S is for....School Mantle

It's that time of year again!  This year is especially difficult for me because my baby...starts Kindergarden!!! I can't believe it!  I'm going to be a giant puddle of tears come Thursday for sure!  Anyway, July is over and I got tired of looking at my patriotic mantle that I decided I needed something different.  It's too early for my Fall Mantle (sad face) so I came up with this...

It's my Back-to-School Mantle.  It's pretty simple really.  I just added a few of my staples, my old window, a couple of initials for SMITH or SCHOOL, some pictures of my family and my cuties and some candles.  I also added these in the apothecary jars...

Yes, those are some extra school supplies.  And there are my cuties!  I also found a really awesome Chalkboard at Target this year at the Dollar Spot!!

The one on the right is the one I found. Of course, when I realized that I actually needed 2 and went back to get it, they were sold out...figures.  So I found the framed chalkboard on the left at Hobby Lobby and made it to look similar.  Most of the words are permanent so I used a paint pen to create those but left the blanks so we could use them year after year.  I just wrote the rest of the info in chalk.  Can you believe that G is going into 3rd grade this year!?!?!  And M...Kindergarden?!?!?!?!  Again, puddle of tears.  I also added a clock behind the chalkboards to signify that ever so fast ticking away of time. 

 

They will never be this young again...ah...oh well.  I hope you enjoyed this Mantle and are ready for your kiddos to head back to school!  

All About Me - Back to School

It's that time of year again...Back to School!  The kids are excited and mom is ready to have the house quiet again.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE having my kids at home and being able to do whatever we want during the day without time limits of school and things.  We've had a great summer, but there is something about their little bodies that somehow know when it's time to get back to school...they are fighting more and more, getting on each other's nerves and frankly getting into more and more trouble at home.  IT'S TIME.  Anyway, I wanted to make sure you had a couple of important items for your Back-to-School adventures.

As you may know, my oldest son has Williams Syndrome.  It is a genetic condition and poses some interesting hurdles when it comes to school. We have several meetings throughout the year with his teachers and Principal trying to map out the BEST situation for his educational journey.  This year I decided to take a proactive approach and provide some tools for his teachers from research and others that know what works best.

I created a page to introduce my son to his teachers...an All About Me page.

Of course, the one his teachers will get has all the important information on it, including a very helpful tip sheet on the second page.

So what if your child has a special need and you want to introduce your teachers to him/her?  Or what if you just want to introduce your child to his/her teacher and there is no special needs, but just would like to use the idea?  I've created a blank file here for you to use as needed.  Enjoy!!

All About Me - Generic Special Needs

All About Me - Williams Syndrome

All About Me - No Special Needs

And don't forget to check out my post on the FREE back to school signs.  We will be using 2 of them this year! I can't believe M is starting Preschool!! :)

Grade Signs - FREE Download!!

I'm sure this time of year is just as busy for you and your family as it is for ours!  I love all the first vs. last photos of the kids school years.  I've found several great signs for the first day of school, but none for the last day of school.  So.....I created one.

AND....since I'm sure you will love them too, I'm offering them here to you for FREE!!!  I have signs for all years, preschool through senior year and even a bonus sign for GRADUATION DAY!!  Enjoy!

First Day of Preschool

Last Day of Preschool

First Day of Kindergarten

Last Day of Kindergarten

First Day of First Grade

Last Day of First Grade

First Day of Second Grade

Last Day of Second Grade

First Day of Third Grade

Last Day of Third Grade

First Day of Fourth Grade

Last Day of Fourth Grade

First Day of Fifth Grade

Last Day of Fifth Grade

First Day of Sixth Grade

Last Day of Sixth Grade

First Day of Seventh Grade

Last Day of Seventh Grade

First Day of Eighth Grade

Last Day of Eighth Grade

First day of Freshman Year

Last Day of Freshman Year

First Day of Sophomore Year

Last Day of Sophomore Year

First Day of Junior Year

Last Day of Junior Year

First Day of Senior Year

Last Day of Senior Year

Today is Graduation Day!

My Fall Door "Wreath"

So I needed to spruce up our front door decor and had to take our 4th of July Wreath down, so I decided to whip this little one up.  I hope you like it! It literally only cost like $5 to make it, including the frame I got at a garage sale!  And of course, since nothing is permanent, you can change it whenever you like!!

Supplies:
Chip board Letter
Twine
Masking or Painters Tape
Frame
Twigs from your yard
Pine cone from your yard
Random silk flower
Floral Wire
Ribbon

How to:
Take the twigs, pine cone, and flower and attach them to the frame with floral wire.  No gluing needed!!  Then wrap the chip board letter in the twine.  Use tape to attach the last bit of twine to the back of the letter and then attach to the frame with the ribbon.  That's it! You're done and have a cute decoration for your front door! :)