8/16/13

Free First Day of School Printables

First Day of School Free Printables

my boys go back-to-school in less than a week. i totally bummed and excited at the same time. i don’t want summer to end….(most days hee hee). but they are very excited, especially to see their friends and wear their new clothes. new clothes are a big thing around here, as my boys are really into fashion. they decided to throw me a fashion show wearing all their back-to-school clothes, and while doing so, i decided i needed to make some signs to document the first day of school.

so i decided to created these fun Back-to-School signs for them to hold up in their first-day-of-school pictures. you know the ones that everyone takes as their kids leave the house on the first day. i have seen so many creative ways to take first-day photos on instagram, from their kids holding up chalkboards, magnet boards signs, to full on photo shoots…i’ve always wanted to do something special. i guess these signs will have to do! simple and to the point. my kids are growing up way too quickly. i can’t believe that i have a fifth grader.

first-day-of-school-printables-blog

and as a special gift to my readers, i have created a set of Free First Day of  School Printables. the set includes grades up to 6th, including preschool, pre-K and kindergarten. all you have to do is print out the year that you need and snap a picture of your kiddie on their first day of school.

first-day-of-school-printables

Here is where you can find the PDF files that contain the Free Back-to-School printables.
Click here for the Back to School Printable set without #backtoschool
Click here for the Back to School Printable set with #backtoschool

and check this out! i know that there are kids who attend bilingual schools. in fact my bestie blogger friend Pattie’s son is going to a Spanish bilingual school. so i made her a set of Spanish Back-to-School printables. if you have a child at a school who language is other than English or Spanish, email me and i will create a set for the language of your choice. i would love to have sets in many languages to share with my  readers.

Click here for the Spanish Back to School Printables

hope you enjoy your first day of school!

Posted by | 8/16/13
Filed Under: Printables, School
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9/2/12

Back to School: No Backpacks on the Floor

four years have gone by, and i have never even thought up a solution for the “come home from school and drop your backpack on the floor” problem. this was one of those “why didn’t i do this earlier” ideas i saw around Pinterest. i would always just shove the backpacks in the corner or on the couch. what was i thinking? of course coat hooks would have been the answer.
so i found three frames that i already had and made them into bulletin boards. i found wooden initials of each of my boys and spray painted them in fun colors. then i glued them to the bulletin board. 3 coat hooks were installed below each frame, and secured with anchor bolts. above everything, i hung this fun sign i got at a baby shower. perfect!
what you need
• picture frame for each kid (mine were 10″ x 12″)
• piece of cork board, cut to fit your frame (found at most craft stores)
• coat hook for each kid
• anchor bolts (unless you are screwing hooks into a stud)
• wooden letters
• glue gun
directions
•  place cork board into frames. (frames don’t all have to be the same size, you can spray paint different frames the same color to create a unique cohesive look.)
• measure where you want to place each frame and hook, and then attach them to the wall.
• glue a wooden letter onto each bulletin board
• kids….hang up your backpacks!
and the awesome thing is….there hasn’t been a backpack on the floor since i installed this! yippee…one less reminder to my kids to pick up after them selves and one less job for me!
Posted by | 9/2/12
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8/29/12

Back to School: Mom’s Need Clothes too!

every year i get the kids ready for school and get them new clothes so they look stylish for the new school year. then i go on campus to pick them up looking all “beachy” (if that’s what you’d call it) wearing summer lounging clothes and stringy sun/pool hair. i quickly realize…”I need to get myself cleaned up.” i call the hair stylist and go get a new outfit. it’s nice looking good for the start of a new school year.
my go-to place for clothes for me is DownEast Basics. i can not tell you how many compliments i get on outfits i wear from there. in fact, i bet 75% of my clothing comes from DownEast Basics. i like that is is stylish, but not cut too short, and it is easy wearing for a busy momma like me.
i especially like that the clothes can be worn casually during the day, or that you can dress up them up for going out or to a special occassion.
my favorite clothing at DownEast Basics are the colored layering shirts. i have them in all colors, and they add the pop of color to any outfit. you can also wear them under tank dresses when the weather gets cooler, and with a cardigan.
i also LOVE, LOVE, LOVE their jeans and cute accessories!
DownEast Basics also has clothes for little girls. super cute, but since i have three boys, i don’t get to buy any of them.
you can shop DownEast Basics online or there is a store right here in the OC!
DownEast Basics
Irvine Spectrum Center
71 Fortune Drive
Irvine, California
and if you are a Pinterest fan, DownEast Basics is having a contest to win a $500 shopping spree to their store! i am so there.  click here for the complete contest info.
{this is not a compensated post. i just love DownEast Basics and wanted to tell you all about my favorite clothing store!}
Posted by | 8/29/12
Filed Under: Life
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8/24/12

Back to School: Shopping for a Tween Boy and $50 Gift Card Giveaway

this is the first year that my 9 year old son has been picky when it came to getting school clothes. i guess the days of me getting to pick out everything are long gone. *sigh*  so, he and i made a date night and ran over to the Laguna Hills Mall to get him an outfit and a pair of shoes for the new school year. 
he wanted to get shoes first. we found two stores (yeah!) that he liked all the shoes…. Kore Skate Shop had a great selection of Vans and Converse.

and then there was Famous Footwear.  he ultimately decided to get these black tennies. 
their selection of converse was awesome. so many colors.
And since all shoes in the store were BOGO……we got a pair of green converse for little brother too, complete with neon laces….all the rage.
then we grabbed a pair of skinny jeans from The Children’s Place, and at only $10 a pair, what a bargain.
i personally liked these rock star shirts from The Children’s Place and Gymboree….but he thought his brother would like them more.
then to complete his outfit, we headed over to Macy’s to get him a few shirts. Macy’s had a bunch of surf/skater styles that he liked…..
the shopping trip to the Laguna Hills Mall was a success. someone really likes his new clothes. 
now how about a giveaway! 
here is your chance to win a $50 Gift Card to Simon Malls! 
you can enter once per day and the contest ends wednesday, august 29th at midnight PST. the winner will be chosen randomly and notified on august 30th, so please leave link or email for contact.
mandatory entry:
what is your kiddie’s must have back-to-school fashion item this year or which Simon Mall do you love most. please answer in the comment section of this post!
bonus entries:
you can receive additional bonus entries by:
1) “like” Simon Malls on facebook
2) twitter about the contest and leave permalink in comment (1 entry)
3) “like” Simon Malls on twitter
4) “like” sandy toes and popsicles on facebook (1 entry)
5) “like” sandy toes and popsicles on twitter (1 entry)
and/or
6) “follow” sandy toes and popsicles blog (1 entry)
(please leave an additional comment on this post for each entry)

{ disclosure: no compensation was received for this post. i received a Simon Malls gift card from the Laguna Hills Mall to facilitate this post and review the back to school fashions. this post does not necessarily represent Simon Property Group’s positions, strategies or opinions. }

Posted by | 8/24/12
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8/23/12

Honey Teacher Gift

every year, i try to give my boy’s teachers a beginning of the school year gift. i don’t know…..i think that it makes the teachers excited to start the year with my kiddies and to know that i am an involved parent. i want them to know that i am willing to help them out during the school year and that i appreciated them.
this year i decided to give them honey bears. and designed a little circle tag that said…
“This is Going to BEE a Great Year!
 
i loved how they turned out. a sweet and simple gift.
i also designed a square tag that looked nice on this beehive shaped bottle i found at the store.
i love the hive shape of the bottle, however, the honey bear is my fave.
if you would like to make this gift for your teacher, i have included this free printable for you to download.  it includes two sizes of the circle and square tags so that you can choose the best size for your honey bottles.
i can already tell, this is going to BEE a great year!
{ participating in Polkadot on Parade linky parties! }
Posted by | 8/23/12
Filed Under: Craft, Printables, School
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