What Type of Back To School Parent Are You? Seattle's Best Coffee Survival Kit Giveaway

Disclosure: I received a Seattle's Best Coffee Parent's Only Survival Kit in exchange for this post. All opinions are mine alone.

It's back to school central here on the ol' blog. We have been in serious back to school mode for the past two weeks. It's all I can blab about but with 4 kids in school, it's all I really know! Between getting up early, breakfast, dropping kids off, working 9-5, picking kids up from school, chauffeuring them around to extra-curriculars, back home to dinner and homework, I am beat! I always wondered if every other parent is like me but first I had to figure out what that was. To uncover how real everyday parents are approaching the Back to Schools season, Seattle's Best Coffee has partnered with Buzzfeed to launch the "How Do You Back to School?" quiz and content series. I found this fun quiz on there and to nobody's surprise I am a "Snoozer!" parent!!

I always hit the snooze button three or four times therefore I am always late waking up the kids. We rush through our morning routines and make it to school with just seconds to spare before the bell rings. I j ust can't get it together! Back to school is as nerve-wracking for parents as it is for kids so I am eternally grateful for the Parent's Only Back to School Kit I received from Seattle's Best Coffee! They are my lifesavers!

Isn't is amazing? It has all the goodies I need to be ready for everything back to school entails. They even sent me Toasted Hazelnut coffee!! Can you imagine all the yummy coffee to be had? Now, why am I bragging about my survival kit? Well, because the amazing people at Seattle's Best Coffee want you to know what you can win if you enter the giveaway below!

Parent's Only Back to School Survival Kit ($115 value) includes:

- a canvas backpack with a side pocket for your to-go coffee tumbler

- a signature red Seattle's Best Coffee oversized mug

- a to-go coffee tumbler

- a notebook to keep track of family activities

- a Tile app (handy for the lost key morning problem)

- a magnetic dry erase weekly planner

- three varieties of Seattle's Best Coffee

Entry-Form

Don't forget to take the quiz and come back and tell me what type of morning parent you are!!

Back to School 2015-2016

It's that time again, time to send the kids back to school! This morning was insane and I can't believe I am actually posting this today and not ten weeks later (as I have been known to do!) This morning, JC and I split up handle the first day madness. He took Amberly and Gian to their new school and I took Adrian back to his. There is no way we can make all three kids on the same day. It's hard to miss being a part of these days for everyone, but thankfully we take lots of pictures!!

Adrian was not happy to start third grade....

Amberly was really nervous over the weekend but thankfully, she was in a great mood this morning...

Gian was the most excited to go back but this morning, he wasn't too sure to start second grade!

School security is at an all-time high in our schools and this was the only day we could walk the kids to their classrooms. I love to walk into their classrooms and see where they will spend their day. Amberly and Gian will be in those classrooms all day. Adrian's school has new scheduling where he will be with four different teachers so he will be moving around a lot. He is not happy about this and even though I tried my best efforts to get him to smile, this was how I left him:

I have a feeling the really big first day smiles are history for him, maybe I will get another one from him his senior year of high school! 

I really hope they each have an amazing first day! I can't wait to talk to them all after school, especially Ivanna who started middle school today and forgot to send me a pic!

5 Tips To Make Back To School Shopping Less Stressful

Disclosure: I participated in a back to school campaign with Mami of Multiples. I was provided compensation to purchase back to school items and for writing this post. All opinions are mine alone. #MomBTS

I have been a busy bee the past couple of weeks. Between work, vacations, planning for an end of summer party and back to school shopping, I am spent. Shopping for back to school supplies and clothing used to really stress me out but now with four kids going into either middle school or upper level elementary grades, I have become an expert on stress-free back to school shopping!

Tip #1: Gather all documentation ahead of time. School starts here in South Florida on August 24th. I do not wait until teachers hand out supply lists, I make sure I get them a couple weeks before, whether on the school website or by calling the school. If you cannot get a list from your child's teacher ahead of time, look up a grade-specific list online and start purchasing the basics (pencils, crayons, paper, etc. 

Tip #2: Make a master list and a budget. I put together all four lists into one major list. Instead of four lists mentioning the need for 2 boxes of pencils, I put 8 boxes of pencils on my list. I take one list to the stores. I also set a budget and stick to it.

Tip #3: Enlist an assistant. There is no reason to go back to school shopping on your own. That's boring! I call my friends and we make a fun outing out of it. If my friends are unavailable, I take one (yes ONE!) of my kids with me. I ask them and the one that volunteers first goes. It gives me some one on one time with that child and I'm not shopping alone!

Tip #4:  Take advantage of back to school sales, discounts and tax-free holidays. Tax-free week in Florida is August 7-15 and I make sure to do my shopping that week. I gather my list and store ads and see what's on sale where. I make a plan on which stores to go to and at what times. I use coupons and check for any BOGO's (buy one get one offers). I even shop online, if possible. Think this is crazy? Well how about I tell you that I purchased all the basic supplies for four kids for less than $70!  Also, buy in bulk if you are buying the same items for multiple kids. Every classroom requested disinfecting wipes and tissue. I purchase those in bulk and just separate per class. With a little research, you can save alot of money!

Tip #5: Stick to your budget.  Stores do understand that back to school shopping can get expensive. They have amazing sales at this time to help families out. After years of back to school shopping, I know to make a budget and stick to it. I start saving, little by little, since the beginning of the year. This money is only for back to school shopping (supplies, shoes, uniforms). I usually come in under budget and use the little extra for a special dinner out as a family before school starts!

Do you have any tips and tricks for stress-free back to school shopping that you'd like to share?

Eight Is Great and Easy To Find At Carter's

Disclosure: I participated in an Influence Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Carter's. I received a complimentary gift card to facilitate my review and thank me for my participation! 

There is a weird phenomenon going on in my house right now. All three kids are a size 8 in clothing. Yup, all three. Usually, they are three different sizes but not anymore, at least not right now. The big problem with this is that they have all grown out of their current clothes at the same time so a shopping trip was in order! With back to school right around the corner, I knew I had to take the time now to get them all to a store and get new play clothes before out crazy schools schedules start. Here in Florida, we have hot weather year round so no fall shopping for us but we did manage to get some really fresh, fun and comfy clothes at Carter's!

Finding clothes that my kids love and are age-appropriate isn't always easy. Carter's understands the need for on-trend fashions for kids int heir growing stages, which is why they've introduced size 8 for their latest styles!

Shopping with three kids is never easy so I made sure to go during the week and after they had dinner. No cranky kids for me! I also wanted to take full advantage of the Bright Now Sale going on from 07/14-08/04 where everything in the store is 40% off!!

I let my kids make their own choices when it comes to their clothing. As long as it is age and occasion appropriate and it matches, they can pretty much express their own styles! 

Gian likes to dress up a little more than Adrian so I was very surprised when he picked a graphic tee and pants but man, he picked an adorable tee!! Adrian went straight for the activewear section, picked an active tee and pants. He will probably live in this outfit for weeks!

Amberly is the resident earth child. She was so excited when she saw these overalls in the store. I love that she looks her age, is trendy (overalls are super trendy right now) and is happy with what she is wearing!!! None of this is ever easy with a 9 year old girl!

Get set for fall and back to school at Carter's. They have an extensive assortment of easy outfit sets, coordinated collections and ready-to-play shorts and tees for babies and kids!! Visit carters.com for great fall fashion and even greater deals!

Before you go to your local Carter's, here's a coupon for even more savings!

Be sure to follow Carter's on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest so you can check out new arrivals and savings anytime!

Tips on Managing Back-to-School Spending For Multiple Kids

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc., and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #iamprotective #CollectiveBias

Have you started your back to school shopping? I definitely have. I plan my back to school shopping before the previous school year even ends. With four kids to shop for (Adrian, Ivanna, Amberly and Gian), I've learned that back to school shopping can get very expensive, very quickly! I have some tips up my sleeve to make the process as painless as possible.

1. Set a budget. This is the most important step not only for back to school shopping but for saving money in general. At the beginning of the year, I go over our expenses and start allocating money away for back to school shopping. There are constant item the kids will need every year: uniforms, shoes, backpacks and supplies. Each child will need at least 5 sets (polo and skirt/shorts.pants) of uniforms, at least one new pair of sneakers and a new backpack (my kids destroy theirs every year.) The one thing that really fluctuates are the supplies. I know that uniforms cost about $100, shoes about $60 and $30 for backpack so right off the bat I set a $200 budget per child. 

2. Shop year-round sales and clearances. This is a HUGE money-saver for me. Around spring time, I see lots of uniforms go into the sales and clearances and if I find uniform shorts or pants in a size up, I will purchase them. This makes any last-minute uniform shopping in August bearable since I probably have some pieces stored away. The same goes for shoes or undergarments. 

3. Buy school supplies in bulk.  Even though school supply lists can vary among 4 kids heading into grades 6, 4, 3 and 2, there are some constants like pencils, crayons and paper that they will all need. I do not set a school supply budget per child, I have one set amount for all the supplies, lets say $250 - $300. I try to get the school supply lists as early as possible and carry them with me every time I head out to the stores. If I see crayons on sale, I stock up. I buy pencils, paper and antibacterial items that all the classrooms request by the box. I then shop around and price match for the more expensive items like the graphing calculator that Ivanna needs this year. 

4. I talk to my kids about budgets. This is super important. Let's say we are shoe shopping. I inform each child that they have $60 for shoes. They can choose one pair of $60 shoes (this would be Adrian) or 2 or 3 pairs for the same amount. Usually, Amberly and Ivanna are more sale savvy and will find 2 or 3 pairs (sneakers and flats) that they like for school. 

5. Allocate a little extra for the first couple of weeks. I have a total budget of about $1500 for back to school. If you follow my spending above, I am at about $1100, why the extra? As prepared as I think my kids are for back to school, there are always little expenses that pop up. Adrian is in the drama magnet this year, I have to give a donation and buy special shirts. Ivanna wants to join the school soccer team, if she makes it, she will need some extra soccer stuff. I haven't decided if I am going to work less hours once school starts. If I don't, then I need to pay for after-school care registration fees. I don't want to be shell-shocked when all this happens so I always keep a little extra saved. Also, whatever money I don't spend I move to the winter vacation fund!!

Need more tips on saving for back to school? Protective has lots of tips for helping families with budgeting. Teaching my kids to leave within their means and save for the future is one of my major goals as a parent! All this back to school talk always reminds me that in a few years, we will getting ready to send them off to college. Have you started saving for college or even a rainy day fund? I learned so much about saving and budgeting on the Protective site! Check out everything Protective has to offer!!

Work Smarter, Not Harder With A New Tablet & T-Mobile Free Data!!

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc., and ts advertiser. All opinions are mine alone! #TabletTrio #CollectiveBias

As a full-time working mom with three kids, I don't always have time to sit for an hour in front of my computer and create a post or scroll Pinterest. When I get out of work, I have to rush and do after-care pick ups and then extracurriculars on top of making dinner and bedtime. I'm exhausted at the end of the day and the last thing I want to do is sit at the computer. I want to go to bed!! I tried to blog on my phone but would either run out of battery or run up my data plan. I also tried to use my kids tablets but you try to pry a tablet out of the hand of a child! Almost impossible.  I needed my own tablet! After some research, I found the Trio AXS with T-Mobile Free Data. Yup, you read that correctly: FREE DATA!!

I wanted my tablet right away! I didn't want to wait any longer. I headed to Walmart, walked all the way to the back where the Entertainment section is and found the T-Mobile Trio AXS 4G tablet. Best part? It was only $179!!! Under $200 and free data? Sold!

Did I mention that this tablet comes with free data for life? The tablet includes the Free Data for Life Plan- 200mb of free data each month for the life of the tablet on T-Mobile's advanced nationwide 4G network! Need more data? No problem! T-Mobile and Walmart offer affordable, flexible and coverage free tablet data plans for every type of user.

I unboxed my tablet as soon as I got home. It was fully charged so all I had to do was turn it on, sync it to my gmail and started browsing. It was so lightweight and easy to navigate. If you can navigate a smartphone, you can navigate this tablet. I used it all weekend. I would sneak out in the morning to my patio with a cup of coffee and scroll Pinterest for recipe ideas. 

I also worked on some blog posts out by the pool while the kids were swimming. I was able to work and keep an eye on them. Oh and for the first time ever, I am actually excited for the work week. I'm just going to slip the tablet in my purse and pull it out while at Adrian's Tae Kwon Do class, basketball practice or Amberly's art class. 

This is going to revolutionize my blogging! I'm definitely going to work smarter, not harder now! Oh and kids, this is mama's tablet! Just try prying this from my hands!!

Do you own a tablet? Has it made blogging easier?

Easy Fundraising For Your Child's School With Labels For Education® #Labels4Edu #cbias

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc., and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone! #CollectiveBias #Labels4Edu

My son goes to our local public school. I love the school and always try to help out as much as I can. I was so glad to hear that this year, the school signed up for the Campbell's Labels for Education® program. It's an easy way to help the school raise funds for items they need just by purchasing your everyday kitchen staples. From soup to cereal to popcorn and yogurt, your kitchen is probably full of eligible Labels for Education® items!

I went online to the Labels for Education® website to see which items on my grocery list have the labels. It turns out most of them did. I also found coupons for items I was going to be purchasing. Talk about awesomesauce! Then, on my weekly grocery trip to Winn-Dixie, I picked up all my items. I did notice that the Labels for Educaiton® items were available in every aisle. The labels are on the following products: Campbell's, Prego, Swanson Broth, Danimals yogurt, Pop Secret Popcorn, V8 Fusion beverages, Emerald Nuts, Post cereals and many more!

The labels contain points on them. Some products labels are worth 1 point, some are 5 and there are even products that have double points. Our school's goal for the 2014-2014 school year is 50,000 points. 

I purchased 9 products that had the Labels for Education® on them and those 9 products totaled 21 points! 

Now to get Adrian to clip all the labels and then I will drop them off at the school's main office. It's that simple. There are 38 weeks in the school year and if we drop off 20 points a week, that's 760 points from our family alone. There are hundreds of families in his school. If most of the families help out, they can reach that 50,000 point wish this school year and be able to purchase all the items on their wishlist!! This is also an easy way to ask grandparents and other family members to help out your child's school using products they are probably already purchasing!

Want to help out even more? Enter the Labels for Education® Grand Stand for School Sweepstakes going on now. 1,000 schools will win $1,000 and one of those could be your child's school! I already entered and have asked all our family members to enter as well!

Do you collect Labels for Education® for your child's school?

Getting Into A Back To School Routine With Healthy Essentials® & Coupons! #Moms4JNJConsumer

Disclosure: This post is part of the HEALTHY ESSENTIALS® 2014 program by Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc., and The Motherhood, who sent me a box of products and compensated me for my time. Opinions, experiences and photos shared here are all my own and I hope you enjoy them.

We've been back in school for about two weeks now. It's been a quite a transition this year but thankfully we have already established our back to school routine! There are a couple steps to our routine and I make sure they are done in the same order and (pretty much) at the same time every day so the kids have gotten adjusted rather quickly.

 Tip #1: Set a firm bedtime!

Morning wake-up calls are at 7am so I make sure the kids are in bed by 8:30pm. No later! I started them back at this schedule one week before school even started. There is still complaining and attempts at negotiating this bedtime, but I stay firm. Lights out at 8:30pm!

Tip #2: Stock up on bath and hygiene products that your family loves. 

This one is important. I get home by 5:30pm and then have to start on dinner and homework help. I do not have time to go to the store because we ran out of shampoo or lotion. I stock up on all the Healthy Essentials® we need for at least 2 months at a time.

Tip #3: Hygiene is important. 

I know this seems like a no-brainer but you would be surprised at  how hard it is to get my kids to shower or brush their teeth. I have a set-up like this on the bathroom counter:

At 8pm, I turn off all electronics and TV shows and it's up to get ready for bed. We go through the nightly routine of shower (make sure to scrub!), hair washing (yes, you need to wash it!) and rinse (all the soap needs to come off!). The kids use Johnson's Baby Shampoo & Conditioner to wash their hair. I like it because it doesn't hurt their eyes so they mind it less than adult shampoo and it's a one-step system. If they had to shampoo and condition separately, forget it. Once they are out of the shower, they dry off and I make them use lotion on all their body. It's so important. I don't want their precious skin to dry out. Then it's teeth brushing and mouthwash. They use a kids mouthwash and I like the Listerine Healthy White. Gotta keep our pearly whites healthy!

Tip #4: Bedtime story!

I believe you are never to old for a bedtime story so I read one to the kids every night. We chose the book depending on how much time we have before "Light's Out." I think this helps them settle down and get ready for bed. It's also a special quiet time where I know they are actually listening to the words coming out of my mouth.

Tip #5: 5 minutes for Mom!

Seriously, take time, even if it's 5 minutes for yourself! I like to take at least 5 minutes for myself every night. I close the bathroom door and no one can come in! I'll shower, shave, brush my hair, anything ALONE! Getting back in a routine stresses me out and I get breakouts, so I'll use an Acne Wash like the grapefruit scrub from Neutrogena and Acne treatment on my face. This only lasts a couple of weeks but it happens every school year.

All these tips have helped us get into a routine rather quickly and I hope they help you too!

HEALTHY ESSENTIALS® is offering amazing printable coupons, tip & tools and so much more for all the products you and your family love. You can save more than $40 by visiting http://www.HealthyEssentials.com now and signing up for HEALTHY ESSENTIALS® program coupons and offers!

While you are there, check out some of these great savings:

• Save $1.00 on JOHNSON'S^® Baby NO MORE TANGLES^® or Extra Conditioning hair care product (excludes sizes 1 oz.-4 oz., JOHNSON'S^® BUDDIES^® and JOHNSON'S^® KIDS^® products)
•  Save $2.00 on any (2) AVEENO^® products (excludes cleansing bars and moisturizing bars, trial sizes and 2.5 oz. lotion sizes)
• Save $2.00 on any (1) RoC^® Anti-Aging products
• Save $1.00 on any (1) NEUTROGENA^® Cleansing, Moisture, or Acne product Save $1.00 on any (1) SPLENDA^® No Calorie Sweetener Product
• Save $1.50 on any (1) VISINE^® product (0.5 fl. oz. or larger)
• Save $1.00 on any (1) LISTERINE^® Antiseptic Mouthwash, or  (1) LISTERINE^®NATURALS™ Antiseptic, or (1) LISTERINE^® ULTRACLEAN^® Antiseptic, or (1) LISTERINE^® TOTAL CARE, or (1) LISTERINE^® ZERO^®, or  (1) LISTERINE^® FLUORIDE DEFENSE^® Anticavity Mouthwash product (Valid on products 1L or larger)

Sunday Funday

Yesterday morning after breakfast we packed up the kids and headed to a splash park. Yes, I know my kids are older and the splash areas are meant for young kids/toddlers but we didn't care. I needed to get out of my house, get out of my neighborhood and go somewhere new.

The kids had a blast. This park has a splash area, lazy river and wave pool. Best part? My kids are old enough to be let loose. They each do what they want when they want to but first, family lazy river ride. We grabbed two double tubes and one single. We jumped in our tubes, held onto each others ankles and off we went. It was wonderful! I didn't get any pictures of this because I didn't want to get my phone wet. Maybe next time!  I actually took one lazy river pic from later on in the day:

Of course, my kids were the ones swimming in the lazy river instead of riding on tubes. Anyway, after the family lazy river ride, we went to the splash area. There were maybe three other families there (when it gets super hot in Miami, everyone heads to the beaches, best time for a water/splash park) so it was great to run around and have fun!

Man, he's handsome!!

Then we went to the wave pool. Here I annoyed them enough to take a group pic for me!

And then everyone in true form:

We had a wonderful, family-fun, carefree day. Exactly what a Sunday should be!! After the park we went to Dunkin Donuts and had doughnuts and bagels for dinner! This was our "We survived the first week back to school" celebratory dinner!! Days like this make life worth living!!

What did you do this weekend? 

14 FREE Back to School Printables

August in Miami means lots of things: hot and humid days, more rain and back-to-school. We go back on August 18th and boy are the kids dreading it! I've purchased uniforms, back packs and school supplies so we are ready for the big day. This year Amberly, Adrian and Gian go back as third, second and first graders, respectively. I try to make their first day back special so we always take first day pictures and I include a special snack in their lunches. I love to use printables for their first day pictures. I've been scouring Pinterest for this year's pick and decided to round up my favorites from my fellow bloggers. These amazing ladies created these super cute printables and best of all, they are free!

Lauren created this adorable printable and a bunch of others that coordinate for a full back-to-school celebration!

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The uber-talented Jaime from iheartnaptime created this set of Happy First Day printables. 

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iheartorganizing has a great printable to get that back-to-school morning routine in order!

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I love sneaking little notes into Adrian's lunchbox. Here are some cute ones from makeandtakes!

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HowDoesShe has these cute signs for first day pictures! 

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Are chalkboards more your thing? Oh So Printable has first day chalkboard signs just for you!

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I Can Teach My Child has first day signs for the "big' grades: preschool, pre-k, 3rd and eighth grade!

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I Should Be Mopping The Floor created these printables that come in handy from Preschool through Twelfth grade. These are perfect for those moms that like to keep their pictures coordinated year after year! Also, these printables were our pick for last year's first day pictures! 

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East Coast Mommy created this adorable Grade 1, Here I Come printable!!

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I love this back-to-school survey created by Poofy Cheeks! Let's see if I can get my kids to fill it out.

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Kids bring home lots of paperwork and craft projects home from school. It's hard to keep things organized and that's why Thirty Handmade Days created these awesome school binder printables. Keep all the memories in one spot!

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Run With Glitter created these labels and I love them for Amberly to use this year. She would get a kick out of the illustrations. 

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Taking a test can stress anyone out. Encourage your little one on their first test with these awesome printables from Skip To My Lou. 

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I like to decorate my home for back-to-school and this subway art from iheartcrafting blog would be perfect!!

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When do your kids go back to school? Are they dreading it or are they super excited to go back?