Preparing for class

In less than one month my boys will be back in school. So far I haven't done much of the planning and shopping so I'd better get going soon. Books have to be bought, I need to buy all the material they'll need, buy new clothes... And most of all - get organized!

Text books are very expensive. Every book costs like 20 Euros (about 30 USD) or more and they need like 7 or 8 books each. Last year I spent like 300 Euros (more than 400 USD) on books alone. This year G will be using some of Bs books from last year and B will be using a friend's old books. Thank God! Because the text books are killing me! Having to pay so much money at the end of summer is tough.

FLY Lady has some really great tips on how to get ready for school. Look here, here, here and here and how to stay on track. There's even a Control Journal for Students. My kids won't be able to use it just yet, because they don't speak English but I will translate some bits and pieces to Spanish and help them make their own Control Journals.

This year I plan to make them healthy snacks for school instead of giving them cookies. They have to take something with them every day for their morning snack - fruit, a sandwich, cookies, candy (way too many Moroccan kids take candy to school EVERY DAY! That's the negative aspects of progress)... I want to make them things which will help them grow and take away the hunger so I'm going to follow some of the lunch box- ideas from FLY Lady.

I don't celebrate New Year's much, because the only thing that really changes is the year and I don't think that's such a big deal. But I do celebrate the start of school. We usually do something special on the first day of school and we plan it well, because it's supposed to be a great and happy day. I don't know what we'll do this year. I'll let you know when the day comes.