*Thank you Zappos for sponsoring this post. Regardless all thoughts are my own and I only recommend things I truly love!
We live in Atlanta where we have found ourselves in a weird limbo for a couple weeks – public schools have been back in session for a few weeks now, but my daughter’s preschool still doesn’t start until Friday. Hard to believe I have a big 2 year old who is going to be headed to school 3 days a week this year and in the 2 and a half year old class where they even have Spanish lessons! I’m expecting her to come home bilingual and be able to translate things for me. It makes me sad because I do love spending time with her, but also excited to have some toddler free days around the house for at least half the year before my other baby ventures in to toddlerhood but I really don’t want to think about that.
Every back to school season brings a lot of shopping that mamas have to do. New outfits for school, good shoes for the playground, and of course a bookbag and lunchbox. I take it a bit further and get new outfits for the whole family every year. Clearly mama needs new clothes and shoes for running to and from school in and Tripp needs new outfits and shoes just because he’s cute. I ordered everything we need for the new school year from Zappos this year! One way Zappos makes back to school shopping even easier is from their new app so you can order the essentials while on the go. Zappos has been a favorite place of mine to shop for years because their shipping is really fast, and they have amazing customer service if you need to make any returns or exchanges.
One way we’ve been preparing Maddie Grace for the school year is to spend a lot of time talking about school, and give her school supplies a few weeks in advance of school starting so that we could pretend school and her excitement for it could grow. She’s been packing her bookbag and lunchbox, and walking off to ‘shoooool’ saying ‘ bye mama see ya later’ and loves it so I think we are going to have a good start. This Skip Hop butterfly bookbag is everything to her right now. I even already found some cookies stashed away in it so I guess she was planning on taking those to school with her. It’s the perfect size for her to carry, has a great water bottle (sippy cup) pocket on the outside, and is big enough for fitting in her folder! The Chooze lunchbox is another good one. MG gets really excited to see the cupcakes and donuts!
My second priority (first being actual school supplies) for back to school was back to school outfits for Maddie Grace. She loves wearing dresses so of course I want her to have some of those, but I also feel like shorts are more practical for playing on the playground, which I know they do a lot of. So I went with a little of each. The Ralph Lauren Polo dress is a classic and we both love it. I got her matching navy Crocs to go with it which work really well for her school because the playground is sandy so she needs shoes that are easy to clean.
I also purchased Maddie Grace a Lilly Pulitzer shorts and Kim Kardashian shirt outfit. MG is a huge Lilly fan (not even kidding she digs through her closet to find her Lilly stuff) so I thought this would be a good way to get my dress lover to enjoy wearing shorts and it worked! I think they are the cutest things ever and they match her first pair of Natives really well too! The color of these Natives are iridescent red but they are really a pink color and so pretty – she now calls them her ‘pink shoes’ and wants to wear them everywhere!
For me I picked out this Culture Phit romper, which should be no surprise for those of you who follow along and know that I am romper obsessed. It’s soft, buttons up so it’s breastfeeding friendly, a good length, and has a fun hood on it. I paired it with Sperry Jade sandals that so far are comfortable, cute, and really easy to throw on and run out the door and look nicer than my workout shoes while still giving me the comfort I need to get through the day.
And my sweet baby Tripp. Splendid is one of my favorite brands for him and when I saw this Splendid romper on the Zappos site I knew immediately that I needed it. It has not dissapointed. It’s the softest thing you’ll ever touch, fits him great, and is ridiculously cute. I also already knew that I loved Robeez shoes for him (they are some of the only ones that actually stay on his feet) so I ordered him their Special Occasion shoes – even though I think they’re perfect for everyday wear.
So there you have it! Our family is ready and excited for back to (pre)school thanks to Zappos! Have your kids gone back to school yet? What did you do to get ready?
your kiddos are so cute!! my daughter has that same backpack and it’s a favorite!!
Loooove these BTS looks! Maddie Grace looks ready to rock!!!
Oh my goodness….such cute stuff, and even cuter kiddos! I love the Ralph Lauren dress, and all the shoes. I also love your romper. It’s so cute, and look comfy too.
Their outfits are adorable! My two year old also starts preschool soon, and its bitter sweet. I’m excited about toddler free time, but it also means he’s growing up.
Super cute back to school shoes!