Hallelujah it's back to school time! Today B starts his first day at a new preschool and my nerves are shot already. He's not a huge fan of change or new situations and gets anxiety at drop-off even if he is comfortable with his surroundings so today is a big day for both of us. I will try not to cry too much. As always, I want to share some of our must haves for school and let you all know how I prepare for Back-to-School as a single Jedi parent of a young Padawan in training.

I like to lay all of his stuff out after he falls asleep and make it a surprise when he wakes up. It gets him excited and motivated to put it all on and get ready for the day. THis worked so well this morning. He had no anxiety at all, didn't fuss over getting dressed or leaving the house. I was also able to snap off a few cute pics to share.

Here's a list of our must have items for school:

1. Name Bubbles for labeling everything...and I mean everything we send or wear to school. It's way easier than labeling with a sharpie like my parents did or losing uber cool items to the lost-and-found bin. I keep the clothes labels in his drawers so I can just pop one on to his shirts and shorts when we lay clothes out for the day.

2. Shoes! We buy two new pairs of shoes at the beginning of each school year. I typically let B pick his out, too. In the past we have been a huge fan of Stride Rite. They are great for early preschoolers. This year we chose to go with a more athletic shoe from Nike. I know it can be very pricy to buy name brands but try shopping at Shoe Carnival or Famous Footwear for discounts. (Also, the Name Bubble mentioned above have shoe labels! Sweet!)

3. Clothes: Well of course my child will basically only wear clothes with his favorite characters on them, including his underwear. Ugh. I have found great success with Hanna Andersson for everything from socks and undies to back packs. Their shorts and pants are amazing! Thanks to European sizing and attention to detail their clothes will last forever. Organic material, adjustable, washable and durable...all of the things you're looking for when's you spend good money on school clothes. (Check out the PJs too...so cute!) I like to have him help me pick his clothes out the night before and lay them out for him to see. It makes getting dressed in the morning a lot faster and he feels more confident when he picks the outfit.

4. Lunches: We have a variety of lunch boxes from Thermos. I like to switch it up. Because my little guys is more of a snack eater I pack a selection of little things for him to pick and choose from. Typically he will eat most of what I pack. Hummus, yogurt, and cheese are good protein options along with a fruit (he likes apple slices, strawberries or grapes) in these cool camp tins from PB Kids. I alway include a juice and a surprise treat like nut free cookies, gummie bunnies, organic chocolate cookies, Yummy Earth treat for fun. Add a cute little Star Wars note to make his day or a sticker to keep him smiling. I prepack lunch boxes as soon as we get home from school. It helps me just stay on top of that task and I am not scrambling to pack it all in the morning.

5. Nap Mat: This is our first time having to bring a nap mat to school. He's not a napper so...good luck with that, teacher. Getting B to take a nap is like getting anything done with a toddler at home...nearly impossible. I decided to go the discount route when purchasing the nap mat for fear that he may not use it and it will end up a wasted chunk of change. Zulily had really cute Robot nap mat by Olive Kids that we are going to try out. Kiddo has already been laying it out on the floor and reading books on it so maybe it will work for quiet time at school. Fingers Crossed.

6. And last but not least a cool back to school Star Wars themed printable for uber cute pics!

So, there you have it. Our MLR Back to School list for 2016. Wish us luck on our new journey at a new school. We are very excited to be attending Bright Horizons this school year. I was pretty impressed with the tour of the facility, the teachers all seemed really great and they plan a full day of learning from my little preschooler.

Good luck to all you parents braving the back-to-school crazy this week!

Just remember...