We started our school year yesterday. I have realized early August is the perfect time for us to begin school. We are all rather tired of the heat and it just makes sense to start now. My kids were not exactly thrilled, with the exception of Levi, my kindergartener.

We always start our school year with new school supplies. Each of our kids uses a 3-ring binder to keep everything organized. This year we bought solid-color binders and their dad took requests for their cover design. I think the kids like them a lot more than the pre-designed binders. Also, check out Levi’s notebook pictured below: he requested a cow, a sheep, and an instrument. I think it is hysterical every time I see it!

Every year, I try to make our first day of school a little special and fun. This year, we started the morning with breakfast at Friendly’s. Our Friendly’s now has a 50% discount on all breakfast during weekdays, which is a great deal. All 5 of us ate for $13!

We did the traditional back-to-school photos and then got back into the swing of our routine.

Overall, the day went pretty well. My 1st grader had some issues with his attitude and threw his ballpoint pens across the room 3 different times. We had some of those issues last year, but we had dealt with the bulk of them. It looks like we will be re-starting some of his negative attitude; hopefully, it all falls back into a normal routine again, quickly!

After finishing our schoolwork, we made a quick trip to my parents’ house to go swimming — definitely one of the perks of starting school in August! I am super excited to see these kids grow and learn this year!