COOL KITS, COOL KIDS AND COOL (& crazed) MAMAS

Hello! Hello?? Anyone there?

Yes, I’m hoping to be back more consistently. Bear with me here, though. Thank you so much for all your support.

Who out there is in full blown back to school mode? I have some ideas for things that might make life easier. And if you are NOT in back to school mode, there are still some things I want to share in this post that you will appreciate! Plus, our friends at Stuck On You are gifting one of you a $100 gift card to start the school year off right. Woo-hoo!!!

KIT LIFE

I stayed at Hayden’s school for his first day of preschool and hung out with him. I had lunch at the toddler table with all his new friends. I quickly realized the lay of the land…. first off, WOW has the lunchbox game improved since I was in school. And I also learned about the funny account @dictatorlunches. I follow her (along with 100K other people) to vacillate between feeling inspired and wanting to throw in the towel with the whole lunch game. Just remember fed is best, but it’s a fun account to follow if you’re doing mom life like us.

I guess all the cool kids call them lunch kits now. No plastic baggies or individual containers to keep up with, these kits are all you need. I started taking mental notes and learned about the Bento kit. I noticed some of the kids had personalized kits. It was so sweet to see how proud they were to show me their NAME on their stuff.Stuck On You has the best selection. You can get personalized bento lunch kits. It’s a pretty penny, but well-made things that last are worth it. Everything is washable and non-toxic, so you save the planet and money not buying plastic bags (and yay, Earth!). It also comes with two pull out inserts, so you can wash one and use one.

And come nap time, the majority of these kiddos now had roll up nap kits! No slugging blankies and individual pillows. Boy, was I busy online that night looking up stuff. I love this one from Wildkin. But more importantly, Hayden loves it, too. The majority of the other kids already had one, so I figured I needed to look into it.

STAMP IT

I got Huck and Hayden both individual stamps to label their belongings. Everything from clothes to shoes to books can get labeled with either a permanent ink stamp or washable sticker. It’s frustrating to lose hoodies and socks and things the kids take to school and camp, but don’t always bring back home with them.

I love making my life easier one stamp at a time. lol. All of these items can be found at Stuck On You.

These stamps are so easy to apply. They are perfect for clothing and all fabric type surfaces, so blankets and pillows, too.

I got carried away and ordered the address stamp for me. Thought it’d come in handy with Christmas cards!

THIRST FOR KNOWLEDGE

I talked a great deal about my water filters earlier in the year. If there’s a college bound student in your world, the Home Master Mini counter top filter is such a great send off gift. Give the gift of fresh hydration!! And at right around $50, it’s a no-brainer for anyone that needs a portable water filter that will last a year.

THIRST FOR ENERGY

Between making lunch for the boys and feeding them in the morning, my coffee is often cold by the time I can drink it. I highly doubt I’m alone in this! Have I shared my favorite on-the-go travel mug? It’s reusable, sustainable silicone, non-toxic, dishwasher and microwave safe. So, I can reheat it for the drive to school;) goSili.com $14.95. Love the pink and teal.

I go over all the above and MORE in the latest back to school column in Soap Opera Digest. Don’t forget to grab your copy!

Now, for the fun part! Leave a comment here, make sure you are following @stuckonyouofficial and me @ashleyaubra. That enters you to win $100 gift certificate for all your personalization needs! One winner will be randomly chosen this Friday!

Good luck!

Now… if you want to throw some lunch ideas at me here… I need to up my lunch kit game for the boys! Hayden can’t take nuts of any kind, but Huck can have anything. And please tell me I am not the only one that “samples” everything before I put it in the kit? Those calories don’t count, right?

xoxo

AAJ

AND ONE MORE FOR THE LADIES...ROTHYS!

NOW FOR THE ROTHY’S!!! As promised, I didn’t forget about the ladies when we were doing the kids’ back-to-school shoe giveaway. ONE OF YOU WILL WIN A PAIR OF ROTHY'S OF YOUR CHOICE THIS WEEK. And for the guy readers, dads and men in our lives, there will be a giveaway coming for you, too, soon! (PS- they recently launched children’s shoes, too, so you can pick one pair site wide!).

Just in time for running around during the busy back-to-school season (but if you have no ties to school days anymore, these are just chic, comfy and so on trend for anyone). I know this sounds like a sponsored ad, but it’s 100% NOT. It makes me HAPPY to hopefully see a pair on YOUR FEET! You guys do so much for me, I want to do something to give back to y’all!

My Rothy’s are a staple now in my wardrobe and many of you have converted after hearing me talk about them so often. (Like HERE, and in this post and this post about on set, too!) If you’ve followed along on social for a while, you’re aware of the myriad of reasons I wear Rothy’s. Sustainable fashion (check the amount of recycled plastic they are repurposing on their website), WASHABLE, comfortable, slip-ons… are a few of the reasons. I keep a pair in the car for when I’m walking across studio lots for meetings (then will slip into heels right before I walk in;) These go from day to date night, yoga to school pick-ups. I even wore the sneakers all day at Disney recently. One other quick thing… the petal pink ones in these photos I got when I was pregnant with Hayden. Been washing and wearing ever since. They last!

EASY PEASEY ENTRY:

Make sure you’re following us on social:

@ashleyaubra @rothys on instagram

@ashleyjonesofficial on facebook.

Leave a comment here on the blog. That’s it!

For an extra entry for YOU, tag a friend on instagram in the comments on today’s instagram post or the following one up soon!

Winner will be announced this upcoming week. Good luck! Your biggest issue will be picking which pair!!

xoxo

AAJ

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Back-to-School Relief?

It's funny to hear my friends with kids discuss back-to-school time. It's as if they just walked into a spa. Such relief comes over them. Before I had kids, I was almost shocked to hear how excited people are to get their kids back in school. But, I'm slowly starting to understand. 

I suppose that's one way to look at it, but for many of us, the transition can bring on stressors that attack both parents and kids alike. I saw a meme on instagram that said "I can either have a good morning or get the kids to school on time, but I can't have both." 

I'm still new to the process. Hayden will start pre-school soon, but Huck started first grade. (I don't want to sound like that parent that can't believe her step-son is growing up so fast, but take a peek at the bottom of this post to his sweet face three years ago!!) Stress from this time of year mainly comes from the adjustment period. A new year can bring on anxiety for kids. New classes, different friends, teachers, new schedules, homework, lack of sleep, etc. Plus, if you are in our boat as a blended family, it can be an adjustment figuring out schedules and communication with two separate households. 

From what I'm learning, the best way to prevent these stressors from taking over your household is to be prepared to identify them, talk about them and hopefully prevent them. Am I paying attention to the overall vibe of my environment? Taking a mental note of what worked well in our day and what needed improving helps me. For my family, it usually comes down to these three things:

SLEEP: I wrote about overall wellness starting with sleep HERE. It's incredibly important for all of us, especially kids. The National Sleep Foundation explains most of us need more sleep than we are getting. We are sleeping considerably better with our new mattress. We also got an adjustable frame. I slept with my head slightly elevated recently because I was coming down with a cold. It helped me breath 10 times better than if I had been flat. If your child has trouble going to sleep, staying asleep or waking up in the morning, it's worth discussing with your pediatrician.* Would a melatonin supplement help? Good Day Chocolate makes chocolate bites with 1 mg. suitable for children. A good night sleep helps the morning routine, school performance, attitude...just about everything. We all know that from experience.

ORGANIZE and MOTIVATE: Both kids know if they listen and do their chores or homework (clean up toys for Hayden and homework for Huck) they get one Good Day Chocolate MultiVitamin chocolate treat. They love the reward. It helps with routine and schedule. And I love knowing it's so good for them. I also give them a probiotic. 

And Joel and I need to be organized for the week ahead of time. Joel works best when he knows the schedule. He likes me to jot it down in our shared google calendar. I'm not good at remembering, but when I do, it makes life easier for him (and in turn, me). I am currently working on a space for the boys to drop bags, shoes and file folders from school. If you saw my stories recently revamping the pantry and master closet, we also got tips for this "practical closet." Stay tuned on that small redo. I wonder if it's sad how excited I am to get seriously organized? It really makes me feel good! I finally got the boys this adorable bistro table from Delta Children (so affordable, why didn't I do this earlier?). It's under $110, search "bistro table" on that link. They love that it's their own table. Huck does his homework here, too.

I know the mornings run more smoothly when I have clothes and bags laid out the night before. I never regret doing that;) This sounds like more for my daily to-do list, but if I get in the habit of it, life runs smoothly. And this isn't just for the boys, it's for me, too. When my closet is organized (my clothes are ready to go, make-up isn't in several bags, but where it should be), I get ready so much faster with less stress.

FAMILY MANAGEMENT TIME AND SOCIALIZE: This is hard. I'll be honest. I know they want/need to play, eat dinner, have bath time and bedtime routines. As kids get older, they have after school activities, sports, etc. I'm not sure how people juggle it all and work. Hats off to you! What are your suggestions? I would imagine delegating and preparation are the most important. Right now, my priority is to be prepared for dinner and family time (even if it's brief) all happening early enough so the bedtime routine starts earlier so we're not all rushed. How many of you look at the clock and can't believe the kids finally got down and now it's almost 8:30... or 9pm. It's not enough time for them or for us! 

These are basic points for success in many different situations, but seem particularly good to remember during this adjustment for the family. Lately, I've enjoyed adding a few extra resources if people wanna click away and glance. I like reading what teachers had to say about helping your child succeed in this article here. My mom taught school for many, many years. I know she would agree with the majority of this article. I notice getting to school on time and making sure kids are prepared for their day are on that list!

*Please always discuss any supplements with your doctor. Also, to find out more information on these scrumptious chocolates, go to the source: GoodDayChocolate.com