guide and Recipe Book. This is a fantastic business opportunity for woman and mothers alike, as they can work part-time, choosing their own hours and still be a mum.
As a bit of a try hard cake decorator myself I find this idea really inspirational. As woman, I’m convinced we stop ourselves from achieving our dreams because we simple think we don’t have what it takes. And yet – the older I get the more I realise how wrong these thoughts are. If you are willing to work at it, and have some persistence up your sleeve, YOU CAN DO ANYTHING! It’s all in the believing. Cupcake Business in A box looks to me like it would provide a great helping hand to anyone considering giving this a go. They also have a facebook page you can find here.
Would you like to win one of these fabulous prizes? To sum up we have a Stuck On You value label pack ($49.95), two Packs of Sipahh Straws ( $86.00 ), A 6 week SureSlim Membership ($ 495), a Budons Stationery Pack ($40), two Wonderful Pistachios Packs ($49.00 ) and the Cup Cake in A Box e:book ($97) to giveaway. That makes seven prizes for seven separate winners!! Follow the steps below to enter:
- In the comments tell me your best tip or advice for successfully starting the new school year. Feel free to also let me know which prize you’d prefer. (You may not win your choice – but I will do my best.)
- If you are nice enough to share this giveaway on facebook or twitter please feel free to leave a second entry comment.
- Follow The Truth About Mummy in any way you like (facebook, twitter, feed, email or pinterest.)
- Please leave an email address that you check regularly – as giveaways are redrawn if you don’t respond within 5 days.
- Goodluck.
- Giveaway is open until Midnight on 31st of January 2013 and has a total value of approx $817.00
- (Check the T&C tab for full T&C).
- Disclaimer: All opinions are my own. I received trial products to complete reviews for this giveaway – no financial incentive was offered or accepted.
{ 148 comments… read them below or add one }
Hello there,
I noticed on your competition page that one of the winners of your January Review and Giveaway Party was ‘Rachel’. As there were three Rachel’s who entered your competition I was wondering which Rachel was the winner. I would presume that you have emailed the winner, and because I haven;t rec’d an email I am presuming it wasn’t me. But wanted to check anyway.
While the kids have afternoon tea, they make their lunch (with a little help from mumma bear) for the next day and we put it in the fridge so it’s already for the next day. This has saved us all so much time, grief and hassle.
Organisation and getting the kids involved, it’s about lunch’s and bags packed the night before, with the kids help of course.
C. Graham recently posted..Motherhood really changes you.
Establish the school routine a week before school goes back which includes bedtime/ wake up times, recess/lunchtime in sync with when they would have breaks at school and reading time which would turn into ‘homework/study’ time once school starts. In theory this should have them school ready, in practise……… I guess we’ll soon find out!
No prize preference, they all look amazing
My tip is to check the facts – don’t guess.
Our son started prep today. We both thought that we had to be there at 8.50 for a 9.00am start. Um, no. We had to be there at 8.30 so that at 8.40 we were ready to walk in, sort out lunch and stationery and class could begin at 8.50. Not a great start.
Oh, and hubby and I both remember being told not to label anything as it’s all communal in prep. Wrong again. Some things need to be labeled, some are communal. How did all the other mums know? Really? I went to the orientation in December and didn’t hear any of this explained.
p.s……I’d love the sure slim pack (badly needed) or my second choice is the pistachio pack (yum yum yum) Thanks x
Hi Karlene, your comment on my January review and giveway post just won you the Sipahh Straw Pack. If you could email me with your details I’ll arrange for it to be forward to you
Congratulations. Caz 
Thank you! Will email you shortly. x
Trying to be organised. Have everything ready the night before. Especially the shoes and socks. It is amazing how many mornings, my children have spent yelling I can’t find my shoes.
If they are younger children spend a little time over the Christmas break getting them a little more independent in the mornings, so they will be able to do majority of things for them self, leaving you time to do the school lunches.
I always seem to forget about school excursion notes until the last minute. This year my aim is to fill them out as soon as I get them and hand them in.
Stay organised and don’t leave everything to last minute
I try to make sure my kids have caught up with school friends in the couple of days before school goes back, just helps with the nerves on that first day back!!
I would love to try the SureSlim membership, slipped back into some bad habits so this could help break them!
During the holidays I try to make time to play schools with my kids. I get them to do some interesting activities to help them scrub up on their weak points. I tell them that this next year they will be very clever at school and won’t have to struggle because they’ve practised. They love the one on one time and the relaxed learning environment. Once they go back to school it is difficult to find time for any “catch up” stuff. Happy school year to all the mums!
The best advice is to be organised and stick to a routine that has everyone prepared
The Stuck on You pack or Pistachios pack would be awesome to win
I follow you on FB & Twitter and have shared
Shared it on Facebook! More than happy to!
http://www.facebook.com/sandratfowler
Sandra Fowler recently posted..Brass Celtic Earrings – $15
RELAX! While having a plan is great, driving yourself crazy over fine details won’t help!
I’m happy to win anything on offer.
We have been practising the route to school, leaving in time for when school would start to practise riding our bikes there on time and getting ready in the morning on time. Our first year at big school Mr 4 is very excited
as a father of two gourgeous kids … our tip these days is to start early and go to the no school type places for buyong all the goodies for school , thnakfully gone are the days where the lists are only made by the school , now it is always the choice of the family to go wherever .. start early dont wait till the last week or two before the holidays end you need to enjoy that time before school starts withiut having an extra stressor on the already weathered period on your patience
any prize is ok for me
I have DS starting grade 3 this year and have sent him with his own pencil case with his own stationery to use, our school like us to input stationery for the whole class to use but I never get anything back at the end of the year after spending a couple hundred dollars,I got back so much last year from doing this, so much it cut the costs for stationery this year!
Also, I shop around for my stationery lists instead of giving the whole list to one supplier, I saved $74 this year by shopping around!
I would love the SureSlim Prize as have lost 15kgs and have 15 more to go! This would be a HuGe help!
For kids starting at a new school, I recommend visiting the school in advance. This is the best way to familiarise yourself and your child with not only the school environment, but also the transport they will be using to get there. Doing a dummy transport run (on a school day) will help your child learn how to take the school bus/train, what stop to get off at, what route to walk, or where to wait for a parent to pick them up after school.
I’d love the Sipahh Straws please.
Second choice: Stuck on You label pack, pistachio pack or Budons stationery pack. Thanks!
Don’t miss any transition days before hand if they’re offered. They’re helpful so your child has an idea of what’s expected.
If you have a newbee starting, getting them to practice writing their name or even just the first letter of their name will make them feel like they can achieve at school.
Stuck on you prize thank you.
Organisation is the key and some stores now have a service where they will pack up exactly what you need and you only have to collect it. It works for me! Would love to win the Stuck on You prizes. Fingers crossed.
Organisation is KEY!!!!
1. Make a list and stick to it
2. Compare the sales and get in early
3. Find a sitter for the kids while you shop
4. Cover the books with the kids they will love to help, recycle old mags & wrapping paper to save money
5. leftovers are wonderfully cheap lunch ideas
6. bake healthy school treats at home, the kids will love that you made it and it helps save the pennies
7. Get to know your schools clothing pool lady, kids grow so fast there are always
secondhand uniforms and a quarter of the price near new!
Would love sippah!
Organisation is KEY!!!!
1. Make a list and stick to it
2. Compare the sales and get in early
3. Find a sitter for the kids while you shop
4. Cover the books with the kids they will love to help, recycle old mags & wrapping paper to save money
5. leftovers are wonderfully cheap lunch ideas
6. bake healthy school treats at home, the kids will love that you made it and it helps save the pennies
7. Get to know your schools clothing pool lady, kids grow so fast there are always
secondhand uniforms and a quarter of the price near new!
Slow but Steady,wins the race!
1. Just to be ease the initial stressful time,you have to think ahead at least a week before the school starts and be organised.
2. Try on last years school uniform and check stationery,so that you will know which you can still use this year,or need any alteration.
3.Always buy shoes in advance so that you can search for better deal,and good quality .
4.One week before , it’s a good idea to catch up with friends to get more suggestions,and last but not least keep your healthy lunch box snack ready .
Back to school is a stressful period for mum’s and kids,if taken with little bit of fun and sport ,you can definitely not only survive but revive as well!
just let your kids be a part of your shopping for school, give them options to choose from,and chores to do,so they will feel more responsible and organised instead of fearful and anxious.
WONDERFUL PISTACHIOS WILL BE CRACKING PRIZE FOR ME!
1. Get as much wear from school uniforms as possible
2. Plain backpacks are alot cheaper than brand name or character packs, and may still be just as durable , purchase good quality backpack,and Shoes take care with regular washing and it may last you 2-3 years.
3. Reuse items such as pencil cases, backpacks, calculators, scissors, USB sticks from what they brought home from school last year,you may find them in your drawers!
4.Keeping Healthy snacks stocked up in pantry is the most essential thing as I feel!
Back to school journey is as easy and cool as a breeze for me this year! with Officeworks ideal website,to list your stationary online and just click submit and pay for it,that’s it.No more confusions and loud noises in the back ground pulling your legs,”mummy I want this!!!!!!!!”
Any prize is a pleasure for me!
Surviving successfully Back to school is like cooking a perfect dish,
You have to keep lot of patience and perseverance indeed!
Mix your quality time with organisation skills,
sprinkle some help from each one interested in.
Garnish it with smile and laugh,on the first day at school,
and enjoy the dish whole year,without losing your cool!
(CAUTION! Never mix ANXIETY and keep your TEMPERAMENT below 180 degrees!)
My sister who’s opening a business that was moved back from Dec to early this yrear she’ll enjoy ebooks on cupcakes her daughter will love budons® especially the activity sheets we’ll all enjoy favoursome sipahh another sister wouldn’t mind being smaller sureslim another sister loves pistachios goobleri’ve had stuck on you before also gave them years ago to another sisters’ daughter who loved them heaps on her school books pencil case backpack lunch box and water bottle.
looks good
I have two children in School and one in Preschool, so I have a strict routine that I follow. I always prepare their things the evening before. Each child has their pile of clothes on the kitchen counter that they take in the morning. Their school bag is also packed the evening before to make sure everything is there. Everything is laid out for breakfast. The kids morning tea and lunches are prepared as much as possible.
Because I sort of know what they will need in stationary/waterbottles/lunchboxes from year to year I buy a lot of things on sale when they are really cheap and stock it in the cupboard.
I buy them secondhand clarks school shoes in wonderful condition, when I come across them at op shops etc. Have a few sizes up ready to be used.
Plus a big calender on the fridge where I write down what each child and mum & dad has on at school/work, out of school activities and play dates.
For us this helps big time, with three kids so many things go wrong in the morning like someone might feel sick, or have forgotten to do some homework etc.
Sleep is important so into bed at 7pm and up at 7.30am.
I would love the Sipahh.
I like you on facebook.
I find the best way to prepare is each night lay out clothes and bag, breakfast bowl cups etc so when I wake it’s dressed, fed, out the door. I also write out a to do list each day to stay ontop of things, this doesn’t always happen but when it does things run smoothly.
I would Love to win the SipAhhh’s
My biggest tip for sucessfully starting the new year is….take the first day off work (if you work) and invite other mums from your childs class out to coffee for the morning. It’s a great ice breaker in getting to know other mums for play dates/coffee dates/carpooling or just people to chat to on the pick up/drop offs for the year to come
I try to pass on the excitment by letting them pick out all their school supplies themselves, colours, bags, book contacts if they are excited by all their new things, they will be excited to go to school and try everything out.
I’d love the pistachio prize.
This time 2 years ago my dad was breathing his last few breaths, I was 37 weeks pregnant with my forth child and I was exhausted. School readiness was the last thing on my mind. My dad passed away from cancer (yuck i hate that word) and we had to take our eldest to her 1st day of year 1 on the Monday. No time for grieving huh. While walking her to her classroom with 2 other children I had huge labor pains this was only the begining of what was to be a 3 week on and off again labor and it was intense ending in a c section due to brow presenting baby. We had a boy named Archie. As much as this was a shock to the system the year decided to pull me up into its tornado and see how far it could carry me before spitting me back out of its ugly mouth. 2 weeks after baby was born hubby’s uncle passed away and 2 weeks after that my 7 year old niece passed away suddenly from a brain tumour. With a new born to look after and a family and business to run there was no time for stopping. It was a few months after that hubby lost his dad as well. Then finally I got spat out of the tornado torn from me where some many precious people and precious memories. One thing that I always wore was a simple hairband that reminded me that as much as I would of loved routine, order and charts that I needed to like a hairband be flexible. Most days you will see me wearing it out of habit and hey if it gets hot I put my hair up.
It would be great to actually label something and to not loose anything
also to loose some weight I loved my chocolate through this and need to get fit again and back to pre baby weight then I can finally go and shop for some new clothes
Label everything conspicuously in black marker! My son lost 3 new school hats in a month. Once I wrote his name in large letters on the brim in black marker everyone could tell at a glance it was his. (Also, terrible as it may sound…less opportunity for another child to just claim it as their own!)
We are pistachio crazy in our house so we would love to win the nut pack.
Bindi recently posted..Lunchtime meet up
I always buy a box of tissues because when its your babies first day of school its emotional
Just the threat of taking away computer games and/or play station gets the household running like boot camp.
My child has enjoyed a vacation of late nights and lazy mornings,To get him up for school on the first day can be difficult. To make this transition easier I start his school-year sleep routine a week or two in advance.
Make sure you are organised.
I find if I have set out a routine for the mornings and evenings things go much smoother at the start, and throughout the school year.
Oh one more thing! Tell your child that they don’t HAVE to eat everything in their lunchbox! I always packed extras in case Katie didn’t feel like one item or another, but unbeknownst to me, she interpreted this to mean she had to eat everything in her lunchbox! Cue call from teacher with teary and nauseous child who had force fed herself everything! Now we have the rule that the sandwich and the fruit must be eaten, but the snacks are up to her. Being “almost 8 you know, Mummy” she often packs her own lunches now – with my sneaky supervision!
Oops! Forgot to mention which prize I’d like if I’m lucky enough! I think Stuck on You or Sureslim by preference. Just not the nuts because Katie is allergic so I don’t get to have them anymore.
I find that kids feel anxious in their first weeks of school because of the unknown factor. They don’t know ‘the rules’ (eg: go to the toilet when they need to as in kindy versus asking permission as in school) and they don’t know what to expect. One little girl who started with my daughter (in 2011, how long ago that seems now!) was afraid to leave the prep classroom area because the school seemed so vast to her there were so many big kids. It took her 6 months to go more than 15 metres from her classroom door at playtime!
So the solution I’ve found (I’ve got an anxious daughter) is…
1. Visit school as much as possible – all the orientations plus a few school tours, attend the fetes and other community events in the year before starting.
2. Get to know someone with kids at your child’s school. Most schools have a ‘buddy’ program which is great, but knowing someone in the year above them really helps.
3. Talk to the prep coordinator and get a basic rundown of the daily schedule for your child. Then prepare a chart (symbols if they’re not reading yet) and put it up in their room. This helps them to feel in control.
4. Tell them the BIG issues – eg asking to go to the toilet, put their hand up before speaking etc – the stuff that makes them anxious they’ll get in trouble. Explain that as long as they adhere to these few things, they should be fine.
5. Most of all, don’t reminisce about any bad stuff from your school days in their presence! (You’d be surprised how many parents do this!) Encourage them to see school as an opportunity to make new friends, learn cool new games and use fabulous resources that only a school can provide.
Ultimately they’ll get through it. My daughter was timid and terrified in kindy (at creche) and we were very concerned about her ability to cope. She made friends with a little girl at a local McDonalds a few weeks before school started and discovered they were to be in the same class. The first day of school, she sought out this child and made it her job to introduce her to everyone else! LOL
She was so preoccupied with being helpful and passing on all the information she knew from our preparation for school, that she forgot to be afraid! She’s now a very confident and opinionated little Miss heading into year 2 and those anxious times before starting school are long behind us. Make sure your child knows that they’ll be fine, everybody survives starting school and most of us enjoy it. (Don’t let them see you skip out of the school gate in childless delight though!)
Tash
I have shared your competition on Facebook.
Please be patient as I have created a poem for you – and I would love the Budons prize if I was lucky to win….
School holidays are busy and full of cheer
The kids are so relaxed and enjoy life – it’s clear
But happy days always come to an end
Looming in the midst, the school year transcends.
Take your child to buy their school supplies
And encourage a smile
They may not like the school shoes
but they enjoy choosing the style.
It’s not always easy but have a chat with them
About seeing their old school friends and discussing again
All about their new teachers and new kids that’ll play
In the exciting new features in their playground display.
Create a ‘check-list’ of daily school essentials to avoid leaving anything important behind each day. I’d love to win the Sipahh pack, but would also be happy with the Stuck on You, Budons or Pistachio prizes.
I have shared this giveaway on Facebook.
My eldest daughter starts kindergarten this year and I’m loving all of the handy tips that have been shared! I don’t really have any tips of my own yet, but I’ve started labeling absolutely everything she’ll be taking with her. My daughter gets really attached to her belongings, so would hate to see them go missing – I know she’d be really upset.
(I’d love to try SureSlim!)
jenny_mswift@yahoo.com.au
Oh I’d love the Stuck On You prize and I’ve shared on Facebook
Pick things up everytime you go shopping that you need for school and get the school child to help out. Hopefully making their own choices about school supplies makes them want to take it all there as it’s “important” to them. Talk about how much fun they are going to have learning at “big school” and all the friends they will make. Knowing what to expect takes the unknown factor out of the picture.
I tell my kids every year that this year is going to be a special and fantastic year for me and because I am so enthusiastic about it they believe me, which gets them excited for the first week of school – but I am actually telling the truth.
One I have learnt from experience is to wait until you have the book list before buying items on special as the lists are quite specific and some items I have purchased prior I won’t be able to use now!
Obviously being organised and having everything bought, labelled, ironed and bags packed a week or two before school starts makes everything run smoothly.
Also we have a bank account set up for each of our children that we put money into weekly so when school fees pop up we always have money to pay them.
If lucky enough to win I love the look of the Bundons Stationery Pack, Sipahh Straws or Stuck On You Packs.
The week before school starts, I make bedtime a little earlier each night until my daughter has a few nights of regular bedtime so she is used to this before school starts. I would love to win the Stuck On You pack or the Budons pack. Great giveaway!
My best tip would be to make the most of the holiday so when it’s time to go back to school your little one would have plenty of fantastic memories and stories to share with his/her friends.
I would love to win the pistachios prize, I am a nut addict!
My best tip would be to talk (a lot!) with your little one about what happens at school and how much fun, new friends and new things to play there will be. Asking them if there is anything they are afraid of, what they think they’ll like best and do so throughout the first weeks to help establish their confidence.
My favourite prize would be the Stuck on You
my tip for starting the school year is…… set the alarm clock to make sure you get the kids to school on time! (we dont need a repeat of last year)….lol.
Well we are all going to be at school this year including me (I’m retraining to be a teacher’s aide). So we’ll be spending the last couple of weeks of the holidays getting super organised, wish us luck!
).
(I probably won’t use the pistachios or cupcake business but I’ll be happy with anything
Would love the Pistachios, Thanks!
Re start the early bedtimes to get back into the school routine a week or so before school goes back. Try to be as organized as possible the night before to avoid the morning rush- kids can help to pack their bags and have lunches and uniforms ready. Ensure they have a good breakfast and don’t over pack the lunch box (I am guilty!). Also ensure they can open all items in their lunch and their bag. Ensure children understand travel plans and tell them to have a great day and you can’t wait to hear all about it when you pick them up this afternoon!
Mum used to always take us the week before school when all of the last minute back to school specials were on. She used to carry a list of everything we needed and because everythiing we needed was on special so she’d stock up so we’d have enough for the year.
mY best tip is to try and tell the kids how much fun it is and how many friends they will make
Have Tweeted @oozzle
https://twitter.com/oozzle/status/289537047130148864
My best advice is to have a few trial runs, especially with those starting for the first time. Let them know what to expect both from school and from home in regards to their responsibilities!
Make sure they can open all their food packaging!!
Would love the Sippah straws!
My best advice would be to have a place where the bag (and notes) go every afternoon and have a routine in place so that lunch boxes and library books get dealt with every day.
I subscribe by RSS feed. This year my too young (46) husband had a heart attack and my even younger sister was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, so my focus is on health, particularly my weight, so I’d love to win the sure slim pack
shared on facebook
for my second entry I’d suggest making sure you have extra pencils, pens, glue sticks etc. Our school always asks the kids to bring extras (or restock their supply) in each term along with tissues, nappy wipes (or wet ones), hand santiser and bandaids for the sickbay.
things can and will go wrong, the trick to minimise this is to be prepared early, have bags, accessories etc all purchased and washed a week before school starts, this means that there is time to purchase anything else that you have forgotten. Make a full lunch/recess and pack it in with the other items that need to go into the school bag. This will help you know they have enough to get them through the day and that it all fits.
I’m trying to be as organised as I can in this heat being pregnant with baby number 3, I only have School shoes to shop for at this stage
Would love the stuck on you prize
saekae at bigpond dot net dot au
My tip? Get yourself organized first. That may mean waking up early or getting things done the night before. The pistachio prize sounds great.
To get my kids ready for school I start waking them up at the regular school time and putting them to bed early too. SO that when school starts there is no holiday jet lag!
Love the thought of flavoured Pistachio’s!! Would love to get a bag of Wonderful Pistachios. WIll keep an eye out for them on my next shop!
I meant to say that I would love to try the pistachio packs. Yummo! But the Stuck on You, stationary and sipahh sound like me too!
Although my little one is not ready for school, as a teacher my best tip is to talk positively to your child about school. If you are apprehensive your child may ‘catch’ this! At the end of the school day ask them questions like, ‘What was the favourite thing you did today?’. As a teacher I love the beginning of the school year- meeting the new students and their parents. Introduce yourself to the teacher- another Positive step.
And I have shared on facebook!
I have teenagers – so the biggest challenge is getting them out of their nocturnal habits (where being woken up at 8.30am is “early”). I pick my battles, but a week before we need to start adjusting to earlier to bed and earlier to rise!
I would love to win the “sureslim” prize – being of “a certain age” I need some help to kickstart the removal of the middle-aged spread! Thanks!
I am following you on fb!
Well over the years I have learnt a thing or two about kids and going back to school. My first bit of advice would be to buy school shoes in their current size but also another pair the next size up (especially in the early years such as Prep and Grade 1) to save yourself time mid term. I also buy the school shorts/skorts from Big W/Target/K-Mart to save lots of money and buy them in the next size up too (as long as your uniform policy allows this of course!)
Another tip is to collect some of the kids drawings, print some cool photos of the kids having fun, and stick them on the front of their books before covering with clear contact. The photo makes it easy to see who the book belongs to and the artwork is just a personal touch for them to feel a sense of pride in their books from day 1 (My son is a bit of an artist too so he can show off his artistic flair!!) With 3 kids at school/day care the Stuck On You prize would be handy, I love Pistachios & stationery and the kids love Sipaah straws – great prizes
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Go through all the school stuff at the beginning of the school holidays, Make al ist of what needs replacing. That way you will have plenty of time to get organised
1/ Make a big deal out of new stationary around the kids! I remember how excited I was getting new school supplies when I was young so I try to make it special for the kids by creating a treasure hunt which leads to their new “gear.” Happy and eager to learn kids are the best kind!
2/ Write a check list of all the things they’ll need before they venture off into the big wide world of learning then play a game where they have to find each item in their bag first and show you as you read the items off the list. It saves you from having to sort through the bags and it’s a lot of fun too!
3/ Make sure that you leave the final few days before school starts free so that you get some relaxing family times together in order to unwind and de-stress. It brings me back down to Earth and it gives the kids a lot of exciting things to talk about to their friends! A casual BBQ in the park is perfect!
Thanks for the great giveaway. Any of the prizes are lovely. Shared on Twitter and Facebook. =)
Hi Sara, your comment on my January review and giveway post just won you the Budons Stationery Pack. If you could email me with your details I’ll arrange for it to be forward to you
Congratulations. Caz 
Caz recently posted..Motherhood really changes you.
Oops sorry, forgot to put this in, and don’t know how to add it to my last post. If I was to be one of the winners, please don’t consider me for the sure slim or cupcake business prize.
Make yourself a list of details that are often asked in the different forms the school sends home.
Things like medicare number, ambulance fund number, immunisation dates [year] According to your child’s school and grade , there seem to be a range of things that get asked often, but not for every form. Saves a lot of time if you have all the details in one place, and you don’t have to go looking for them all the time.
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My Tip is make Going Back to School Fun go Shopping for Stationary together and Brainstorm Ideas with them for Healthy Lunches. I would be Happy with any Prize mostly the Stuck on You Prize Pack.
I would love the Cupcake Business in a Box E book. I think that’s an awesome idea.
My tip for kids would be to make sure you take a ‘genuine’ interest in the little achievements they make. It’s not all about getting A’s – especially if they struggle. Every child is different and each one has unique strengths. Build on those points!
Hi Nichola, your comment on my January review and giveway post just won you the Cupcake Business in a Box E Book. If you could email me with your details I’ll arrange for it to be forward to you
Congratulations. Caz 
Caz recently posted..Motherhood really changes you.
I would love the Cupcake Business in a Box E book. I think that’s an awesome idea.
My tip for kids would be to make sure you take a ‘genuine’ interest in the little achievements they make. It’s not all about getting A’s – especially if they struggle. Every child is different and each one has unique strengths. Build on those points!
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My tip for making sure the start of school is successful is to teach them to walk tall with confidence, smile lots and then ask them about their favourite part of their day when you pick them up.
PS. The Cupcake Business in a Box would be a marvellous prize should I be lucky enough to win one and thanks for the giveaways!
I liked this site on Facebook.
I have my child help me create funky book bags and other school necessities. That way, his things are very distinctive and easy to find. Plus he takes more care with them, because he had a share in making them.
I’d love the SureSlim pack if possible.
My new years school tip would be to prepare lunch boxes and bags the night before school so that you save time in the morning
Make sure your child has an artsmock in the first week of school! Otherwise they are guaranteed to come home with paint on their new school uniform, not a good start to the year for kids, or for whoever does the washing! I would love the sureslim membership, would greatly assist with with my new exercise regimen.
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I follow you on Twitter and like you on Facebook
I think a great idea for getting kids prepared for the new school year is, a couple of weeks before school starts back, get them into a school timetablish routine. Try starting with some activities (reading, writing, crafts) followed by a morning tea snack and a play outside. Then move onto some more activities followed by lunch and another play outside. Finish off the afternoon with some productive play. Have each time slot written down (including the start and end time of ‘Home School’) and try to stick to the times as closely as possible and your kids should be able to adjust back into the school scene a lot easier.
P.S I’d love to win the Stuck On You prize!
Just a simple tip, but buy Velcro shoes! The little ones wont trip up on undone shoelaces, and it can be their ‘job’ to put their shoes on (entirely!) in the morning!
Hi
I don’t have any pointers as my little one is only 3.5 years old … but she is starting 3 year old kinder this year …….. I am excited, scared, sad ….. a whole mix of emotions.
I have read everyone’s comments above .. and am taking on board lots of pointers! Thanks everyone.
I would love to win any prize! lol
Best of luck for the new school year.
xoxox Carly
best preparation for start of school is getting a visual list ready for the kids outlining what they have to do each morning – i try and make it interactive, like with little flaps to close when they are done…that way…no nagging mum…well not much anyway! love all your lovely giveaways, but could really do with the stuck on you pack or the pistachios!!!
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Make sure they can open all their lunch containers, cling wrap, other packaging etc by themselves. It’s always handy to have a spare lunchbox and containers as well in case they forget to bring them home one day. I also have some spare ice bricks as they tend to go missing from time to time too.
To get the kids excited about another year of school they get to choose their book covers from my stash of wrapping paper, and they love going shopping for a new pencil case, pencils & other supplies.
As stationery-aholics we would love the Budons pack if we were to win something.
I follow on Facebook.
Following & shared on FB as Chon Ky. I’d love the Sippah straws.
Show the kids only the pages you want them to see in the sales catalogues and buy only those items. Having a calendar helps, as they can see exactly where they are until school starts.
With three children spread across two different schools I keep a display book for each child to put all their school notes in that I need to keep and refer back to, including canteen price lists, school contact details, required stationery, bus timetables, excursion info, etc.
On the fridge door I also keep a colour coded weekly planner documenting each child’s sports days, library days, instrument days etc. Each child’s activities are written in a different coloured pen.
I’d love the pistachio prize, the Stuck on You prize or the Sipahh Straws prize if I win thanks.
Hi Ingrid, your comment on my January review and giveway post just won you the Pistachio Pack. If you could email me with your details I’ll arrange for it to be forward to you
Congratulations. Caz 
Caz recently posted..Motherhood really changes you.
Thank you so much. I have emailed you my details.
I start making up a list of all the essentials after the New Year. I add to it & cross off as completed. I encourage the children as they get older to have an input. This has been invaluable over the years, because they have thought of things I never would have.
I’d love the Wonderful Pistachios thank you.
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Being organised is a huge part. First year I left it to the last minute lol. So since then we’re super organised. I let them choose their school things, gets them excited about going back. The week before school, start getting up at normal school time rather than holiday time. The last tip – don’t forget to Label EVERYTHING for everything will get lost.
I’d love the sure slim or or label or stationary pack
A place for everything and everything in its place!
Set up a corner, a small table, a special hook, a little school nook!
That’s where ‘all things school’ go as soon as you get home.
That way things don’t roam!
Now the Sipahh Straws or Stuck On You value label pack I would love to win either of these for my grandson who is just starting school.
Great giveaway have forwarded as an e-mail and on facebook.
Be organised and have everything prepared well before school or Kinder starts. About a week before start getting the kiddies into routine so they get use to the fact that school is starting
Happy New Year and Thanks for a great Great giveaway! I have tweeted
Have everything organised for the big day,books,uniform and do a fun practice run before school starts.also it is good to start a good routine of going to bed early before school begins.Make the day as less stressful as possible and everything will be great;)
I really would love to win the Budons Stationery Pack
A 6 week SureSlim Membership if I could dream!
Since I now have a child in his last year of primary school I have had a few years of experience.
To make him involved I let help me design his bookcovers and then I get him something special to start the new year. It might be a cool new bag or a trendy stationary pack. It has just made him excited about school as at times it has been a struggle.
And to the parents just relax, they do come home again with exciting stories
4 kilograms joined me for chrissy…damn you pavs..so sureslim would be a welcome guest
I’ve already started preparing for the start of school year. Today we went and purchased socks, I know it’s not a big deal for some, but for us it is
. Later this month it will be shoes. I try not to leave things till the last minute as it makes me anxious and I don’t want my kids feeling it. We do everything together, from choosing the style of socks to what lunchbox they would like for the year. That way, they are ready as well as I for what is in store for the start of the school year.
The Pistachios look good
I would love to win the sureslim pack.
Before school starts, do a tidy-up of the desk and the shelves. Sort and throw away the relics of the past year. Donate old books, pens and school things if they are still usable. Make it a comfortable place for homework.
I shared on my Facebook page
I’d love to win the SURESLIM pack.
During holidays, children have often been allowed to sleep late and eat a little of what they wanted at any time. Don’t wait until the last day to find a healthy lifestyle. Get used to having regular and reasonable hours of sleep and eating healthy food. This may take several days of “rehabilitation” by starting to reconnect with a healthy lifestyle one week to ten days before school starts.
Hi Rachel, your comment on my January review and giveway post just won you the Sure Slim Membership. If you could email me with your details I’ll arrange for it to be forward to you
Congratulations. Caz 
Caz recently posted..Motherhood really changes you.
I follow you on facebook
I keep all the Christmas and toy leaflets, and about two weeks before school goes back, they spend heaps of time going through them and cutting out pictures they like. when we get their school books, I cover them with plain paper and get the kids to decorate them with their pictures, then cover with clear contact. This has always been great for a few reasons, it keeps them busy for ages and gets them excited about school again!
All the prizes are great, but I know my daughter would love Budons pack.
When Term 4 finishes I check on school needs and make a list. Then in the second week of January we get school uniforms sorted ie…need new shirts, sandals etc. Buy them at this time since they are readily available before the school rush of shoppers and availability is limited closer to going back or starting school. Label everything that goes to the school if you want it to return home…lol…oh and as a special treat….we go for a Macca’s breakkie the first morning to help the kids to get over any nerves of the new school year…
I make sure I triple check school books, bags, lunch boxes and drink bottles, make sure they have everything…especially hats and sunscreen, with one in high school, 2 in primary and 1 starting kindy this year, there will be plenty of organisation needed…and having a little less weight would be awesome, so the Sureslim prize would be more than perfect for me!! Happy New Year and thanks for an awesome giveaway xx
Make sure they have nice, healthy but yummy little lunches and big lunches to look forward to!
Pack everything the night before and leave the morning to be stress free. Start the day half an hour earlier than usual and cook a special breakfast to enjoy with your school goers. You’ve had them home with you for the last 6 weeks (or longer if they are only starting kinder!) so you deserve to have 30 minutes of special quality meal time in the morning together to enjoy before they head off for new adventures!
Those Sippah straws look pretty cool, we haven’t tried them before so they would be a good prize for us (but all your prizes look pretty cool!)
Try to not stress as first drop off and day will go smoothly, make a check list of things you need ready for the day, lunch , recess, breakfast, hat, spare set of clothes if required, back pack, fruit,
My back to school tip is to be prepared. Give yourself plenty of time to have book lists filled, uniforms ready, bags packed and make sure their shoes fit ( their little feet seem to grow heaps over the xmas holidays). Ensure you gradually get back into the early to sleep schedule that is often forgotten over the holidays and get their brains focused again by nightly reading, fun writing games and educational toys. Last piece of advice – LABEL EVERYTHING !!
My choice of prize would be the Stuck on You pack please
My advice is to give your children the confidence they can succeed! Make them look forward to school by emphasising how much fun it is and how much they get to learn, and how many new friends they can make.
If I win I’d love the Stuck on You pack please – looks great!
My best tip (take with a grain of salt since my daughter is starting school this year and I haven’t had any first-hand experience with it yet!) is to have everything prepared the night before so you can have a relaxing breakfast in the morning rather than stressing around rushing to get ready.
I’d love the value pack from Stuck on You if I get to win! Or the Budons if that’s not available.
Start early, make a list and stick to it, crossing everything off once you’ve bought it. This way there’s no mad rush in the days leading up to back to school, and you have more time for fun things before life returns to normality and the routine kicks back in.
i just give the kiddies lots of encougement and they seem fine starting off in a new class,if i was lucky enough i would love the sureslim membership,thankyou and have a great day.xx
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My son Adam will be starting pre entry Kindy in term four. As i work part time at the Kindy i suggest trying to let children be responsible for themselves and their belongings as much as possible. This promotes independence and confidence and thats what Kindy is designed to enhance.
I would love the Cup cake business in a box! Just moved to a small country town – what a way to help make a few extra dollars for the family =)
my second entry
always check there schhol bags and make sure there are no note or permission forms if there are fill them in and put them back in there bags for the next day.always empty there bag when they get home to check for home work un-eaten food and and drinks as they can go yukky left in the bottle to long
if i win can i please have the Sipahh Straws thank you
i have tweeted
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i have shared on facebook
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we start from next week getting them to bed 10 minutes earliern then 20 then 30 till we are back to normal we have them reading a book with us like there readers we have started to get all our books ready and labeled and names on our pencils and pens the older ones write a routine from when the get up to when they leave we are getting all uniforms and shoes this week and packing the school bags next week .we will purchase lunch boxs and drink bottles and snack containers this week we get hair cuts a few days before school and we get the kids to polish there shoes every night as to wear the next day.we have a chart on the fridge so the kids can tick off in the morning teeth hair face hands washed and brushed lunch in bag with home work and any exscursion money ect(letters to teacher permission slips) double check you have everything including lunch and kiosk money when we stick to this we run smooth when we dont its disaster and they dont do have of this with 4 kids under foot i have to be organised
Hi Jody, your comment on my January review and giveway post just won you the Stuck on You label pack. If you could email me with your details I’ll arrange for it to be forward to you
Congratulations. Caz 
Caz recently posted..Motherhood really changes you.
my email is
jjam8094@optusnet.com.au
if i win can i please pick the
budons stationary pack or the
value label pack
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Remember when the notes start coming home (and they will) fill them out immediately and put them back in their bags. That way you’ll know none get lost.
Begin getting them into the back to school routine at least a week before hand so they “should” be organised on the first day instead of sleeping in!
Ensure that your children understand that they are not being abandoned, that they will get to socialise with people of their own age, and that you will be there to collect them at a certain time.
When collected, ask them what they did that day and if they made new friends – spend time listening to how they went as it may be a clue regarding any possible issues that may impact interaction.
Cupcake business.
I bought my daugher a dynamo labeler and she is already organising her room and will be ace when we get her stationery pack!
I have one going into Year 2 and a new starter. One week before school I have their bags packed, uniforms ironed and EVERYTHING labelled. We are then free to enjoy a last minute family holiday on that long weekend before school starts. It is always a nice way to kick off the school year.
I would love the sureslim membership – it would certainly give me a kick start in my resolution for thie year !
This is miss 4′s first year of “big school”! I’m hoping I’m doing it all right, I’m trying to be organised, so there are no last minute “I forgots”. My tip for starting the new school year is attempt to be organised.