‘Back to School’ Articles at Sweetnicks

Back to School {Healthy Essentials}

September 6, 2014 · Ad-Free

So I sort of temporarily fell off the blogging bandwagon for a few days. I fully intended to come back mid-week, but between getting the kids ready for school and an assignment deadline looming (for me) and a rousing bout of terrible allergies (also for me), my plans were quickly waylaid. You know how it goes…

The kids started school on Thursday, and they seriously could not have been more excited. They actually packed their backpacks a week prior, picked out their outfits the night before, and then, of course, couldn’t fall asleep. The excitement was palpable. Seventh grade and first grade.

Excuse me while I shed a tear on the thought of my kids growing up…

When they got off the bus after the first day, they both shared their day with me and each other, going over minute by minute. That’s Madeline’s specialty. “First I got off the bus. And then I walked to the gym. And I sat down and waited for my teacher. She came and then we walked to class…” It kills me, and about does Nick in.

I asked Nick how his first day was and got “Mom, it was AWESOME. I love all my teachers.” Ah, the enthusiasm of a first day. Hopefully that lasts forever. Or at least until Thanksgiving break.

Although we were down the shore for a few days earlier in the week, I wanted to make sure we had a full day back at home to get ready for school. You know, put us in “routine” mode. Grocery shop for lunches. Do last minute school supply runs. Make sure we’re good and ready, and equally chill, so we start the new school year off on a good note.

Which apparently meant a quick stop for more tabs for Nick’s binders because he needs a ridiculous amount. Why, I will never understand.

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Crocs, Post-Its and Back-to-School Mania

August 8, 2011 · Narrative

Random picture for tomorrow’s post. Mostly ’cause I hate to start a post without a cool pic.

“Can you believe the back-to-school stuff is in Target already?” I texted Mystic.

Yes, especially if people are buying it. Are they? came the reply.

“Um, if by ‘people,’ you mean me, then yes.”

That was three weeks ago. Even in the world of crazy retail sale schedules, I thought it a bit early for back-to-school sales, but of course I looked. And picked up a few bargains. The best sales are yet to come.

I have no problem admitting I’m a sucker for a new stash of school supplies. For we use the stuff year ’round with crafting, journaling and general all ’round creative pursuits.

I love a fresh clean notebook, just waiting for the first stroke of pen.

Crayola crayons perfectly sharpened bearing that familiar crayon smell.

Bic medium blue ballpoint pens.

Glue sticks.

And Post-Its.

Man, does the O’Malley household love the Post-It line.

The folks at Post-It sent me some of their fun supplies, including this handy holder that goes on your refrigerator. Methinks it’s far easier to have sticky notepaper stuck to the side of the fridge than rummaging around an overly full junk drawer for a scrap of paper. Assuming, of course, that YOUR junk drawer looks like OUR junk drawer. And I’m kinda hoping it does.

When it first arrived, I tore open the package and stuck the dispenser right on the fridge.

It promptly fell off.

I tried again, this time applying more force.

Down to the floor it went.

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Back-to-School Rainbow Cake Party and the Pajama Program

August 29, 2010 · Narrative

A little switch up from the usual Weekend Photos in Review to celebrate Rainbow Cake goodness!

How is it possible that we are already celebrating with our Back-to-School Rainbow Cake Party? It seems like just yesterday we were kicking off the summer with our End-of-School party! But it wasn’t. Reality sets in. It’s back to the books. But not without a little multi-colored madness to set us off on the right path first.

This time, I decided to do something a little different. When the invitations went out a few weeks ago, I asked guests to bring a pair of brand new kids’ pajamas, so we could pack up a box and ship them off to the Pajama Program. It’s a New York-based program that we support regularly, and I thought it would be a nice tie-in for our little party. “Danger season” is coming up, and with the temperatures starting to drop, warm toasty pajamas are needed now more than ever.

As the kids came over, we put all the pajamas in a box and I passed out coloring pages for them all to work on. As an aside, this web site is a great spot to find coloring pages — the wonderfully detailed pictures take up the whole page and they print without advertising and extra junk on it. I thought including coloring pages in the pajama box as a little something extra for the kids on the receiving end would be a nice small gesture.

The menu tonight was simple. Fresh fruit. Vegetable chips and dip. Honest Kids juice (love them!) and, of course, Rainbow Cake. This go ’round, I did the traditional six layer cake and then I also did a 9×13 cake pan as well. Although I loved the cupcakes I made back in June, I didn’t love the time they took. Too fiddly. This longer sized dish worked out beautifully. I just put one layer of batter on top of the other and baked it. It looks a little more tie-dyed than rainbow-like, but that’s ok.

Vegetable Chips …

Wordless Wednesday

August 12, 2010 · Narrative

Project 365
August 11, 2010, Photo #145

Long before kids, this time of year, when school supply sales abound, was always something I looked forward to. The masses and masses of familiar green and yellow boxes of freshly sharpened Crayola crayons, the brand new markers begging for inspiration, the crisp black-and-white blank Composition books that crack when you first open them … and all the Back-to-School sales to boot. I simply love this time of year. Always have. Always will.

It’s a signal of another fresh start. A clean slate. New beginnings. A time when new things are possible. An opportunity to get inspired.

I happened to fill this particular glass jar of markers when Nick was at camp earlier this week. He spied it on my office bookshelf as soon as he walked in the door. These kids don’t miss a thing.

“Whose markers are those?”

Mine.

“Yours? You’re not going to share with us?”

Nope. All mine.

Because whether you’re heading back to school or not, no matter your age, we all could use a little inspiration these days, and if it comes in the form of a dollar box of washable Crayola markers, all the better. And I’m not sharing.

P.S. If you like the photo above, it will be making its way to my Etsy shop this week.

Back to School Party

September 8, 2009 · Narrative

It was a semi-last minute idea, but I decided to have a small Back to School party for Nick. I quickly fired off an email to a few friends before I could change my mind and start to worry about all the boxes still left to unpack. Considering we only moved three weeks ago, I think the house is in pretty good shape … and what better way to kick it into high gear than to entertain?

While making an effort to keep the shindig small, I also wanted to keep it simple. There are still kitchen items I have yet to uncover, so I didn’t want to go crazy with an all-out affair. Definitely not ready for that yet. The first thing decided was dessert (but of course!). After all, if I think Rainbow Cake is the perfect way to end the school year, it stands to reason that it’s the perfect way to begin it as well, no? (Hence the pretty stack of dirty dishes in last night’s photo round-up) To both serve as an activity and make sure the kids had something fun to eat, I went with make-your-own pizzas for dinner. Menu aside, I think the biggest surprise for everyone was the fact that I don’t have a rolling pin. No, it’s not lost. Not still in an unpacked box. Just.don’t.have.one. When it comes to kitchen things, I don’t like having a lot of extra things in terms of tools, gadgets, machines and what-not. The main uses for a rolling pin (aside from the need for it last night with the pizza dough) is for making bread and rolling out cookie dough for cut-out cookies, neither of which I really do. A plastic cylindrical cup did the trick nicely for the pizza dough and was really easy for the kids to handle. A little tomato sauce, heaps of mozzarella and a smattering of mini pieces of pepperoni and into the oven it went. For the grown-ups, I made a version with pesto and fresh mozzarella from the farmer’s market. By the end of the night, every last speck was gone. My kind of clean-up!

I can’t quite wrap my head around the fact that tomorrow Nick is heading off to the second grade. Where the heck did time go? I still remember when he took his first steps… it’s like the first picture of Madeline from last night’s post – all the sudden she doesn’t look like a baby anymore. They’re both growing up too fast! Someone actually asked me today when she is going to go to school – ack! I am all for savoring every little bit of their childhood as long as I possibly can.

These days, with everyone being more and more conscience of spending money, this Back to School party is the perfect way to entertain. Very easy, fun, ideal for the celebration and affordable. All told, between using what I had on hand, combined with a few simple things from the store, we fed four adults and 5 kids for under ten bucks. The kids had fun, the grown-ups got adult conversation and it was the perfect way to kick-off the new school year. Priceless.